Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. (Psalm 48:1)

John Winthrop was a prominent early Puritan and governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony. He was one of over 20,000 men, women and children who came to America between 1620 and 1640. As they prepared to sail from Plymouth, England on their voyage to the New World he charged the early colonists with these words:

"Now the only way to avoid shipwreck and to provide for our posterity is to follow the counsel of [the prophet] Micah: to do Justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God, for this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man, wee must entertain each other in brotherly affection, we must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities, for the supply of others necessities, we must uphold a familiar Commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality, we must delight in each other, make others Conditions our own rejoice together, mourn together, labor, and suffer together, always having before our eyes our Commission and Community in the work, our Community as members of the same body, so shall wee keep the unite of the spirit in the bond of peace, the Lord will be our God and delight to dwell among us, as his own people and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that wee shall see much more of his wisdom power goodness and truth then formerly wee have been acquainted with, wee shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies, when he shall make us a praise and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantations: the lord make it like that of New England: for wee must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us... Therefore let us choose life, that wee, and our Seed, may live; by obeying his voice, and cleaving to him, for he is our life, and our prosperity.¹"

John Winthrop (1606-1676) was not a member of the clergy, but a wealthy landowner who provided valuable leadership in the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He served as governor for much of its early history.

Unlike the earlier Pilgrims, Winthrop and the other Puritans who traveled to Massachusetts were not separatists. Rather than trying to flee the corruptions of a wicked world the Puritans had another plan for the English colonies in the New World. They hoped to establish in New England a model society that would be an example for England. This, they believed, would be seen by all as a model to redeem and reform society in England and set an example of what a Christian society should be.

As we weigh the words spoken by this early Puritan leader we can readily perceive that these people were not merely a company of demoralized refugees exiting from the harsh political-religious realities of Europe. To be sure these were people in deep spiritual agony of soul. But out of this 'angst' would be written a new chapter in history. It would be a new manifestation of Israel's 'Church in the Wilderness' (Acts 7:38). And out of that travail a new nation would be born, founded on Christian principles and exemplifying duty to God and duty to fellow man.

The Puritans were not running away from something, they were running toward something. They were seeking to establish, however imperfectly, an early reflection of the city of God.

St. Augustine had written of such, contrasting it with the society of pagan Rome. Calvin had attempted to establish a theocracy in Geneva. But this was something entirely new.

We live in the environs of nation's fifth largest city. Greater Houston has nearly five million people. It is not uncommon to hear people speak of fleeing the city, moving to the suburbs or even to the country. Many folks plan to retire as far away from the big city as they can.

Cities can be beautiful and exciting places to live. The arts flourish and theyt provide economic and entertainment opportunities. But there is a negative side to living in a big city. People do get tired of the crowds and the congestion. We fear crime and corruption. It seems to be a part of the American dream: get away from the city! But in spiritual terms, there is another kind of city. Has it ever occurred to you that the Bible describes heaven as a city? Heaven is the New Jerusalem. It is described as a shining city on a hill. Think about the significance of the term "city". Heaven will not be a place where we are assigned our own private cloud to play a golden harp. Heaven will be a community. So if you want to spend eternity in heaven, you'd better get used to the idea of living in a city — in this case, God's city.

In the Bible, cities are seen as desirable place to live. To live away from the city is to be unprotected from bandits, invading enemies, and predatory wild animals. It is to battle the elements. It is to cut yourself off from commerce, social relationships, and community support. The biblical mindset is, "Why in the world would anyone want to move out of the city into the wilderness?"

In America, there is also a cultural tendency towards what we call individualism. We prize the rugged individualist. In context, it is a good thing to be self-reliant.

But all too often American Christians, so emphasize having a personal relationship with Christ, (which is certainly an integral part of the Gospel) that they neglect the fact that that the Christian life is more than just you and your personal Christ.

To be a Christian is to be a part of His body, the church. You become a fellow citizen with the saints, a member of God's household (Eph. 2:19). Or, to put it another way, you become a citizen of God's city. Psalm 48 sings the praises of Zion, the city of our God, the city of the great King (48:1, 2). It is a companion to Psalms 46 and 47, which also proclaim God's victory over His enemies. Psalm 46:4 also refers to "the city of God, the dwelling places of the Most High."

The psalmist affirms that God's beneficent rule belongs only to the godly, the residents of Zion. Mount Zion stands for the vision of God's kingship. God's kingdom is greater than Jerusalem but receives its visible expression in the temple and palace of Jerusalem — God has chosen to establish his kingdom and delights in those who submit themselves to his rule: "For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling" (Psalm 132:13).

The godly are those who live and act in anticipation of the vision of Zion. This hope was the basis for ethics, praise, and evangelism.

In the Old Testament this vision of Zion as God's city and dwelling was just for the Jews, but the New Testament applies this Old Testament vision to the church. In Galatians 4:26, Paul says, "But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother." In Ephesians 2, Paul goes to great lengths (2:11-22) to show that the Gentiles now have become partakers with the Jews of the covenants of promise. He concludes (2:19-22), "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."

The author of Hebrews contrasts the terrifying fear of those who received the Law at Mount Sinai with the reverent awe of those who have received the New Covenant. He says (Heb. 12:22- 24), "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant…."

The apostle John writes (Rev. 21:1-3), "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I hear a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them'…." In verses 9 & 10, he specifically identifies this new Jerusalem as the bride of the Lamb. So while Psalm 48 is about the Jewish vision of Zion as God's city and dwelling place, in light of the New Testament, we may legitimately apply it to the church, which has been grafted in to believing Israel (Rom. 11:17-24). Just as God promises to establish Zion forever (Ps. 48:8), so Jesus promised to establish His church forever (Matt. 16:18). We are God's temple, His dwelling place (1 Cor. 3:16). So Psalm 48 has direct application to us. Psalms 46 and 48 both seem to have been written in response to some stupendous deliverance of Jerusalem from powerful enemies that threatened to annihilate it.

Let us more closely examine Psalm 48. The psalm is divided into three sections:

• Verses 1-3 declare that God's city is to proclaim His greatness, holiness, joy, and power
• Verses 4-8 demonstrate God miraculously saving His city from powerful enemies
• Verses 9-14 declare that God's city should praise Him for His great salvation and spread His praise to the ends of the earth and to the next generation.

Those who live in God's city are to proclaim His greatness, holiness, joy, and power (Ps48:1-3).

God's city is to proclaim His greatness (48:1). "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God…." How can we ever praise God in proportion to His infinite greatness? It's impossible! Maybe the heavenly chorus will come the closest, when the millions and millions of saints and angels join together to sing God's praise. But even that will fall short, because His greatness is far beyond the highest heaven! But here below, we should not give up just because it is impossible. We should worship Him in every aspect of our lives. When visitors come into our midst, they should conclude from the manner in which our people live and love each other that These people must be worshiping a great God, because He has made a difference in their lives. The Puritans wanted to carry this idea further still and have all of society reflect the greatness, holiness, joy and power of God by living out the duty of all to both God and fellow man.

The world generally does not think of holiness and joy in the same breath, unless to contrast them as opposites! They always go together in the Bible. God's city should proclaim His greatness, His holiness, and also His joy.

God's city is to proclaim His power (48:3). "God, in her palaces, has made Himself known as a stronghold." The next few verses go on to portray a coalition of powerful kings coming up to conquer the city, but they aren't able to raise a hand against it. When they see it, they tremble, panic, and flee. The cause of their terror is not just the impressive walls and towers of the city, but the God who dwells in the city.

This point is related to the earlier point about holiness. As we rely on God's Spirit to live holy lives in this corrupt world, we display His power.

It is God who establishes and who saves His city. There are two points here: God saves His city from powerful foes that unite to destroy it (48:4-7). Verse 4 pictures these kings joining together and passing by the city to size it up. Before they actually see it, they are proud and confident. But then (v. 5) they saw it, they were amazed, terrified, and they fled in alarm. In Hebrew, there are four terse verbs in close succession here. It reminded Calvin² of Caesar's famous boast: "I came, I saw, I conquered" But here, they came, they saw, and they fled in panic.

According to David, God's salvation of His city changes legend into personal experience (48:8). "As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish her forever." Israel had heard stories of how God in the past had delivered His people from annihilation, but now they had seen it firsthand. This should be the testimony of every true child of God. You have heard of how God has saved others, but now He has saved you. You can add your story to that of others, that the Lord of hosts has rescued you from Satan's destructive grasp. He has placed you in His city, which He will establish forever.

Those who came to these shores to establish America as a "City of God on a Hill" did so with faith, because they new the task was impossible unless God accomplished their salvation.

As a result, according to the psalmist, God's city should praise Him for His great salvation and spread His praise to the ends of the earth and to the next generation (48:9-14).

There are several thoughts here that I can only touch upon: Our experience of God's salvation should deepen our thoughts of His love (48:9).

"We have thought upon Your loving kindness, O God, in the midst of Your temple." Specifically, they were thinking of how God had demonstrated His love in saving them from destruction. Paul writes (Rom. 5:8): "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." We should think on that often, especially as we gather in His temple. Our experience of God's salvation should go from us to the ends of the earth (48:10). "As is Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness." As the story of how God delivered Jerusalem spread, so did His praise. His righteousness refers to His righteous judgment on the wicked kings who sought to destroy God's people. As many Scriptures make clear, if we have experienced God's salvation, then we are to spread God's praise and glory to the ends of the earth. And when we proclaim the gospel, we must not neglect to tell of God's righteousness. People need a Savior precisely because they will face a God of righteousness.

Our experience of God's salvation should cause us to rejoice in His righteous judgments (48:11).

Many today that purport to believe in Christ at the same time are repulsed by the biblical view of God's righteous judgment. Many others tolerate His judgment, but they don't like it. But the Bible portrays God's saints as rejoicing when He pronounces judgment on wicked Babylon (Rev. 18:20). Maybe we have been tainted too much by our tolerant culture and need to re-think this one! If we're saved, we should rejoice in His judgments.

God's salvation means that we will praise Him forever (48:14). Verse 14 ties the end of the psalm back into verse 1: God is great and greatly to be praised. This God is "our God forever and ever; He will guide us even unto death." Some versions read, "He will guide us forever," but the sense is essentially the same. We can trust and follow and praise this God because He is faithful to deliver His people. Not even the most powerfully evil rulers in this world can thwart His loving purposes for those who dwell in His city. They have His protection, even if they die! (Luke 21:16-19)

This psalm teaches us that the history and destiny of God's people is inextricably linked with God Himself. Knowing that this God is our God gives us a sense of peace when we're under attack. It gives us a sense of purpose to serve His great cause of spreading His glory to every people. It gives us a sense of belonging to be a part of the city of this great King. It also requires us to live out both parts of the Summary of the Law. We cannot love God and not love our neighbor, and we cannot love our neighbor and reject God. We simply wrap ourselves in a dead faith that is without works that are fruits of the spirit and we can't simply think that a "perfect society" can be built on good works done without Christ. When St. Paul tells us that our citizenship is in heaven, he does so in the context that we must be exemplary citizens in the here and now as well.

It's fine to flee the earthly city to retire to the Hill Country, but don't every think there is peace in fleeing from God's city. God's purpose is bound up in His Church, both the Church Militant here on earth, and the Church Triumphant in heaven. At our baptism we have moved into His city and been joined together with the citizens of Zion in proclaiming the praise of His salvation to all the earth and to succeeding generations.

John Winthrop closed his address with these words to his fellow colonists:

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
 

Footnotes
 

1	Excerpts from "A Model of Christian Charity", a lay sermon, delivered by John Winthrop en route to the New World aboard the good ship Arabella in 1630 (to fellow Puritans).
2	Calvin's Commentaries 22 Volume Set by John Calvin (ISBN 0-8010-2440-4) Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI 49516