In Isaiah 62:6, God says He has divinely placed His passionate and persistent Watchmen on the walls of a particular city for His eternal purposes.
Is there an actual city called Jerusalem? Not a metaphor, but an actual piece of real estate in this world today called Jerusalem? We know that there is, so God may just be speaking about THAT particular piece of land in Israel!
Isaiah 62: 6: “I have posted watchmen on your walls O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call upon the Lord, give yourselves no rest and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”
Now this is not some wild stretch of the imagination because Scripture clearly reveals that the city of Jerusalem is a priority to God!
How do we know it’s a priority?
First, God inspired the writers of Scripture to mention Jerusalem 767 times in the Bible (KJV version); 626 times in the Old Testament and 141 times in the New Testament. As we well know, God’s word is never in vain; it always fulfills His purposes. (Isaiah 55:11). The most common reason for repetition in the Bible is to emphasize something that is really important to God. What is dear to God’s heart should be important for us to both hear and respond to. You see in the Hebrew culture, “hearing,” the Word of God, was synonymous with living out the appropriate action to His Word. One could not truly “hear” without “doing,” so God wants believers to do something regarding Jerusalem!
Secondly, Jerusalem was so important to God that He attached His Own Name to that city- not just once, but repeatedly. In the Bible, He calls Jerusalem the City of God (Psalm 46:4), The City of The Lord (Isaiah 60:14), My Holy Mountain or The Holy Mountain of God (Isaiah 11:9;Isa. 56:7; Isa. 57:13; Isa. 66:20; Ezekiel 20;40; Daniel 9:16; Daniel 9:20; Joel 2:1;Joel 3:17; Zephaniah 3:11, Zechariah 8:3),The Mountain of the Lord of Hosts (Zechariah 8:3), The Throne of the Lord (Jeremiah 3:17), The Zion of The Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 60:14), and the City of the Great King…i.e., Jesus (Psalm 48:2; Matthew 5:35). And when God calls Jerusalem by other names, He still reveals His affection and love by calling her: The City of Joy ( Jer. 49:25), The City of Praise (Jer. 49:25), The City of Peace (Heb. 7:2), Great Among the Nations (Lam. 1:1), and The Perfection of Beauty ( Lam. 2:15).
The quantity of Scripture, related to Jerusalem, reveals how significant it is to God’s heart and His future purposes for it. He cares about what is happening in Jerusalem right now, and what will happen there in the future.
We are Christians who have been, “grafted into the Covenant of Abraham.” We may read the promises to Jerusalem, as though “Jerusalem” meant our city or our churches here in America. That’s not wrong to do, BUT we should always remember that the personal application of Scripture, to our lives, should never deny the primary one, which was to Jerusalem. His mandates and promises for “Jerusalem” are first and foremost, to the very real city of the same name, and His Word and promises are still true to that city. This is why believers from every tongue, tribe and nation participate in the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem each year. Check it out!
This is Part II of a Five Part Series. Be sure to read Part I
Comments