NOTES for Psa 122

¹I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

²Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

³Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

⁴Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.

⁵For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

⁷Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

⁸For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

⁹Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

Joy in the house of the Lord is always the joy of meeting Him, and so His Temple—the visible place where we can touch His invisible presence—cannot fail to be dear to us.

For the psalmist, however, not only the Temple but all Jerusalem is such a place: the holy city chosen so that, within its walls, prayers and sacred rites might unite heaven and earth.

Beginning at the altar and the Holy of Holies, prayer spreads throughout the world, and now, in every corner of the earth, those who pray become participants in the worship offered in the ancient Temple. It has long since been destroyed, yet the Lord lives, and everywhere other houses of prayer stand where unceasing service to Him continues.

Then, through the mist of the ages and by prophetic vision, we discern the outlines of the heavenly Jerusalem, which is destined to triumph at the end of time. Yet even now, its features show through the images of the earthly city.

Other notes

For Psa 122:1-4

¹I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

²Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

³Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

⁴Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.

The repentant sinner is likened to a slave. The mention of the word “slave” in Scripture repels many people; it seems to demean human... Read more

The repentant sinner is likened to a slave. The mention of the word “slave” in Scripture repels many people; it seems to demean human dignity, and so it appears that one must break oneself in order to accept such a comparison. It is hard for a person who constantly repeats a familiar set of sins to admit that what seems humiliating actually raises and straightens that person.

Yes, sooner or later we have to see that every sinner becomes dependent on sin and thereby becomes its slave, so there is no reason to take offense at the word. But acknowledging reality does not mean that reality must remain unchanged. A slave does not dare look upon the master’s face and looks only at the hand that gives instructions or inflicts punishment; but even as we recognize our unworthiness, we can look upon the One who led the people out of the house of slavery.

Even now He has the power both to free us from the degrading servile dependence on our own sinfulness and to restore to us a true awareness of our dignity and worth in His eyes. It depends only on us: we must want to turn to Him.

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NOTES for Psa 122

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