a living Zion

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised

in the city of our God!

His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,

is the joy of all the earth,

Mount Zion, in the far north,

the city of the great King.

Psalm 48:1-2

Zion, the city of God, is how the Jews began to see the Temple Mount with all its central worship focus. It became the center of worship, the focus of Jewish thought and practice, the symbol of what the nation represented as God’s covenant people.

And even though the throne of God did not physically exist in the temple on Mount Zion, in terms of worshipful language, the mount was envisioned as the fortress where God’s presence dwelt, where His power ruled, and where His people came to worship Him. Zion was hope, and protection. Zion was joy and beauty for Jews as they came to God’s temple to sacrifice, pray, and praise the Lord.

Yet they knew well that Zion’s temple was representative of a bigger reality. The poetic clue for this is in the phrase, “Mount Zion, in the far north”. Jerusalem is south in biblical geography. During the time this psalm was written, Zion itself was located on the highest hill in the city, in what was likely the southeast corner of the city. The “far north” spoken of here was a phrase sometimes used to describe the heavenly throne room of God (see Isaiah 14:13). The temple was a place of worship that God blessed with His presence as His covenant people walked with Him. But God does not dwell in a temple built with human hands (Acts 17:24).

Like Zion of old, the Holy Spirit now has a temple where His presence is known. And it is the unique experience of every Christian to be a living Zion where God’s presence now dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). And in the Zion of my body, I may worship God freely, fully, and joyfully today in service to my Great King Jesus!