Psalm122 is the third of the “songs of degrees” or “songs of ascent.” These are alsoknown as Pilgrim Psalms because the Jews of old would sing these psalmswhenever they ascended to Jerusalem on their pilgrimage for the annual feasts.

Psalm120 sounds a note of hope, even a hope of peace to be found in the company ofthe righteous made perfect.

Psalm121 is characterised by faith, even faith in the LORD who neither slumbers norsleeps as He watches over us in our pilgrimage.

SoPsalm 122 is defined by joy, even the joy in fellowship and worship of God’speople in Jerusalem. 

In Psalm 122, the pilgrim is thinking about Jerusalemas he journeys on. He imagines himself standing at the gate of Jerusalem, and athrill fills his heart. He is excited as he anticipates the fullness of joythat he will experience within the walls of Jerusalem when he joins fellowpilgrims to worship the LORD.

Wemay entitle this psalm, “The Pilgrim’s Joy at Jerusalem.” But it is importantfor us to take note as we look at this psalm that this is not just about thecity of Jerusalem in Palestine. Jerusalem, we must remember, was but a type ofthe church. But neither is this psalm only about the church as we experience ittoday. The joy and peace that is spoken of in this psalm will not be fullyrealised in the church on earth. No, no; the peace and joy spoken of in thispsalm is the peace and joy that we will have one day in the heavenly Jerusalem.

Butthank God that as believers, we have already come unto the heavenly Jerusalem(Heb 12:22). We have already received an earnest of our eternal inheritance(Eph 1:14). Therefore, despite our experiences to the contrary, we can alreadybegin to enjoy a foretaste of the joy and peace that we will have in heaven.This psalm speaks of our yearning for this joy and peace.

Itgives us words to exhort one another to seek the good of the congregation ofChrist that He joins us to.

Itgives us expression for the rare moments when joy overflows our heart and tearsare brought to our eyes, as we realise that it is possible to find peace andlove even in the midst of the covenant community, though we are yet imperfectsaints.

This psalm has three parts. The first part,verses 1-2, is an expression of joy that we can have in Jerusalem. The secondpart, verses 3-5, describes the basis of the joy that may be found inJerusalem. The third part, verses 6-9, is a word of testimony and exhortationto seek the good of Jerusalem.

1. Joy in Jerusalem Anticipated

¹ I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into thehouse of the LORD. ² Our feet shall stand within thy gates, OJerusalem.

Thepilgrim is on his way to Jerusalem. He recalls the day when the invitation goesout amongst his friends—“Let us go intothe house of the LORD!” His heart had been filled with gladness at thesuggestion.

Threetimes a year, at the Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles, God’speople would gather in Jerusalem for worship. The righteous amongst the saintsdid not take the appointments as a matter of routine, but as a privilege and agreat joy.

Hedelights to be found in the great congregation to worship the Lord with hispeople. He is ravished with the thought of standing within the gates ofJerusalem and gathering at the temple to worship the LORD with his people.

God’speople today ought to have the same yearning. We should yearn for the eternal Sabbathin the heavenly Jerusalem. And we should yearn too for the worship amongstGod’s people today which serve as a foretaste of that heavenly worship. Suchshould be our attitude in our Christian life. Public worship should be the mainreason for our gathering Sabbath by Sabbath. Fellowship we may find day by dayas we interact with one another in informal ways. But public worship can beenjoyed only when we gather together. Oh may the Lord grant us the same delightin the worship of Jerusalem as expressed in this psalm.

But why should there be joy in Jerusalem?

2.Joy in Jerusalem Explained

Here are fourinter-related reasons. First, there is joy in Jerusalem for…

³ Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compacttogether:

Jerusalemwas a beautiful city. It was not like the villages where buildings stood apartfrom one another and appeared to be haphazardly cobbled together. No, no;Jerusalem was an integrated city. Space was maximized, buildings werebeautifully designed to fit in with one another and with the streets, the walland the towers.

Jerusalem above is like that.The apostle John describes it as a city that “lieth foursquare, … The lengthand the breadth and the height of it are equal” (Rev 21:16).

Ofcourse John was seeing a symbolic vision. It speaks of how the church isperfect and beautiful. Every member of the church is fitted beautifully as alively stone with Christ as the chief cornerstone. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together by the sovereignpower of God. This is the wisdom and doing of the Lord, for which we canrejoice.

And not only so, but secondly, there is joy inJerusalem for she provided the people of God with a point of unity, verse 4—

⁴ Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD,…

Thetribes of Israel were scattered and diverse.But whatever differences they might have, they put them aside and gatheredin Jerusalem for worship.

Whata beautiful picture of the church, both on earth and in heaven! On earth, thefamilies of God, so diverse and distinct, gather together to worship in abeautiful display of unity in Christ. In heaven, the manifestation of unitywill be even more dramatic, for true churches from all ages and nations anddenominations would be gathered together and represented. What a joy just tothink about it!

But not only is there joy in Jerusalem for sheis a point of unity, but there is joy in Jerusalem for it is there that ourhearts will most greatly be inclined to gratitude. For we see that the tribeswent to Jerusalem not because there is good food and good fellowship there butthey go, verse 4b,—

^4b …unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks untothe name of the LORD.

Thetestimony of Israel, or the ark of the Testimony (Ex 25:1) was there. This isthe third reason why there is joy in Jerusalem. Jerusalem and the temple atJerusalem represented the presence of God amongst His people. So God’s peoplewhose hearts were filled with gratitude must go to Jerusalem to give thanksunto Him.

Today,we no longer are required to worship in the city of Jerusalem (Jn 4:21). Wehave come unto the heavenly Jerusalem. But still we must assemble together toworship the Lord. Why must we worship?

Wemust worship the Lord because of what the Lord has done for us. He has comeinto our midst to reveal Himself to us. He has come as Emmanuel. Emmanuel haslived, suffered and died for us, and He rose again for our justification.

IfOld Testament saints knew how to gather together to show gratitude to the LORD,how much more, we who sees all things in clear? Thank God for the privilege ofexpressing our joy and gratitude for reconciliation unto God in Christ.

Christis our compassionate Great High Priest who laid down His life for us even sothat we may enjoy God in Him. Let us rejoice and be glad in Him!

And not only is He our Great High Priest,Christ is also our King. His kingship is represented by the Davidic kings whoruled from Jerusalem. This is the fourth reason why there is joy in Jerusalem.Verse 5—

⁵ For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones ofthe house of David. 

ThankGod for the joy of not only being a worshipper, but a member or citizen of theKingdom of Christ. When the saints of old went up to Jerusalem, they alsoacknowledged their allegiance to the king. When the Northern ten tribes brokeaway and ceased to worship at Jerusalem, these ten tribes denied the kingshipof Christ. I believe the righteous who would not bow their knees to Baal wouldstill make the journey down to Jerusalem. But the rest had turned away fromChrist.

Today,the keys of the kingdom of Christ have been committed to the elders andministers of Christ to rule the church. When members of the church gatherregularly for worship, therefore, they are acknowledging not only thepriesthood but kingship of Christ. For did not the Lord Jesus told hisapostles:

“AndI will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thoushalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt looseon earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19).

ThankGod that such as seek diligently to gather with the people of the Lord toworship today will also experience the blessing of being found amongst thejustified to worship God forever and ever in everlasting joy. But thank Godthere is much reason for joy in Jerusalem, even today.

And so, let us also learn to exhortone another to seek the good of Jerusalem according to the final part of thispsalm, which may be subtitled—

3.Joy in Jerusalem Desired

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosperthat love thee.

Pray for thepeace of Jerusalem: not Jerusalem in Palestine, but the church typified byJerusalem. Those who love Jerusalem will prosper. The Lord Jesus said the samething when He says: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and hisrighteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt 6:33). Thekingdom of God is largely manifested in the church of Christ today.

Letus therefore pray for the church. Pray for peace between members and betweenleaders in the congregation. Pray also for peace between the churches.

Let us pray with a heartfelt yearning thatthere may indeed be peace within the church and success in the endeavours ledby the under-shepherds, as expressed in verse 7—

⁷ Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thypalaces.

Andlet us exhort one another to seek the good of the church. Let us do so for 2reasons. First, let us seek the good of the church for the sake of one another,verse 8—

 ⁸ For my brethren and companions’sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

Thechurch is not a building or a place. The church is a people. When there ispeace in the church, there is joy, even joy for ourselves and for our brethrenand friends.

Wemust not think only of our own joy, but the joy of our brethren and friends.Christian love is about seeking the joy of our brethren as Christ laid down Hislife for us. 

Sincepeace within the church brings joy, let us pray for and seek peace with her.Let us seek to imitate Christ by considering others better than ourselves, andrefraining from being opinionated and quarrelsome.

And not only so, but, secondly, since thechurch is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, and disunity greatly dishonoursChrist, let us seek the peace and good of Jerusalem for the sake of the gloryof God. The Psalmist puts it this way in verse 9—

⁹ Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seekthy good.

Thehouse of the LORD represents Christ and the worship of the LORD that is centredon Christ.

Ohmay the Lord grant us such a heart for His glory that we may make a priority inour lives to seek the good of His church!

Conclusion

This,beloved brethren and children, is the message of Psalm 122. It is a favouriteof the children and very familiar to many of us. But how many of us in thisselfish and individualistic age can sing it with heartfelt sincerity?

Howmany Christians today will put the church first in their life and decisions?How many will pray for the church? How many think about the church first when decidinghow to use their resources and time?

Oh that the Spirit of Christ will work in ourhearts that our hearts may truly reflect the words that He has given to us tosing in this psalm! Oh may the Lord help us, that our attitude towards thechurch may be changed by the power of His grace and love. And in this way maywe find joy in Jerusalem even as we grow together unto the heavenly Jerusalemwherein is perfect peace, joy and love. Amen. Ω