“Zion has heard and rejoiced, and the daughters of Judah are
joyful because of Your judgments, O Lord.”
(Psalms 97:8)
Many of King David’s psalms are clearly prophetic; some
in a specific way, others in a veiled way like this one. The veiling is an
invitation for us to consider the meanings of Zion, Jerusalem and the Temple,
and how these resonate in our consciousness.
Zion is the highest level of consciousness in which we
permanently bond with our Creator, and “hearing” and “rejoicing” are
complementary situations where one leads to the other.
We often relate hearing
to understanding, and seeing to knowing. As we fully understand goodness as our
bond with God, the immediate outcome is enjoyment, for what would be more
rejoicing than bonding with Him?
The “daughters” of Judah, as well as the ones of
Jerusalem mentioned in other passages of the Hebrew Bible, are the positive traits,
qualities, trends and expressions related to goodness as our connection with God.
Hence these rejoice while emulating and sharing His ways and attributes, which
are also His “judgments”.
“The Lord in Zion is great, and high He is over all the
peoples.” (99:2)
Zion is where God dwells in us, for it is the highest
awareness of His presence in our consciousness. God’s greatness is indeed His
presence that encompasses His entire creation.
God is high over all,
including the “peoples”, which usually also represent the negative traits and
trends that separate us from the ways and attributes of goodness, that are
higher and above to rule over all.
“Exalt the Lord our God and bow
at the sacredness of His mountain, for sacred is the Lord our God!” (99:9)
We bow to sacredness in reverence
to what is higher and above us, without which we can’t exist. Awe and reverence
is the least we can have before what we completely depend on.
Knowing and
understanding otherwise is pure arrogance, disdain and total lack of
appreciation and gratitude for the sacredness that gives us life.
“Constantly (lit. all mornings) I cut off all the wicked of the
land, to cut off from the city of God all the doers of evil.” (101:8)
In this verse King David pioneered
the phrases “not deviating from a straight path requires eternal vigilance” and
“eternal vigilance is the price of freedom”, and he actually goes beyond what
these mean.
The constant vigilance to live
free from negative traits and evil ways requires keeping them away from us, by cutting
them off our thoughts, emotions, feelings, speech and actions.
All the “doers
of evil” do not belong to the city of God, for His ways and attributes do not
dwell with wickedness.
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