Psalm 48:1-3 A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah. "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. (3) God is known in her palaces for a refuge."
I sit here and look at these three verses in awe and wonderment. "Great is the LORD." As I think about these four words, my heart is humbled to know that I can read those words and realize that the greatness of our God is beyond any words that I might think, say, or type on this page. I think about the fact that I am absolutely nothing without my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Immediately after those four words are the words that describe "the city of our God." These are Old Testament words that are the equivalent of the New Testament Church. We read in Isaiah 2:2, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." The word to describe the Lord's House - His Church - is the word, "holiness". That word carries the meaning of being set apart. Holy is our God AND Holy is His House, the Church. The Church is not a place of entertainment; rather it is a place where we should be able to find refuge from a dark and evil world. The Church is a place that is set apart from every other place on earth. As the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to esteem it highly for Christ's sake. Paul spoke to the elders of the Church at Ephesus in this manner: They were "to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." (Acts 20:28) The Church was built and based upon the Supreme sacrifice of Christ's blood; therefore, it is to be held in the utmost reverence. I'm rambling this morning, but I'm deeply concerned about the state of the Church. I'm afraid it does not always receive the deep respect and admiration that she is due. We are exhorted to "walk about Zion"; that is to say, Look around and see how, or if, the name of the Lord is exalted. That is the only way to know if the assembly is "set apart" or not.
Psalm 48:12-14 "Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. (13) Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it
to the generation following. (14) For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even
unto death.
Final question: In my life, in the Church, Who is considered to be "this
God (that) is our God for ever and ever"? Is He presented as being
the Great and Sovereign Lord or has His name been brought down to a lower place
in our lifes? This morning I am as the Psalmist in another place, "My
heart is inditing a good matter."