June 21, 2017 (Wednesday)
This Psalm is a companion to Psalm 46. Verses 1-8 describe Zion before destruction of Sennacharib’s army; verses 9-14 afterwards. We should carefully study Isaiah’s prophecies about all this, especially chapter 33 of the Book of Isaiah.
Psalm 48
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Beauty and Glory of Zion.
A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.
I. GOD PROTECTS ZION (1-8)
1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
In the city of our God, His holy mountain.
2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion in the far north,
The city of the great King.
3 God, in her palaces,
Has made Himself known as a stronghold.
4 For, lo, the kings assembled themselves,
They passed by together.
5 They saw it, then they were amazed;
They were terrified, they fled in alarm.
6 Panic seized them there,
Anguish, as of a woman in childbirth.
7 With the east wind
You break the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
In the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God;
God will establish her forever. Selah.
II. GOD LOVES ZION (9-14)
9 We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God,
In the midst of Your temple.
10 As is Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad,
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
Because of Your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion and go around her;
Count her towers;
13 Consider her ramparts;
Go through her palaces,
That you may tell it to the next generation.
14 For such is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will guide us until death.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Beauty and Glory of Zion.
A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.
I. GOD PROTECTS ZION (1-8)
1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
In the city of our God, His holy mountain.
2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion in the far north,
The city of the great King.
3 God, in her palaces,
Has made Himself known as a stronghold.
4 For, lo, the kings assembled themselves,
They passed by together.
5 They saw it, then they were amazed;
They were terrified, they fled in alarm.
6 Panic seized them there,
Anguish, as of a woman in childbirth.
7 With the east wind
You break the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
In the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God;
God will establish her forever. Selah.
II. GOD LOVES ZION (9-14)
9 We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God,
In the midst of Your temple.
10 As is Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad,
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
Because of Your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion and go around her;
Count her towers;
13 Consider her ramparts;
Go through her palaces,
That you may tell it to the next generation.
14 For such is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will guide us until death.
Today marks the one-year anniversary of our study of Psalms. We began with Psalm 1 on June 22, 2016. The blogs supplement the Wednesday Bible Study at the Bethel Baptist Church of Ingleside, although neither is dependent on the other. Each Bible Study session and each blog is complete within itself and you may read any blog or attend any Wednesday and find the blog or the lesson understandable. That reflects the nature of the Psalms.