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ICONIC CITIES

THE UNITED STATES IS KNOWN FOR IT'S ICONIC CITIES.

SPECIFICALLY NEW YORK CITY (THE BIG APPLE) AND LOS ANGELES (THE CITY OF ANGELS).

NEW YORK IS FAMOUS FOR (AMONG OTHER MONUMENTS) THE WALL STREET BULL AND THE LOS ANGELES (AMONG OTHER MONUMNETS) THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN.

THE ICONIC-NESS OF THESE CITIES DRAWS PEOPLE TO THEM AND THEY ARE PORTRAYED AS PLACES OF BUSINESS AND ENTERTAINMENT (RESPECITIVELY).

WHEN WE GET TO PSALM 48, THE PSALMIST IS PAINTING JERUSALEM IN A SIMILAR LIGHT.

PSALM 48

THE PSALMIST TALKS ABOUT JERUSALEM IN THE FOLLOWING WAY.

1 GREAT IS THE LORD, AND MOST WORTHY OF PRAISE,
    IN THE CITY OF OUR GOD, HIS HOLY MOUNTAIN.

2 BEAUTIFUL IN ITS LOFTINESS,
    THE JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH,
LIKE THE HEIGHTS OF ZAPHON[B] IS MOUNT ZION,
    THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.

3 GOD IS IN HER CITADELS;
    HE HAS SHOWN HIMSELF TO BE HER FORTRESS.

THE PSALMIST MAKES A FEW POINTS WORTH NOTING:

  • GOD IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED IN JERUSALEM (IE - "THE CITY OF OUR GOD" AND "HIS HOLY MOUNTAIN").
  • JERUSALEM HAS BEEN ELEVATED (IE - "ITS LOFTINESS").
  • JERUSALEM IS FOR THE WORLD (IE - "THE JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH").
  • IT'S A CITY FOR ROYALTY (IE - "THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING").
  • GOD PROTECTS THE CITY (IE - "GOD IS IN HER CITADELS" AND "[HE IS] HER FORTRESS").

IN OTHER WORDS, GOD (AND HIS KINGDOM) WASN'T IMAGINED TO BE SOME ETHERAL, CELESTIAL PLACE OTHER-WORLDLY FROM HERE.

ON THE CONTRARY, GOD WAS WORSHIPPED (AND HIS KINGDOM ESTABLISHED) HERE-AND-NOW.

A CITY AND A HOME

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY TO GRASP.

AS CHRISTIANITY SPREAD, IT BECOME POPULAR IN THE CENTURIES FOLLOWING THE RESURRECTION TO (UNFORTUNATELY) ALLEGORIZE MUCH AND PUT A GNOSTIC, DUALISTIC LENSE OVER THE SCRIPTURES (GNOSTIC/DUALISTIC THINKING WOULD ASSUME THE MATERIAL IS WHAT WE HAVE NOW, IS NON-SPIRITUAL, AND IS BAD, WHILE THE IMMATERIAL IS WHAT WE WILL HAVE POST-RESURRECTION, IS TRULY SPIRITUAL, AND IS GOOD).

HOWEVER, THIS WASN'T THE WORLDVIEW THE PATRIARCHS, THE KINGS, AND THE PROPHETS HAD FOR THE FIRST 4,000 YEARS OF ISRAEL'S HISTORY.

THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT GOD DID IN FACT INHABIT SPACE HERE-AND-NOW AND WAS ESTABLISHING HIS KINGDOM THROUGH ISRAEL HERE-AND-NOW.

THIS REALISTY DOESN'T CEASE TO EXIST BUT IS CERTAINLY UNDERSTOOD THROUGH A BROADENED LENSE.

IT'S A GOOD (AND RIGHT!) THING TO UNDERSTAND THE PROMISES OF AND TO JERUSALEM TO NOW ALSO APPLY TO NATIONS, THE CHURCH, AND THE HOME.

TO KEEP THIS SHORT, I'LL TALK ABOUT THIS APPLIES SPECIFICALLY TO YOUR HOME:

  • GOD IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED IN YOUR HOME (IE - A MICRO-CITY AND MICRO-MOUNTAIN).
  • YOUR HOME HAS BEEN ELEVATED (IE - A CITY-ON-A-HILL AND A LAMP-ON-A-STAND.).
  • JERUSALEM IS FOR THE WORLD (IE - YOUR HOME IS FOR THE JOY OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD).
  • IT'S A CITY FOR ROYALTY (IE - THE HUSBAND AS THE KING AND THE WIFE AS QUEEN-CONSORT).
  • GOD PROTECTS THE CITY (IE - GOD SENDS HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU IN YOUR HOME).

THE HOME IS A UNIQUE SPECIAL PLACE AND OUGHT TO BE UNDERSTOOD AS NOT ONLY AN EXTENSION OF THE CHURCH (WHICH IS THE NEW TEMPLE WHICH IN TURN IS A BETTER VERSION OF THE BRICK-AND-MORTAR TEMPLE) BUT AS POSSIBLY THE STRONGEST UNITY AND BUILDING BLOCK OF THE CHURCH.

AS IT GOES WITH THE HOME IT GOES WITH THE CHURCH AND AS IT GOES WITH THE CHURCH IT GOES WITH THE NATION AND AS IT GOES WITH THE NATION IT GOES WITH THE WORLD.

THEREFORE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO SEE THE HOME AS A PLACE WHERE GOD DWELLS, A PLACE OF LOFTINESS, A PLACE THAT GUARD DELIGHTS TO GUARD AND PROTECT.