Reading:
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of
the LORD. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: Whither
the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of
Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. For there are set
thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for
the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be
within thy walls, and
prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions'
sakes, I will now say, Peace be
within thee. Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek
thy good.
Commentary:
Three major church festivals were held every year in Jerusalem,
and in this psalm David is happy to be told it is time to go to
worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. As he approaches Jerusalem with
others, he views the city, its beauty and compact nature. Other
tribes are going there also to worship, "to give thanks unto the
name of the Lord." Being the capital, Jerusalem was also the
seat of judgment for the nation. "Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem….peace be within thee." Jerusalem represents the
True Church, the communion of saints. We stand "compact
together" in the unity of faith, Christ being our cornerstone.
He also is our joy, and the true beauty of the Church and we are His
body, the Temple. From this spiritual Jerusalem (the True Church) a
wonderful judgment is likewise declared in this world, that by the
blood of God's only-begotten Son, God and man are reconciled. Jesus
then is the peace within the walls of Jerusalem, even the walls of
our own heart. "For
my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be
within thee. Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek
thy good."
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