Today's Scripture Reading (November 23, 2025): Psalm 132
Jerusalem. The Holy City has become a divided city.
It is still a city promise, but it is also a place of great pain. Today, Jews,
Christians, and Muslims hold the city to be one of the most sacred places on
the planet. The three Abrahamic religions have converged in this city. There,
the faiths argue, fight, or sometimes attempt to ignore each other. All are waiting
for the day when Jerusalem will stand once again for something more than just
its divisions.
Some seem to want to rush the day, to have Jerusalem
internationally recognized as the Capital city of Modern Israel. Others believe
that this is not the time for such a move. Someday, maybe, but not now. They
are waiting for a time after a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian question.
Still, the hold that the three faiths have on the city means that an acceptable
solution to the problem might be a long time coming. If there is any evidence
that Jesus' return may be delayed, it might be the current status of Jerusalem.
As with many of the Psalms, there is a question about
when this Psalm was written. Some prefer to place this Psalm at the tail end of
David's life. Others believe that it was likely written during the exile. I
lean a little toward the latter, possibly on the strength of this verse. During
the days of David, Jerusalem was a powerful city and a light to the world. It
was a city of trade and power. It didn't have to be made into that. However, as
the exiles prepared to return to Israel, Jerusalem wasn't just a divided city;
it was a broken one. There was no Temple, and no wall to protect the city. It
was neither a possessor of power nor a light for God's anointed one. Jerusalem
was little more than a home for jackals and the wildlife that surrounded the
city.
However, in this Psalm, God promises to restore
Jerusalem's power. And not only that, but a light for his Anointed One,
literally, the Messiah. It is a promise, straight from God, that assured the
exiles that this pile of broken rocks that was once the City of David would
stand again, and that God's Messiah was still on the way. God wasn't finished
with Jerusalem, not yet.
I believe that is still true. Even in a day when
Jerusalem is divided and peace seems to be so far away, God still has plans for
David's city. And he will restore it, heal the divisions, and it will be a
light for the second coming of his Messiah. I don't know when that might
happen, but I am certain that it will. And it is that day for which I patiently
wait.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
2 Chronicles 1
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