Friday, June 4, 2010

6/4- Trust like Mount Zion


Preparation Day -4 (6/4) Psalm 125 (A Psalm of ascents or pilgrimage- 4 days before we leave)

1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.
4 LORD, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.

(Mount Zion aerial view)

Mount Zion has been there from generation to generation. It is not destroyed but is a foundation for Jerusalem. Those who trust in God will not be shaken by the ups and downs up circumstances. Mount Zion and Mount Moriah (the temple mount) are the foundations of Jerusalem, and add to the natural defenses of the city. The mountains thus protect the people of Jerusalem, and God made the strongest and mightiest mountains. In the end, it is not the wicked who will win the land or rule- but the Lord. The Psalmist is asking for God to break into his world of pilgrimage and reward the good and punish the wicked so that the pilgrim will be blessed on their way.
He ends again with the prayer for peace to be on Israel. Not a bad prayer today. Even today, when there is a sneeze in Israel the world says, "Bless you."

Prayer: May my trust be as steady and sure as your holy mountain, O Lord. May I trust in your might and goodness on this trip.
Note: Sunday, June 13, we will see Mount Zion with our own eyes. We will explore the house of Caiaphas the high priest when Jesus was arrested and who is mentioned several times in the New Testament. There is a holding cell in the house- where Jesus probably was held. We will also explore the traditional site of David's tomb, and the traditional site of the upper room.

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