Psam 87 - Glorious things

Read: Psalm 87 vs 1-7

The Bible is a book that is driven forward by promises. One of the early key moments in the story of Scripture is found in Genesis 12:1 where God called Abraham and promised to bless His family.  That family became the people of Israel and throughout the Old Testament that nation was God’s ‘treasured possession’ specially chosen from among all the peoples of the earth (Deuteronomy 7:6).

Against this backdrop it’s not surprising to find words, such as we come across today in Psalm 87:1, that speak of God’s special affection for Jerusalem and those who live there. However what is much more surprising is where the Psalmist goes in vests 4-5:

‘I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me - Philistia too, and Tyre along with cush and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’

These nations (‘Rahab’ was another name for Egypt) are the same nations that dominate Old Testament history as Israel’s enemies. These were the people who were opposed to God’s people and often brought great suffering and heartache to them. How can the Psalmist imagine them acknowledging God, how could they born all over again in Zion? 

To untangle this we need to go back to the beginning. When God promised Abraham that He would bless His family He did so for a purpose. God’s desire from the very start has been to bless all peoples through His people (Genesis 12:2).

Getting a hold of this totally transforms our view of God, of ourselves, and of those around us who do not believe. When Jesus stepped into our world He called twelve disciples to follow Him (a ‘new Israel’). But having done this Jesus quickly went looking for ‘outsiders’. This baffled, and angered, the religious leaders of Israel (Matthew 9:11). They believed God’s blessing was for them alone. Sadly they had not understood their own story and failed to realise that from the beginning God’s desire was to reach, love, and win the nations.

It’s very easy to have a narrow view of God’s love and to believe it is only for us. When the Psalmist imagines peoples such as Egypt, Babylon and the Philistines being ‘born again’ as God’s people it blows open our imaginations as to who God loves and who He can win and reach, through us, if we are willing to play our part.

Prayer: Father thank you for your desire to bless all peoples on earth. Forgive me for times when I have had a narrow view of Your love. Give me bigger picture of who can be born again and how You want to give me the heart of Jesus, who was the friend of sinners.