3 Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.
A place of worship can be a powerful tangible place to see God. In some Bibles, Psalms 122 is titled by the compilers of the Bible as the “Song of Ascent.” This is a song that the nation of Israel would say or sing together as they went to Jerusalem for worship. Today’s believers probably can’t relate to this psalm in the way it would impact Israelites in that days. We, today, believe God is everywhere. We can worship Him in our homes, our cars, on a walk, in a church, in the office and/or floating in a pool on a hot day. Not so the nation of Israel. They saw God dwelling in the Temple and they could only visit Him certain of the year and even then the High Priest was the only one who would go into the Holy of Holies to see God’s presence. The above verses, however, give us four areas that we should consider in our worship:
1. V. 3 - We should have a place to worship. The author of this psalm admires the way Jerusalem is built. He sees the tangible stones laced together. Yes, God is everywhere, but we ought to find places that give us a tangible place to worship. It adds intentionality to our worship.
2. V. 4a - We should worship with others. Community is important to God. He designed the nation of Israel to worship together. He designed the early church as a place for today’s believers to meet “together” and to worship in community.
3. V. 4b - Their worship was “decreed” by God. That means it was out of love, but it also had an obligation to obey God. We should worship because it springs from the joys of God from the heart. But, we are also commanded to worship God. So, whether we feel like it or not, we are told to do community worship.
4. V. 5 - Jerusalem was the place of judgment for Israel. It was a place that the wrongs of life would be corrected. God is the “judge of all” (Hebrews 12:23). We often worship God for His love and grace and mercy in our lives. But, we are to also worship His judgment. God will judge the world and is even judging it now. That is why we must have a relationship with Christ that allows us to worship God’s judgment but not fear God’s wrath:
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Romans 8:1 (ESV)
Life in the Spirit
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
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