“God in Your palaces [You are] known for stronghold.” (Psalms 48:4)
We have said that Jerusalem, as
the city of God, is also the place of His dwelling. We understand that a “place”
is to be or to stand on as the leading and driving force of life and foundation
of our consciousness, and in this sense that place is goodness.
The “palaces” are the positive traits,
ways, means, trends and qualities which are the strongholds by which we protect
ourselves and prosper, for goodness is the purpose of goodness.
“As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the
Lord of multitudes, in the city of our God. God established it for eternity,
forever.” (48:9)
Goodness is destined to prevail
in God’s creation, for eternity. We come to this ultimate realization in the
awareness that the city of God is such goodness. In this way we understand that
“multitudes” are also the unfathomable ways and dimensions where God reigns and
rules over His entire creation, as the Psalmist also proclaimed.
“And David blessed the Lord before all the
assembly; and David said, ‘Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our father Israel in
all the realms, forever and ever. Yours,
O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty!
For all in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom
and You are exalted as head above all.”
(I Chronicles 10-11)
In this blessing King David invites
us to reflect on who we are, what we have and do, for these also come from the
Creator and we are destined to fulfill His will.
“We have reflected on Your loving kindness, O God, in
the midst of Your temple.” (Psalms 48:10)
Loving kindness is a primordial
attribute of goodness, in which we inspire ourselves in our bonding with the
Creator that is represented by the Temple of Jerusalem.
Abundant loving kindness is referred
in the Torah (Exodus 34:6-7) as one of God’s thirteen attributes of compassion.
These are considered also as the references for His judgments.
“Rejoice, mount Zion; be happy, daughters of Judah, because of
Your judgments.” (48:12)
This verse invites us to understand God’s judgments as a source of
rejoicing, for these come from His goodness that stands in the mount of His
sacredness.
The “daughters of Judah” are expressions of our recognition of
goodness as our link with the Creator. These also can be understood as
expressions of gratitude and recognition for God’s goodness, for in Hebrew Judah
literally means “I shall thank/acknowledge God”.
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