Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024011S
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00:12 ♪♪♪ 00:15 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:19 We're glad that you could join us again 00:20 this week as we take a look at lesson number 11, 00:24 "Longing for God in Zion," 00:27 an exciting study as we're getting close 00:28 to the end of our 13 weeks together. 00:31 But as we begin, let's start with prayer. 00:34 Father, thank You for being with us 00:36 through this journey, and as we look 00:38 at how we can long for You in Zion 00:41 and understand more about what Zion is 00:43 and what it means to truly long for You there, 00:46 we ask that You'll guide our time together, 00:48 and we thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 00:51 So our guest this week, as each week this quarter, 00:54 is Dr. Dragoslava Santrac. 00:56 She has a PhD in Old Testament 00:58 and a deep love for the book of Psalms. 01:01 Slava, thanks for joining us again today. 01:03 >>Dragoslava Santrac: Thank you for having me. 01:05 >>Eric: So this week, we're looking at 01:06 "Longing for God in Zion." 01:08 Let's start with this question: 01:09 What exactly does Zion represent in the Psalms, 01:13 and what's the significance of this week's study? 01:16 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, let's start with the question, 01:19 what Zion actually is. 01:21 Mount Zion--and people can see it and visit it today-- 01:25 is a broad low hill adjacent directly 01:30 to the south side of the Old City of Jerusalem, 01:33 and in the Bible, Zion is often used 01:38 as a synonym for the city of Jerusalem 01:40 and also for the entire land of Israel. 01:45 So, Zion is very significant in the Psalms 01:49 because it represents God's holy mountain. 01:53 And many psalms say that the foundation of the temple, 01:57 the foundation of the Lord's sanctuary, 02:00 is the Mount Zion. 02:02 Now, the mention of the mount is very significant 02:06 because it conveys this important message 02:09 that the God's temple is more than just a building. 02:13 It's even more than just a city. 02:16 It's a mountain. 02:18 Therefore, it's something that's much bigger and greater 02:21 than people can build and make to honor God, 02:26 and as Solomon in his dedication prayer for the temple, said, 02:31 God cannot be contained in a building. 02:34 He's greater, greater than the temple. 02:37 Also, the mention of the mountain has 02:40 its significance in its ancient Near Eastern background 02:45 because, in that culture, in that world, 02:48 the mountains and especially the mountain peak 02:52 represented the contact point 02:55 between the celestial and terrestrial fields. 02:59 It was a channel of communication 03:02 between the divine and the human worlds. 03:05 And now the bigger and more impressive 03:09 and higher the mountain, the more exalted is the God 03:13 that the mountain represents. 03:16 >>Eric: So it's a little odd or strange, perhaps, then, 03:19 if Mount Zion is kind of 03:20 a somewhat insignificant mountain; 03:23 it's not a-- it's not a Mount Everest-- 03:26 we'll put it that way. 03:27 Why would God choose this somewhat low mountain, 03:31 then, to draw the attention to? >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, 03:34 that's a very interesting question because, truly, 03:37 there were and there are many larger mountains 03:41 in that area--for example, Mount Hermon on the north-- 03:45 that were higher and more impressive, 03:48 and, interestingly indeed, God chose 03:51 this quite unimpressive hill as His holy mountain. 03:57 But there is a very significant message here. 04:01 Unlike the pagan idols who needed 04:05 some grand impressive things to represent them 04:09 in order to inspire worship in people, 04:13 the Lord has this grandeur and majesty in Himself. 04:18 He is the one in His person, in His being, in His actions, 04:24 that inspires love and worship in His people. 04:28 And what's so interesting is that, 04:31 unlike the cultural understanding 04:34 where the mountain kind of gives this majesty 04:38 to the god it represents, in the Psalms in the Bible, 04:43 it is the Lord who grants majesty and honor 04:48 to this humble hill of Mount Zion. 04:52 As much so that we read, for example, 04:55 in Psalm 68, verse 16, that other mountains 05:00 who are bigger and higher are now jealous of Mount Zion 05:05 because it represents the Lord, 05:08 the one who is the only living and awesome, sovereign God. 05:14 Let's read Psalm 68, verse 16: 05:20 "Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks? 05:26 "This is the mountain 05:27 "which [the Lord] God desires to dwell in; 05:31 yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever." 05:36 So, seeing that the Lord chose Mount Zion 05:40 and the Lord is that high and lifted-up God, 05:44 all these large mountains are fuming with envy. 05:48 >>Eric: So it's a very interesting picture 05:50 of this lowly hill that God exalts, 05:54 very different than the other way around for others. 05:57 Why are--why are the psalms dedicated 06:00 to uplifting this hill? 06:03 What's--again, it's not the hill that's important, 06:06 but it's God that's exalting that. 06:09 >>Dragoslava: Exactly, so all these songs 06:11 that express love for Zion, that lift up Zion on high, 06:17 and praise Zion, they actually praise the One 06:22 who--to whom this hill belongs. 06:25 And this is the Lord Himself. 06:28 >>Eric: So that helps us understand Zion 06:30 in the context of the book of Psalms. 06:33 There are different types of psalms 06:36 that we come across in here. 06:37 Some of the psalms are called "psalms of ascents." 06:40 Any connection there with the mountain? 06:44 >>Dragoslava: Mm, yes, absolutely. 06:46 The psalms, or the songs, of ascents, 06:49 Psalms 120 to 134, form a distinct collection 06:57 or a distinct hymnbook within the book of Psalms. 07:00 Now the Hebrew title is a bit unclear, 07:05 but it's taken by most interpreters 07:09 and scholars and in tradition 07:11 to mean the "songs of ascent," of going up. Going up where? 07:17 Up the Mount Zion, up to Jerusalem 07:20 and the Lord's temple. 07:22 And most likely, these songs were sung by the pilgrims 07:26 on their way to the city of Jerusalem 07:29 during the three annual festivals: 07:33 the Festival of Passover, and Pentecost in the spring, 07:39 and the Feast of Tabernacle in the fall. 07:42 And these songs are quite short and easy to memorize, 07:48 and they celebrate God's goodness 07:50 and His love and protection. 07:53 So, it was something that lifted up 07:55 the spirit of the pilgrims on their long journey, 07:59 and as they were coming closer to Jerusalem, 08:02 the song became more fervent and more excited 08:06 because they're coming to bow down before God in His temple. 08:11 >>Eric: So these shorter songs of ascents, 08:14 songs of encouragement and moving forward, 08:17 are there any of them that kind of stick out in your mind 08:20 as ones that are just particularly-- 08:22 that you appreciate 08:24 or that mean something significant to you? 08:26 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes, I mean, all of them have 08:29 such a wonderful, wonderful message, 08:32 but I especially like, for some reason, 08:34 Psalm 123, which says: 08:38 "Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. 08:44 "Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand 08:49 "of their masters, as the eyes of a maid 08:53 "to the hand of her mistress, 08:56 "so our eyes look to the Lord our God, 08:59 until He has mercy on us. Have mercy on us, O Lord." 09:05 And I love this picture. 09:07 It's very, very tangible, and it's very intimate. 09:11 We can imagine a servant, who depends for his living 09:16 on his master, who depends on his master for his protection, 09:22 for housing, and he looks at his master's hand, 09:27 and that's what we do. 09:29 We look up to the Lord at His merciful and loving hand 09:34 until He shows mercy on us. 09:38 >>Eric: So this is one of several songs of ascents 09:41 that we could kind of grab a hold of. 09:43 As we're--when might these songs be an encouragement to us? 09:50 When would be a time that we might say, 09:52 "You know, maybe I need to go back and look 09:53 at one of those songs of ascents"? 09:56 What might that look like in a person's life? 09:58 >>Dragoslava: Yes, we should note here 10:00 that many pilgrims came from situations of hardships 10:06 and faced many challenges from within and without, 10:10 so verses like, for example, Psalm 126, verse 5: 10:16 "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy." 10:20 And we have many verses like this that speak 10:26 of the psalmist's distress, like Psalm 120: 10:30 "In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me. 10:35 "Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips 10:39 and from a deceitful tongue." 10:41 So, the pilgrims experienced all kinds of hardships, 10:45 like we do today, and as they were going to Jerusalem, 10:49 they were bringing their burdens with them, to bring them 10:55 to the Lord's feet, and leave them there 10:57 and find rest and blessing and reassurance. 11:01 So, each of these psalms, 11:03 you will find a treasure of reassurement 11:06 or encouragement for your current situation. 11:11 >>Eric: So that should be an encouragement. 11:13 I mean, we take a look at the challenges 11:15 that we face in life today, and there are no small challenges. 11:18 Whether people are facing health challenges 11:20 or spiritual challenges or relationship challenges, 11:24 financial challenges, there's a long list of challenges 11:29 that we face today. 11:31 And you may be facing something like that. 11:33 If you are, then these songs of ascents 11:36 were written for you, to give you some encouragement, 11:38 to give you some hope, to give you some help. 11:41 And maybe your life is going just fine, 11:44 but you know somebody who's going through some challenges. 11:48 Share with them one of these songs of ascents 11:51 and give them a little bit of hope, 11:53 a little bit of encouragement as they're going 11:56 through some difficult and challenging times because, 11:59 even though you may be just fine, 12:02 somebody else may be having some difficulty, 12:03 and God may be giving this to you 12:06 so that you can then share it with them-- 12:09 songs of ascents, talking about ascending Mount Zion. 12:13 We're gonna be coming back in just a moment or two, 12:15 but before we do, I wanna remind you, 12:18 don't miss this opportunity to pick up the companion book 12:21 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson, 12:23 of course, on the book of Psalms. 12:26 Dr. Martin Klingbeil has authored this book. 12:28 You can find it at itiswritten.shop. 12:31 That's itiswritten.shop. 12:33 And it will be an incredible blessing to you, 12:36 will go into greater detail in the things 12:38 that we are looking at day by day and week by week 12:40 as we go through this quarter's lesson, 12:42 giving you some more encouragement, 12:44 helping you to dig more deeply and learn more about the Psalms 12:49 than, unfortunately, we're able to put 12:51 in the study guide itself, the quarterly study guide itself. 12:55 Only so much information could fit in there, 12:58 but that companion book will be an incredible blessing to you. 13:02 Couple that with these talks that we're having each week 13:06 with the author and you're going to have a wonderful, 13:09 wonderful study indeed. 13:11 Well, we'll be back in just a moment 13:13 as we continue looking at week 11 13:15 as we study the book of Psalms. 13:17 We'll be right back. 13:18 ♪♪♪ 13:22 >>John Bradshaw: It's one of the most challenging books 13:25 in the Bible. Why do hard challenges come? 13:28 Why does God allow difficulty and distress? 13:31 And what's going on behind the scenes 13:33 in a world filled with suffering and sorrow? 13:36 Our ongoing series "Great Characters of the Bible" 13:39 continues with a look at the life of Job, 13:42 a man described by God as "perfect" and "upright," 13:45 yet afflicted by a devastating illness. 13:47 Some of the most difficult questions people have deal with 13:51 the God who permits suffering, yet the Bible presents logical, 13:54 accessible answers that make sense 13:57 and grow your faith in the God of heaven. 14:00 Struggling to find answers, his integrity attacked 14:03 by his friends and questioned by his wife, 14:06 Job's journey into the depths of anguish 14:08 provides answers for everyone 14:10 and presents a clear picture of the character of God. 14:14 Don't miss "Great Characters of the Bible: Job," 14:18 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 14:22 >>Melissa Bradshaw: If you enjoy coloring, 14:23 then you are going to love the Buried Treasure Coloring Book 14:26 from My Place With Jesus. 14:27 The Buried Treasure Coloring Book 14:29 has more than just pictures to color. 14:31 You'll also enjoy activity pages, 14:33 each accompanied by their very own audio story. 14:37 >>John Bradshaw [in recording]: Mr. Dixon came across a small 14:39 well-weeded rice patch out in the middle of a field. 14:43 >>Melissa: Get ahead of a rainy day 14:45 or a relaxing evening as a family 14:47 and order the Buried Treasure Coloring Book 14:49 from It Is Written. 14:52 ♪♪♪ 14:56 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:58 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:00 We're looking at lesson number 11 about Zion. 15:03 Slava, let me ask you a question. 15:05 What makes Zion the source of hope, 15:09 the source of joy for the psalmist, 15:13 and why is the sanctuary such a special place 15:17 that a day there brings more happiness and joy 15:20 than a thousand days elsewhere? 15:22 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, we a bit started this topic 15:26 in the previous segment when we mentioned 15:29 that the sanctuary was a safe haven, a place of refuge 15:33 for the pilgrims who came from various difficulties 15:37 and situations of hardships. 15:40 So, being in the sanctuary represented a place of peace 15:44 for them. But other than that, of course, worshiping the Lord 15:49 in His sanctuary was a very special experience, 15:52 and experiencing the fellowship of the believers, 15:57 that was a special treat for the people, 16:01 so much so that, for example, in Psalm 133, verse 1, 16:08 there is this beautiful metaphor describing the fellowship 16:14 of the believers in the temple: 16:16 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is 16:21 "for brethren to dwell together in unity! 16:25 "It is like the precious oil upon the head, 16:28 "running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, 16:32 "running down on the edge of his garments. 16:36 It is like the dew of [the Mount] Hermon." 16:40 It was a special event, a special occasion 16:43 to experience this fellowship of believers 16:47 and to receive that support from your community of faith 16:51 in a very special way. 16:53 And also, that was a time when people renewed 16:57 their commitment to the Lord's covenant, 17:01 and we read in the songs of ascent 17:03 about the Lord's covenant and this renewed commitment 17:08 and devotion to the Lord when people receive 17:11 the forgiveness of sins and assurance of salvation. 17:16 And perhaps I should also mention one social element, 17:21 which should not be neglected. 17:24 And that's that the thrones of judgment 17:29 were placed in Jerusalem. 17:31 And we read in Psalm 122, which is also a song of ascent: 17:37 "For the thrones are set there for judgment, 17:40 the thrones of the house of David." 17:44 Now, the thrones of judgment points 17:46 to these judgment seats, where people could bring 17:50 their various inquiries or queries that they had, 17:55 disputes even, and receive justice for themselves. 17:59 So, going up to Jerusalem had this religious, 18:02 spiritual experience, 18:04 but you see how wonderfully in God's kingdom 18:08 that's tied to the social element of having justice 18:13 and the due righteousness and the due right things 18:18 for the people in the realm of social life. 18:22 >>Eric: So this was a very positive experience for people, 18:25 something to look forward to, to anticipate, and to enjoy. 18:29 Now, this, of course, all happened thousands of years ago. 18:33 We don't have the sanctuary, per se, to go to today. 18:38 Mount Zion is far away from us. 18:41 We don't go there with any regularity, if ever. 18:44 How does this kind of apply to us living today in our world? 18:49 How can we enjoy some of the same blessings 18:52 that the psalmists talk about here? 18:54 >>Dragoslava: Well, we can draw some valuable practical lessons 18:58 from the experience of the ancient Israelites 19:02 and the songs of ascents. 19:04 Last week, we spoke about remembering history, 19:09 and I believe we all remember 19:12 and enjoyed those psalms of remembering history. 19:15 Now, one significant aspect of remembering history 19:20 is remembering by participating. 19:24 So therefore, taking time to go up to Jerusalem-- 19:30 and some people lived quite far away, 19:32 and many pilgrims traveled on foot, so it would take days-- 19:37 but taking time to travel, 19:39 taking time to sing these songs of ascent, 19:43 taking time to make booths 19:47 during the Feast of the Tabernacle 19:49 and live in the booths for seven days, 19:52 taking time to prepare the special food for Passover, 19:57 and eating this bread without yeast and bitter herbs 20:02 and recount these past 20:05 historical acts of God where God delivered His people, 20:09 and participating, not just mentally and spiritually 20:14 but physically as well, was a way of remembering history. 20:19 And it's a great lesson for us today, 20:22 to have our worship services interactive 20:27 and helping us to participate in the history. 20:31 And the Lord in the New Testament established 20:34 the Lord's Supper, the Holy Communion, 20:38 where we take the symbols of Christ's body and blood, 20:43 and we participate in the foot washing-- 20:45 all these things are very important; 20:48 they help us participate holistically. 20:52 And of course, today, as you mentioned, Eric, 20:55 we don't go to Mount Zion, the physical mount, 20:59 and we don't need to because that mount represents 21:03 a much larger and glorious mount, 21:06 and that's the holy temple in heaven 21:09 where our High Priest, Lord Jesus, 21:12 serves on our behalf. 21:14 And we are invited to freely approach Jesus 21:19 in the heavenly sanctuary and receive His blessings. 21:23 >>Eric: Yeah, and I think you mentioned also 21:25 the judgment seats in the old sanctuary. 21:28 We can recognize that, of course, 21:30 we get justice and judgment-- justice in judgment-- 21:34 when we come to the heavenly sanctuary as well-- 21:37 very encouraging. 21:39 The book of Psalms talks about praying 21:40 for the peace of Jerusalem. What is--what is that? 21:45 You ask different Christians, you're gonna get 21:47 different answers as to what that represents. 21:50 What do you think the psalmist meant, and how does that 21:53 apply to us today when it talks about praying 21:55 for the peace of Jerusalem? 21:57 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, this request comes 22:01 from Psalm 122, and it is verse 6: 22:08 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 22:10 'May they prosper who love you.'" 22:13 Verse 7 goes on, saying, "Peace be within your walls, 22:17 prosperity within your palaces." 22:19 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." 22:23 Unfortunately, this is such a relevant, 22:26 relevant request, such a relevant prayer, 22:29 for, unlike its name, Jerusalem, "the city of Salem," 22:35 of "Shalem," of "peace," Jerusalem, unfortunately, 22:39 historically, had very little peace, 22:43 been engaged in so many wars, and in these unfortunate 22:47 recent events, we're again reminded that we need, 22:52 that we are called to pray for literal peace of Jerusalem, 22:57 for all the people, for all its inhabitants, 23:01 for all the suffering and innocent people there. 23:05 But this prayer transcends the physical peace of Jerusalem 23:10 and points to the eschatological kingdom of God, 23:14 to this eschatological Jerusalem, 23:18 the city of peace, which God will establish on this earth 23:23 at Jesus's second coming. 23:26 The glorious things that are said of Zion in the Psalms 23:30 and the rest of the Bible are actually never seen in history, 23:35 so they're prophetic expectations, 23:37 prophetic predictions of the coming kingdom of God, 23:42 the coming kingdom of peace. 23:44 And when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, 23:47 we pray for the coming of the Lord's kingdom on this earth. 23:52 >>Eric: There are some things that we're not seeing right now, 23:54 we wish we saw right now, but unfortunately, we don't. 23:57 But one day, we will see the fulfillment of those things. 24:01 As far as Zion goes, what is the significance of Zion 24:04 for the rest of the world? >>Dragoslava: Yes. 24:06 >>Eric: We have an understanding of it. 24:07 What about the rest of the world? How does that fit in? 24:10 >>Dragoslava: Yeah, I love the Psalms, 24:12 how they place a huge emphasis on this universal aspect 24:18 of God's work, on this universal aspect 24:23 of God's plan of salvation. 24:25 It is not just for one particular people, 24:29 one particular nation, 24:30 but it is for all the peoples of the world. 24:33 And in this context, Psalm 87 is such a wonderful, 24:39 wonderful psalm. 24:42 In it we read that the Lord will make the inhabitants 24:51 of all the earth the citizens of Zion. 24:56 For example, we can read verse 4: 24:59 "I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon 25:03 "to those who know me; 25:05 behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia." 25:09 So these are all nations that obviously were not part 25:14 of the ancient Israel, and so they were not part 25:18 of God's covenantal people, but this-- 25:21 in this psalm, the Lord says, 25:23 "I will make all these nations"-- 25:26 symbolically representing the entire world-- 25:30 "I will make them to say, 'This one was born there.'" 25:36 Where "there"? Well, in Jerusalem. 25:40 "And of Zion it will be said, 25:42 'This one and that one were born in her.'" 25:48 And then verse 6: "The Lord will record, 25:51 when He registers the peoples"-- meaning the nations-- 25:56 "'This one was born there.'" 25:59 So we see here that the Lord wishes 26:02 all the peoples of the world to become the citizens 26:06 of His holy mountain Zion, of His city of Jerusalem, 26:10 of His kingdom. When did that happen in history? 26:15 It happened in our Lord Jesus Christ, 26:19 through the promised seed of Abraham, 26:21 all the peoples will be called blessed and will be made 26:24 the sons and daughters of the Lord, of our God. 26:29 And we can read about that 26:31 in Romans, chapter 3, 26:33 Galatians, chapter 3, Colossians, chapter 3, 26:37 how in Jesus we have been adopted 26:42 into the family of God and become citizens of Zion. 26:48 Isn't that wonderful? 26:49 >>Eric: So that's an incredible truth of New Testament times, 26:53 that fulfillment from something in the book of Psalms 26:56 and something that gives us, indeed, a great deal of hope. 27:00 And we hope that this is giving you some hope 27:02 as you're studying with us through the book of Psalms, 27:06 looking at the significance of Zion, 27:08 looking at how this applies not just to ancient Israel 27:12 and the people of David's day, but really it applies to us. 27:16 It applies to you, it applies to me, 27:18 and it applies to the many strangers 27:20 who are out there as well, 27:21 who maybe don't yet know Jesus. 27:24 This is an opportunity for us to give them some hope, 27:27 to give them some help. 27:28 As we study through the book of Psalms, 27:30 we're gaining a greater picture, a clearer picture 27:33 of the plan of salvation and Jesus' desire 27:36 for each and every person to be saved. 27:38 Well, we have yet two weeks left in our study 27:42 through the book of Psalms, 27:43 and we're going to be covering some incredible ground. 27:46 You don't want to miss either of those studies. 27:48 But until then, we wish you God's richest blessings, 27:51 and we look forward to seeing you again next week 27:54 here on "Sabbath School," 27:56 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:58 ♪♪♪ 28:25 ♪♪♪ 28:27 [Captioning provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-03-06