Scripture Daily

Context No. 2985 of 4322 · Psalms

Context · Reflection

Psalms 122:1-9: in context

1I was glad when they said to me, “Let’s go to the LORD’s house!” 2Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem! 3Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together, 4where the tribes go up, even the LORD’s tribes, according to an ordinance for Israel, to give thanks to the LORD’s name. 5For there are set thrones for judgment, the thrones of David’s house. 6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Those who love you will prosper. 7Peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces. 8For my brothers’ and companions’ sakes, I will now say, “Peace be within you.” 9For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.

This is a pilgrim's song. I was glad, it begins, when they said to me, let us go to the house of the LORD. Now our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem, the city where the tribes go up to give thanks. And it turns into prayer: pray for the peace of Jerusalem; peace be within your walls. For my brothers' and companions' sake, I will seek your good.

Two things stand out. First, the gladness at going to worship, I was glad when they said, let us go, a joy in gathering with God's people that we can easily lose when worship dulls into routine or duty. And second, the outward turn: the psalmist prays not just for himself but for the peace and good of the whole city, for the sake of his brothers and of the house of God. Real devotion to God's house flows naturally into concern for the community around it. Love for God and love for his people belong together.

Am I glad to go and worship with God's people, and does that gladness spill over into seeking the good and peace of the whole community?

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