48:2Why is Mount Zion—Jerusalem—“the city of the great King”? Because the Temple was located in Jerusalem, the city was seen as the center of God's presence in the world. The Bible pictures Jerusalem as the place where believers will gather in the last days (Isaiah 2:2ff) and as the spiritual home of all believers, where God wil! live among them (Revelation 21:2, 3).
Life Application Study BiblePsalmsChapter 48
Psalm 48
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 894, 895
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
48Psalm 48
1Asong. A psalm of the descendants of Korah.How great is the LORD,how deserving of praise,in the city of our God,which sits on his holy mountain!
2Itis high and magnificent;the whole earth rejoices to see it!Mount Zion, the holy mountain,*is the city of the great King!
3God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers,revealing himself as its defender.
4The kings of the earth joined forcesand advanced against the city.
5But when they saw it, they were stunned;they were terrified and ran away.
6They were gripped with terrorand writhed in pain like a woman in labor.
7You destroyed them like the mighty ships of Tarshishshattered by a powerful east wind.
8We had heard of the city’s glory,but now we have seen it ourselves—the city of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.It is the city of our God;he will make it safe forever.
9O God, we meditate on your unfailing loveas we worship in your Temple.
10As your name deserves, O God,you will be praised to the ends of the earth.Your strong right hand is filled with victory.
11Let the people on Mount Zion rejoice.Let all the towns of Judah be gladbecause of your justice.
12Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem.*Walk around and count the many towers.
13Take note of the fortified walls,and tour all the citadels,that you may describe themto future generations.
14For that is what God is like.He is our God forever and ever,and he will guide us until we die.Theme: Trusting in worldly possessions is futile. You cannot take possessions with youwhen you die, and they cannot buy forgiveness from sin.Author: The sons of Korah (Temple assistants)
Textual footnotes
- 48:2 Or Mount Zion, in the far north; Hebrew reads Mount Zion, the heights of Zaphon.
Life Application Notes 5 notes
48:8Because Jerusalem has been destroyed several times since this psalm was written, the phrase God “will make it safe forever” may refer prophetically to the new Jerusalem, where God will judge all nations and live with all believers (Revelation 21).
48:11The people of Judah were from Israel’s largest tribe, which settled in the southern part of Canaan, where Jerusalem was located (Joshua 15:1-12), David was from Judah, and he made Jerusalem his capital and the center of the nation's worship. Jesus was also a member of the tribe of Judah. The psalm writer was saying that the day would come when God would bring justice to the land and God’s people would get the respect they deserved
48:12,13After an enemy army had unsuccessfully besieged Jerusalem, the people had to make a tour of the city, inspecting its defenses and praising God for the protection he had given. In times of great joy or after God has brought us through some great trial, we ought to inspect our defenses to make sure that the foundations—faith in God, knowledge of his Word, and the fellowship and prayers of the body of believers—remain strong (Ephesians 2:20-22). Then we should praise God for his protection!
48:14We often pray for God's guidance as we struggle with decisions, What we need is both a map that gives us directions and a constant companion who has an intimate knowledge of the way and will make sure we interpret the map correctly. The Bible is such a map, and the Holy Spirit is our constant companion and guide. As you make your way through life, use both the map and your Guide.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 895
Interlude
49:14 Hebrew
Only God can redeem a soul. Don’t count on wealth and physical comforts to keep you happy because you will never have enough wealth to keep from dying. 49:10-14 The rich and poor have one similarity: When they die, they leave all they own here on earth. At the moment of death (and all of us will face that moment), both rich and poor are naked and empty-handed before God. The only riches we have at that time are those we have already invested in our eternal heritage. At the time of death, each of us will wish we had invested less on earth, where we must leave it, and more in heaven, where we will retain it forever. To have treasure in heaven, we must place our faith in God, pledge ourselves to obey him, and utilize our resources for the good of his Kingdom. This is a good time to check up on your investments and see where you have invested the most. Then do whatever it takes to place your investments where they really count.