City of David

            This past Sunday, we did a Jerusalem Walk field study. As you’ve probably inferred from the name, we walked around Jerusalem from 7 am to 6 pm. And contrary to the cloudy/rainy/cold weather we have been having, the day was sunny with clear skies – so great. We saw so many amazing things in one day. Too much to even take in. My favorite stop of the day was probably on a rooftop in the City of David. This is the place where David chose to settle, and it actually is not included within Jerusalem’s old city walls. The City of David is on the Eastern Hill, right between the Central Valley and the Kidron Valley. Everywhere we looked, we could see a hill/mountain that was higher than the rooftop we were on. Dr. Wright made the analogy of Jerusalem being in the middle of a bowl or a nest, with the protection of mountains on all sides. He then read a few Psalms written by David and explained their significance in relation to the geographical place where we were.

Psalm 121:1-8 “I will lift up my eyes to the hills; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is the shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; he will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.”

This Psalm was written in a time of uncertainty – a time when the author was in need of rescuing. The Psalmist uses ‘LORD’ which is the personal name for God – unlike the general name ‘god’ which could be used for any kind of deity. Calling the LORD the “shade on your right hand” is also very significant in this place. Because Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains, it does not receive the kind of cooling breeze that would be desired on a hot day. The only way to find relief would be to stay hidden under the shade – in this case the Psalmist is calling out for relief and finds it in the LORD. This Psalm was obviously written by someone who knew the city and who had felt both the protection as well as the hardships of the location. Standing on this rooftop, lifting my eyes up to the very same hills that are talked about in the Psalm, and seeing a visual example of the protection of the God who created this very place was amazing. I can’t quite explain it.

One more Psalm. Sorry if this is long.

Psalm 125:1-2 “Those who trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion which cannot be moved but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem so the LORD surrounds his people from this time forth and forever.”

I have read this Psalm many times, but when I was standing on what was called Mount Zion in David’s time and looking around to the mountains that surround Jerusalem, it became much more tangible and significant. The Psalmist assumes that all who would read his psalm would automatically know how the mountains surround Jerusalem, but obviously, his song has gone much farther than he ever knew it would. The mountains surround Jerusalem by being on every side, being higher than the city, as well as totally encompassing the city. This is how God surrounds us. His protection is complete. There is no place that is left unsheltered. Awesome.

Thanks for reading my ramblings.