RETURN TO
SYLLABUS
PSALMS 48
LESSON #06/P2
THE CITY OF OUR GOD
- THE BACKGROUND ON THIS PSALM.
- THIS PSALM WAS WRITTEN TO COMMEMORATE A VICTORY BY KING JEHOSHAPHAT OVER THE AMMONITES
AND THE MOABITES.
- READ 2CHR 20:1-13
- KING JEHOSHAPHAT PRAYS FOR THE SAFETY OF THE NATION AND THE CITY OF JERUSALEM.
- HIS PRAYER GIVES US SOME INTERESTING INSIGHTS INTO PRAYER. WE WILL EXAMINE THESE PRAYER
PRINCIPLES BECAUSE THIS IS THE KIND OF PRAYER THAT BRINGS THE KIND OF VICTORIOUS ANSWER WE
SEE IN PSA 48.
- PRAYER PRINCIPLES:
- =1= A FAST THROUGHOUT JUDAH. (2CHR 20:3)
- =2= HIS PRAYER IS BASED ON THE NATURE OF GOD AND HIS COVENANT. (2CHR 20:6)
- =3= PRAYER REMEMBERS THE THINGS THAT GOD HAS DONE IN THE PAST. (2CHR 20:7)
- =4= PRAYER MEANS YOU MAKE YOUR REQUEST REGARDING THE SITUATION SPECIFIC BEFORE GOD.
(2CHR 20:9)
- =5= PRAYER SPECIFICALLY STATES THE PROBLEM AT HAND. (2CHR 20:10)
- =6= PRAYER SOMETIMES REQUIRES SPIRITUAL WARFARE. (2CHR 20:11 EPH 6:10-18)
- =7= A PRAYER OF FAITH KEEPS AN EYE ON GOD INSTEAD OF ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES. (2CH4 20:12)
- PSALM 48 IS ABOUT THE CITY OF GOD, JERUSALEM. HOWEVER, MOUNT ZION IS ALSO MENTIONED IN
THIS PSALM. THEREFORE, WE MUST DEFINE SOME TERMS BEFORE WE CAN ANALYZE THIS PSALM.
- MOUNT ZION AND JERUSALEM:
- MOUNT ZION IS A SMALL MOUNTAIN RANGE THAT COVERS THE CITY OF JERUSALEM.
- THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE RANGE IS AT CALVARY WHERE ABRAHAM SACRIFICED HIS SON ISAAC AND
WHERE JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS. IT IS AT THE NORTHERN END OF THE CITY.
- THE SECOND HIGHEST POINT IS THE TEMPLE MOUNT WHERE SOLOMON’S TEMPLE STOOD, AND
WHERE THE JEWS SEEK TO REBUILD THEIR TEMPLE TODAY.
- THE JEWS DID NOT BUILD THEIR TEMPLE ON THE HIGHEST POINT BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE PAGANS
BUILT THEIR PAGAN TEMPLES OF IDOLATRY. THESE PAGAN TEMPLES ARE SOMETIMES CALLED "HIGH
PLACES" IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
- JERUSALEM IS OFTEN CALLED THE CITY OF GOD.
- THE NAME JERUSALEM AND MOUNT ZION ARE FREQUENTLY INTERCHANGED TO MEAN THE SAME THING.
HOWEVER, IN PSA 48 THE NAME MOUNT ZION AND THE "CITY OF OUR GOD" ARE NOT THE
SAME THING, AS WE WILL SEE.
- THE PRIMARY AND PROPHETIC INTERPRETATION:
- READ PSA 48:1-3
- PSA 46, 47, AND 48 GO TOGETHER. THEY SPEAK PROPHETICALLY ABOUT THE FUTURE MILLENNIAL
KINGDOM OF CHRIST ON EARTH FOR 1000 YEARS.
- IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM, CHRIST WILL BE WORSHIPED AND PRAISED AROUND THE WORLD. (1)
- "…IN THE CITY OF OUR GOD…" (1)
- READ REV 21:1-4
- RESURRECTED BELIEVERS WILL WORSHIP CHRIST IN THE NEW JERUSALEM, WHICH IS THE CITY OF OUR
GOD.
- IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM, "THE NEW JERUSALEM" WILL BE A SATELLITE SUSPENDED
OVER THE EARTH FOR A THOUSAND YEARS. IT WILL HOUSE THE RESURRECTED BELIEVERS FROM THE OLD
TESTAMENT, THE RESURRECTED BELIEVERS FROM THE CHURCH AGE (THAT’S US!), AND THE
MARTYRED BELIEVERS FROM THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. THERE WILL BE A HIGHWAY BETWEEN THE
SUSPENDED NEW JERUSALEM AND THE EARTHLY CITY OF JERUSALEM ON MOUNT ZION. (ISA 35:8)
- WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS NEW JERUSALEM?
- FOR THE RESURRECTED BELIEVERS WITH A NEW IMMORTAL BODY IN THE NEW JERUSALEM, THERE WILL
BE NO MORE PAIN, NO SICKNESS, NO DEATH, FOR THE FORMER THINGS OF THIS LIFE ARE GONE AND
FORGIVEN.
- "…IN THE MOUNTAIN OF HIS HOLINESS…" = MOUNT ZION (1)
- DURING THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM, EARTHLY HUMAN BEINGS, BOTH BELIEVERS AND THEIR CHILDREN,
WILL WORSHIP JESUS CHRIST IN THE EARTHLY JERUSALEM ON MOUNT ZION.
- THE DESCRIPTION OF THE EARTHLY JERUSALEM ON MOUNT ZION: THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING (2)
- "…BEAUTIFUL FOR SITUATION…"
- THE EARTHLY JERUSALEM WILL BE LIFTED UP TO BE THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN ON EARTH. THIS OCCURS
DURING THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST WHEN MOUNTAINS DISAPPEAR AND
ISLANDS SINK.
- "…THE JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH…"
- DURING THE MILLENNIUM, PEOPLE WILL TRAVEL TO THE EARTHLY JERUSALEM AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR
TO WORSHIP JESUS CHRIST, THE KING.
- "…IS MOUNT ZION ON THE SIDES OF THE NORTH…"
- THIS IS A VERY PECULIAR PHRASE, BUT VERY SIGNIFICANT IN REGARDS TO THE CITY OF
JERUSALEM.
- THE OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM IS LOCATED ON A HILL WITH DEEP VALLEY’S TO THE EAST, THE
WEST, AND THE SOUTH. THAT MADE IT AN EASILY DEFENDED CITY. THE ONLY WAY AN ENEMY COULD
EASILY ATTACK WOULD BE FROM THE NORTH.
- HOWEVER, IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM, CHRIST’S PALACE AND THRONE WILL BE ON THE
NORTH…THE PERFECT DEFENSE! THE PERFECT REFUGE. (3)
- READ PSA 48:4-7
- AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM, AFTER THE 1000 YEARS ARE ENDED, SATAN WILL BE
LOOSED FROM HIS PRISON TO DECEIVE THE NATIONS ONCE AGAIN.
- READ REV 20:1-9
- VERSES 4-7 REFER TO THIS LAST WORLD BATTLE CALLED GOG AND MAGOG.
- THIS FINAL BATTLE CONSISTS OF THE CHILDREN OF THE HUMAN BELIEVERS WHO NEVER ACCEPTED
CHRIST AS THEIR PERSONAL SAVIOR DURING THE MILLENNIUM. THEY ARE CHRIST’S FINAL ENEMY,
AND THEY ARE GATHERED AROUND THE EARTHLY JERUSALEM FOR BATTLE.
- THE REFERENCE TO AN "EAST WIND" IS A SYMBOLIC PHRASE FOR GOD’S JUDGMENT.
(7)
- THIS FINAL ENEMY WILL BE DESTROYED BY FIRE.
- READ PSA 48:8
- THIS VERSE ENDS WITH THE WORD, "SELAH", WHICH TELLS US THAT THE VERSE IS
IMPORTANT AND WORTH STOPPING TO THINK ABOUT.
- DISCUSSION:
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE THAT WE SHOULD STOP AND
THINK ABOUT IN PSA 48:8?
- "AS WE HAVE HEARD…"
- THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT, GOD FREQUENTLY DELIVERED JERUSALEM FROM ENEMIES THAT
SURROUNDED THE CITY.
- "…SO HAVE WE SEEN…"
- THOSE BELIEVERS IN THE NEW JERUSALEM AND IN THE EARTHLY CITY OF JERUSALEM WILL SEE
GOD’S DELIVERANCE IN THE BATTLE OF GOG AND MAGOG.
- "…GOD WILL ESTABLISH IT FOREVER."
- IT IS THIS LAST PART OF THE VERSE THAT IS WORTH THINKING ABOUT.
- GOD WILL ESTABLISH THE NEW JERUSALEM ON EARTH FOREVER.
- AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM, ALL MILLENNIAL BELIEVERS LEFT ON EARTH WILL
RECEIVE A NEW IMMORTAL BODY AND WILL BE HOUSED IN THE SUSPENDED NEW JERUSALEM.
- THEN, FIRE WILL TOTALLY DESTROY THE EARTH AND HEAVEN, SO THAT CHRIST WILL CREATE A NEW
HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH.
- THEN, THE NEW JERUSALEM WITH ALL BELIEVERS WILL DESCEND TO THE NEW EARTH AND WILL EXIST
THERE FOR ETERNITY.
- READ PSA 48:9-14
- WITH ALL OF THE PREVIOUS PROPHETIC ASPECTS OF THE CHAPTER IN MIND, THE END OF THE
CHAPTER RETURNS TO THE PRESENT TIME OF JEHOSHAPHAT’S DAY OF VICTORY OVER THE
AMMONITES AND MOABITES.
- GOD IS PRAISED FOR WHO HE IS:
- PRAISE FOR HIS LOVING KINDNESS (9)
- PRAISE FOR HIS MARVELOUS NAME (10)
- PRAISE FOR HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (10)
- PRAISE FOR GOD’S JUDGMENTS (11)
- PRAISE FOR FREEDOM AND SAFETY (12-13)
- PRAISE FOR HIS GUIDANCE EVEN IN DEATH (14)
HOMEWORK
PSALMS 49
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR
CORRECTION.
- APPLICATION OF PSA 48:
- WHICH PRINCIPLES REGARDING PRAYER WERE NEW TO YOU IN THIS LESSON THAT YOU PLAN TO USE IN
YOUR PRAYER LIFE?
PREPARATION FOR PSA 49
- READ PSA 49:1-20
- WHAT WISDOM DOES THE PSALMIST SAY HE IS GIVING US IN THIS PSALM? (3)
IN WHAT SPECIFIC WAYS ARE THE POOR AND THE RICH EQUAL BEFORE GOD? (7-10)
READ LUK 16:19-31
- HOW DO YOU THINK JESUS’ STORY RELATES TO THIS PSALM?
MEMORY VERSE: PSALMS 49:15