Blessed to Worship God

by Suria Scholtz

#Blessed to Worship God

PSALM 122

A SONG OF ASCENTS

I rejoiced with those who said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

Our feet are standing

in your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built like a city

that is closely compacted together.

That is where the tribes go up —

the tribes of the LORD –

to praise the name of the LORD

according to the statute given to Israel.

There stand the thrones for judgment,

the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May those who love you be secure.

May there be peace within your walls

and security within your citadels.”

For the sake of my family and friends,

I will say, “Peace be within you.”

For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,

I will seek your prosperity.

These fifteen psalms were to be sung by worshipers as they made their way from around the country to attend three mandatory feasts in Jerusalem. These songs were carefully crafted to glorify the Lord and prepare the saints’ hearts for worship. This particular psalm, the first of four psalms written by King David, talks about the place of worship, Jerusalem; the purpose of worship, the LORD; and the power of worship, to bring joy to the heart of the worshipers.[1]

This genuine joy of King David, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, let us go to the house of the LORD,”deeply challenged me, for how many of us share his unashamed delight about visiting the house of the Lord? In my lifetime and work, I have witnessed a whole gamut of emotions among Christians when the church is mentioned, ranging from ambivalent to hostile, from dragging feet to nonchalance. Yet, when we peel these feelings off, we are left with a precious spiritual discipline called corporate worship and one sufficient reason – God.

For a Hebrew, Jerusalem was the place of worship. Here it is described as a city closely compacted together, in itself a kind of architectural metaphor for worship: “all the pieces of masonry fit compactly, all the building stones fit harmoniously”, explains Peterson.[2] What is true for the city is also true socially, for the thought continuous into “that is where the tribes go up—the tribes of the Lord.” Similarly, the twelve tribes from various places in Israel and vastly different situations are united by God’s command to trek to Jerusalem, the country’s religious, geographical, and political center. Here, they gather not only to praise God for who He is and thank Him for what He has done but also to hear His precepts. On these occasions, they could see in ritual and hear proclaimed in preaching the powerful truth that God forgives our sins and makes it possible to live without guilt and with purpose.[3]

The same applies to the church today. As we unite in the worship and wonder of God and sit regularly under his word, differences in background, wealth, language and intelligence begin to pale. When we celebrate unity in diversity and joyful fellowship in the house of the Lord, genuine love, forgiveness, and restoration will follow more easily, covering quarrels and smoothing over misunderstandings among believers.

The same applies to the global church. Whatever truth God has placed into the different denominations through the ages, no single denomination can claim to reflect the fullness of God at any time. “The church may be many waves, but one sea; many branches, but one tree; many members, but one body,” writes Spurgeon. It is a powerful reminder that there can be no healthy diversity without humility.

This brings us to the last four lines and why King David so earnestly desires the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem. Firstly, it is a natural overflow from united worship, for it is in united prayer that we are reminded that our peace and security are intertwined with that of our neighbour — For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” Secondly, while King David, who ruled from there, understood its political, economic and social significance, the main drive behind his command to seek its good was because of the house of the LORD.

Both reasons apply to us as Christians under the New Covenant, for today, the church is the house of God. When we prioritize worship, it will overflow from our hearts to our hands and impact our societies for their good and God’s glory. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. [4]David implicitly understood this foundational truth. No wonder he felt such unbridled joy about the prospect of visiting the house of God!

What makes studying this psalm extra special is that we will end our month, so to speak, in Jerusalem, celebrating Passover. It is my sincere prayer that remembering the Lamb of God and Saviour of the World crucified on a Roman cross outside the city gates for our sins will add new depth to our worship and not just this month. In so many ways, Jesus is the reason we come together on Sundays— to adore, lionize, revere, regard, honour, praise, magnify, esteem and treasure God for his indescribable gift in his Son! May we worship Him well!

Take Aways:

Worship is the human response to the divine.[5] (Foster)

Worship does not satisfy our hunger for God—it whets our appetite. (Peterson)

Worship’s central reality is found ‘in spirit and in truth.’ (Foster)

Worship is to pause in God’s presence. (Scholtz)

To worship is to change (Foster)

[1] http://www.sermonnotebook.org/old%20testament/Psalm%20122_1-9.htm

[2] A long Obedience In The Same Direction, Eugene Peterson, pg. 46

[3] A long Obedience In The Same Direction, Eugene Peterson, pg. 46

[4] Ephesians 1: 22 MSG

[5] Celebration of Discipline, pg. 199, 214