Psalms 122:1

The Bible says in Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Always get as close to the Lord as you can. In the Old Testament the temple symbolized God’s presence, and so going to the temple symbolized being close to God. Also, notice that this verse says “they said” and “Let us go.” Being with other believers will help you be closer to the Lord. That is one of the main purposes of church. Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” A church is made up of people from all walks of life who have one thing in common: Jesus is their Savior. We need each other. God has given every believer one or more spiritual gifts so that we can minster to each other and help each other. Many people are not very wise, but if you are wise, you will say, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

The rest of this Psalm talks about Jerusalem and the tabernacle in Jerusalem. The Bible says in Psalm 122:2-4, “Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.[3] Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:[4] Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.” In the Bible there is a great emphasis on the importance of the city of Jerusalem. It says in Psalm 48:1-2, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.[2] Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.” Of all the cities of the world, Jerusalem is the city that God chose above all others. It is the city where the greatest kings of Israel ruled: King David and his son King Solomon. Jerusalem if the city where God established His temple and all the wonderful symbolism in it. In Jerusalem in the temple was the ark of the covenant that contained the stone with the Ten Commandments written upon it. In Jerusalem in the temple was the veil concealing the Holy of holies. That veil was rent in two when Jesus died on the cross. By the way, Jesus died for the sins of the world in Jerusalem. Part of heaven itself is named after Jerusalem. Or perhaps we should say that Jerusalem on earth is named after part of heaven. O what Jerusalem could have been if only it could have become more like its namesake. The Psalmist said in verse two, “Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.” At the Second Coming of Christ the feet of Jesus will stand in Jerusalem. But this time He will come as a conquering King. And after Jesus destroys the armies of the antichrist in the Battle of Armageddon, Jesus will rule the earth from Jerusalem for a thousand years, perhaps just to show mankind how it could have been done. That is the purpose for Jerusalem, and God will accomplish that purpose. Instead of war there will be peace. Instead of the ark of the covenant which represents the law, there will be Jesus Himself. Instead of sin and failure there will be righteousness and victory. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will do it. Until that happens, believers love Jerusalem because we know what the scriptures say about it. We think of Jerusalem and we “give thanks unto the name of the LORD.”

The Bible says in Psalm 122:5, “For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.” Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel, and so during the time of King David, his throne was there. King David ruled Israel from Jerusalem. The Messiah, who came in the lineage of King David, will also rule from the throne of David in Jerusalem. Except Jesus will rule the whole earth, and not just Israel.

The Bible says in Psalm 122:6-9, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.[7] Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.[8] For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.[9] Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.” God made a promise to Abraham about His future descendants. Of course, that promise was made hundreds and hundreds of years before these words were written by King David; but no matter how many years go by, if you know the Word of God, and if you are in the Spirit, you will love Israel and Jerusalem, and you will want the best things possible for Israel and for Jerusalem. Peace is mentioned in each of verses six, seven, and eight. In a world of war after war, our prayer should always be that none of the wars would come to Israel or Jerusalem. If that is our prayer, then we are in alignment with God’s will. Those who plan and scheme and plot to bring war or violence to Jerusalem or to Israel are the enemies of God. Those enemies will appear to have the upper hand when they come against Israel and against Jerusalem in the last days at the end of the Great Tribulation under the leadership of the antichrist. But the Second Coming of Jesus will occur just in time. The Prince of peace will bring peace. The prayers of all the believers in the history of the world will be answered. Jesus will bring peace by first bringing the last great battle of the earth: the Battle of Armageddon. Guess who wins that battle. The blood will flow up to the horses’ bridles. The vultures will feed very well. It will take a long time to bury all the corpses. That battle will end human wars on this earth. We will have a war that will end all wars: but only Jesus will do it, not man. The swords shall be beat into plowshares, and finally there will be peace. There will be peace for Jerusalem and for the whole earth. Yes, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” and pray for the return of Christ. Only then will peace on earth for Jerusalem and for all men be realized.

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