Psalm 122

We have been without weekly gatherings for 12 weeks, kept from the encouragement that comes from singing to each other, kept from the communion table, and from being able to function as the local church in biblically mandated ways. We were not able to meet and stir one another up and encourage one another. While we are thankful for Zoom, it is important that we do not ever become comfortable with “Zoom church,” a term that means nothing. A church service over Zoom is not the normal way of doing church. It is a blessing for some situations, but it is abnormal.
Psalm 122 is the third of 15 psalms in the Psalms of Ascents, which were sung by the Jews during their pilgrimage to Jerusalem to draw near to God in worship and to celebrate the various feasts and festivals. While psalms 120 and 121 are related to the journey to Jerusalem, Psalm 122 focuses on what happens on arrival and worship begins.
WHERE IS THE PLACE OF OUR WORSHIP? Psalm 122:1-3
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together
Ps 122 is clear that the place they were to go for encountering God was the house of the Lord. In David’s day, the house of the Lord would have been the tabernacle, which was soon to be replaced by the temple in Jerusalem in Solomon’s time. This is in the Old Testament context. Then we see Jesus indicating that change would come. (John 4: 21, 23: Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. . . But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth . . .”) But this does not mean that the Christian does not have a place where they have to go for worship. The place we should go is still the Temple, and it is the true Temple that the Old Testament temple was pointing to—to Jesus Christ Himself. In the Old Testament, the temple, otherwise known as the tabernacle was a physical frame in which the presence and glory of God indwelt, and people drew near to that place for that reason. John writes that Jesus came to dwell among us. (John 1:14. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen His glory . . .) In other words, He came and tabernacled among us, and John says that Jesus now is the frame that houses the glory of God. Jesus is the fulfillment of what the temple of the Old Testament was pointing to. Jesus confirmed this in His answer to the Jews when they asked for a sign. (John 2:19: Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”).
Jesus can also be connected with the temple in other ways. The Jerusalem temple housed the law. Jesus is the embodiment of the law, and He preached it and fulfilled it. Jesus is the Revelation from God, and he is the perfect sacrifice of atonement. Jesus Christ is the place where we gather to worship God.
How do we come to this Temple? His people can come at any moment of any day, from any place.
But there is a special way by which we come to this Temple that is Christ, and this is through the gathering of the local church. (Mat 18:20: For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.) We encounter Christ among us as we participate in the Lord’s table and hear the word preached. (1 Cor 10:16, Rom 10:8).
So we must never be satisfied with Zoom. There is benefit from seeing each other on the screen and listening to God’s word, but it is not the same as being in the presence of Christ in the physical gathering of believers. In a sense we have been cut off from our ‘temple’ in the gathered community. It is a serious matter. We have missed the many graces that are given when we, as the gathered body, encounter Jesus.
WHAT IS THE CONTENT OF WORSHIP? Psalm 122:4-9
In this Psalm, David indicates interesting things about the city of Jerusalem and what they would do there.
1. People came from different tribes and backgrounds to a common place to worship. (Vs 4a: to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel). This is analogous to South City’s worship, where we come from different backgrounds and cultures to the one temple our Saviour.
2. People came to give thanks in the name of the Lord, and this is a major focus. (Vs 4b: to give thanks to the name of the LORD.) Even today it is the same, as we give thanks to Him for the salvation secured through Jesus. Unity of worship is marked by thanksgiving.
THRONES FOR JUDGMENT
Another feature that was going on in Jerusalem were the thrones for judgement that were set up. (Vs 5: There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.) Because of the vital role they played in executing justice and judgment, they were a key prerequisite for peace and security. If sin was present in the nation, it brought disharmony among the people and ultimately with God. The psalm goes on to talk about peace. (Vs 6-8: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers! For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!”) All of this was established and maintained largely by the thrones for judgement. It was possible that people came with their grievances to these thrones to get justice.
When we come together as the church, we do not set up thrones of judgement, because we do not need judgement to establish peace. Having taken our judgment upon Himself, He sits on the throne of David and brings peace. We now have an unbreakable bond of peace among ourselves and with the Lord. Church discipline, when exercised, is for recognising those who are not genuine brothers. But among brothers, Christ is the place of our worship, the Temple, and He is the content of our worship. He has achieved the peace and the unity that exists among us. He is the reason for our unity. Christian worship is all about Jesus. He is our Judge who brings us peace. He is our atoning sacrifice and the perfecter of our faith. May we long to gather together where Christ is present among us in a special way.