Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. – Psalm 48:12-13

Today's Scripture Reading (March 14, 2020): Psalm 48

A good story always begins with details. You need to know the why and how for the story to make any sense. Whether you are watching a movie or reading a book, the details, in the beginning, are going to set up the plot turn that is going to come later. If a book begins with a story of rival gangs, and then moves to an elderly retired couple living in a home on a quiet cul-de-sac in a major city, you can be sure that the rival gangs are going to appear again somewhere in the story, and it is likely going to be at the climax of the plot that the couple and the gangs will find themselves intertwined. If you are watching a movie and the camera lingers on a briefcase for a moment, the briefcase is essential to the development of the plot, even if no words are spoken about it at the time. Stories are built like that. Take notice of what you see and hear, or read, because details are rarely accidental; they serve the purpose of advancing the plot.

The Psalmist tells his reader to walk around Jerusalem, count the towers, and the fortifications of the city. Consider the citadel, the most fiercely defended portion of the city, and the army that is housed within. When you tell the story of what happens at Jerusalem, be sure to mention all of these things. Jerusalem is a strong city that is well defended. It would only be fools who would raise their swords against such a place. Walk around Zion, and you can see that fact for yourself, and then go and tell the story.

In this case, the description of Jerusalem is actually part of the grand plot twist that comes later in the telling of the story. Because Sennacherib of the Assyrians would raise his sword against the city, he would gather his immense army against the defenses offered at Mount Zion. Sennacherib was a fool. But the end of the story is not about how Jerusalem's great defenses saved the day, and it is not the story of a vulnerable city left to find its way through troubled times. This is a story about a well-defended city that didn't need her defenses because God showed up.

That is the story you need to tell. Go and count the towers and the defenses, and know that what makes Mount Zion unique has nothing to do with its military strength. What makes Zion special is not contained within the height of the mountain; after all, it is really only a hill, and Mount Zaphon is much more majestic than the hill on which Jerusalem is built. What made Zion special was that it was the dwelling place of Yahweh, and Yahweh is more potent than Ba'al and his sister 'Anat and all of the rest of the gods who dwelled on Zaphon in the North. And when Yahweh protects his people, we need to tell that story to the next generation.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 19