Psalm 87:1-7 NKJV
87 His foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
More than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God! Selah
4 “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me;
Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia:
‘This one was born there.’ ”
5 And of Zion it will be said,
“This one and that one were born in her;
And the Most High Himself shall establish her.”
6 The Lord will record,
When He registers the peoples:
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 Both the singers and the players on instruments say,
“All my springs are in you.”
Psalm 87 is a song about God’s deep and fervent love for “His city,” which, in Old Testament times, was called “Zion.” Properly speaking, Zion was a hill within the larger city of Jerusalem. But the name is almost always used to represent the whole city, the “city of God,” which symbolized the whole people of Israel whom God had redeemed from slavery in Egypt and adopted as His own son. To be born in Zion, where God had placed His temple and His altar, placed a person within God’s holy Church, and thus placed him above all the nations of the earth. Yes, the nations had reason to be jealous of those who were born in Zion. Such love God had for them! Such earthly and heavenly blessings God had promised them!
It’s no wonder, then, that Jesus wept and grieved for the city of God during Holy Week (cf. Matthew 23:37). After a thousand years of God’s devotion to His beloved city, it turned out that the city of God failed to love Him back. Instead, they were about to crucify the Son of God and reject Him forever. And, therefore, instead of being established by God forever, the city of God would be rejected by God forever.
But the true city of God is not the city of Jerusalem. It’s a spiritual city, without geographical borders. It’s a city into which people are not born, but reborn, when they are baptized in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s the kingdom of God throughout all the world, the Church catholic, where the Lord Christ reigns in the hearts of believers, and feeds and governs His people with Word and Sacrament, preached, applied, and administered by the ministers He has sent. Over this city God still rejoices. Of this city God still approves. And to this city God still makes a promise, to establish it forever, for the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
“Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God!” Yes, the Son of God loved you and gave Himself for you, and has pledged you to Himself as His beloved bride. Give thanks to God for giving you rebirth into His city, and make it your life’s purpose to remain in it, and to gather others into it. Let us pray: Lord, we rejoice in You, even as You have rejoiced in us. Keep us in Your city forever, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.