Read: Psalm132:13-18
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.
15 I will abundantly
bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her
priests with salvation, And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
17 There I will make the
horn of David grow; I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.
18 His enemies I will
clothe with shame, But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.”
I want to lay down a few definitions before we go into
this scripture. Many people are often confused as to what Zion in the bible
truly represents.
Zion: The word Zion has a broad spectrum of meaning that is greater
than any one single entity or identity because Zion was also known as the seat
of power for the kingdom of Israel but also for the Kingdom of God. We know
that it is a place that God loves and cares deeply about because the city is
also associated with God’s chosen people, Israel.
Zion is used interchangeably with Jerusalem in many Scriptures so
any time you see the word Zion used it is referring to Jerusalem, the City of
God, the City of David, the people or nation of Israel or the people of God
and sometimes typifies God’s place of rule or where His presence resides” [Jack
Wellman, Patheos]
Essentially,
this means Zion today, represents you and I (being God’s children)
Choose: The dictionary defines
choose as: “to pick out or
select (someone or something) as being the best or most appropriate of two or
more alternatives”
Dwell: Other words for 'dwell' include reside, live, be settled, be housed, lodge, stay.
If we apply these definitions to verse 13, it gives it
much greater meaning –
"The Lord has picked you out as the best or most
appropriate. He has desired to live in you. He says you are His resting place
forever and in you, He will be housed for He has desired you."
…and we all know that where God dwells, blessings exist
[Recall the story of Obed-Edom and the Ark of the Covenant in 2 Samuel 6:10-11]
This scripture outlines the so-called ‘blessings’ that
exist where God dwells. They include:
- Salvation
- Prosperity
- Joy
- Fruitfulness
- Protection
- Victory
- Honour
- Health
- Grace
- Satisfaction
- Divine Ability
- Love
- His Name
I found the last blessing in this list a bit strange
when I came across it during my study. However think about when you hear of a
dodgy situation or an unpleasant story about a person, and you say “I don’t
want my name associated with this thing or I don't want my name associated with that person”, it is the same thinking. Although in
this case God is saying “I want My name associated with him or her!”
God desires to dwell in you and I. How do we know this?
First of all, from the passage in Psalm 132:13-18, His
word says so.
Secondly, having accepted Christ as your Lord and
Saviour, there is a sweet smelling aroma that comes from your ‘house’ to Him,
thus He singles you and out makes living in you His objective and His desire.
We must also note that once God has chosen, He will
never turn from it - so His choosing to dwell in you is not by virtue of your
works, your being good or ticking ‘Christian’ boxes, it is as a result of
grace, His covenant and love for you.
This should give you confidence then, that the
aforelisted blessings (and more) are yours because you are God’s dwelling
place. You are special to God. He self-selected you to rest in you forever; you should also rest in Him
forever and favour should be your mantra.
God bless :)
