Beauty, joy, and power

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 In its palaces,
God has made Himself known as a stronghold. (Psalm 48:1-3, NASB) 

This is a song about the city of God; it speaks of Jerusalem and can also be applied to our lives today. We are His dwelling place because of the new covenant.  Jew or Gentile, we are His people:

“For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

The psalmist describes God's city as a "holy mountain" and says it is beautiful. He speaks of the elevation - Jerusalem is at an elevation of 2,500 feet above sea level. That is why writers talk about going "up" to Jerusalem (check out Psalm 122:4). The holiness and beauty of the city are because God dwells there - not because of any land or scenery, or in the case of believers today, not because we are handsome or pretty! It's God's indwelling us that gives us beauty. 

The modern world thinks of holiness as drab and boring, and "no fun." But in the Bible, there are many songs and prophecies that speak of God's holiness and beauty in the same breath.

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will see a distant land. (Isaiah 33:17)

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)

In Leviticus, we see that God's people are to be holy, as He is holy, and thus logically speaking, we are to display His beauty, too. Sin may look appealing for a time, but the final result is ugliness -- holiness is beautiful and attractive. As His people, His dwelling place, we should display His holiness and beauty to the world.

In verse two, the psalmist calls the city the "joy" of the earth. For the Jews, it would have been joyful to be in the city of God, just as we experience the joy of His presence in our lives each day. But in a deeper sense, the songwriter may have been pointing to the future, when the Lord reigns over all the earth:

Now it will come about that
In the last days
The mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.
3 And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
So that He may teach us about His ways,
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go out from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And He will judge between the nations,
And will mediate for many peoples;
And they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not lift up a sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war. (Isaiah 2:2-4)

We experience His joy each day as we thank Him for our salvation. So we should proclaim that joy to others and share the gospel with them.

Verse three speaks of God as our stronghold. It also portrays a coalition o kings who rise up to conquer the city of Jerusalem, but they are not able to raise a hand against it - instead, they panic and flee in fear. Is it the walls? The fierce army inside the city?  In a word, no. It's the God Who dwells in the city! 

The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble,
And He knows those who take refuge in Him. (Nahum 1:7)

As we rely on God's Spirit to live holy, joyful lives in this sinful world, we display His power. We cannot do this on our own. It's only possible with a fresh reliance each day upon His power. 

Lord, help us to proclaim your holiness, your beauty, your joy, and your power. Empty us of sin and guilt, and fill us with your living water.