¹Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, His holy mountain. ²Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great King.  ³God, in her palaces, has made Himself known as a stronghold.

Jerusalem is so linked to God that the psalm writer praises the city in the same breath as he praises God. It was not just being the capital of Israel that made it special. God chose to have His sacred temple situated there (for more on the temple, see 1 Kings 8). Like the tabernacle in the days of Moses and Joshua, the temple represented His presence. The Lord wanted us to think of it as His dwelling place here on earth. Therefore, it was a holy city. The temple was situated on a mountain (often called the temple mount), the same place where Abraham went to offer his son to God over a millennium earlier. Here in Psalm 48, we see it called Mount Zion. It may not have been a particularly large
mountain, but it was enlarged in the minds of those who saw it as God’s dwelling place. It served as the center of religion, culture and government.

In the eyes of someone who loves the Lord, Jerusalem is more than just a city. The writer distills its grandeur in the few words of this song. Looking at the city catalyzes his praise for God’s greatness. How great? It is not just the city but what it represents, namely the God of Israel. Hence, his praise of God takes on the expression of praise for the city. “Look at the city of Zion—that magnificently reflects the Lord’s greatness!”

The identification of the city with God leads us to see the descriptors of the city as descriptors of God. He is holy, unparalleled in all creation; we treat God as holy by treating His city as sacred. To be holy means to be set apart as special. Since God is inherently holy, that is, set apart from all He has created, He is the Creator, and everything else is created—that alone makes Him holy. All of existence is separated into two things: Creator and creation. While creation comprises a group of infinite things, the Creator comprises a group of One. He is utterly different than everything He created. Yet, this one place on earth, the city of Jerusalem, the temple mount, was set apart by God, like a symbolic dwelling place for the infinite One in the midst of all else.

The psalmist writes not so much of its outward appearance but about all that the city means to him. It is a beautiful place because God is beautiful. Is not the maker of all beauty in the world, Himself beauty consummate? Descriptions of the temple (1 Kings 6, 2 Chron. 3-7) describe a gorgeous edifice; how much more is the beauty of God? His splendor is above and beyond any and all earthly beauty.

The Lord is the source of all joy in the world. When people are rightly aligned with God, then peace and joy reign. This psalm was written either at a time when Israel was at its pinnacle in the ancient world or the psalmist pictures the spiritual influence over the world where the God of Israel is honored. Either way, Jerusalem represents God as wanting joy in the world. What a relevant message for today amid worldwide unrest, political upheaval and moral decay. Joy comes from knowing that God is sovereign and in control. Like the defensive walls surrounding the elevated city of Jerusalem on the mountain top which made it highly resistant to invaders, God is a stronghold to those who love Him. Nothing can breach His protection.

The psalm continues by describing the reaction of marauding armies when arriving at Jerusalem (vss. 4-8). What they saw sent them away in panic, amazed and terrified; their anguish is compared to that of a woman in childbirth. The renowned navy of Syria is easily dispatched to the ocean bottom when God whips up an extreme wind. No one could touch the city as long as God was the stronghold for the Israelites: “In the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish her forever.” (vs. 8).

[Caveat: We know from biblical and secular history that Israel was successfully invaded by the Babylonians and later the Romans. God did not fail as the stronghold; the people stopped obeying God and trusting Him for protection.]

The psalmist turns his praise directly back to God (vss. 9-14) and speaks of His lovingkindness (God’s commitment to His promises to love Israel), righteousness and guidance. Today, we don’t see God’s character on display in a beautiful city or a temple mount. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well,

“Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father … God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21, 24)

As believers today, we have one symbol representing God’s work here on earth, where God procured salvation. While popularly, Christians have used the cross as that symbol, it is what took place on the cross that matters. It represents the Savior’s death for our sins. And we are instructed in the NT to remember not so much the symbol of the cross, but the symbols of His death, namely, the breaking of bread and drinking of the cup that represents His body and blood. In the event, we see the character of God. When we contemplate Jesus’ death, we come away with nothing less than inspiring awe at His holiness and a vision of His beauty. While the world only sees a man’s death, we see God’s magnificence through faith. We, therefore, can join the writer and conclude: “For such is God, our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.”

Lord, I lift You up in elevation to the high place of praise.