Psalm 48

    1      Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised
    In the city of our God,
    In His holy mountain.
    2      Beautiful in elevation,
    The joy of the whole earth,
    Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
    The city of the great King.
    3      God is in her palaces;
    He is known as her refuge.

    4      For behold, the kings assembled,
    They passed by together.
    5      They saw it, and so they marveled;
    They were troubled, they hastened away.
    6      Fear took hold of them there,
    And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,
    7      As when You break the ships of Tarshish
    With an east wind.

    8      As we have heard,
    So we have seen
    In the city of the LORD of hosts,
    In the city of our God:
    God will establish it forever.
Selah
    9      We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness,
    In the midst of Your temple.
    10      According to Your name, O God,
    So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
    Your right hand is full of righteousness.
    11      Let Mount Zion rejoice,
    Let the daughters of Judah be glad,
    Because of Your judgments.

    12      Walk about Zion,
    And go all around her.
    Count her towers;
    13      Mark well her bulwarks;
    Consider her palaces;
    That you may tell it to the generation following.
    14      For this is God,
    Our God forever and ever;
    He will be our guide
    Even to death.
-Psalm 48

Mount Zion, the city of God, is the city of salvation. Many times as Zion is being mentioned it is in the context of the salvation of Israel and ultimately testifies of our complete salvation in Him. When we study through the word of God a lightbulb should go off for us when we see Zion being mentioned. Let's take a look at how this Psalm focuses upon this city and God's attitude toward it.

First we see that Zion is where God dwells. He is in her palaces and known as her refuge. So as He is in Zion so Zion is dwelling in Him. All those of the other nations see that this city is great, far greater than anything of their own and respond in fear. The salvation of the Lord is greater than all that the flesh or the world might throw our way. The lovingkindness of God exists in the temple of the Lord. Another word for this lovingkindness is mercy. The Lord is praised in this place and the peoples who dwell within are left rejoicing at the judgments of God.

All of these statements can just as easily be said of salvation. Let us rejoice in the salvation that we have understanding that we have been reconciled to God by His mercy.