Psalm 122

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’” Psalm 122:1 (NKJV)

It may surprise you, but my favorite place to worship and study the Bible (and write these Bible devotionals) is not in church.  I prefer somewhere more comfortable, like a coffeehouse.  When I share that with people, they often ask how I can focus in a coffeehouse with all the people talking, the beans grinding, and the espresso machines hissing away.  But you see, I have four children, so I can tune out anything and focus on the voice of the Spirit!  That being said, there are times when the best place to worship is in the assembly of other believers at church.  Nothing compares to the experience of being in a room packed full of Christians, all of us praising and seeking the Lord together.  That is precisely what David is communicating.  It is not as if David could not write psalms and pray anywhere else.  But when the people of God congregate, something transcendent happens, and we get a glimpse of heaven.  That is what the New Testament writer of Hebrews was trying to communicate.

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV)

“Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together, where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, to the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For thrones are set there for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.”  Psalm 122:2-5 (NKJV)

The “Testimony of Israel” (aka: “tabernacle of witness”) is another name for the tabernacle, the portable tent of worship that traveled wherever the Lord led the Israelites.  It is the Testimony because, from there, God spoke to Moses, Joshua, and the religious leaders, and they all bore witness of His Word.  The Menorah, altars, and Ark of the Covenant were also there.  It stood as a physical witness of God’s presence that the people could look upon and be strengthened in their faith, remembering that the Lord had chosen to be among them, articulate how they could serve and please Him, and be assured that He would deliver them.  (See also: Acts 7:44-50; Exodus 38:21; Numbers 1:50; 17:7-8)

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces.’ For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, ‘Peace be within you.’ Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good.” Psalm 122:6-9 (NKJV)

As one ascended to worship the Lord in Jerusalem (after all, this is a song of Ascents), they were reminded that their peace (and the peace of the nation) would only be found in meeting with the Lord, as He instructed, in the place of His choice.