In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
I’m struck by the use of three locations within one text.
Judah – it was initially the lot given to the Tribe of Judah.
Eventually, the term would refer to the whole territory of the Southern Kingdom.
Salem– it’s an early name for Jerusalem.
Under King David, Jerusalem quickly became the center of Jewish life. It’s the high point in the Promised Land which must surely have been the reason it was so prized.
Zion– this is one of the mountain peaks inside the city of Jerusalem.
In David’s day, it was where he built his palace and where he directed the people to worship. Worship was redirected to Mt Moriah, under Solomon, once the Temple was built there.
So, I see a series of increasingly smaller circles.
- Judah, the outer ring
- Salem, the middle ring
- Zion, the inner ring
And it is there God brakes the arrows, the shield, and the sword of the enemy. It is there God gives His people battle.
The battle is not won on the field of contest. It is won in the place of worship.
Realistically, battles are won and lost, and even the godliest of men die in them. We can’t claim victory in every conflict we face in our lives. Sometimes we are the casualty.
That’s why Zion is so important; it is there we make things right with God so that death has no power over us. Win or lose the contest; we win in the final outcome.
It is in Zion that battles are won.
Knowing the Lord (Judah)[1] doesn’t give a person victory over losses.
We cannot lose our salvation, but we can lose the joy of our salvation. It’s most likely to happen when we hang around the fringes of the faith.
Church services (Salem and the Tabernacle) don’t give us victory over losses.
Church attendance is a vital part of the Christian life, but it’s not because of where you are and what you do there. Some people come to church and see all the wrong things there.[2]
Jesus Christ (Zion) gives us victory in our losses.
For the one close to God, even pain has a positive purpose, and loss simply aids us in holding more tightly to heaven.
The child of God does best when he sets himself up and abides in Christ.
[1] I’m speaking metaphorically, of course.
[2] And they usually cause trouble sooner or later.
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