Ensign: The Peace of Jerusalem

[I wrote this more than five years ago (now Jeffrey is six years old) but it's still pretty timeless to read. "... because He does, not because we're worthy." Hm. -- David]  

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3

AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS 11 October 2013

[originally written 2 May 2008]

My son Jeffrey will be ten months old tomorrow! As I already see him and his big sister Sarah go everywhere and do everything they can with that joy of living that comes from not knowing there are some things you can't do, I pray that they (as I don't doubt you do for your children) that they will never have to go to war on engender the feelings that lead to it (i.e. let them stew).

Okay, maybe not in those words, but we do ask for peace to prevail in what we do. I remember a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip where the title characters are about to play "war" and one asks, "Why do we play at war and not peace?" The other character answers, "Too few role models."

At the end of these devotional messages, I ask you to pray with me for the peace of Jerusalem. This phrase appears only once in the Bible, in Psalm 122:6, yet it's the peace from which all others are made possible. Why? Look at the whole verse: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee."

Not only is this statement an injunction for a specific prayer, it's also a promise from God that, by His standards (which may and may not be the visible world's) we will prosper for doing it. It does seem silly to pray for the brick and mortar and what goes into building a city, but what about the people within it?

To an orthodox Jew then and now, Jerusalem was the epicenter of their faith. Even the earliest Christians began in Jerusalem and moved gradually outward (told in the first half or so of Acts), and it's the most mentioned city in the Bible. [Interestingly, the Islamic holy book the Qur'an doesn't mention Jerusalem at all.]

But without the faith in God of the people dwelling in the city (or in a church), all it is is a building. Just as nowhere in Scripture does "church" refer to just a building, nowhere in Scripture does "Jerusalem" refer to just the city upon a hill.

Today we can point to Jerusalem on a map, and unless we've totally cut ourselves from the news we probably hear about the city itself from time to time. The one hundred twenty-second psalm refers to Jerusalem by name three times and when it isn't directly referred to, Jerusalem is not only seen as a geographic entity but something more.

"Jerusalem is builded AS A CITY that is compacted together" according to verse three. Throughout its history, the city has been razed, occupied, ruined, rebuilt, restored, and fought over for thousand of years. Passover even has a blessing, "next year in Jerusalem", indicating that the state of perfect peace doesn't yet exist.

"For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be with thee." Peace is not only and not even the absence of war, it's much more than that. If we didn't have weapons to fight with when we were quarreling, we'd find some other way to hurt our fellow man and woman. It sounds pithy, but to have God's peace within our hearts we have to be willing to wish others peace and it has to begin with us.

Seeking the good of Jerusalem, the peace of Jerusalem, by God's standards is endemic to finding it anywhere else. God blesses anyone and any undertaking because He does, not because we're worthy. That should make us all much more humble, and that's when others can see God and His Son Jesus within us, or make us open to Him.

Sincerely yours,

David

P.S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with all of you in my address book, and I hope to be an encouragement too! If you find that I'm not or you want me to get lost, just let me know -- thank you!

We praise You, Lord, for this beautiful day You have given us! Please pray with me for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence and for communities around our world.

Lord, we need Your strength to fight the natural disasters and human ills to ultimately treat the cause and not just the symptoms; until we who have power change, this world You have made us stewards of won't either.

Thank You, Lord, for all those in leadership and service here and abroad. Thank You for the opportunities we have been given as well as the promise of new life through Your Son. May we all seek and have a blessed week! Amen.