Psalm 87:1-7

Patriotism is a wonderful yet uncomfortable thing.  Americans tend to be a very patriotic people.  We fly flags, set of amazing firework displays all over the nation on July 4th and we sing our national anthem on multiple occasions.  Americans are proud of being Americans.  That is a wonderful thing as long as you are in America; however, that patriotism becomes kind of uncomfortable when you live in a foreign country.  That pride in country often comes across as arrogance and it makes others very uncomfortable.  Today’s Psalm is a very patriotic one as the sons of Korah declare God’s love for the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.  All who live in Israel have a great appreciation for this Psalm.  Those who live in New York, São Paulo or Bagdad might look at it in a different light.  There are at least two reasons that God loves this city.

JERUSALEM IS LOCATED IN A SPECIAL PLACE: There are many nations and many cities, but Jerusalem is a special city.  It is the sight of the temple in the Old Testament and it is the sight of the crucifixion in the New Testament.  More importantly, it is the place to which Christ will return on that glorious day in the future when He returns to this earth.  God loves this city and has special plans for this very special place.  There are many great cities on the planet and others may arise in the future, but none of them will every have the significance and prominence that Jerusalem has.


JERUSALEM IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF SPECIAL PEOPLE: The Psalm tells us that there are special people that were born there.  Zion may refer to more than just the city of Jerusalem itself and in this cast extend to the nation of Israel as a whole.  David and Jesus were not born in Jerusalem, but were born in Bethlehem, however both of them a greatly associated with the city of Jerusalem.  Most of the kings were born in this city and many of the prophets were from this city.    

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