The Glory of Zion

Psalm 87, his foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.

I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me. Behold Philistia, entire with Ethiopia. This man was born there.

And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man were born in her. And the highest himself shall establish her. The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people that this man was born there.

The singers as well as the players on instruments shall be there. All my springs are in thee. In verse 4 of this psalm, the writer mentions the great empires and nations of history.

Rahab, of course, is Egypt. The word Rahab means pride. And Egypt was a very proud nation.

But when you mention Egypt, you think of great buildings. You think of pyramids. You think of great dynasties.

But God doesn't say of Egypt glorious things of thee are spoken. And then he mentions Babylon. It's hard for us to realize that at one time Babylon was the scourge of the earth.

If you mention that the Babylonians were coming, people were terrified. The king, you'll remember, walked about the walls of Babylon and said, Is not this great Babylon which I have built? I suggest sometime you go down to the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, and you see the models that they have there of some of the great things that were at Babylon. One of the seven wonders of the world, the hanging gardens of Babylon.

And yet God does not say of Babylon glorious things of thee are spoken. Well, he mentions the people of Philistia. And, of course, these were a very warlike people.

They were the nearest neighbors to the west of the Jewish people, and they were no friends of the Jews. And they were known for their great achievements, their great accomplishments in war. But God doesn't say of them glorious things of thee are spoken.

Tyre was a city, sort of out on a peninsula, a very, very wealthy city because of the merchandising. It was a maritime city, and to get gifts from Tyre was really something. But he doesn't say of Tyre glorious things of thee are spoken.

Ethiopia, of course, takes us farther away. He doesn't say of Ethiopia glorious things of thee are spoken. He says this about Zion.

He says this about those mountains on which Jerusalem was built. The city of Jerusalem, Zion, glorious things of thee are spoken. Now, the interesting thing is this.

When this psalm was written, the nation was at its lowest. Many scholars believe that this was written shortly after they returned from the Babylonian captivity. We can't say for sure, but the nation was not at its strongest or at its greatest.

And yet the writer by faith says when God looks at Egypt, he has nothing to say. When God looks at Babylon and the Philistines and Tyre and Ethiopia, he has nothing to say. But when he looks at Zion, he says glorious things of thee are spoken.

Now, we must keep in mind that Zion in the Old Testament is an illustration of believers in the New Testament. I want you to keep a marker in Psalm 87 and turn back to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12, beginning at verse 18.

He's talking about the marvelous experience we have had in trusting Jesus Christ. And remember now, he was writing to Jewish Christians, and he says in Hebrews 12, 18, For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest. Of course, he's describing here Mount Sinai when the law was given.

And the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. For they could not endure that which was commanded. And here was the commandment.

And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a spear. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. Aren't you glad you don't come to Mount Sinai? Aren't you glad that the way to heaven is not thou shalt, thou shalt not, thou shalt, thou shalt not.

He tells us what we have come to. Verse 22. But ye are come unto Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.

So that Zion in the Old Testament is a picture of the heavenly gathering of God's people in the New Testament. Now, this does not mean. This does not mean that the church has taken the place of Israel.

No, this does not mean that the Old Testament prophecies are in the church today and don't relate to the future of Israel. No, there is a future for Israel. And these Old Testament prophecies are going to be fulfilled.

But he's saying that what Zion was to the old covenant believer, the heavenly Jerusalem is to the New Testament believer. Ye are come unto Mount Zion, even unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. What kind of company are we going to have there? To an innumerable company of angels.

To the general assembly and church of the firstborn. Who are written in heaven and to God, the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect. That's going to be a wonderful companionship, angels and save people.

But best of all, you are come to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel. So that when we read Psalm 87, you've got to read it on two levels. There is the earthly level that relates to Israel.

And there is the heavenly level that relates to the church. You say that's rather confusing, isn't it? No, not in the least. Now, I want you to turn back to the book of Genesis chapter 13.

You see, God promised to Abraham a family. And this family is a twofold family. Genesis chapter 13.

When Lot finally leaves Abraham in verse 14 of Genesis 13, the Lord says to Abraham, lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art northward and southward and eastward and westward for all the land which thou seest to thee will I give it and to thy seed forever. Now, at this point, Abraham had no seed. He had no descendants.

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth. In other words, Abraham, you're going to have an earthly family. And he did the Jewish nation.

Now, if you'll turn the page to chapter 15, you'll find a second time when God asked Abraham to lift up his eyes. But this time he asked him to lift up his eyes a little higher. Verse four of Genesis 15.

And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him saying, this shall not be thine heir, meaning Eliezer back in verse two, but one that shall come forth out of thine own loins shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad and said, look now toward heaven. He didn't say lift up your eyes and look at the land.

He said, look now toward heaven and count the stars if I'll be able to number them. And he said unto him, so shall thy seed be. In other words, God promised to Abraham two families, an earthly family, Israel, a heavenly family, the church.

You and I are the children of Abraham by faith. Even though I'm part Swede and part German, I'm a child of Abraham by faith. He is my father and the Jerusalem above is my mother.

That's a strange thing to say. Well, it's we're told this over in the book of Galatians that the Jerusalem which is above is the mother of us all. Now, what am I saying? I'm saying that as we look at Psalm 87, we have two levels to look at.

There's the earthly level. Glorious things are spoken about the Zion of God down there in the holy land. There's the heavenly level.

Glorious things are spoken about the Zion of God right now. God's heavenly people, God's church. This is why you'll find in the hymn that we sang that Zion is used as a synonym for the people of God, meaning, of course, the heavenly Zion.

Now, do you have that straight? Having this now solved, let's go back to Psalm 87 and find out what these glories are. If I belong to this Zion, I want to know what these glories are. I could use some glories in my life and not just morning glories.

I need afternoon glories and I need evening glories and I need midnight glories. There are times when you really get you need to lift up your eyes and look unto heaven. Now, what are some of these glories that we have in Zion? Well, verse 1, here's the first glory, the glory of Zion's foundation.

His foundation, whose foundation? God's foundation. His foundation is in the holy mountains. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but I must preach the truth of God.

The foundation of God is not in Egypt. Now, there is a future for Egypt, but God's foundation is not there. His foundation is not in Rome.

His foundation is not in the United Nations. His foundation is not in Chicago. The foundation that God has laid is in Zion.

And when Jerusalem was built in that fortress area of mountains, God said, I'm laying a foundation here. I wonder if we realize what this meant to the Jews. I'm going to have you look at a number of scriptures tonight, so keep your Bibles handy.

Second Samuel, chapter 5. No sooner had David become the king than he decided he needed a place for his capital. And God chose a place for him, not Hebron, but Jerusalem. The trouble was Jerusalem was in the hands of the Jebusites.

And Jerusalem was an impregnable fortress. You just couldn't get there. Second Samuel, chapter 5, verse 6. And the king and his men went to Jerusalem under the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke unto David, saying, now listen to the sneer of these people.

Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in here. They're saying this fortress is so impregnable. We've got it manned by blind people and lame people.

We don't even need good, strong soldiers. Now, David, if you get rid of the blind and get rid of the lame, then you can come in and take it. Now, David was a redhead, and David did not take to that kind of talk.

That was a challenge to him. They were thinking David cannot come in here. Look at verse 7. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion.

It tells us in verse 8 how he did it. He snuck up the water course. He didn't go up the expected way.

He snuck up the water course. And he took the stronghold of Zion, and he called it the city of David. And they were proud of this great fortress.

Look at Psalm 48. I enjoy reading Psalm 48 because it just is such a graphic picture of how much they love this city. Psalm 48, great is the Lord, greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness, beautiful for situation.

The joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion. Let me just pause to say Mount Zion's not the joy of the whole earth. Today, the United Nations don't know what to do with Mount Zion, and our government doesn't know what to do with Mount Zion.

The Arabs don't know what to do with Mount Zion. But here's the scripture. The joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion.

On the sides of the north, the city of the great king. God is known in her palaces for a refuge for lo. The kings were assembled.

Here's some armies coming now. They passed by together. They saw it.

And so they marveled. They were troubled and hastened away. Fear took upon them there as pain as of a woman in travail.

Why? Well, they said, who can take this fortress? Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God. God will establish it forever.

We have thought of thy loving kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple. According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise under the ends of the earth. Thy right hand is full of righteousness.

Let Mount Zion rejoice. Let the daughters of Judah be glad because of thy judgments. Now, here's the part I like.

It's sort of a real estate description. Walk about Zion. Go round about her.

Number the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks. Consider her palaces that she may tell it to the generation following.

What are you going to tell them? For this God, what God? The God of Zion. This God is our God forever and ever. And he will be our guide even unto death.

Now, the Jews were very proud of Mount Zion because this was God's foundation. Now, get the point. Everything God is building in this world, he is building on the foundation of Mount Zion.

Did you get that? Where did the knowledge of the true God come from in this world? From the Jews? Where did your Bible come from? The Jews. Where did your Savior come from? The Jews. Where was the first church established? Jerusalem.

Who were the first missionaries that went out? The Jews. Jesus puts it very succinctly in one statement to a Samaritan woman. He said, salvation is of the Jews.

The first glory of Zion is the glory of her foundation. Everything God is doing in this world is built upon Zion. You know what that means? That does not mean that everything Israel does politically is right.

No. It does not mean that everything Israel does religiously is right or militarily. No.

It simply means that God laid a foundation in Israel, in Mount Zion, and he's been building on that ever since. Now, when you lift it from the human level, the earthly level, to the heavenly level, God laid a foundation in Zion, didn't he? Of course he did. Isaiah chapter 28 and verse 16.

Behold, I lay in Zion a cornerstone, a chief cornerstone, a foundation stone. He that believeth on him shall not be ashamed. You and I tonight as Christians are built in the heavenly Zion on the Lord Jesus Christ.

He's the foundation. Now, the city of Zion is going to change. There have been down through the centuries multiplied changes in Zion, but the foundation has never changed.

God never picked up that foundation and moved it. It's still there. Everything God is doing in this world is built on the foundation of Zion.

No wonder he says, here's one of the glories of Zion, the glory of her foundation. Now, look at verse 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Here's the second glory, the glory of her favor.

God favored Zion and bypassed Babylon, Egypt, Rome, Tyre. Before the city was wrecked out there on that peninsula, the city of Tyre was a magnificent city. Babylon was a gorgeous place.

Those gates of Babylon are unbelievable, but God bypassed all those. He said, I'm going to put my favor on Mount Zion. Now, again, let's look at some scripture.

You're in Psalm 87. Just turn back a page or two to Psalm 78. Psalm 78 and verse 67.

Moreover, God refused the tabernacle of Joseph. He chose not the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion, which he loved. This is God's favor.

Now, why did God love Mount Zion? Well, turn back to Deuteronomy now and chapter 7. Deuteronomy chapter 7, verse 6. God is speaking to the Jews and he says, For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God has chosen thee to be a special people unto himself. Above all people who are upon the face of the earth.

The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people. But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn to your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondage. Pure grace.

He could have chosen Babylon or Egypt or Tyre, but he didn't, he chose Zion. The glory of her favor. Now, I want to remind you, dear friends, that God is jealous over Zion.

You say, well, I can't conceive of such a thing. Well, then just read your Bible. Zechariah chapter 1 and verse 14.

I'll give you a little hint. The next time you read the book of Zechariah, count the number of times Jerusalem is mentioned. 39 times in one little book, God talks about Jerusalem.

Zechariah chapter 1 verse 14. The angel that talked with me said unto me, Cry thou saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy, and I am very much displeased with the nations that are at ease. He said the nations aren't treating Zion like they ought to.

Once again, I say this. God is not approving of everything Israel does militarily, politically, financially, or even religiously. God is jealous over Zion.

He has set his favor upon her. Now, let's just lift it to a higher level. God is jealous over us.

He has set his favor upon us. He has put his walls about us. He loves us.

Why are you saved tonight? Because you're so good looking. No. Because your grandma and grandpa were saved.

No. You know why you're saved? Pure grace, free grace, unmerited favor. And that's something to glory in.

As the members of the heavenly Zion, we rejoice in the fact of God's favor. Now, there's a third glory in Psalm 87. Verse 1, the glory of Zion's foundation.

Everything God is doing in this world is built on Zion. Verse 2, the glory of God's favor. Because of God's favor to the Jews, we have these blessings.

Verse 4 and 5 and 6, the glory of Zion's family. Look at it. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia.

What's he saying here? This man was born there. And of Zion it shall be said, this and that man were born in her. And the highest himself shall establish her.

The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people. You can take a census someday and he's going to say that this man was born there. Now, people brag about where they were born.

Some folks want to forget where they were born. There used to be a time in this country where if you were born in Boston, that was the most important thing. Here's the Lord saying to us through the psalmist, look, one of the glories of Zion is the glory of her family.

I am going to call people out of Ethiopia and Tyre and Philistia and Egypt and Babylon. And I'm going to give them a second birth. They are not going to be reckoned up as coming from Egypt or Babylon or wherever.

They're going to be reckoned as coming from Zion. They're going to have a second birth. This is the Old Testament way of saying he must be born again.

Now, I would remind you that all of these nations were enemies of the Jews. Oh, Egypt hated the Jews. They tried to keep them in slavery.

You'll remember Babylon took them off into captivity. The Philistines. Well, you remember Samson, how he had to fight them.

The people from Tyre and Ethiopia, dangerous enemies. Here's God saying one of these days, the enemies of the Jews are going to rejoice that they belong to Zion's family. Now, let's look at this on an earthly level.

On an earthly level, it means that one of these days, God is going to establish a kingdom in Zion and the Gentile nations that have been opposed to Israel, they have hated Israel, and they have fought Israel will rejoice that they belong to Israel. Now, there was a time when people said, well, there's no future for Israel. I have some books in my library written by great men of God whose shoes I am not worthy to untie.

But they say in these books, there is no future for Israel. And then lo and behold, in 1945, what happens? The Israel that has no future suddenly comes into being. And now there's a nation that's been born in blindness.

True. In spiritual darkness. Yes.

But a nation has been born politically. Now, one of these days, when Jesus Christ returns to this earth and establishes his kingdom, Zion is going to become the center of a peaceful world. Isaiah saw this.

Isaiah chapter two, these prophecies are so thrilling. You see, there can be no peace in this world until Israel is at peace. Jerusalem means foundation of peace.

That last syllable, those last syllables, Jerusalem, shalom, peace. Look at Isaiah chapter two. The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills. And all nations shall flow into it. Now that word nations, goyim, Gentiles.

And many people shall go and say, come ye. Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us of his ways.

And we will walk in his paths for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he, the Lord, shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many peoples. And they shall beat their swords in the plowshares and their spheres into pruning hooks.

Nations shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. Oh, house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Now you could go right through Isaiah from beginning to end. And he says the same thing that one day God is going to establish at Zion a capital city for Jesus Christ, the son of David, the king of Israel. And when that happens, God's blessing is going to flow out to the Gentiles.

Now you and I don't have to wait for that because we are already a part of his family. You and I are already a part of the family of God. We belong to the heavenly Zion.

The Jerusalem which is above is our mother, says Galatians chapter four. We've been born from above. We've been born again.

And God doesn't look at me as a Swede or a German or a rebel. I was an enemy of God. And one day God said to me, this man shall be born there.

And I trusted Jesus Christ and I was saved. Remember when that happened to you? You changed citizenships. That's a beautiful thing to come to Moody Church and not worry about the color of anybody's skin or where their blood came from or what their passport says or their registration.

We're all one in Jesus Christ. We all have the heavenly citizenship. Our names are written down in heaven.

One of these days, my friend, God is going to take a census. You read about this back in the book of Revelation, God's going to take a census. And the question is not going to be what church did you go to or how good were you or how bad were you? The question is going to be where were you born? And if you can't say I was born in Zion, I have that new birth from above.

If your name's not in the book, you're lost forever. The glory of Zion's family. Finally, verse 7, the glory of Zion's fountains.

The singers as well as the players on instruments shall be there. They're going to be rejoicing. What shall they rejoice over? All my springs are in thee.

This word springs is the word fountains. All my fountains are in thee. Now get this.

In Zion, water was a real problem. Babylon was built by a river. Nineveh was built by a river.

The great cities of Egypt were built by rivers. Rome was built by a river. Jerusalem had no river.

And water was always a problem. The enemy came and circled Jerusalem and could wait till the water supply ran out and then take the city. This is why they built this magnificent water system that they have.

Back in Old Testament days, they sunk these deep wells and they ran these conduits and they brought water in underground. That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about the spiritual springs.

Do you know the day is going to come when all of the springs of blessing on this earth are going to come from Jerusalem? Have you read the book of Ezekiel lately? Probably you haven't. Back in Ezekiel chapter 47, the prophet tells us all about it. He says God is going to establish a temple.

God is going to establish a kingdom. And down in Ezekiel chapter 47, a river starts coming out of the house of God. Verse 1, afterward, he brought me again unto the door of the house.

And behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward. For the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house at the south side of the altar. Here's a river coming out of the temple down there in the Holy Land.

And he brought me out of the way of the gate northward and led me about the way outside unto the outer gate by the way that looked eastward. And behold, there ran out waters on the right side. In verse 3, a man goes out to measure the waters, and they're up to the ankles.

Verse 4, they're up to the knees, then up to the loins. And finally, in verse 5, the waters are so deep you could swim in them. And on either side of the waters, there are many trees, according to verse 7. Verse 8, and he said unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down toward the desert, and go into the sea.

And being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. The healing springs of water will go out into this wonderful earth and heal and bring forth fruitfulness. But we're experiencing that now.

I wonder how many of us here tonight can say, all, A-L-L, all of my springs, all of my fountains are in the heavenly Zion. Now, we can say some of them are. I wonder if we can say all of them.

Where do you get your satisfaction? Where do you get your refreshment? Where do you get your strength? When you're thirsting, where do you go for satisfaction? Many people go to the broken, dirty sewers and cisterns of this world and drink at the poison that's there, and it never satisfies. Jesus said to that woman at the well, You drink of this water, you'll thirst again and again and again. What are people saying in hell tonight? I thirst.

But he said, You drink of the water that I'm going to give you, and that water will come in you like a spring of living water, and you'll always be satisfied. This is the spiritual meaning of Psalm 87, verse 7. All of my fountains are in thee. Do I have to stand here and name for you the spiritual fountains that we have because of Zion? I mean the heavenly Zion, the new birth, the word of God.

What a precious fountain is the word of God. We can come and drink in the depths of the word of God. A little child can walk in the river of the word of God up to his ankles.

A young man can walk in the word of God, the river, up to his knees or his loins, and you older saints can swim in it. There's depth for everybody. All my springs are in thee, the springs of the word of God, the fountains of the word of God.

How about the fountain of prayer? Oh, just to talk to God, not even ask for anything, just talk to him. Just drink at the fountain of fellowship. How about the fountain of the church? I get just a little bit unhappy with these people who are always criticizing the church.

I have found that fellowship with God's people is a source of refreshment and strength and courage and help. And I thank God I can drink at the fountains of fellowship. How about the fountains of the Holy Spirit? Jesus compares the Holy Spirit to a river of water that flows out to satisfy us.

Now you get the point. Do you belong to this heavenly Zion? I don't care what your earthly citizenship is. Do you belong to this heavenly Zion? Have you been born again? When God makes the census, can he say, that man was born there? That man was born there.

Because you see the glories of Zion are ours. The glory of her foundation. We're on the rock, Jesus Christ.

The glory of her favor. We're sharing in the grace of God. The glory of her family.

We belong to the family of God. The glory of her fountains. We drink at the wells and the springs of God's blessing.

I don't know why anybody would want anything else. I don't know what there is in the city of Chicago to compare with this. Money can't buy it.

Character can't earn it. Religion can't merit it. It's there by the grace of God.

Glorious things are spoken of thee, O Zion, city of God. And one of these days, that glory is going to be ours. One of these days when Jesus Christ comes back and takes us home, that glory is going to be ours.

We aren't going to go to a mountain that scares us. We are already on a mountain of blessing. Ye must be born again.

Father, we're thankful for this Old Testament picture of this New Testament truth. We're thankful there's a bright and glorious future for your people Israel. Most of them don't realize it, but you are working and ruling and overruling.

And one day Jesus shall reign in Jerusalem. We're thankful that today we're on the mount. Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it.

Mount of thy redeeming love. Now help us to live like the children of Zion. Help us to speak like the children of Zion.

O God, may we draw upon the rich resources of your grace and your blessing. And if there's someone here, Father, who has the wrong citizenship, may that one come tonight and be born again and become one of Zion's children. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.