The 48th Psalm praises Jehovah who chose Jerusalem, the only city where He placed His name (2 Chronicles 6:6):
We have thought on your steadfast love,
O God, in the midst of your temple.
As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
Let Mount Zion be glad!
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments!
Walk about Zion; go around her;
number her towers; consider well her ramparts;
go through her citadels;
that you may tell the next generation that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will guide us forever.
God invites Israel to recall their history and His ongoing faithfulness to them by physically walking in Zion (Jerusalem). For those who have been to Israel, the sense of history is undeniable.
The psalmist urges the reader to rehearse the history of Jerusalem because that knowledge encourages faith in Jehovah and is inherent to genuinely praising Him.
These actions ensure that future generations will also understand that God’s care and faithfulness endures forever. Let Mount Zion be glad!
The ESV more accurately expresses the Hebrew grammar signifying God’s eternal care.
© Charles E. McCracken 2016, devotional comments only. Repost/Reprint with permission from the author. Scripture from the ESV.