And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, “Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither:” thinking, David cannot come in hither. Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David. And David said on that day, “Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, he shall be chief and captain.” Wherefore they said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”
So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.
2 Samuel 5:6-10
Jebus
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.” Psalm 122:6-9 (KJV)
The word “Peace” is used three times in these four verses. Peace is a sought after thing for most people. The name “Jerusalem” means “city of peace”; and yet this city has been one of the most fought over places in all the centuries since the death of Christ.
David took Jebus from the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5), and called it Jerusalem. He later would bring the tabernacle, and the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. This city is called “the city of David” (2 Samuel 5:7). There are references to the “City of God” which could be references to this city as well (Psalms 46:4; 48:1; 87:3).
David longed for the peace of Jerusalem, even to the building of the temple, and making it a place for all people to come and worship the one God of all creation and all people; a place where they could come, worship and pray;
“And He taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves.” Mark 11:17
We all; those who love God, Israel, and Jerusalem must pray for the peace of Jerusalem. For when there is peace in Jerusalem there will be peace in the world. That will come only when the Prince of Peace returns to reign from His rightful throne in Jerusalem. His name is Jesus the Christ Son of the Living God
With the enemies of God, and of Israel crouching around the land today; Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Jesus will be returning soon.
Day 44 – Thoughts from Psalms; Jerusalem
The city of Jerusalem on the East shore of the Mediterranean Sea is a city which is the source of much conflict; yet its name means, “city of peace” or “teaching peace”. Yet Jerusalem has no peace. It is a source of much conflict because there are three religions which want to claim it as their own city. Of course, the Jewish people claim it, they have since David claimed the city, after he conquered the Jebusites, and it was called then, “the city of David”.
Jerusalem was called Jebus when David conquered it.
“And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, ‘Thou shalt not come hither.’ Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David.” 1 Chronicles 11:4-5 (KJV)
And David changed the name to Jerusalem.
My reading for today was Psalm 122 through Psalm 135. The city of Jerusalem is named six times in these 14 Psalms. It is named three times in Psalm 122; verses 2, 3, and 6.
What is it that makes one historic city, in a historic country, and of very little real estate such a “hotspot”? One thing is that it is the place one of the most well known men of history was born near the city, died there, was buried there, and He arose bodily from the grave in which He was buried. Another thing in its history is that the temple of Solomon was at Jerusalem. Solomon’s time as king of Israel was known as a time of peace, prosperity, and glory for the Jewish people; as well as the glory of Solomon’s temple. There has never been another like it. There is another religion which holds Jerusalem to be a sacred place and that is the Muslim religion.
Jerusalem was held for years by Islamic people; and the Christian religion of Catholicism thought it good to start a war over the city, to conquer it and return it to “Christian” ownership.
Enough of my “history” lesson.
The psalmist prays for the peace of Jerusalem,
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, ‘Peace be within thee.’ Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.” Psalm 122:6-9 (KJV)
I believe we could put this to practice in our day. Christian; we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, because when Jerusalem is at peace our Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, will be on the throne ruling in this world. The world leaders of today are trying to bring peace to Jerusalem, and the world by doing everything, except what God in His word says we are to do.
Can we apply this verse to the church today? Only in praying for our churches. David was not asking for prayer for the church, but for Jerusalem, the city,
Notice what he says of those who will pray for the peace of Jerusalem, the city of peace. First, “They shall prosper that love thee” When we pray for the peace of Jerusalem I believe we are praying for the coming of the Lord Jesus. He is the Prince of peace. There will be no peace on earth until the Prince of peace comes in all His glory.
Before He comes, however, you need to know the “peace of God” that only Jesus can give. When He comes it will be too late. To know about Him, His life, death, burial and bodily resurrection today; and to reject Him opens your mind to all forms of deception for the days ahead.
Secondly, when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are praying for peace in individual lives to prosper.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and experience peace, today. (See Romans 5:1; Philippians 4:7)
-Tim A. Blankenship
The Fire and Hammer 