Meditations on Christ in the Psalms
February 9, 2023
The Purpose of Man Is To Overcome Fear
For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem;
he has desired it for his
home.
This is my resting place forever,” he said.
“I will live here, for this
is the home I desired.
Psalm 132:13-14
Psalm 132 remembers King David establishing Jerusalem as the spiritual home of Israel. As the psalmist recalls the promise of God to King David that, “your royal line will continue forever and ever” (v.12) we recognize that Psalm 132 is a Messianic Psalm, because its ultimate fulfillment is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
In reading Psalm 132, I recalled two books I read about the state of Israel’s fight for survival through four wars: the War of Independence in 1948; the war for the Sinai Peninsula in 1956; the Six-day War in 1967; and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. I was deeply inspired by the self-sacrificing commitment of the people to re-establish Jerusalem as the center of their homeland. Verses 8-10 of Psalm 132 are taken from 2 Chronicles 6:41-42, the prayer of King Solomon upon the dedication of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, an event that occurred almost three thousand years ago in 960 B.C. The inspiration of the Jews fighting for their freedom in 1948, 1954, 1967 and 1973 was as passionate as the American patriots fighting for freedom within days of our Declaration of Independence.
As the followers of Jesus, “we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior” (Philippians 3:20). We long for the time when the holy city, the New Jerusalem, will come down from God out of heaven. We look forward to when “God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” We look forward to when there is “no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:2-4, 22).
When I read Psalm 132 and think of the passion of David to establish Jerusalem, the passion of Solomon to build God’s Temple, the passion of the psalmist in recalling his history, and the incredible passion of the sons and daughters of Israel sacrificing for her freedom, I am stunned by my comparative lack of passion to strive for the building of God’s Kingdom, today, in my time.
My Takeaway: One of the twentieth century patriots of Israel was asked why he was willing to sacrifice all he had in his, "David verses Goliath" fight for freedom. He responded that the purpose of man is to overcome fear.
Maybe so. Maybe so.
Sē’lah
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(Selah is a word that appears in the
Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my
correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about
these things.)
These
meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his
way of life. The meditations are
published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/
and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may
subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.
Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight
Unless
otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless
otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
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