Pray for the True Peace of Jerusalem

On my way home from giving my son a ride to work earlier this afternoon, I had to stop at the train tracks near the station. As I waited for the Amtrak to deliver and pick up passengers, I was thinking and praying about the conversation that led to the previous post, Oy Vey! Please pray...

Psalm 122:6 says, Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

No enemy or battle is mentioned in this short psalm, so when David sat down to compose it, what kind of peace was he thinking of?

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. 

Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: 

Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. 

For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. 

Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. 

For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.

David is singing of his joy at going up to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, where the tribes of the LORD to go to give thanks unto the Name of the LORD. The people equated Jerusalem with worship, celebration and blessing. It was there, in the temple, they would gather on feast days to commemorate the great things God has done.

I keep re-reading those lines above and can't help wondering... Was David speaking of peace with God?

Also in the context of worship, not of war, David wrote in other psalms,

The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. 

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 

He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. 

Great peace have they which love thy law...

(Psalm 29:11,37:11,147:14,119:165) 

Comparing those passages together, it seems that the peace David speaks of in these contexts has nothing to do with the enemies of Israel but rather, his desire is for his people to be at peace with God and to have peace from God. In other words, David's desire is much like that of Paul.

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, 

that they might be saved. (Romans 10:1)

The apostle Paul also wrote to the believers in Ephesus about this peace with God. Referring to Jesus he declared,

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. (Ephesians 2:14-18)

We, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, have peace with God because Jesus broke down that middle wall of partition and preached peace to both Jew and Gentile, reconciling us to God as one body through His cross.

Many of the psalms (most written by David, but not all)  are of a prophetic nature and reveal a great deal about the coming Messiah. Just a few examples:

• Psalm 16:10 speaks of the resurrection of the Holy One. 
• Psalm 2:7 - God speaks of the king in Zion to whom He says, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 
• Psalm 110:1 reveals the Messiah as a king seated at God's right hand. 
• Psalm 22:1-2 is a depiction of Jesus' death on the cross.

David knew about the Messiah who was to come and he knew the Holy One would die and be resurrected. He also knew the Messiah would bring an abundance of peace. David may have understood more about salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, through the the blood of Christ alone than we realize.

When David asked us to unite with him in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem, he wasn't asking us to ask God to secure Israel's borders and keep the enemy out, he was asking for so much more.

Take a look at the way the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) renders Psalm 122:1:

Pray for shalom in Yerushalayim; may those who love you prosper.

In Israel (and in Jewish communities worldwide), the word "shalom" is a common form of greeting, much like we might say "Hi," or "Hello." But, there is one very important difference. "Hi" and "Hello" are taken at face value. "Shalom" is not the same as either of those. "Shalom" means "peace." Let's look at the first part of Ephesians 2:14 one more time, but this time in the CJB. Remember, the context is Jesus and what He has accomplished for us.

For he himself is our shalom... 

Jeremiah 8:11 speaks of a time when in Israel, people will be saying Peace, peace; when there is no peace (KJV).  The CJB, which has retained much of the original Hebrew intent, translated this as the people will be saying, “There is perfect shalom,” when there is no shalom.

Perfect peace can only come when our hearts and minds are fixed upon the Lord (Isaiah 26:3).

So, the next time you are prompted to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, remember that Jesus accomplished peace with God for us.

True peace for Jerusalem and the rest of the world cannot come until they embrace Jesus, the Messiah of Israel and the world, who is our perfect shalom.

Pray for shalom in Yerushalayim; may those who love you prosper. (Psalm 122:1 CJB)