Bible Commentaries

GOD’S HOME IN ZION

‘When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory.’

Psalms 102:16

Zion is the symbol of the Universal Church. In this text it is selected as the home of the glory of Christ’s Cross, and His main purpose in the upbuilding of Zion is His own glory. Zion does not make God glorious. It only reveals His hidden glory.

If you want to know that God is light, look not to the starry heaven, nor to the mighty ocean, nor to the green-clad earth, but look to Zion; look to the Church, and there you find God at His noblest and best.

I. First, with regard to the building.—Zion has the most costly foundations in the universe of God. There was no such stone in the quarry of our human nature. The foundation of Zion is the Son of God. There is not one flaw or crack in it. Our Lord is a tried stone, and He came out of all trials triumphant. Further, Zion’s foundation is a sure stone. We rejoice this morning that the Church is built not on shifting sands, but on a rock, the Rock of Ages. Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, were all magnificent front stones in this building. Jesus is the centre, and the whole weight of the Temple rests on Him.

II. Secondly, what are the walls of the temple composed of?—In brief, the walls are composed of Christian souls. Ignatius, when about to be put to death in the Coliseum, was asked, ‘What is a Christian?’ And he grandly answered: ‘One who carries God in his bosom’—a magnificent answer. This glorious temple is not built of wood and stones from the wilds of Lebanon, but of living souls. The spiritual fabric must be built on the same principle as an edifice of stone. Christ is the grand foundation, but every stone built to Him shares His qualities and becomes permeated with His life and energy.

III. Again, the whole Trinity is engaged in this mighty work, and it is not too much to add that the apostles, martyrs, reformers, preachers, teachers, and missionaries are all helpers in the work.

IV. Finally, with regard to the glory of the undertaking, notice that Zion is the very best revelation of the Divine law.—Christ is to be glorified by His Cross and exalted by His humility: ‘It is finished’; ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified.’ God as a Creator is glorious, but God as the Redeemer of Zion is more glorious. Nature may reveal His arm, but Zion reveals His heart. God’s glory will not be consummated until Zion is completed. The Divine glory is not yet revealed, because the temple is not yet finished. Nothing can prevent the completion of the great temple. Zion is the most costly edifice the All-Rich has ever erected, but He is not going to break it down.

Illustration

‘In the opening verses of Psalms 102, David had been singing in a minor key, discontented with himself and those around him. Suddenly all this is changed: he has lifted his eyes from the wreck of earth, and sees the glory of the completed building. It is as if the musician had been dragging out a mournful melody full of discord, but suddenly breaks into a full burst of triumphant harmony. Is there not a stately rhythm in the very words? “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time is come. For Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.… When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory.”

Now the long and toilsome duty,

Stone by stone to carve and bring;

Afterward, the perfect beauty

Of the palace of the King.’