JERUSALEM: Chosen City



We have seen that God chose a special land to fulfill his Divine Plan: Israel, Promised Land. Out of all that land, God chose a special city, set apart for Him:
(Psalms 132:13-14) For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: (14) “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

Zion is in Jerusalem. God chose this City and designated it as the place where the Temple would be built, the House of God.
(Psalms 78:68-69) but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves. (69) He
built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.
This selection also took under consideration that said city would be the capital of the Messianic Kingdom. When Jesus returns, He will rule over all the Earth, but he will place his throne in Jerusalem, on the Holy Mountain.
(Psalms 2:6-8) “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (7) I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. (8) Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

Jerusalem will not only be the government office of the Messiah, but it will also be the worship center of the Lord.
(Psalm 48:1-3) Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, (2) beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. (3) Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.

This is where all the nations will come to worship the Lord. But Judah will have his inheritance on the Earth. And Jerusalem will be a holy city, set apart for God.
(Zechariah 2:10-11) Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD. (11) And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.

The Bible says that those who love and honor the Name of God will also live in Jerusalem.
(Psalms 69:36) the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

The Name of God (Yehovah) is intimately linked with the city of Jerusalem…


THERE HE PLACED HIS NAME
The Bible says that Jerusalem is the city that God chose to place His Name on…
(1 Kings 11:36) Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name.

The fact of writing a name on a place is a sign of ownership. God placed His Holy Name over Jerusalem to indicate that this land belongs to him in a special way.
(2 Chronicles 6:6) but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’

Surely God knew that many would fight over this land, but the Lord has made it clear from the beginning that Jerusalem belongs to him, and that is not only for Biblical times, but forever!
(1 Kings 9:3) And the LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.

Over Jerusalem, and specifically over the Temple Mount, God has his eyes; and not only his eyes, but His Heart forever.

If this is so, why has God allowed Jerusalem to be occupied, and even destroyed several times? Next time we will see what the Bible says about that…

More articles on the Promised Land, on the page: Israel


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