PSALM 48 - Our Great God

INTRODUCTION - Read Psalm 48

Our God is OMNIPOTENT - a Great King - beautiful and magnificent. What more can we say about Him? No one is greater than our God and His only Son Jesus, and no one should be is exalted more. God is our GREAT DEFENDER, He is OMNIPRESENT, and our ONLY REFUGE. God is ETERNAL, and He will be our GUIDE FOREVER, until the day when we go and live in Heaven with Him.

"This God, who has done such great things for us is unchangeable in His love and care for us, will lead us and keep us even to the last days. He will guide us,setting us above the reach of death, so that it shall not do us any hurt. He will lead us to LIFE in which there will be no death. "

Matthew Henry.

JERUSALEM - THE CITY OF OUR GOD - Read Verses 1-3

"How great is our God, how deserving of praise, in the city of God, which sits on His holy mountain! It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mt Zion, the Holy Mountain, is the city of the Great King." Psalm 48:1&2

Jerusalem is this great city in which God was exalted in His temple. Later it was prophesied that Jesus would be the `Cornerstone' of the temple, on which we were to build our Churches. Just as Jerusalem and the temple were set on the Holy Mountain and the people would come and sing their praises to their God, so we today should come into our Churches with our praises to Him, who because of the death of His Son, we can now have a personal relationship with Him.

"With a loud cry Jesus breath His last. The curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom. When he centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus heard his cry and saw how he had died, he said, 'Surely this man was the Son of God.'" Mark 15:38&39

PERSECUTION AND GROWTH OF THE CHURCH - Read Verses 4-6; 2 Chronicles 20.

Earlier on we read about the attacks on Jerusalem by the Assyrians. Now we read how other nations were coming to wage war against Judah - from Ammon, Moab and Edob. Yet rallied by their king Jehoshaphat, the people of Israel came together to seek help from the Lord. Indeed, the people had come from all over Judah to the temple at Jerusalem, and their king now stood up before them and prayed:

"O Lord, O God of our Fathers, are you not the God who is in Heaven? You rule over the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no nation can withstand you...... If calamity comes upon us, whether sword or judgement or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out in our distress and you will save us........O our God, we have no power to face this vast enemy that is attacking. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." 2 Chronicles 20:6,9&12

What faith! They faced a great battle; what me might see as persecution and trial, yet they knew God would be with them and would help them. How did they know? Because God was faithful - He had not let them down before. They felt His presence on them and `their eyes were upon Him.'

The answer to their prayer came through the prophet Jahaziel, son of Zechariah:

"You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. Go out and face tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you." 2 Chronicles 20:17

This promise from the Lord is the same one the persecution the early Church faced by the Romans. We read about this in Acts.  Their courage and faith, brought about fear in the Romans, and the ultimate increase in the Church in Rome and outlying areas. They would go out each day knowing that the Lord was with them.

The growth of the Church continues today, even through persecution, for God is greater. If we continue to have faith in God, we will continue to have ETERNAL VICTORY through persecution.

"When the Lord arises to help His people, the proudest of His foes tremble.  They are filled with dismay, for they know that this is the beginning of their eternal defeat." Charles H Spurgeon.

GOD'S ATTRIBUTES - Reads Verses 7-11

This psalm began with the great shouts of God's omnipotence, `THE LORD IS GREAT', and it continues throughout these verses, for they have not only heard about His greatness, they have seen it. They have seen how God has kept their city great and intact, because He is the all powerful God.

In those days, Tarshish, a city in Spain, had the biggest ships of all time. What an example of God's power - like a storm that could destroy even the largest ships at sea.

"You destroyed them like the mighty ships at Tarshish, shattered by a powerful east wind."

Psalm 48:7

"You dear children, have overcome them, because the One who is in you, is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

In Verse 9 we go on to discover another attribute of God - his great, UNFAILING LOVE. Although we can find this love anywhere, meditating in 'His temple', meeting in fellowship with God's people in Church, worshipping by singing His loves songs to Him in His special place - this is an awesome experience and something I have been missing.

"No in all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, neither any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37&38.

Wherever we are, we can continue to praise the attributes of God: His GOODNESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, JUSTNESS AND FAIRNESS. We ascribe praises to Him as a LOVING AND OMNIPOTENT GOD, who has only the needs of His people on His mind.

"Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are His judgements." Revelation 19:1

JERUSALEM - THE OLD AND THE NEW - Read Verses 12&13 & Revelation 20

The psalmist describes the Jerusalem of old - it's beauty and it's strength. I haven't been to the Jerusalem of today, but I have met many people who have had, and they have described to me it's magnificence. What I look forward to most is to the time when I will go to the New Jerusalem - my eternal home, the place prepared for me by God and my Saviour Jesus Christ.

"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:2&3

"I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, `Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will  live with them. They will be His people. and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Their will be no more mourning or crying or pain, for the older things has passed away."
Revelation 21:21

I love the promises in these verses in Psalm 48 that our eternal God is our guide forever and ever, on earth, back then for His people Israel, and now the offer of eternal life that He gives us in the New Jerusalem. All we need to do is accept His offer!

"Jesus said, `I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me will LIVE, even though he dies." John 11:25

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have LIFE in His name." John 20:31

"For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have ETERNAL LIFE, and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6:40


Holy Bible, New International Version

New Matthew Henry Commentary, Matthew Henry (Martin H Manser), Zondervan

The Treasury of David, Charles H Spurgeon (www.studylight.org)