Psalm 122 - Chambers, Oswald
1. Gladness of comradeship
I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the lord . (psalm 122:1)
God begins with us individually in the experience of conscious salvation, then he unites us to one another. Notice the altogetherness of the saints all through the epistle still we all attain unto the unity of the faith, . . . Unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ (rv). None of us individually can reach the fulness of christ; we reach that standard all together. I have called you friends, said jesus. The idea is that the presence of jesus is the arena in which we live. A friend is one who makes me do my best.
2. Goings of a community
our feet shall stand within thy gates, o jerusalem. (psalm 122:2)
The gifts of our ascended lord apostles, prophets, evangelistsare for the perfecting of the saints. If you should be in advance of the rest of the community, god will take you into the ministry of the interior. Spiritual insight is not for the purpose of making us realise we are better than other people, but in order that our responsibility might be added to. If we neglect to go to god about our communities, our ministers, we become criticising centres instead of ministers of the interior. God expects us to be intercessors, not dogmatic fault-finders, but vicarious intercessors, until other lives come up to the same standard. Locusts in their flight over a stream may drown by the million, but others keep coming until there is a way for the live ones to go over their bodies. God uses his saints in the same way. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. There are prominent names in works of faith, such as muller10 and quarrier, 11 but there are thousands of others whose names are not known. It is the same truth our lord uttered regarding himself, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. The work in a community to begin with may be a wondrous delight, then it seems to die out, and if you do not know the teaching of our lord you will say it is dead; it is not, it has fallen into the ground and died in its old form, but by and by it will bring forth fruit which will alter the whole landscape.
3. Gods own city
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together. (psalm 122:3) for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is god. (Hebrews 11:10)
And i john saw the holy city, new jerusalem, com- ing down from god out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (revelation 21:2)
What a curious anomalya city of god! We could have understood if it had been the country of god, but a holy city is inconceivable to us. The city of jerusalem, like the temple, was ordained of god, that is why the children of Israel were so certain the prophets were wrong in saying that god would ever leave Jerusalem; but god did leave it, he left it desolate on account of the sins of the people. There is a time coming when we shall live in gods own city: Abraham looked for it; john saw it coming down out of heaven. Our present-day communities are mans attempt at building up the city of god; man is confident that if only god will give him time enough he will build not only a holy city, but a holy community and establish peace on earth, and god is allowing him ample opportunity to try, until he is satisfied that gods way is the only way
4. Gathering of the clans .
. . Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the lord , unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the lord . (psalm 122:4)
The prophets look forward to the time when all the tribes will meet together in harmony. It is a symbol of what happens in this dispensation of grace; there is absolute harmony in Christ jesus, no matter what the difference of nationality may be. The bible is the charter of the city of god, and all sorts and conditions of people have communion with one another through it. There is a gathering of the clans of all who belong to the race of the twicebornnow therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of god. The saints find their closest unity in communion with god, but we have to be put through a great deal of discipline before the oneness for which Jesus prayed in john 17 is realised. You will find that god introduces you to teachers and friends who are just beyond you in attainment in order to keep you from stagnation.
5. Christs own crown
for there are set thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David. (psalm 122:5)
When our lord stood before pilate and he asked him, art thou a king then? Jesus answered, i am a king, but my kingdom is not of this world, else would my servants fight. The kingship of Jesus consists in the entire sanctification of individuals. For Christs crown and covenant 12 was the motto of the scottish covenanters.13 am i eager to be saved and sanctified so that jesus christ is crowned king in my life? Ye call me master and lord: and ye say well; for so i am but is he? Is he lord and master of our sentiments with regard to this war? Of our passions and patriotic pride? We may think he is until we are brought into a crisis, and then we realise that there are whole domains over which he is not lord and master. This is true in individual life and in national life.
6. Generosity of community
pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. (psalm 122:6)
Pray for the peace of the city because it will be bet- ter for us as saints if the city is in peace. It is true that in times of war people are driven to god, but the dis- traction of war upsets the harmony and peace which are essential conditions for the worship of god. Are we set on praying for the peace of Jerusalem only because it will bring prosperity with god to souls?
7. Goodwill in concentration
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions sakes, i will now say, peace be within thee. (psalm 122:78)
In times of prosperity we are apt to forget god, we imagine it does not matter whether we recognise him or not. As long as we are comfortably clothed and fed and looked after, our civilisation becomes an elaborate means of ignoring god. God bless jerusalemfor jerusalems sake? No, for my companions sake. God bless the world with peacebecause it is deserving of peace? No, because of the christians in it. Because gods house is here, we pray god bless askrigg. Because of the saints in britain, we pray god bless britain. But remember gods blessing may mean gods blasting. If god is going to bless me, he must condemn and blast out of my being what he cannot bless. Our god is a consuming fire. When we ask god to bless, we sometimes pray terrible havoc upon the things that are not of god. God will shake all that can be shaken, and he is doing it just now.
8. Graciousness in compensation
because of the house of the lord our god i will seek thy good. (psalm 122:9)
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. This is not the judgement of christians, but of the nations who have never heard of jesus. They are amazed at the magnanimity of his words lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? If that is gods attitude to the nations who do not know him, what
Is his attitude toward us? We are never told to walk in the light of conscience, but to walk in the light of the lord. If Jesus christ has taught me to be as he is . . . In this world, then in every particular in which i am not like him, i shall be condemned. God engineers circumstances to see what we will do. Will we be the children of our father in heaven, or will we go back again to the meaner, 14 common-sense attitude? Will we stake all and stand true to him? Be thou faithful unto death, and i will give thee a crown of life. The crown of life means i shall see that my lord has got the victory after all, even in me.