1His foundation is in the holy mountains. 2The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwelling places of Jacob. 3Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah.
Jerusalem is a magnificent city, but this psalm isn’t focusing on its outward opulence (as in the days of King Solomon) but on its primal representation of God’s presence on earth. On one level, the term Zion refers to the physical mountain on which the city was located, but more significantly, it points to the kingdom rule of God. It is the spiritual city of God (vs. 4). But this is not the god (“el”) espoused by the Canaanite peoples around them, the one who ostensibly ruled over all the other pagan gods. This is the Lord, Yahweh, as He made himself known to the people He chose to love and favor. He is the one and only deity and is the Sovereign Lord over all creation.
By exalting the city of Jerusalem, this psalm exalts God and His sovereign rule over all the people and nations of the earth. The mountain on which it was located was not the highest nor the most politically or militarily situated. It was significant because God set it apart from all other cities as “holy,” to be foundational to all that God planned for redeeming all from the curse of the fallen world. This was the goal of God’s promise to Abraham, which was and is the basis for the Lord’s plan for the world:
And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Gen. 12:2–3)
The Lord has a great affection for Jerusalem, as he poetically refers to loving “the gates of Zion.” It stands out over and above all the other cities of Israel (vs. 2, here referred to as “Jacob”).
Not only does God love the city He designated as holy, but as the people loyal to Him sang this song, they were celebrating what God loves, and, in doing so, celebrating God. Some have referred to the Zion songs as those that particularly focus on the glories of God (see Psalms 48; 76; 84; 122; 137, most of which were also written by the sons of Korah).
Celebration is not limited to Israel only, but there is coming a future time when all the nations that submit to Yahweh will likewise celebrate and speak of “Glorious things” concerning Jerusalem (vs. 3). The psalm writer mentions “Rahab” first (vs. 4), the name God gave to Egypt (Isaiah 30:7), which means “arrogance.” (This name “Rahab” is not to be confused with the prostitute of Jericho in Joshua 2). One day, Egypt, which historically wreaked havoc on God’s people, will acknowledge (“know”) God, and those people will see themselves as naturalized citizens of Zion, as indicated by the phrase, “This one was born there” (vs. 4b). The same is true of other nations that constantly harassed the people of God: the Babylonians, Philistines, and others. All would become citizens of Israel and recipients of God’s blessing through Zion. All nations would be blessed through Israel (Gen. 12:1-3), but Israel itself would be blessed directly by God. Thus, we read,
“But of Zion it shall be said, ‘This one and that one were born in her’; and the Most High Himself will establish her.” (vs. 5)
In many places, Scripture portrays this coming together of all nations who submit to Christ as the glorious future of all humankind (vs. 7, see Isaiah 60:5-7, etc.). Then there will be great joy and festivity, with much singing of praise and worship to God, who is overall.
We take this psalm by faith as good news for the future of our planet. The continuous unrest in the Middle East wages war against our hope for a unification of all nations in submission to God, and finally experiencing world peace. Any hope in that kind of future, apart from obedience to God, is a naïve fantasy—our present generation is no closer than it was in ancient times. But as believers loyal to God, the same God who made the above promise to Abraham, we look forward to the Messiah’s returning and setting up His kingdom on earth. Until then, we hold to Christ’s promise through the apostle John, “Yes, I am coming quickly.”
Lord, with the apostle I add, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:20)
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