Blessed Is The Man Whose Strength Is In God!
Psalm 84:5,7.
KJV: Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee: in whose heart are the ways of them. v7 They go from strength to strength every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
NCV: Happy are those whose strength comes from you, who want to travel to Jerusalem. v7 The people get stronger as they go and every one meets with God in Jerusalem.
AMP: Blessed—happy, fortunate [to be envied]—is the man who strength is in You; in whose heart are the highways to Zion. v7 They go from strength to strength—increasing in victorious power; each of them appears before God in Zion.
When David made Jerusalem his capital city, it began taking on various other names in keeping with its character—names such as: “Zion” (2Sam.5:7), “the city of David” (1Ki. 2:10), “the holy city” (Neb.11:1), “the city of God” (Ps.46:4), “the city of the great King” (Ps.48:2), “the city of righteousness, the faithful city” (Is.1:26), “the city of the Lord” (Is.60:14), “The Lord is there” (Ezek.48:35), and a “city of truth” (Zec.8:3). Some of these names are prophetic names for the future city of Jerusalem.
Brief History of how the city became Jerusalem.
When the Israelites were ready to cross over the Jordan to enter the Promised Land, the city then was called “the Jebusite city” (Jo.15:8) or “Jebus” (1Chr.11:4). It was never captured during Joshua’s conquest of the land of Canaan, and remained in the hands of the Canaanites until David became king. Why was it difficult for Joshua to conquer “Jebus”? There were high mountains that surrounded “the Jebusite city” and they have walls that prevent anyone to conquer. David and his armies had found the secret passageway from underground to capture the city of "Jebus". David changed "Jebus" to Jerusalem and Jerusalem became the capital city. David’s son, Solomon built the Temple to the Lord God in Jerusalem and the city, Jerusalem also became the religious center for the worship of the covenant Lord.
The city of Jerusalem had special meaning for God’s people in the Old Testament. It was a place where Moses prophesied that God would choose a place in which “to put his name” (Deut.12:5,11,21; 14:23-24; 1Ki.8:29). The mountains that surrounded Jerusalem symbolized the Lord surrounding His people in His eternal steadfastness [Ps.125:1-2]. Jerusalem was a symbol of all that God wanted for His people. Whenever God’s people were in Jerusalem, they were to remember the ruling power of God, His holiness, His faithfulness to His people, and His eternal commitment to be their God. Jerusalem was the city where God revealed His word to His people.
Dorothy:
In order to appreciate Psalm 84:5 and 7 talked about “Zion,” we need to understand why David said, “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house” [v4]. Those who go to the house of the Lord seeking His presence will receive His blessing. This blessing includes the nearness of God and a renewed spiritual strength. I pray that we have better understanding about “The Jerusalem” and there are yet more to come.
