THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: Living By Faith In God

LXXXVII. God’s Plan For Worldwide Privileged Living

(Psalm 87:1-7)

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

Many people today are trying to live privileged lives at the cost of the welfare of others:

(1) It occurs at the international level: Earlier this month, “both London and New York featured terrorist supporters marching en masse through the centers of the West,” and the “philosophy of those marching with Hamas and against the West is clear and obvious: The West is powerful; the West has exploited; the West is white; therefore, the West is powerful because the West is white and exploitative. Under this theory, antisemitism is directly linked with anti-whiteness. The idea is that the Jews are the ultimate white people: They are unduly successful, and thus must be stopped. As one pro-Hamas flyer distributed at the University of Chicago read, ‘Ending White Privilege Starts With Ending Jewish Privilege’ . . . Across the world, those who have not achieved are uniting against the West. They blame the West for their lack of success while living off the West’s largesse [gracious gifts].” (Ben Shapiro, “The barbarians are inside the gates,” Republican-American, November 18, 2023, p. 6A)

(2) It occurs at the national level: Veronique De Rugy’s column, “Here’s one way to demand rational government” (Ibid., November 17, 2023, p. 8A) proposed that Congress should adopt Danish intellectual Bjorn Lomborg’s Copenhagen Consensus proposal of “prioritizing initiatives based on their cost-effectiveness . . . A fiscal project modeled on this approach would shift the focus from spending that’s politically expedient to spending that promises the most substantial economic returns for society. It would also veer us off a fiscal path that only leads to a crisis.” However, “(s)pecial interests and egomaniac politicians are the only ones winning under the current regime” since politicians and special interest groups try to enjoy privileged living at the cost of the electorate’s welfare!

(3) It occurs at the community level: “Waterbury Hospital, Manchester Memorial Hospital, and Rockville General Hospital” here in Connecticut “were in financial trouble when they were acquired in 2016 by a California company, Prospect Medical Holdings, which said it would invest in them but instead appears to have taken tens of millions of dollars out of them, leaving them even worse off . . . The fairest resolution with the three hospitals might be a bankruptcy that eliminated whatever equity Prospect still has in them” and have them sent “to an auction in which Yale or another party might win them with a lower bid.” (Chris Powell, “Play chicken with three hospitals but prepare for bankruptcy,” Ibid., November 16, 2023, p. 10A) However, “suspension of the hospitals’ services during a bankruptcy would inflict great damage on their communities,” Ibid.

(4) It occurs at the personal level: Elderly Americans are being scammed out of $28.3 billion a year, and over $20 billion is taken by people known to their victims. (Robert LeGare, Jeff Pegues, Andres Triay, “FBI warns of rising elder fraud crime rates as scammers steal billions in savings each year,” October 6, 2023; cbsnews.com)

Need: So, we ask, “What is the solution to those who try to live privileged lives at the cost of the welfare of others?”

I. Psalm 87:1-7 celebrates God’s predicted future provision of privileged living for all believers worldwide:

A. Verses 1-2 declare that God has set His foundation on holy mount Zion in Jerusalem, a figurative reference to God’s having chosen Zion as His dwelling place above all other places. (Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 857)

B. Glorious things will be spoken of Zion (verse 3), and these things are about privileged living in Psalm 87:4-7:

1. The Lord will say that “Rahab,” a figurative reference to Egypt, and Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Cush, Gentiles that had once been Israel’s enemies, would be said by God to have been born there, v. 4; Ibid.

2. Of Jerusalem, here called “Zion” as it is in close proximity to the temple mount called Mount Zion, it will be said by people also that each believing Gentile will have been born there, Psalm 87:5.

3. In fact, the Lord will write in His official registry of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion,” v. 6 NIV.

4. Thus, as Gentile believers worldwide then make music, they will sing, “All my fountains are in you,” that is, in Jerusalem, verse 7. The term “fountains” indicates “that Zion will be the source of all blessing and pleasure, because the Lord’s presence is there” for all peoples worldwide. (Ibid., Bib. Know. Com., O. T.)

II. To understand how and when this blessing occurs, we view God’s long-term Biblical plan for the world:

A. After the worldwide Genesis Flood When Noah’s sons and their wives multiplied, producing the world’s nations listed in Genesis 10:1-32, they ceased to worship and obey God at the tower of Babel, Genesis 11:1-9.

B. The nations thus exchanged their worship of God for the worship of many false gods (Romans 1:18-23), and they came to worship these false gods at many different mountains, hills, and green trees, Deuteronomy 12:2.

C. God graciously planned to bring the nations back to Himself, and Psalm 87:1-7 is the climax of that plan:

1. To start to bring the nations back to Himself, God sent Abraham from Ur to the Promised Land of Canaan, and there He pledged through Abraham’s seed to bless all the families of the earth, Gen. 12:1-3; 15:13-21.

2. In discipling Abraham, God called him to offer up his only son Isaac as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah, but at the last moment, the Lord kept Abraham from slaying his son and provided a ram as a sacrifice in Isaac’s place, Genesis 22:1-13. That event led Abraham’s descendants to say, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided” (Genesis 22:14 NIV), that God would meet His people’s needs at that mountain.

3. When the Lord had Moses lead Abraham’s descendants, the nation Israel, out of Egypt to the Promised Land, God told them not to worship Him in many different places like the Gentiles worshiped their many false gods, but to worship Him at the one place that God Himself would select, Deuteronomy 12:1-7.

4. Four centuries later, Israel’s king David recognized God’s choice of Mount Moriah where Abraham had offered up Isaac as the place that God had chosen for His temple where Israel was to worship Him, Deuteronomy 12:4-7 with 1 Chronicles 21:28-22:1 and 2 Chronicles 3:1.

5. David’s son Solomon then built God’s temple on that site of Mount Moriah, 2 Chronicles 3:1.

6. Psalm 87:1-7 thus celebrates the conversion of Gentiles from paganism and their worship of false gods in many places to the worship of God in His Messianic Kingdom at Mount Zion, that is, at Mount Moriah:

a. The nations will then have trusted in Christ for salvation, turning from the pagan worship of many false gods in many places to worship the one, true God only on Mount Zion, or Mount Moriah, Psalm 87:1-2.

b. The fellowship of Gentiles and Hebrews who trust in Christ will then be so spiritually close to God and fulfilling that they will be recorded in God’s register as if being born in God’s holy city of Jerusalem in proximity to Mount Zion, or Mount Moriah, Psa. 87:3-6. (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Psa. 87:4)

c. Thus, all of the blessings of the believing nations worldwide will flow from their relationship with the Lord on Mount Zion or Mount Moriah, Psalm 87:7. God’s provision of a sacrifice for Abraham in Isaac’s place would have been illustrative of God’s many provisions for saved Hebrews and Gentiles worldwide.

Lesson: By God’s grace, at the start of Christ’s Kingdom when all the peoples of the world will be believers in Christ, each person will enjoy such intimate, fulfilling spiritual fellowship with the Lord that He will officially register each one as having been born in Jerusalem in proximity to Mount Zion, or Mount Moriah.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) May we anticipate the day when God registers us as having been born in His holy city in proximity to Mount Moriah, or Mount Zion, with all the blessings pertaining to it.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message and provide additional guidance . . .)

We address the needs in the issues of concern in our current imperfect world as noted in our introduction:

(1) Since living privileged lives will be the eternal experience of those who trust in Christ for salvation from sin, the best way we can help others experience privileged lives is to lead them to faith in Christ for their salvation.

(2) On people worldwide who blame the West for their lack of success while living off of the gracious gifts of the West, Proverbs 1:20-33 with Galatians 5:16-23 reveal that it is the Biblical ethics, morals, wisdom, and the empowering of the Holy Spirit in believers in the West that produced the conditions favorable to yielding success in the West, and the nations that have failed to gain success have been hindered by sin and its corruption of the social order! For any nation anywhere worldwide to improve its standard of living, it needs to become Biblically upright!

(3) On the problem of special interest groups and egomaniac politicians not addressing pressing nationwide economic issues, at the individual level, we believers need to live responsibly in our own lives relative to finances as Paul directs in 1 Timothy 5:8. We should not rely on self-serving officials to support us economically, for God holds heads of households responsible to earn a livelihood for their households as part of their Christian testimony!

(4) On the possible closure of three regional hospitals in Connecticut due to greed by a holding company, we can care for our own personal health needs as much as possible to minimize having to rely on healthcare and hospital facilities, 1 Timothy 5:23. Proper diets, rest, exercise, etc. should all be a part of our responsible care of our bodies.

(5) On the scammer threat to older Americans, we must exercise vigilant and direct control of all of our money, especially if the big majority of scammers are people who are known by their victims! (Proverbs 6:1-5; 11:15)

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God’s gift of eternal life. May we anticipate the day when God registers all believers of all nations as His own and rely on the Holy Spirit to heed His Word as we live in today’s imperfect world.