A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song.
1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
2 the LORD loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 Glorious things of you are spoken,
O city of God. Selah
4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush—
“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”;
for the Most High himself will establish her.
6 The LORD records as he registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 Singers and dancers alike say,
“All my springs are in you.” – Psalm 87:1-7 ESV
In another psalm attributed to the sons of Korah, the author praises the glory of Zion, the mountain upon which Jerusalem sits. In this royal city of David was located the majestic Temple, the dwelling place of Israel’s God. That this psalm was written by one of the sons of Korah makes it all the more striking. Their ancestor was a man who took part in an open rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. He was motivated by discontentment with his clan's role in the service of the Temple. Numbers 16 records God’s punishment of Korah and his co-conspirators, but it also chronicles His sparing of Korah's sons. They were graciously allowed to live and continue their work in God’s house.
So, this unnamed son of Korah chose to express his admiration for the Temple and its impact on the nation of Israel. He displays joy at the privilege of serving in the place where God chose to make His presence known. Yahweh had given His seal of approval for the Temple that Solomon built by taking up residence in it.
When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple. The priests could not enter the Temple of the LORD because the glorious presence of the LORD filled it. When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the LORD filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying,
“He is good!
His faithful love endures forever!” – 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 NLT
Years later, the psalmist reminds his fellow Israelites of their good fortune at having the Temple in their midst.
On the holy mountain
stands the city founded by the LORD.
He loves the city of Jerusalem
more than any other city in Israel.
O city of God,
what glorious things are said of you! – Psalm 87:1-3 NLT
It was not the building itself that set Israel apart from all the other nations on earth. It was a magnificent structure that filled every Israelite with pride, but its true grandeur came from the glory of Yahweh that filled the Holy of Holies. At the dedication of the Temple, God declared His acceptance of the structure Solomon had constructed and His intention to bless His chosen people by dwelling among them.
“I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.” – 2 Chronicles 7:16 NLT
But the psalmist points out that Jerusalem, the city of God, would be home to more than just the people of Israel. He adds what appears to be a quote from Yahweh that expresses the Temple's international influence and the countless people from all the nations of the world who chose to make Yahweh their God.
I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me—
also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia.
They have all become citizens of Jerusalem! – Psalm 87:4 NLT
While Yahweh had set apart the Israelites as His own, He had not turned His back on the other nations. His presence and power had manifested from His holy Temple in Jerusalem and drawn others to choose Him as their God. Yahweh was an equal-opportunity deity who welcomed all to worship Him.
“Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.” – Psalm 87:5 NLT
Jerusalem was to be a light on a hill, shining forth the glory of God to the nations cloaked in darkness. The prophet Isaiah carried this idea further when he wrote of a “servant” who would bring light to the world.
“I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.
I will take you by the hand and guard you,
and I will give you to my people, Israel,
as a symbol of my covenant with them.
And you will be a light to guide the nations.” – Isaiah 42:6 NLT
And now the Lord speaks—
the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant,
who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.
The Lord has honored me,
and my God has given me strength.
He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” – Isaiah 59:5-6 NLT
Centuries later, the apostle John linked this “servant” role to Jesus.
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it. – John 1:1-5 NLT
The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. – John 1:9 NLT
Jesus would later say of Himself, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12 NLT). Jesus was the Son of God who took on human flesh and, according to John, “made his home among us” (John 1:14 NLT). The Greek word John used to describe Jesus’ incarnation is skēnoō, which comes from the root word skēnos, which can be translated as “tabernacle” or “tent.” John is suggesting that Jesus “tabernacled” among us, just as the earthly Tabernacle dwelt among the people of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness.
John goes on to say, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son” (John 1:14 NLT). As the glory of God existed in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle, so Jesus displayed the glory of God in His human life.
For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.” – Colossians 2:9 BSB
Even Jesus utilized the metaphor of the Temple when referring to His life. He told the Jews, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19 NLT). John went on to explain the meaning behind Jesus’ rather cryptic saying.
But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said. – John 2:21-22 NLT
Jesus represented the true temple of God. In Him, divinity and humanity were joined together. He was the new locus of God's presence on earth. Four decades after His death and resurrection, the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. To this day, the peak of Mount Zion is void of any memory of the Temple’s once grand presence, except for the stones of its former foundation.
According to Paul, the Temple and everything associated with it were mere shadows of something greater to come (Colossians 2:17). They pointed to Christ, and the author of Hebrews explains how they provided a glimpse into the reality of Jesus’ role as the final manifestation of God’s glory on earth.
That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now. – Hebrew 9:1-5 NLT
All the furniture that filled the earthly Tabernacle was meant to illustrate Christ.
The golden lampstand – “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)
Table of shewbread – “I am the bread of life.” –(John 6:35)
The altar of incense – Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ…a fragrance from death to death…a fragrance from life to life. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NLT)
The Ark of the Covenant – Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation [hilastērion: Mercy Seat] by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:24-25)
Jesus became the means by which sinful men could receive permanent atonement for their sins. He became the true Temple of God, offering access into the Father's presence through His own shed blood. His sacrifice made atonement available to all who were willing to accept the gracious gift of His righteousness in exchange for their wickedness. And the Book of Revelation reveals that the day will come when Jesus, “the more perfect tent [skēnē}” will permantly replace any need for an earthy Temple.
I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. – Revelation 21:22-27 NLT
Jesus, the light of the world, will become the light of all eternity. The living temple will make access to God available to all, with no further need for repentance, redemption, or reconciliation with God.
And all who enjoy eternal life in the New Jerusalem will sing the song written by the son of Korah.
The people will play flutes and sing,
“The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!” – Psalm 87:7 ESV
Father, the Temple no longer exists but that is not a problem for you. You have never needed a physical house in which to live. Yet You sent Your Son to take on an “earthly tent” and live among us so that He might die on behalf of us. He sacrificed that “tabernacle” so that You might restore it and provide a means for our future resurrection and glorification. Thank You for sending Jesus as Your earthly dwelling place and making access to Your presence possible. Amen
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
