Walk about Zion, and go all around her. Count her towers; mark well her bulwarks. Consider her palaces that you may tell it to the generation following. For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death. (Psalm 48:12-14)
It is obvious that Jerusalem has always been central to the ideals and aspirations of those who call upon the God of Israel. A prospering Jerusalem embodies the promises given to His servants and is thus revered, not to mention it is the place where He set His Name (2 Kings 21:7). And so, the psalmist encouraged those who could to examine the city in specific detail. Why? So that they could describe its beauty and glory to ensuing generations. Why? Because it was understood that, in time, Jerusalem would be destroyed and subsequent generations would find it difficult to comprehend Mount Zion as it once was.
Centuries after this was written, one generation of Jews returned from Babylon with the charge to rebuild the ruined city of Jerusalem and the Temple. As they contemplated the foreboding task, through the prophet God said, “Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?” (Haggai 2:3). In other words, it was difficult for them to recall its past glory when all they saw was ruin and neglect. However, the Lord also told them, “Be strong all you people of the land and work; for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:4). He encouraged them not to give into despair but to trust Him to lead them in the restoration process. And when the process was concluded they would know that the same God who redeemed them from Egypt and brought them into the land was the same God who was leading them at that time.
In short, our God of the past is our God in the present; He will be our God in the future. He is the Lord and He doesn’t change. Regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, even in times of destruction and desolation, He will not desert us; He will be with us through it all. And all those things that may seem as lost to the past, if they have eternal value and purpose, He is well able to “restore the years that the locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25). Case in point: though it has been destroyed multiple times, today Jerusalem still stands; her people, though scattered throughout the nations over the centuries, are alive and well. Why? Because our God is forever and is faithful to guide every generation through every situation.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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