Psalm 48 – Great Is Our God!
As I reflected on Psalm 48 – great is our God – the song with the lyrics, how great is our God, echoed through my head. How great indeed is our God. All the earth proclaims God’s greatness, but in this psalm, it is the city of God that garners praise. How does that reflect God’s greatness?
Psalm 48
Psalm 48, another song of the sons of Korah, begins with praising God in the city of God.
“Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.” (1)
Why is the city so great? Because God dwells there.
“God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.” (3)
“As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever.” (8)
Hence the city is beautiful:
“Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.” (2)
The city inspires fear and trembling:
“When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together, they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror.” (4-5)
The temple in the city is a place for meditation and praise:
“Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.” (9-10)
Visitors are encouraged to walk around and admire:
“Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation.” (12-13)
The psalm ends with confidence that God will guide us forever.
“For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.” (14)
City of God
For the Hebrew nation, Jerusalem was the city of God, where God resided in the Temple. Jerusalem continues to have a place of honor in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths, despite all of the violence that has surrounded the city.
Augustine’s book, The City of God, was written about 413-426 CE in response to pagan claims that the sack of Rome by barbarians in 410 was because of the abolition of pagan worship by Christian emperors. It remains a classic. Augustine asserted that the fall was the result of moral decay and that Christianity saved Rome from complete destruction. He contrasted faith and unbelief through the City of God (the city of the saved) and the City of Man (the city of the damned). (see The City of God | Summary, Significance, & Facts | Britannica)
Faith and unbelief, the article above states, “are inextricably intermingled on this earth and will remain so until time’s end. Augustine also developed his theological interpretation of human history, which he perceives as linear and predestined, beginning with the Creation and ending with the Second Coming of Christ.”
Hebrews 11:10 tells us that Abraham was looking for a city whose builder was God. “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
Timothy Keller in his article, A Theology of Cities, states, “This city (the New Jerusalem) is the Garden of Eden, remade. The City is the fulfilment of the purposes of the Eden of God. We began in a garden but will end in a city; God’s purpose for humanity is urban!”
He further states, “And indeed, cities draw together human talent and resources and tap the human potential for cultural development as nothing else does.”
From Garden to City
The Bible begins in a garden, Eden, and ends in a city, New Jerusalem. Thus all of creation is covered, from rural areas to the city, all of the earth is God’s.
Jesus talked of the kingdom of God, how it is both present/among us and coming. We are to be busy about bringing the kingdom of God to reality in our own time. We are also tasked with creating a city of God, where all people can dwell in peace.
And so, we begin in a garden, the garden Earth, created by God and given to us to inhabit. We are called to create cities, thereby furthering God’s kingdom.
All reasons to praise our God, author of creation who continues to be present in our cities and our world.
Psalm 48 – Great is our God!
In reflecting on this psalm, the song that first came to mind was “How Great is our God.” As I continued to reflect further on Psalm 48 – great is our God, the song “City of God” by Dan Schuette, dominated my thoughts.
The words speak of our need to build God’s city. The chorus is a joyful proclamation of all God is doing.
“Let us build the city of God
May our tears be turned into dancing!
For the Lord, our light and our love
Has turned the night into day!”
As one blogger states: “These lines speak of unity, transformation, and the power of God’s love to bring joy and healing. It encourages us to come together and build a community rooted in love, where sorrow is replaced with celebration.”
What better reason to proclaim with Psalm 48 – Great is our God!
We believe in a New Jerusalem, a new heaven and earth, in a future time, but are called to be creating this city of God in our own time.
What are you doing to build the city of God?
(For another take on this psalm, see Psalm 48: Journey’s End – Pilgrimage – Patricia M Robertson)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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