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Scripture Reading: Psa. 87:1-7; 89:19-21, 25-27, 29, 36-37
Before we come to the end of Book Three, we need to review the main points we have already covered in the Psalms.
We have seen that Book One, Psalms 1 to 41, indicates how God’s intention is to turn the seeking saints from the law to Christ so that they may enjoy the house of God. Such a sentence is not long, but it is very costly. Do not esteem it lightly. This is the summary of the first forty-one psalms. In this summary of Book One, there are three key words: the law, Christ, and the house. God has turned His saints from the law to His Anointed, for the house. Christ is for the house; Christ is for the church. If we, the saints of God, do not contact the house, there is no place for us to enjoy the riches of Christ. Though we have Christ, yet without the house we have no place to enjoy Him. God’s intention is that through Christ the house may come into existence for the enjoyment of His people. The church is God’s desire, His intention, and His eternal purpose. Thus, in the first book we have the law on the negative side, and Christ and the house on the positive side.
I can testify that I had been a Christian for many years before I knew what the Psalms spoke about. It is easy to grasp the book of Romans; it is easy to comprehend the content of the book of Acts; but you can read through the Psalms several times and still not apprehend their message. We need divine revelation to see that God’s intention in the first book of the Psalms is to turn our thoughts, our concept, our understanding, from the law to Christ, that we may enjoy His house.
We have also seen that Book Two, Psalms 42 to 72, indicates how the saints experience God and His house and city through the suffering, exalted, and reigning Christ. When we come to the second book, we have the deeper experiences of Christ; hence, the house is increased to a city. We enjoy God through Christ, we enjoy God’s house through Christ, and we enjoy God’s city through Christ. In the second book we see the suffering, exalted, reigning, and coming Christ. It is through such a Christ that we enjoy God and His house and city.
We need to put the first and second books of the Psalms together to apprehend their combined message. In the first book God brings us to Christ, and then we have the house for enjoyment. The second book continues by telling us that through further and deeper experiences of Christ, the house is increased to a city. Here, in the house and in the city, we enjoy God with this house and city through the suffering, exalted, and reigning Christ. In these few sentences we have crystallized the message of Book One and Book Two of the Psalms.
Every book in the Psalms is a continuation of the previous one. Therefore Book Three, Psalms 73 to 89, continues Book Two by telling how the saints in their experiences realize that the house and the city of God with all the enjoyments thereof can only be preserved and maintained with Christ properly appreciated and exalted by God’s people. In the first two books we have Christ, the house, and the city — this is the peak, the highest enjoyment, of the saints. But, as we have seen, it is always difficult to maintain such a high standard for long. God’s house and God’s city were damaged, and desolation ensued. Yet, through this experience the saints realized how to preserve the enjoyment of the house and city of God. When Christ is given His proper position in the church, we can continually preserve the church life at the peak.
Have you been deeply impressed by these three books? Without these summaries, it is difficult to apprehend them. In short, in the first book we have Christ in the house; in the second book we have the house and the city; and in the third book we have the desolation and how to maintain the enjoyment of God’s house and city through Christ.
Let us recall now the leading psalms in each of these three books. In Book One, Psalm 1 is a good psalm negatively. A good painting requires a proper background. Without a dark background it is difficult to set forth a bright figure. The darker the background, the brighter the main image will be. Hence the leading psalms of Book One are Psalm 1 on the negative side, and Psalms 2, 8, 16, 22, 23, 24, 27, and 36 on the positive side. Finally, we should include Psalm 31:21, which speaks of the fortified city.
In Book Two the leading psalms are Psalms 45, 46, 48, 68, and 72. In these psalms we see Christ in a deeper way, the house, the city, and the earth. These leading psalms present the main features of Book Two solidly and adequately and bring us to the climax of enjoyment. In these psalms we also have the move of God, the victory of the Lord, with all the praises of the saints. Then, at the end, we have Christ’s reign over the entire earth.
In Book Three we have already considered three leading psalms: Psalms 73, 80, and 84. In Psalm 73 we have seen how we need God as our unique portion, and in Psalm 80 we have seen how Christ must have the unique position. When these are secured, we have, in Psalm 84, the sweeter experience of the house of God. The house becomes much sweeter than before the desolation. It has been recovered by the experience of God as our unique portion and by Christ being given the unique position. It is by this that the house is sweeter than ever.
Now we come to the end of Book Three, Psalms 85 to 89. In Psalm 85 the saints ask God for restoration, and in Psalm 86 for salvation; but in Psalm 87 we see that God’s heart is set on Zion, His city, with Christ within it. Zion here refers not only to the house but to the house with the city. God does not care for restoration as we do; God does not desire salvation as we do. His desire, His heart, is set upon Zion with Christ within it. It is indeed significant that preceding Psalm 87 are Psalms 85 and 86. In Psalm 85 the psalmist says, “Restore us, O God” (v. 4). Psalm 85 is a prayer for restoration. In Psalm 86 the psalmist says, “Save Your servant who trusts in You, O You who are my God” (v. 2). Psalm 86 is a prayer for salvation. These are the desires of the saints, but God’s desire is not for these things. His desire is for Zion with His Christ.
Today we are the same as the psalmists: we are continually desiring restoration and salvation. God would say to us, “Do not be like that. I am for Zion; I am for the church. If you allow Me to have My church, no problem will exist regarding your restoration. If you allow Me to have My church, nothing can withhold any kind of deliverance, any kind of salvation.” The church is the real restoration, the real salvation, the real deliverance.
In Psalm 87 we see how Zion is central in God’s heart. Let us look at this psalm more closely. The first three verses are easy to understand, but the following three verses are more difficult. There are seven verses in this psalm with two Selahs, one at the end of the first three verses, and the other at the end of the next three verses. “His foundation is in the holy mountains. / Jehovah loves the gates of Zion / More than all the dwellings of Jacob. / Glorious things are spoken of you, / O city of God. Selah” (vv. 1-3). Christ is the unique foundation laid by God. No one is able to lay another foundation. This Christ, this foundation of God, is in the holy mountains, the local churches. It is there that we have no other foundation but Christ. This is clear. “Jehovah loves the gates of Zion / More than all the dwellings of Jacob.” In the eyes of God the church is more lovable than anything else. The gates are the places of coming in and going out: this is the communication, the fellowship, among God’s people. The most lovely aspect of the local church is the fellowship. It is so good, so pleasant, for the brothers to be always coming and going in fellowship. How blessed to have brothers from one church visiting another, coming and going in sweet harmony and fellowship! This is lovable in the eyes of God. He loves the gates of Zion more than all other places. “Glorious things are spoken of you, / O city of God. Selah.” How glorious is the local church!
Verses 4 to 6 are written poetically. In these three verses God’s intention is to make a contrast, a comparison, of all other places with Zion. In verse 2 God declares that He loves the gates of Zion. But besides Zion on this earth there are many other places. First of all, there is Egypt, which is mentioned here as Rahab (v. 4). People in ancient times boasted of Egypt. It was a wonderful place. Second, Babylon is mentioned. In ancient times Babylon was indeed great. Third, there is Philistia, and fourth, Tyre, which were famous centers of civilization in ancient times. Fifth, there is Cush, or Ethiopia, which also had built a reputation. Egypt was well known for its natural resources. When there was famine in Canaan, there was food in Egypt. Babylon was famous in the realm of human success and glory. It was a continuation of Babel, where man endeavored to glorify himself by building a tower to heaven. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, built a great and powerful empire, a monument to man’s success and glory. Philistia was a place in close proximity to the Holy Land. The Philistines, according to the Bible, were exceedingly clever. When the Ark of God was captured and brought into their country, they had a way to deal with it. They were adept in handling holy things according to human wisdom. On this earth, in all these centuries, there have been many Egypts, many Babylons, many places with many peoples who are near to the holy things and who handle them with human cleverness. They boast of this. Tyre, according to history and the Bible, was full of merchandise and commerce. This was their glory. Cush, or Ethiopia, was a place from which people were continually coming to learn of the Holy Land. The queen of Sheba was from Ethiopia, and she came to learn something of Solomon. The eunuch in Acts 8 was from Ethiopia; he also came to the Holy Land to learn.
Here are five places, representing five categories of peoples, but none of them can compare with Zion. People may say that this man was born in Egypt and that one was born in Babylon; this man was born in Philistia and that one was born in Tyre. But God says that this man and that man and so many men were born in Zion. David was born there; Elijah was born there; Peter and Paul were born there; Martin Luther was born there. Eventually, we read, “Jehovah will count / When He records the peoples: / This One was born there. Selah” (Psa. 87:6). Who is this One? This is the unique One, Christ. Verse 5 tells us of this one and that one, including all the saints, but verse 6 records that this One, even Christ Himself, was born there. This is Zion’s boast. Zion boasts in Christ and in all the saints. Egypt could say that the Pharaohs were born there; Babylon would say that Nebuchadnezzar was born there; but Zion can say that David, Elijah, Peter, Paul, so many saints, and ultimately Christ Himself were born there. Who is greater, Pharaoh or David, Nebuchadnezzar or Paul? There is no comparison. Who can compare with Christ? All those in Zion may well boast in Zion. God, the Most High Himself, will establish her. Hallelujah!
Verse 7 says, “Then singing as well as dancing, they will say, / All my springs are in you.” Praise the Lord! In Zion we do not have mourning; we just have singing and dancing — all of them praising the Lord. In Zion we have many giants — David, Elijah, Peter, Paul, and others. But we also have many singing. We may not be the giants, but at least we are singing. You may think that you cannot sing well, but at least you can praise. All the singing and dancing are for praising. In Zion there are not many preachers and teachers, but there are many singing and dancing. They all say, “All my springs are in You.” The springs are the fountains of waters. All the springs and all the fountains are in the city of Zion. This is the church and the local churches, and we are singing and dancing.
In Psalm 88 one saint cries in himself for God’s deliverance from his suffering, but in Psalm 89 another saint praises God for His covenant with Christ as the center. Here is another contrast: one crying for his own deliverance, and one praising God for His covenant.
Let us consider briefly the content of Psalm 89. In verses 19 to 21 we see Christ as God’s Holy One, God’s mighty One, God’s anointed One, whom God has chosen and exalted and whom He will strengthen. In verse 26 He calls God His Father and His God (cf. John 20:17). God has made Him His Firstborn, highest of the kings of the earth (v. 27), and He will take the earth from the sea to the rivers (v. 25). It is rather difficult to say what the sea is (singular), and what the rivers are (plural). But I believe this means, poetically, that Christ will take over the entire earth. His throne is forever and ever (vv. 29, 36-37). He will be the King in the kingdom, and His throne is eternal.
Now we have reached the end of Book Three and have seen two additional outstanding psalms — Psalm 87 and Psalm 89. Psalm 87 is of Zion, the house and the city, and Psalm 89 is of Christ as the King who will possess the entire earth. Hence, there are five outstanding Psalms in Book Three: Psalm 73, God as our unique portion; Psalm 80, Christ in the place of preeminence; Psalm 84, an all-inclusive psalm with the sweeter experience of the house of God; Psalm 87, Zion, including the house and the city; and Psalm 89, Christ as King possessing the entire earth.
