Read 2 Kings 16, Nahum 2, and Psalms 120-123.
This devotional is about Psalm 122.
Though it is located in the southern part of Israel, Jerusalem became the center of gravity politically and morally for the nation of Israel. David conquered this city and concentrated the weight of his kingdom there by making it his home as well as moving the Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant there.
God’s law required all the men of Israel to come to the Tabernacle three times every year. Their families usually came with them, but sometimes women and children would stay home, such as Hannah did after giving birth to Samuel in 1 Samuel 1:21-23. So, God’s law required men to come to the Tabernacle for the Feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Booths (see Deuteronomy 16:16). Once David moved the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, that meant the men traveled there for each of these festivals.
Jerusalem is located on a hill and it is surrounded by hills, too, which makes it difficult to attack. That’s one reason why David made it his capital. So as men traveled from all over Israel to Jerusalem, they had to go “up,” ascending the hill on which Jerusalem was built. David, Solomon, and possibly others wrote some songs for the men to sing while they traveled. These songs were given to us here in scripture as the Psalms of Ascent–15 songs we know as Psalms 120-134.
Our devotional today, Psalm 122 talks about all this when it says in verses 3 and 4, “Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. 4 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.” That last phrase, “the statue given to Israel” refers to the commands in Moses’s law to come and worship three times a year.
Sometimes when we HAVE to do something, by law, we can resent the requirement. Nobody ever said, “I was glad when they told me, let’s go to the post office and mail in our tax returns before midnight on April 15.” But David, the Psalmist here in Psalm 122 wrote, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.'” Sure, he lived in Jerusalem, so it was easy for him, but here he is writing on behalf of all the men of Israel. Those who loved the Lord, who wanted “to praise the name of the LORD” as verse 4c says, would be glad to go and observe these feasts. Their love for God would cause them to want to take time away from their work to praise God and enjoy time with family and friends who also love the Lord. So the requirement to go to Jerusalem wasn’t a burden to them; it was something they enjoyed and were glad to do.
These days, the Lord lives with in us, not in a tabernacle or temple made by men. But the Bible says that when we gather together as the church, the gathered body of believers is also “the house of the Lord.” First Timothy 3;15 says, “…God’s household, which is the church of the living God….” So when God’s people gather in any local church–not the building but the people themselves–when we gather to worship, we comprise, then, the household of God.
So, my question to you is: If believers in Israel could sing, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord'” as they sang here Psalm 122:1, can you and do you sing the same in your heart on Sunday when it is time to come to church? Is coming to worship on Sunday morning, or coming to prayer meeting or small group, something you delight to do? Is it the center of gravity for your week? Is it a non-negotiable that most other things in your life fit around?
Or, is your participation in church an obligation that you drag yourself to? Is worshiping and fellowshipping with God’s people something you avoid? Is it low on your priorities, something you gladly avoid if you have a good excuse?
If your desire isn’t to gather with the church as often as possible, why not? Has your love for the Lord cooled for some reason? Are you living in sin in some way that is blocking your desire to meet with God and his people? Are there unresolved conflicts with God’s people that is inhibiting your desire to gather with us?
Take some time now and either give thanks for our church and pray for its peace as David did in verses 6-9 or ask the Lord to reveal why you feel reluctant to come to worship. Then, act–confess your sins if that’s the problem, or ask the Lord to rekindle your love to gather with God’s people for worship.