"A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song.
On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 Glorious things of you are spoken,
O city of God. Selah
4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush—
“This one was born there”, they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”;
for the Most High himself will establish her.
6 The Lord records as he registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 Singers and dancers alike say,
“All my springs are in you.”
Psalm 87
The emphasis in 1, 2 is thought by scholars to echo Isaiah's belief in the inviolability of the Holy City (cf Isaiah 26:1-7). If so, the spiritual application is clear and sure - the eternal security of the church and people of God. It is well to be reminded of this in a day when so many things are being shaken, and when the inroads of materialism and infidelity are so considerable and ominous. The Christian Church does not work towards a possible victory: it works from victory, and the issues are not in doubt. And if the Church is inviolable and victorious, then there are glorious things to say of her! In 4 the voice of God seems to break in to the Psalmist's song, and it is as if, as he thinks of the glorious things that have been said about God's Zion, he has, through meditation on them, become enabled to hear the voice of God. Holy meditation, in other words, can open our ears to Him, and what the Psalmist hears is a declaration from the loving heart of God concerning those who will yet be gathered into His eternal city, the Church. The phrase 'to them that know me' is better rendered 'as those that know me', and the reference is to the Divine will to gather even His enemies to Himself. The change of empha- sis from 4 to 5 is striking: in the one (4) it is the gathering of nations, in the other (5) it is the gathering of individuals one by one. One is reminded of the words of the old hymn, 'When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there'. The Psalm closes with a picture of the redeemed of God singing the new song with gladness and praise (cf Isaiah 35:10 for a full expression of this). The last verse of Newton's hymn affords a fitting final comment
'Saviour, if of Zion's city
I, through grace, a member am...'