The Joy Of The Whole Earth

by R.F. Lundwill, Vancouver, B.C., Canada | Category: Jerusalem | Nov 1992

The personal name of the author of Psalm 48 and the exact date of writing are not known. When were the kings assembled, and passed by together (v.4)? When did they see Zion, marvelled, were troubled, and hasted away in fear? A possible time could have been during the reign of Jehoshaphat, but of course this is conjecture. It was then that the Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites invaded Jerusalem and Judith. Jehoshaphat turned his eyes toward the Lord in prayer, "O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee" (2 Chron. 20:12). Jehovah's answer was immediate and crystal clear:

Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, 0 Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed: tomorrow go out against them; for the LORD is with you (20:17).

Jehoshaphat's response was indeed amazing. "He appointed them that should sing unto the LORD, and praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto the LORD; for His mercy endureth for ever" (20:21). The result was also amazing, Ammon and Moab suddenly turned upon the Edomites and destroyed them. They then turned on one another, and Judith witnessed their total destruction.

The sons of Korah remind the inhabitants of Jerusalem that Zion is beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth. They were invited to admire her palaces as they walked about Zion. Encouraged to encircle the city again and again: view the towers; are they still standing? Are any demolished'? Have any crumbled? Consider her defences; how strong are her ramparts, and the successive lines of defence? This was the view which faced the approaching nations which drew near to visit or attempt to conquer.

How sad that this view of Zion was not to be permanent! The idolatrous behaviour of Solomon in the latter part of his reign, and the apostasy by the kings which took place during the centuries which followed, finally ended in Jehovah's anger and judgement upon Judith and Zion. There came a time when the surrounding nations would be given an entirely different view of Zion. Lamentations, penned by the weeping prophet Jeremiah, described the awful scene:

All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying: Is this the city that men called The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth? (2:1 5). Jerusalem has had a tempestuous

and turbulent history. In 1400 BC, Judah and Simeon fought against Jerusalem, took it, smote it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire (Judges 1:8). During the next fifteen centuries Jerusalem was besieged seventeen times, being razed to the ground twice. The city was taken three times by Nebuchadnezzar between 607 and 586 BC. It was restored during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, in response to the decree of Cyrus. It was sacked by Antiochus Epiphanes in 170 BC.

Not long before His death, when He was about to enter Jerusalem, and then be taken outside the city walls to Golgotha and crucified, Jesus drew near the city and wept over it:

For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another (Luke 19:43,44).

In fulfilment of Christ's prophecy of judgement, the Roman emperor Titus, the son of Vespasian, attacked Jerusalem in April AD 70. The Jews defended with unbelievable valour. It would seem that they fought under the conviction that what was described by the sons of Korah would be repeated. They hoped that when the enemy saw the ramparts they would be amazed, dismayed and beat a hasty retreat (Ps. 48:5). But no, the siege continued. On August 10th the Temple was destroyed and burnt, and on the 8th of September the city was utterly destroyed.

Thus perished this proud and beautiful city, the scene of Israel's rejection of her Messiah, outside whose walls He was crucified. How sad to reflect upon the footmarks left on every street, and upon the graphic accounts which were written into the pages of history about a people who in past days knew the protection of the God of heaven! As the times of the Gentiles run their course, the land of Israel has been occupied by successive powers. Many of its inhabitants were dispersed to the extremities of the earth, frequently persecuted, but divinely preserved from extinction. In 1948 the secular state of Israel was established, including part of Jerusalem, and many Jews have returned, for the most part in unbelief and alienation from the Messiah.

According to Biblical prophecy, Jerusalem and Israel have yet to experience the great Tribulation, the time of Jacob's trouble when once more Jerusalem will be "trodden down of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24; Zech.14:2) and they will undergo fierce persecution. In their extremity, Israel's Messiah will appear for their deliverance. There will be repentance on a national scale and they will say, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed" (Is. 53:5). He will receive a tumultuous welcome as He enters Zion in triumph. The Lord Jesus Christ, who is David's Son and Lord, will mount the throne of His father David, and as the One whose right it is to reign, will establish His millennial kingdom:

The LORD shall send forth the rod of Thy strength out of Zion: rule

Thou in the midst of Thine enemies (Ps. 110:2).

For Jerusalem, the best is yet to be.

R.F. Lundwill, Vancouver, B.C., Canada | Nov 1992
Jerusalem