Latest / Reformed Thinking / The City of the Great King, Secure Forever (Psalm 48) | Charles Spurgeon

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The City of the Great King, Secure Forever (Psalm 48) | Charles Spurgeon · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. For this deep dive, we're taking
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a careful look at a source that has comforted, well, countless
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generations, Charles Spurgeon's powerful exposition of Psalm 48,
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which he titled The Eternal Security of Zion.
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And our mission today is pretty laser focused.
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We're going to be working through excerpts from
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Spurgeon's, I mean, his colossal work, the Treasury of David to
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pull out some key insights, right?
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We're looking at 3 interlocking ideas.
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The sheer greatness of the Lord, the absolute security of his
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dwelling place which is Zion, and we understand that as the
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Church. And maybe most dramatically, the
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sudden, almost self defeating opposition that always seems to
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rise against it. And what's great is that we have
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a structure already laid out for us by the psalmist.
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It's a perfect blueprint really, for understanding divine
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protection. But before we jump in, let's
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let's quickly set the stage. The source notes that this
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psalmist titled the Song and Psalm for the Sons of Korra.
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That title alone, you know, blending a song in a Psalm, that
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tells us something right away about the emotional posture
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that's required from the worshipper.
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It really does. I mean, a song speaks to
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joyfulness, exultation, a lightness of heart.
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But a Psalm, on the other hand, suggests reverence, a certain
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solemnity, a recognition of God's majesty.
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So it's both joy and awe together.
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Exactly. And the sons of Korah who had
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this complex and often painful history, they were gifted with
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this blend. They could use these mournful
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confessions right alongside exalting praises.
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It just shows the fullness that's required and true
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adoration. We need the highs of joy, but
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they have to be grounded in the reverence of God's well, his
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unapproachable holiness. And the historical context,
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which you know, isn't explicitly named in the text, it provides
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this dramatic tension that Psalm 48 addresses.
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The sources suggest it's about the victory during King
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Jehoshaphat's reign from Two Chronicles 20.
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Could you remind us of the striking details of that event?
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Oh, it's a remarkable story of what you could call pre emptive
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divine action. So Jehoshaphat was facing this
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massive confederacy of Kings Ammon, Moab and Edom.
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Yeah, a huge force. Huge.
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These were powerful enemies, and Dehoshaphat's army was just
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vastly outnumbered. So he did the only thing he
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really could. He prayed, and he proclaimed a
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fast. And what follows is just
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extraordinary. The kings assembled their
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forces. They were fully ready for
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battle, but before a single blow was struck, the Lord intervened.
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And the source material says they just withdrew without
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striking a blow. They turn their swords on each
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other in total confusion. Total confusion.
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It was a victory won entirely by panic and divine intervention.
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The spoils from that victory took days to collect.
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So this historical backdrop really defines the central
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message of Psalm 48, that the church's security is not based
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on its ability to fight, but on the certainty of its divine
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protector. And Spurgeon organizes it so
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well. We see this logical progression.
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Verses one to three they set the scene honoring the Lord and his
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city. Then verses 4 to 8 record that
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miraculous confusion of the foes.
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Verses 9 to 11 extol Zion's enduring qualities.
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And then the final verses told in 14, they just affirm Jehovah
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as the people's God forever. This structure is why the Psalm
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feels so eternally reassuring. OK, so let's jump into that
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foundational claim in what you're calling Section 2, the
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whole Psalm. It really rests on this
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confession of God's greatness. First one great is the Lord, and
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greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain
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of His Holiness. That phrase, great is the Lord.
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It has to be seen in direct contrast to all the fleeting,
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manufactured greatness the world offers.
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Spurgeon. He specifically throws down the
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gauntlet. He contrasts this declaration
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with what he calls the Mad Cry of Ephesus.
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Great is Diana. That contrast is so vital for us
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today, isn't it? The Ephesian cry was based on
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what? Idolatry, superstition,
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commercial interests? I mean Diana was literally the
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God of their prosperity. The cry was passionate, but it
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was hollow. Our testimony great is Jehovah,
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it's logical, it's demonstrable, and it's self-evident.
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Especially because His greatness is seen in the act of
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deliverance and preservation of his people.
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And if his greatness is infinite, then our praise has to
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correspond to that. The second-half of that
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declaration greatly to be praised.
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It speaks directly to the nature of our worship.
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It has to be constant, laudatory, earnest and sublime.
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Yeah, you can't just offer a quick nod.
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You can't. No amount of human effort or,
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you know, creative capacity can adequately state the honor
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that's due to a God whose greatness is demonstrated every
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single time his enemies stumble. And this applies so clearly to
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Christ's supremacy within the Church.
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The source points us straight to the Christological application.
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If there is none truly great in the church but the Lord, then
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Christ is the fulfillment of this greatness.
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He is not a shepherd. He's the great Shepherd, not a
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deliverer, but our great God and Savior, and he's our great high
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priest. His greatness is the security of
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the church. I mean, without a great king,
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the city falls with him. His name will be great unto the
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ends of the earth. But notice where this greatness
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is primarily revealed. In the city of our God.
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In the city of our God, the Church, Zion is the favored
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place of divine manifestation. It's the peculiar abode of the
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God of Israel. So even though God's glory is
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everywhere, His manifestation is specifically concentrated in the
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assembly of His people. So if the rest of the world
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chooses to ignore Jehovah's worship, the chosen people
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inside his favorite city have to continue to adore him because
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his presence and his glorious manifestation are so clearly
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known right there in their midst.
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And this leads directly to the next description.
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Zion is the mountain of His Holiness.
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This image, it demands 2 spiritual requirements for the
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Church that we really have to consider in detail.
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Elevation and purity. Exactly.
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Elevation means conspicuousness. The church is meant to stand
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out, like a mountain rising from the flat plain of the world.
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It must be a visible testimony, right?
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But that visibility is meaningless unless it's matched
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by purity. The mountain has to be of His
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Holiness. And we are reminded this isn't
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about physical geography. This is a spiritual requirement.
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Yeah, the church has to partake in the holiness of God to
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fulfill its purpose. As Spurgeon puts it, only holy
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people can fittingly praise the Lord.
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If the Church stops striving for sanctification, its priest has
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just become meaningless noise. Then we move to verse 2 where
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the image shifts to the spiritual beauty that flows from
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this holiness. Zion is called beautiful for
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situation. And while, yeah, geographically,
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Jerusalem was striking the Queen of the East, the church's beauty
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is spiritual. It's defined by its relationship
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to the Lord. I really love the way the source
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material breaks that down, that spiritual placement.
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It's beautiful because it's situated near God's heart,
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within the mountain of His power, and this is critical upon
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the hills of His faithfulness. The church's attractiveness is
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purely derivative. It shines because it's near the
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source of light and truth. The more the church detaches
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itself from worldly affections and interests, the fairer it
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becomes. Its beauty is tied directly to
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its elevation above the world. And This is why the Church,
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despite its earthly size or its temporary struggles, is rightly
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called the joy of the whole earth.
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That phrase, the joy of the whole earth, I mean, that can
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sound almost arrogant to modern ears, can it?
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Especially when the church is so often criticized or
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marginalized. But historically and
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theologically, the claim holds up.
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It does. Zion was the world star.
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Whatever light lingered on earth, concepts of justice,
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mercy, true knowledge of God, it was all borrowed from the
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oracles and the truth preserved by Israel and then by the
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Church. So the Church of God, even when
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it's despised by men, remains the world's true hope.
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It does. If God's people were silent, the
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entire earth would collapse into absolute moral darkness.
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Zion is the city of the great King, and that means God rules
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all nations, even those who hate the church for her ultimate sake
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and preservation. This security is why we sing.
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And verse 3 provides the ultimate comfort and security
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which is so key to understanding the rest of the Psalm.
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God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
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We worship no unknown God. We know Him intimately.
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This is a vital point for the individual believer and for the
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collective church. We know him as our refuge.
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When distress hits, we run to the one we know.
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And what's more, the source makes a really keen observation
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here. Even those within the church who
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are powerful, the kings dwelling in their own earthly palaces,
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they must not place their confidence there.
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Our defense is not in our wealth or our influence or our
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political power, but in the Lord Protector.
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We have to trust nothing else as our bulwark.
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This establishes divine sovereignty and the security of
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the city before the battle even begins.
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That groundwork makes the drama that follows so much more
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intense. The drama begins with the
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assembly of the enemies. We shift now to Section 3, the
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sudden defeat and panic of Zion's foes in verses 4 through
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7. This is that historical account
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of Jehoshaphat's victory given eternal application.
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It's just a striking picture of how great power when it's
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redirected against the Almighty, it just dissolves instantly.
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First four notes. The kings were assembled.
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They passed by together. They were many.
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They were powerful. They were confederate.
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They came in force, coordinating their movements.
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But their assembly and their passing were nearly
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simultaneous. They came and they vanished.
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Spurgeon highlights the psychological reversal.
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It was meant to be this great, boastful gathering with royal
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leaders preparing to lay siege to the City of God.
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Instead, it became a despairing scattering of terrified fugitive
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bands. They came like foam on an angry
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sea, and just like foam, they melted away.
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And the critical point is that they didn't even engage in
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combat. Verse 5 explains the cause of
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the retreat. They saw it, and so they
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marveled. They were troubled and hasted
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away. They didn't see a greater army.
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They saw the Lord. They came, they saw, but they
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did not conquer. There was no Vinnie vidi Vici
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for them. Before the Lord even came to
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blows, they fled. And you have to ask, what did
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they see? They saw evidence of God's
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presence in the Holy City. Maybe it was a celestial sign,
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or maybe it was just the realization that the people they
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were attacking were under supernatural protection, or
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whatever it was, that realization was enough to break
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their will. The lesson there is so clear for
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the Church's enemies in any age, if they could truly foresee
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their inevitable and instant defeat, they would never advance
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to the attack. When the Lord comes to our help,
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our strongest, most numerous enemies instantly become nothing
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more than dust. And the speed of their retreat
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is crucial. The troublers were troubled.
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Their initial haste and assembling was slow compared to
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their frantic hurry and leaving. Panic sees them, and it sees
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them right there, right where they hope to triumph.
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They fled ignominiously, like children caught in a fray.
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This intense dread is then detailed with startling imagery
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in verse 6. Fear took hold upon them there,
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and pain as of a woman in travail.
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This isn't just mild apprehension.
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This is paralyzing terror. This analogy is a powerful
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expression. You see it in ancient Near
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Eastern texts to set forth the extremity of anguish and sudden
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dismay. It communicates 2 distinct
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ideas. First, the pain was physically
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and emotionally overwhelming. It paralyzed their military
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cohesion. They were seized in what
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Spurgeon calls Giant Despair's Grip.
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And the second idea. 2nd, and this is more sobering, the pain
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is as of a woman in travail. This implies that their dismay
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is not the end of their suffering, it's only the
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beginning of an eternal defeat. That sounds incredibly punitive.
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How does Spurgeon reconcile that kind of swift, pre emptive
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justice with the loving kindness that the Lord shows his own
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people? Well, that's the essential
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theological synthesis the Psalm offers.
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Spurgeon notes that God's loving kindness to Zion requires this
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swift pre emptive justice against her foes.
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So they're two sides of the same coin.
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Exactly. The love of the protector
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necessitates the defense of the protected.
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When the Lord arises for the Church, the proudest, most
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powerful foes must be scattered instantly.
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This act of justice vindicates His moral government, and it
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maintains the holiness of the mountain.
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We can't have a secure Zion if its enemies are allowed to
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prevail. This dramatic intervention is
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then illustrated in verse 7. Thou breakest the ships of
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Tarshish with an east wind. This shows how easily God
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overturns the most powerful adversaries who rely on earthly
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strength. This image carries tremendous
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weight, far beyond just maritime warfare.
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Literally, the strength of some nations lies in their ships,
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their wooden walls, their long distance commerce, their global
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reach. Yeah, these are soon broken by
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the simple breath of the Lord. In contrast, our strength in God
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fails not the east wind, which is often destructive and harsh,
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is used here as God's instrument of judgment.
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It also provides a critical theological application about
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inventions and sort of worldly reliance.
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Spurgeon suggests that while God is our defense, sometimes he
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takes vengeance on our own inventions, our earthly
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ambitions, our man made systems so that we look only to him.
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We must not rely on the wisdom or resources of men, even if
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they seem advanced or powerful like those great ships of
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Tarshish. And this leads to the third and
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maybe the most relevant application for the church, the
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danger of speculative heresies. These false teachings often
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pretend to bring great wealth or insight from afar.
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Like ships returning from a distant voyage, they are
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constantly assailing the Church with worldly wisdom or
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sophisticated false doctrines. They promised new insight, new
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systems, new ways to achieve salvation or security outside of
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the covenant. Precisely.
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But the breath of the Lord that E wind soon drives them to
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destruction. They are shipwrecked.
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And the lesson is that human wisdom, when it's relied upon by
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the Church, will soon be found utterly lacking.
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And yet the Church itself remains safe beneath the care of
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her God and king. The safety is in the king, not
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in the fleets of human thought. The profound security that's
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guaranteed by this swift victory.
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It leads us right into Section the 4th.
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Eternal assurance, thoughtful praise, and righteous judgement.
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The victory confirms the promise.
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It does. Verse 8 forms a pivotal
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connection between the past deliverance and future security.
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It provides A magnificent doctrine of confirmation, as we
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have heard. So have we seen in the city of
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the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God.
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This is the confirmation of faith by experience.
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The stories we heard from our ancestors, the accounts of
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creation, the Flood, the Exodus, and now this victory of
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Jehoshaphat, the reproduce before our very eyes in our own
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generations. Prophecy and promise are
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confirmed by present visible fact.
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It connects the theoretical to the tangible.
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The God of history is the God of our current experience, and the
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titles used here are incredibly significant.
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He is first Lord of Hosts, a name of sovereignty and absolute
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power, the commander of the armies that scattered the kings.
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But immediately after he is called our God, a name of
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covenant relation and condescension.
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He is the infinite power who chooses to be intimately ours.
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And this fusion of infinite power and intimate ownership
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that provides the absolute assurance God will establish it
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forever. This is a core comfort for the
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believer. The true church can never be
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disestablished. Unlike kingdoms established by
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earthly kings, which last only for a time, that which God
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establishes endures to all eternity.
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Earthly empires rise and fall. Zion stands.
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This victory is the proof that God's covenant Word is reliable
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and His work is permanent. This kind of assurance, though,
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it's not meant to be taken lightly.
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It has to provoke deep contemplation, and verse 9
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shifts the focus in Word. We have thought of thy loving
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kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.
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Holy people are thoughtful people.
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They don't just allow God's wonders and mercies to pass
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before their eyes and then melt into forgetfulness, you know,
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requiring constant spiritual amnesia.
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They meditate deeply upon them. They chew over the truth.
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And the proper subject for this meditation is defined as God's
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love and kindness. His is set.
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His set and it covers such a wide range.
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It's pity to the wretched, pardon to the penitent, help to
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the prayerful, comfort to the afflicted.
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It's the faithfulness of God shown to His covenant people
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regardless of their failings. The practical application here
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is simple. If we are not actively thinking
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and meditating on God's mercy, we will quickly forget why we
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are secure. And the location matters.
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In the midst of thy temple, where God is most visibly seen,
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He is best loved. The assembled Saints constitute
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a living temple. So when we gather together, our
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musings should focus on the loving kindness of the Lord,
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which is exhibited in all the very experiences of living
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stones that make up the church memories of mercy.
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They sweeten sorrow, and they sober our joys.
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This focus on loving kindness leads straight into a
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declaration of God's universally just fame in verse 10.
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According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of
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the earth. God's fame is supreme,
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unqualified, universal, and everwasting.
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It's not confined to the earthly boundaries of Zion.
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Angels behold it with wonder, and his fame extends even beyond
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the ends of the earth. The creation itself, the woods,
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the seas, the mountains, they are full of divine praise, even
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if men are silent or ignorant of the truth.
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And the second part of that verse focuses on his action.
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Thy right hand is full of righteousness.
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The hand of the Almighty is never empty.
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It is full of equity and executive energy.
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This really highlights how God deals righteousness fully to
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everyone. So to the Saint through Christ,
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he is perfectly just to forgive and justify, because the penalty
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was paid, and to the Sinner he is perfectly just to condemn.
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That's right, neither shall ever find the Lord to be an empty
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handed God who cannot enforce His will or vindicate His law.
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He deals out righteousness to the full measure.
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This brings us to what might be the most difficult part of this
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section, this idea of joy in judgement.
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In verse 11, let Mount Zion rejoice because of thy
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judgements. We are commanded to be glad
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because of the righteous acts of the Lord.
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Now, for a modern audience, one that's saturated with concepts
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of mercy and tolerance, why is the execution of justice a
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legitimate subject for joyful praise?
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That's a great question. The primary reason, as the
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source notes, is vindication. The cities of Judah and the
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women who suffered most under the threats of these Confederate
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kings, they are commanded to be the gladdest of the glad.
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Now that the spoilers have fled, their joy is not sadistic.
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It's the joy of seeing justice done upon oppressors.
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OK, so it's a joy of deliverance and vindication.
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Yes, but the broader perspective is 1 of eternity.
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We're rejoicing in the fact that God's moral government requires
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holiness and accountability. Spurgeon actually cites
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Revelation 19, noting that even the eternal ruin of the wicked
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will be the theme of adoring song in heaven.
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And that perspective is absolutely vital, isn't it?
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Justice, which might seem severe to our limited human optics,
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when we viewed individually, will then be perceived as
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perfectly consistent with God's loving name.
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It'll be seen as one of the brightest jewels of His crown
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because it proves he upholds the moral order necessary for Zion's
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survival. Right.
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We cannot have a holy God who refuses to execute justice.
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That execution, therefore, is a source of joy for those who are
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secure in His covenant. That profound assurance then
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transitions into practical instruction for the believer in
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Section V, inspecting the bulks and the eternal guide.
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The security is there, but we're commanded to verify it and to
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pass on the knowledge. The command in verses 12 and 13
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is highly tangible. It's almost like a military
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order. Walk about Zion and go round
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about her. This calls for a careful, loving
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and thorough examination of the Church's doctrine, its security,
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its privileges. This isn't a hasty jog.
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It's a leisurely, thoughtful perambulation.
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We can't too frequently or too deeply consider the origin, the
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privileges, the security, and the glory of the Church.
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We need to internalize the reality of our protection.
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And we are given specific items to inspect, starting with the
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highest points. Tell the towers thereof.
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The foes once counted Zions towers in envy, and then in
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terror we're commanded to count them with sacred exultation.
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This is an exercise in doctrinal inventory.
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So we need to ask, yeah, are the doctrines, the foundational
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strength or the visible beauty of the church crumbling?
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Are we holding fast to the truths that define our security?
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We have to know the truth of the Trinity, the truth of
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substitutionary atonement, the truth of justification by faith
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alone. These are the defensive towers.
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Then the psalmist says Marky, well, her bulwarks.
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Or, as the Hebrew suggests, set your heart to her bulwarks.
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We have to attentively consider how strong her ramparts are.
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The Hebrew word that's translated bulwarks?
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Kale. It refers specifically to the
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ditch or the trench, the low wall or breastwork that
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surrounds the city. That's a crucial detail.
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So it's not just the high visible wall, the towers that
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protects us. It's the fundamental, often
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unseen, successive lines of defense.
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The ditches, the ramparts. That's what provides the true
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security. Exactly.
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We are to pay close attention to the reality that God's
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protection is layered and comprehensive.
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The security of God's people is a doctrine that may be safely
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taught and frequently pondered. We can't neglect inspecting
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Zion's ramparts simply because some people misuse the truth of
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eternal security. The final perseverance of the
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Saints is a bulwark and we have to understand its strength
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fully. And finally, we must consider
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her palaces. These are the fair dwellings in
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the city. Spiritually, this means we must
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attentively inspect the royal promises that offer quiet
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resting places for believers. So you see how sound the
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defenses are and then how fair the resting places are.
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The security is external, but the peace is internal, and the
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source material delivers a powerful challenge here,
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lamenting that many who claim faith are not considerate of the
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condition of the Church. Yeah, it calls out those who are
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too busy counting their money and considering their ledgers to
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know what or where the church's towers are.
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They measure their earthly possessions to the inch, but
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their heaven hold and grace hold, Their assurance in Christ
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are often neglected in sheer heedlessness.
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And this is the practical core of the song's instruction.
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If you are a citizen of this ancient, secured city, you
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should be intimately acquainted with your blessed abode.
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You should know why you are safe and what protections surround
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you. If you don't know the bulwarks,
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you can't enjoy the peace of the palaces.
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And the purpose of this entire detailed inspection is given
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immediately in the second-half of verse 13, that ye may tell it
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to the generation following. This establishes the duty of
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transmission. We have received the truth and
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we have to become students so that we can be teachers.
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We must repay the debt we owe to the past by handing down the
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truth to the future, making the next generation aware of the
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bulwarks of doctrine and the palaces of promise.
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If we are heedless, the next generation will be unprotected.
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This leads us to the final covenant assurance in verse 14.
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The crowning beauty of the song was just ties everything
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together. For this God is our God, forever
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and ever. This is the language of
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proprietary and God assured and permanent.
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We exult in the hope of an eternity of bliss that's secured
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by covenant. The relationship is world
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without end. An earthly king can't say of his
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crown, this is mine forever and ever.
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But the Christian can say this glorious God, with all his
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divine perfections is my God forever and ever.
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And the source makes a really critical point about the word
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everlasting. Here we stand on the truth that
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for the Saints, forever and ever means exactly what it says, and
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eternity of secure bliss. And that proprietary assurance
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is tied to the promise of perpetual guidance.
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He will be our guy, even unto death.
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He guides us throughout life to our dying couch, ensuring a safe
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passage to the end of our mortal existence.
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But there is a powerful theological note that's drawn
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from the Hebrew phrase almavith, which some interpret not just as
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unto death, but as over death or beyond death.
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This extends the consolation exponentially.
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It suggests that he leads us over death, to resurrection,
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overcoming Jordan to Canaan. He leads us to stand triumphant
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upon the grave of death itself, swallowing up the final enemy in
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victory. So it closes the Psalm with a
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triumphant farewell. To fear the consolation is
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absolute. Since all past foes have been
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scattered, the kings were assembled, they pass by.
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And since the bulwarks have defied every attack, all future
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assaults, including the final enemy of death, will be equally
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futile. The security is absolute because
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the God who established Zion is our God forever.
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We have completed AI Think, a deeply satisfying deep dive into
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Psalm 48, relying on Spurgeon's exposition to guide us.
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We started with the sheer overwhelming greatness of God
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which is manifested in the Church and saw how that presence
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reduce his instant self defeating panic in his enemies.
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And we concluded with the eternal security of this church,
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which is not a passive blessing we just enjoy, but in active
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reality we are commanded to study, to inspect, to guard, and
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to pass on to the next generation.
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The Church is a magnificent fortified city founded on divine
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promise and protected by divine power.
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And here's a provocative thought for you, the learner, to
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consider as you wrap up this deep dive.
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We discussed how people who are busy counting their money and
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considering their ledgers often neglect to examine Zion's
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spiritual state. The Lord requires us to count
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the towers, inspect the bulwarks, and consider the
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palaces of his eternal city with great detail and loving care.
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So ask yourself, what are your primary account ledger's in life
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right now? The temporal or the eternal?
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What practical daily actions does that detailed inspection of
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Doctrine Covenant promise require of you right now to
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ensure you are not heedlessly taking your eternal security at
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per adventure? Think about that until our next
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deep dive.