On Fathers' Day, nostalgic memories of childhood come flooding back. Many remember the protective presence of their fathers, the sense of belonging. security and intimacy of the old home. But memories of disappointments and of unrealized expectations also come flooding back on this day. Many have never experienced the joy and security of a loving home. They longed for guidance and counseling but never had anyone to turn to.
Last year each pastor on our staff shared his life with the other pastors at our weekly meetings. I was struck with how much pain and heartache some of these men experienced as they grew up. Most of our thirteen pastors did not have a good home life. Three were orphans' or had fathers who virtually abandoned them. That is representative of our nation. Many of the fifty million singles in the United States have chosen the single life because of the lack of good role models in their homes. In an article about a new epidemic of suicide among young people. U. S. News and Word Report last week noted:
What we are seeing now is an epidemic of suicidal communication among young people. It is a way of saying, 'Someone help me.' Youth are desperate, unhappy, confused and compulsive. They can't think of' any other way out...Parents are sometimes working so hard to provide the material things that they've neglected what the child really needs and wants- time, attention, love and affection. The child acts out with suicide attempts to get attention.
In this series of messages on the Psalms we are learning that our role as Christians living in this world is to be pilgrims, aliens, sojourners. To us this world is a temporary place. We feel a sense of alienation; our yearnings are not always satisfied. Can any joy be found in this life? you ask. The answer is, Yes. The good news is that joy can indeed be found while we are living here. In Psalm 122 the pilgrim says there is a place where your deepest yearnings can be met, and that place is the City of God.
The development of these Songs of Ascents is readily apparent. In Psalm 120 we saw that the pilgrim, as he lived in the world, was wearied by the conflict and the deceit he constantly faced. Longing for peace, he began his journey to Jerusalem. Psalm 121 pictured the pilgrim going forth from his safe, secure home, but as he observed the hills on the horizon he saw nothing but danger ahead. The psalm goes on to describe his great Keeper, the Lord, who would protect him from those dangers. In Psalm 12.' we are taken by King David to the city of God itself. The emotion builds as David joins the procession. He describes his anticipation as his feet are standing within the gates of the city; his awe and wonder as he goes to the walls and to the inner courtyards. The emotion reaches its climax when he comes to the house of God itself, to the throne of the Messiah, the very presence of the Lord.
As the psalm unfolds we can almost feel David's spirit being rejuvenated and refreshed as it expresses itself in joy, wonder, praise and prayer. Verse 1:
A Son of Ascents, of David.
I was glad with those saying to me,
To the house of the Lord let us go.
Our feet were standing In your gates, O Jerusalem.
Here David is describing his joy at the prospect of joining the procession going to Jerusalem. Have you ever observed the sense of joyful anticipation in a child who knows that soon he is going to visit Disneyland? Such is David's joy as he anticipates standing inside the gates of Jerusalem.. Standing fast against the enemy, he is weary of being in the world; but soon he will be praying arid worshiping in the city of God.
What is the city of God? Even in that day, it would be a mistake to view the city of God as meaning simply the stone buildings of Jerusalem. David is not fascinated with the gates, the stones. etc., that make up the temple. Cities arc not, never have been, nor never will be mere buildings alone. Buildings reflect the people who inhabit them. Many people make the mistake of trying to see Paris, London, Amsterdam, Florence and Munich in two weeks. They travel about by motorcoach from one museum, art gallery or church to another. Everything goes by in a blur. They can hardly tell the difference between one city and .. as a result stems from the fact that they never really visited any city, because they never met or spent time with any of the people. Had they done so then the buildings, the culture, the art of a city would have come to life. As a student I lived in Florence for six months. At first, like everybody else, I did the "tour" of the city. the Uffizi Art Gallery bored me stiff. Six months later though, after I had met, ate and lived with the Italians, Michelangelo's art came to life, Masaccio's frescoes came to life. Cities are people.
What is unique about Jerusalem, however, is that it is not only the place where the people of God meet, but it is the city that God himself inhabits. Thus Jerusalem could be defined as the place where one could experience the life of the Father, through the rule of his Messiah, in the presence of all the saints. That is the city of God. All these descriptions of the city, therefore, are really poetic descriptions of the people who live there.
Verse 3:
O Jerusalem, the one which is built Like a city joined altogether for itself.
The idea here is that Jerusalem is compact, with buildings jammed tightly against one another. That is true even today. Jerusalem does not look very big from the outside, but there is much life densely packed within a small area. The word "joined" (verse 3), means to take two things and join them together in such a way that they actually become one. The curtains of the tabernacle, made up of separate pieces of cloth, was "joined" in this way when it was sewn together. The same Hebrew root is in the name of the city of Hebron;; there David united all of Israel together to act as one people under his rule. The psalmist is saying that what is marvelous about Jerusalem is that here is where all the people of the nation come together in unity. In the world there is conflict, war, disunity, but in God's city everybody acts as one. How refreshing! How marvelous! In fact, the Septuagint does not even translate this figure literally. It looks beyond the image to the spiritual reality, using the words, "This is a city whose fellowship is complete."
Where did this unity come from? Did the inhabitants create it? Were there committees there hammering it home? Notice that the words "joined," and "built" are both in the passive tense, which means that the people did not create this unity. God did it. Psalm 133 is built on this image:
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!
It is like precious oil upon the head, Coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron's beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing -- life forever.
In God's city unity is the result of a divine gift, a divine blessing of his Spirit. (Oil is always a picture of God s Spirit.) Like life-giving morning dew, it is refreshing to be among God's people as they arc one. And nothing is left untouched. The oil that anointed a priest's head not only covered his head hut drenched his body, down to his outer robes. In other words, this unity touched everybody. the unity of the saints: that is what the world hungers for, isn't it?
In his book ''Megatrends, ' John Naisbit describes the ten major trends that are affecting our society. One of them he calls, ''Hi-tech, Hi-touch." He says that the more technology we are introducing into society, the more people feel the need to congregate and be together. Here is a quote from that book:
About seven years ago, in 1975, after we invented those huge screens that you could have in your living room to watch movies, Arthur D. Little issued a report suggesting that by the year 1980 there would be almost no movie theaters in the United States. What they didn't understand was high tech/high touch. You do not go to a movie just to see a movie. You go to a movie to cry or laugh with 200 other people. It's an event.. High tech/high touch. The more technology we introduce into society, the more people will aggregate. will want to be with other people: movies, rock concerts, shopping. Shopping malls, for example, are now the third most frequented space in our lives, following home and workplace.
Have you tried to get in to see ''Return of the Jedi''? People want to be with other people!
In 1970 I was in Amsterdam on a break between quarters. Travelling around the city I got lost, and I found myself in the "red light'' district. There the girls sit behind windows, encouraging passers-by to come in. My spirit grieved as I went through that part of the city. After escaping unharmed, I prayed, " Lord, tomorrow is Sunday. You must have people in this city, I want to worship with them. Please lead me to them." As I was walking back to the youth hostel I heard a preacher preaching in Dutch. Although I couldn't understand a word, I listened to his message. After he had finished, I said to him, "I'm a brother." He said, "You must come to our house tomorrow," and he gave me directions. I remember my sense of anticipation that Saturday night. When I met the group next day there was an immediate oneness between us. They did not ask me what was my denominational background; they welcomed me as a brother. I did not have to stay at one other hostel during my three-week break. That group gave me addresses of believers in Copenhagen, in Oslo and in Bergen, where I later stayed in Christian homes. With them I enjoyed an immediate oneness. I still correspond with many of them, although that happened 13 years ago. Joy comes in life when you go someplace where you sense you belong; and that is the city of God.
Notice that our unity does not mean uniformity. Verse 4:
There the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord.
Though they were one people, the Jewish nation consisted of twelve tribes, all with distinctive characteristics and positions. Judah was preeminent in authority: "The seepter will never leave Judah.'' Issachar was the servant of others. Also, the various tribes had different functions and different concerns. Levi was a teacher, concerned with building up the Israelites with God's word; Zebulun, on the other hand, was a haven for ships. An evangelist,, she hungered for the people on the other side of the sea, wanting to bring them to the mountain of the Lord.. The tribes had different personalities. Gad was a tough, rugged warrior, while Naphtali was an artist, "a doe set free.'' In contrast, the world creates a type of unity by having people pursue the same interests. If everybody plays golf or tennis they can enjoy each other; take up identical concerns or perform the same task, the world tells us. But in God's city we do not have to create this unity; it is a gift, because we are all partakers of the same life.
And the life we have has manifold expressions. Rather than being threatened by our diversity, our unity is enriched by it. In God's city you can be uniquely you. You do not have to take up every concern, every cause. You do not have to give in every direction. Just be yourself and enjoy the common life. This year I have taken delight in the fact that I am a teacher, period. People who work with me know I hate administration. I am not a visionary; I do not have the gift of helps; nor am I a gifted evangelist. But I am happy to be a teacher. I do not have to have all the gifts. As brothers and sisters we can enjoy life together just being ourselves. We do not have to fit into somebody else's mold.
David goes on to describe the two fold reason why all the tribes were gathering, and what it was that constituted their worship. Verses 4 and 5:
There the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,
A testimony for Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
For there thrones were set for judgment,
Thrones of the house of David.
There is much talk and much confusion today about what is worship. Is it the music, the guitar or the organ that makes meaningful worship? Is it the mood that is set: Should it be quiet or noisy? Is Bible study worship? Here David says worship is two things. First, worship is giving thanks to the Lord; and second, worship is coming under the judgment of God's Messiah. Thus worship is, first, to have a thankful heart, and secondly, to have a humble teachable spirit to his Word.
Let us look at what it means to give thanks. The law required all males in Israel to seek the Lord at Jerusalem, to bring the harvest offerings, and to feast before the name of the Lord on three occasions each year. (Deut. 12, Ex.23) Each of these feasts was tied to an agricultural season. The Feast of First Fruits was the first gleaning of the harvest; the Feast of Pentecost was the full harvest, 50 days later; and in the fall. the Feast of Tabernacles was the feast of ingathering,, or completion. of the year. When the Jews gave thanks at these feasts they were publicly re that God was at work giving life in their midst. At the E cast of First Fruits they thanked God for new life; at the Feast of Pentecost they thanked God for abundant life; and at the Feast of l Tabernacles they thanked the Lord for life to completion.
Jesus fulfilled those feasts spiritually. On the day of First Fruits he was raised from the dead (new life); on the day of Pentecost his Spirit was poured out in full measure (abundant life); and on the Feast of Tabernacles, which has yet to happen, he will gather all the nations to Jerusalem and complete the plan of. For us, I believe the Feast of Tabernacles is a picture' of when we will get our new bodies, when we dwell in a new ''booth" made from the fruit of the land. That is what we' arc to do when we gather together to worship: we are to praise God for new life.
One of our college students, who is studying in Israel, describes in a letter the joy he had at the Passover Feast there:
I just got back from our Passover conference. It was so incredibly encouraging. Young Israelis from all over the country gathered together near Tel Aviv for four days of worship, teaching. praying together in small groups. Our focus was the unity of the body of Christ. It was so encouraging to me, filling needs that have been starving since I've been in Israel: really recognizing the body of Christ, feeling like family; receiving meaty, biblical, challenging teaching; and worshipping together in a way that I fel confortable with. I think God is going to be doing fantastic things here. These are young Israelis who are being saved. who are solid in the Scripture, who focus on what is important and don't get tangled up in unimportant side issues, and who are worshipping and reaching out to other Israelis in an Israeli style.
True joy comes when we praise God that he is at work in our lives.
The Israelites came not merely to give thanks- that is only one part of worship- they also came to hear from the Lord through his Messiah, Israel's anointed King. For Jerusalem was the place where "the thrones of the house of David," were set for judgment. Did you ever realize that when you come together that you are gathering for judgment? Or do you think that worship consists of believe and frills and good feelings? No, worship is judgment. In Israel what made these feasts joyous occasions historically was the fact that people could bring all their struggles to the king, who was the last court of appeal in Israel. There justice could be found. The king was to make his own copy of Deuteronomy and read it every day, to memorize it by heart, so that on the feast days pilgrims could come with their grievances and the king would set free the oppressed. He would render justice; he would teach and render judgment. Thus the principal place of justice was the sanctuary, the throne of the Messiah.
In the New Testament we find Jesus performing this same function in Jerusalem. He joined the pilgrims, and came with the procession, not only to give thanks for the life that God had given, but also to bring judgment to Jerusalem. Remember that his first act on a feast day was to cleanse the temple. He had the right to do that because he was the Messiah, the anointed King, the One authorized to render judgment. As he taught in the court of the Gentiles (Matthew 23), Jesus brought into judgment the attitudes of the Scribes and the Pharisees in order to change their way of thinking. He liberated the truly oppressed, the lame and the blind.
When we gather together we too come before this throne of judgment by the Spirit; we come under the authority of the rule of the Messiah by his Word. Thus we have never worshipped until we sit under the throne of his Word and allow it to act on our hearts to bring judgment and conviction. Worship occurs when we have heard the Word and are brought under conviction; then we are broken, we are repentant, and thus liberated.
Last year a number of the staff felt the need for home fellowships in our PBC body, so we launched about a dozen fellowship where saints of all ages could gather together each week to share and study. Paul Winslow and I had the leaders of these fellowships meet in a home six months after we had started the meetings. As these leaders shared what was going on in the homes it was remarkable to us that two aspects came out in full color. First, each leader shared the joy he had in watching people share about the life of Jesus Christ among them- the whole gamut, from babies being born to people going home to be with the Lord. And because they met in homes, the teaching from the Word was intimate. People could not escape coming under judgment. They could not continue in the same attitudes anti maintain the same lifestyle; they had to change. The sharing at these meetings got deeper and richer. In fact some people left because they felt that the sharing was too deep; they could not handle it. Yet that is true worship: giving thanks to the name of the Lord and sitting under the throne of the Messiah. It is a joyful thing to know we always have a place to come where we can receive guidance and correction because we have a Father who loves us.
The pilgrim now prays for the city itself. Verses 6 and 7:
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
May those who love you prosper.
May there be peace in your walls,
And prosperity in your citadels.
Peace and prosperity are the themes of his prayer. Peace means wholeness, and wellbeing as a result of that wholeness. Prosperity means the quietness of spirit, the ease one feels during prosperous times. Understand, though, that the pilgrim is not praying for these things as an end in themselves, nor does he say they bring security. Rather, these qualities of peace and prosperity come in the context of judgment. Having sat under the throne of judgment and placed your life under the authority of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, then you have peace and prosperity. Thus the king is praying that Jerusalem will outwardly demonstrate the peace and wholeness that is in people's lives as a result of coming under the Messiah's rule.
The book of Chronicles lists the characteristics of a godly king. First, he put an end to idolatry in the nation; then he instituted the Word of God in worship again. Then as a result of the ensuing peace and wellbeing, great building projects were instituted in Jerusalem-walls were fortified., the temple was rebuilt, etc. Yet if a king became unrighteous, any previous fortifications were of no value to thwart enemy attack. Seeing that a building program was going on in Jerusalem, taking note of the ease and prosperity of the city, a righteous Israelite would know. that that was the result of the rule of a righteous king. but that in itself would not result in security in the future it their kit arts were given over to unrighteousness. So in these verses the king is praying that the qualities of peace and prosperity would result from God's people coming under the Lorship of their Messiah..
In Jesus' day the Scribes and the Pharisees wants d peace too. but to achieve it the\ sold out their Messiah to the Roman government. They wanted peace and prosperity for Jerusalem, but when Jesus entered the city he wept and said, ''It you had known in this day. even you the things which make for peace.'' Then he went on to prophesy the destruction of Jerusalem. These leaders did not know that coming under his rule was what made for peace and prosperity.
In verses 8 and 9 the king tells why he is so in love with Jerusalem
For the sake of my brothers and my friends,
I will now say, "Peace be within you."
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your good.
David is saying, in effect, ''I so love my God, I so love this city and its people that everything I speak and everything I seek will be for its benefit David can give himself wholeheartedly to this city because he knows God is committed to Jerusalem. I always hesitate to give my whole hole heart to something if I am unsure that God is committed to it. Reading church history, one can see examples of godly saints, especially in the later years of their lives, giving themselves to causes that are not God's causes. Yet there is one cause you can give yourself fully to, one thing that will never be destroyed: that is God's city. God is unconditional in his commitment to build the lives of his people. Thus you can live your life to that end and know that it will be successful.
Here also David sees that all of life is orchestrated so that everything that happens to him is for the benefit of others. As we all live in a city- no one lives in isolation - everything we go through is custom-made to make us useful to others. "All things are for your sake," Paul writes, "my beatings, my imprisonment, my rejection are all for your benefit so I gladly receive them." (2 Cor. 4) Nothing, no suffering, no crisis, comes to you for your own benefit, but for the benefit of others. The crises, the suffering my wife and I have been through were orchestrated for us so that we could minister to others. The same is true in your lives. God has designed your life to make you useful; and joy comes when you realize you are part of something glorious.
In this psalm the king tells of the joy he discovered in God's city. He found a sense of community, a sense that he belonged there. Yet he was uniquely himself in this oneness he experienced. God was involved in his life; he found guidance and correction. The city was where justice could be found; and he found that his life had a definite purpose: to serve others. One word describes all those qualities: home; being at home. What have you done with your deepest longings? What have you done with your disappointments? Have you tasted life in this city or is your appetite somewhat dulled because you are stir' enamored with worldly counterfeits?
Prayer
Our Father, we rejoice at what you have made available to us in the realm of the heavenlies; the joy of gathering together, the joy of being at home and having a sense of community, a sense of excitement that you are involved in our lives. We praise you for this great gift. Thank you that you have made us members of your city. We pray that our excitement and enthusiasm would so spill over to others to draw them to the great city of God, so that they might come to see the great blessings that you have granted to us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Catalog No. 3902
Psalm 122
Third message
Brian Morgan
June 19, 1983
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