Friday: Further Thought – Longing for God in Zion
Daily Lesson for Friday 15th of March 2024
Contemplate the message of Isaiah 40:1-31 and Isaiah 51:1-16.
The songs of Zion make an absolute commitment to staying mindful of Zion and the living hope in God’s sovereign reign that it represents. While many blessings of God’s sanctuary are experienced in this life, the hope in the fullness of life and joy in Zion is still in the future. Many of God’s children long for the heavenly Zion with tears (Psalms 137:1). To remember Zion implies not merely an occasional thought but also a deliberate mindfulness and decision to live in accordance with that living memory (Exodus 13:3, Exodus 20:8).
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Therefore, singing the songs of Zion carries a passionate resolve to keep alive the hope in the restoration of God’s kingdom on the new earth (Revelation 21:1-5). “There, immortal minds will contemplate with never-failing delight the wonders of creative power, the mysteries of redeeming love. There is no cruel, deceiving foe to tempt to forgetfulness of God. Every faculty will be developed, every capacity increased. The acquirement of knowledge will not weary the mind or exhaust the energies. There the grandest enterprises may be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations reached, the highest ambitions realized; and still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of mind and soul and body.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 677.
A commitment not to forget Zion is an implicit pledge of the Lord’s pilgrims that they will never accept this world as their homeland but await the new heavens and the new earth.
Thus, the psalms of Zion can be sung by believers of all generations who long to live in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 3:12). The songs of Zion encourage us to anticipate the future world with hope, but they also oblige us to be agents of God’s grace in this present world.
Discussion Questions
- How do we take the spiritual and theological principles that centered on God’s people in Zion, a literal place in Jerusalem, and apply them to the church and its mission to the world?
- How can believers abide in God’s sanctuary today? (John 1:14-18, Hebrews 12:22-24).
- How will Zion become the city of all nations as envisioned in Psalms 87:1-7? (Romans 5:10, Ephesians 2:11-16, Colossians 1:19-23).
- How do you answer the person who points to the reality of the wicked prospering in this world while many “good” people suffer? What do you say? Why is it important to acknowledge that we don’t have full answers for everything here now?
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The Zionist movement was most active in the first half of the twentieth century. It's main aim was to establish a homeland in Palestine for the modern Jewish nation. Ultimately in 1948 this came to fruition and Zionist hopes were realized. The nation-state of Israel was established.
It is interesting to read the political history of this movement and it is also informative to look at the way many churches in the United States have largely supported this movement. One cannot help noting that the current Middle East conflict has its roots established in notion that Zion is a physical realisation of the Zion prophecies.
This is not the forum for discussing the politics or even the theology of such views, despite so many Christians having very strong views on the topic. But I want to bring your attention to the fact that this physical view of prophecy has lead to nothing but conflict and destruction.
We defend our own view - that Zion represents Heaven and the New Earth where God dwells as being a spiritual fulfilment of the prophecies and we look forward to them with hope. It is my premise that if that is the only fulfilment we look forward to then it is not much different to the Zionist movement.
The Kingdom of God has never been limited to a place and time. I don't deny a fulfilment in a real Heaven and New Earth but the Kingdom of God has to be established in our hearts. That is much more than a future fulfilment. If we had understood the importance of the spiritual fulfilment of establishing the Kingdom of God in our hearts we would not be having the conflict we see today.
God wants to establish a relationship with us now - that extends into the future, but has a present fulfullment. Prophecy has two components: foretelling and forth-telling. We often concentrate on the first one. claiming we are the church that understands the foretelling. And, sometimes we forget the forth-telling. That's the bit about sharing the love of Jesus now.
By this shall all men know ...
The Power of God's Words! Words are only words, but when they come from a heavenly inspired source providing wisdom and knowledge, conveying proper perspective and understanding of the Glory of God, then they become the bread and water to the hungry and thirsty living soul. This is the LORD speaking to His chosen people by His prophet Isaiah!
God’s Truth never changes! Today, these same words feed the longing souls of all who believe. Though I recognized several passages, I only read for the first time God's recorded words spoken through Isaiah in their entirety today. As I was reading, I noticed how my self-perception adjusted, becoming more humble as my understanding of my heavenly Father’s Grandeur increased.
Do we really adequately reflect, understand and emotionally respond to the grandeur of our God’s power and might? Is man capable of fully reflecting the awesomeness of His Presence in our lives? Matt.22:37-40 comes to mind when considering the only fitting response to the revelation of our God to man.
Loving our God with all our heart and so expressing love to our fellow man is what we are told to be the right response. Is more needed than what has already been revealed? No!
All our God calls us for is for us to intimately know who He is! Trhough knowing Him we become part of His family. He is our Creator, our Lord and Savior, our God – it is He desiring His children to inherit the new earth. John 14:19-21; 1John 4:13.
What are we longing for? To be with God. Is being with God our hearts desire ? Guess what, we can be with Him even in our assembly in church, and in fellowship congregations, even this day and age. We can be with Him today right in our home. No one has taken away our Bibles or Bible apps, not even our Sabbath School apps, or youtube discussions on the lessons. It is our desire to be with the Lord. Let’s take advantage with what we have today, that puts us in Zion right where we stand. Let’s stand in church, prayer meeting, vespers, home worship hour, and in private devotion with God in Zion. I am supported all over the Psalms, but my favorite is Psalm 16:8 and Psalm 23:6. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever, and not be moved, by His power I shall sustain.
Happy Sabbath.