Psalm 122 calls people to ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’ and to seek her good (vv. 6, 9). Is the psalm calling us to be politically pro-Israel, as some people interpret it today? Or is it teaching something more basic to your walk with God?
What is the psalm saying?
The psalm is an ode to Jerusalem as the spiritual and political capital of the nation of Israel. Taken literally, the psalm tells readers to hold Jerusalem in their hearts, pray for her peace, and seek her good. It is, after all, no ordinary city. Scripture repeatedly calls it ‘the holy city’. Its conquest is one of the leading stories in the book of Judges. David himself recaptured it from the Jebusites. Of all the locations on the globe, it was the place where God decreed that his people should worship him.
At least three times annually, Israelite men were to go up to worship the Lord in this city that was centrally located among the twelve tribes. Even in Jesus’ day, it was correct to say that ‘in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship’ (John 4:20). For pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for the prescribed times of worship, David provided a stirring song. The psalm taught God’s people a proper attitude about the city.
