Jerusalem
Jerusalem
(possession of peace or the habitation of peace) – sacred city and well-known
capital of Israel during Bible times.
Salem, of
which Melchizedek was king (Gen 14:18), was a natural abbreviation for
Jerusalem. Thus, Jerusalem appears in the Bible as early as the time of
Abraham, although the city had been inhabited before that time.
The city of Jerusalem is mentioned in Joshua 10:1-4 during
the struggle of Joshua and the Israelites to take the land of Canaan.
After the death of Saul, the first human king of Israel,
David was named the new king of Israel.
One of his first efforts was to unite the tribes of
the north and south by capturing Jerusalem from the Jebusites, making the city
the political and religious capital of the Kingdom (1 Chron 11:4-9). Jerusalem came under the
administration of David. It was David who gave the city the name “Jerusalem.”
Because it was captured during his reign, Jerusalem also came to be known as
the "City of David." The city is often referred to by this title in
the Bible.
David built a palace in the section of Jerusalem
that served previously as the Jebusite stronghold. This section, situated in
the highest section of the city, frequently is referred to as Mount Zion.
Jerusalem has little to recommend it as a capital
city, when compared to other major cities of the ancient world. It was an
inland city not situated near a seaport. Moreover, it was not near the major
trade routes used during that time. Why, then, did David select Jerusalem as
the capital of his nation? The reasons are threefold.
First,
Jerusalem is the natural city of God’s sovereign choice. It has been the only
city in the world directly pivotal to God’s divine Covenant, Kingdom and
Government with His people on the Earth. David knew this, and therefore he moved
the Ark of the Covenant, which had been kept at Kirjath-jearim (Josh 15:9) to
Jerusalem. Then he proceeded to build a tabernacle, in which the ark was
placed. One of his desires was to build a temple in the capital city, but he
was prevented from completing this task. The prophet Nathan instructed him that
God did not want him to build the temple because his hands had been involved in
so much bloodshed (1 Chron. 17). David did make preparation for the building of
the temple, however, leaving the actual building task to Solomon, his son and
successor.
Secondly,
Jerusalem was centrally located between the northern and southern tribes. Thus,
it was geographically convenient for the nation. The central location of the
capital city tended to unite the people into one kingdom.
Thirdly,
the topography of the city made it easy to defend. Jerusalem was situated on a
hill. The eastern and western sides of the city consisted of valleys that made
invasion by opposing forces difficult. The southern portion consisted of
ravines that made an attack from this position unwise. The best point from
which to attack Jerusalem was the north, which had the highest elevation of any
portion of the city. It was from this position that attacks on the city were
made in the years following the establishment of Jerusalem as the capital.
During the reign of David, Jerusalem was firmly
established politically and spiritually as the capital city of the Hebrew
nations. The selection of this site resulted in the unification of the nation
as David had hoped. But the selection of Jerusalem as the capital was more than
a choice by a human king. Divine providence was also involved. Jerusalem was
referred to as "the place which the
Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put His Name there"
(Deut 12:5, 11, 14, 18, 21).
The Glory of
Jerusalem, which God bestowed upon His chosen tribe (Judah) under David,
reached its greatest heights under Solomon. Solomon proceeded to construct the
Temple about which David had dreamed (2 Chron. 3; 4). He also extended the
borders of the city to new limits. Because surrounding nations were engaged in
internal strife, Jerusalem was spared from invasions from opposing forces
during Solomon's administration.
After completing the Temple, Solomon built the
palace complex, a series of five structures.
These other buildings were:
1.) "House of the Forest of Lebanon," an
assembly hall and a storage place for arms.
2.) An anteroom for the throne, where distinguished
guests were received.
3.) “The Throne Room,” an ornately carved enclosure
that contained the throne, which was made of carved ivory inlaid with gold.
4.) “The King's Palace,” which was very large so as
to hold the king's family.
5.) The residence for Solomon's Egyptian wives,
which adjoined the king's palace.
Solomon also planted vineyards, orchards, and
gardens that contained all types of trees and shrubs. These were watered by
streams and pools that flowed through the complex. Unfortunately, this splendor
came to an end with the death of Solomon about 922 B.C. The division of the
Hebrew kingdom into two separate nations after Solomon's reign resulted in the
relapse of Jerusalem to the status of a minor city.
After the death of Solomon, the division that
occurred in the kingdom resulted in the ten northern tribes establishing their
own capital, first at Shechem and later at Samaria. The southern tribes,
consisting of Judah and Benjamin, retained Jerusalem as the capital. Although
separated politically from Jerusalem, the northern tribes continued their
allegiance to the "holy city" by occasionally coming there for
worship.
In 722 B.C., the northern tribes were conquered by
the Assyrians. Many of the citizens of the northern kingdom of Israel were
deported to the Assyrian nation, never to return to the "promised
land." But the Southern Kingdom, with Jerusalem as its capital, continued
to exist as an independent nation. Although occasionally threatened and plundered
by surrounding nations, Jerusalem remained intact until 587 B.C. At that time,
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, ravaged the city and carried the inhabitants
into captivity. During the siege of the city, Jerusalem's beautiful Temple was
destroyed and the walls around the city were torn down. While a few inhabitants
remained in the city, the glory of Jerusalem was gone.
The memory of Jerusalem among the Jewish people,
however, would not die. They continued to grieve and to remember the City of
David with affection. Psalm 137 is a good example of their expression of grief:
"By the
rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We
hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that
carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required
of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the
Lord's song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand
forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof
of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy."
For more than half a century the Hebrews remained
captives in Babylon, and their beloved Jerusalem lay in ruins. But this changed
when Cyrus, king of Persia, defeated the Babylonians. He allowed the Jewish
captives to return to Jerusalem to restore the city. Zerubbabel was the leader
of a group that left Babylon in 537 B.C. to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the
Temple. After a period of about 20 years, the Temple was restored, although it
was not as lavish as Solomon's original Temple had been.
Under the leadership of Nehemiah, a second group of
Jewish exiles returned to the holy city to restore the wall around the city.
Through a masterful strategy of organization and determination, the wall was
restored in 52 days (Neh. 6:15).
The wise men
who sought Jesus after His birth came to Jerusalem because this was considered
“the City of the King” (Matt 2:1-2). Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem,
Jerusalem played a significant role in His life and ministry. It was to
Jerusalem that He went when He was 12 years old. Here He amazed the temple
leaders with His knowledge and wisdom (Luke 2:47). In Jerusalem He cleansed the
temple, chasing away the moneychangers who desecrated the holy place with their
selfish practices. And, finally, it was Jerusalem where He was crucified,
buried, and resurrected.
On one occasion, while Jesus was eating with His
disciples, He gave them this Command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father
promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:4-5).
The disciples were to wait in Jerusalem for the
Coming of the Holy Spirit—they quite understood that they needed not step out
of “Jerusalem” (the city of peace) as the Lord commanded.
Verse 6 to 8 says:
So when they met together, they asked Him, "Lord, are you
at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has
set by His own Authority. But you will receive Power when the Holy Spirit comes
on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (NIV).
The record of the New Testament church indicates
that Jerusalem continued to play a significant role in the early spread of
Christianity. After the martyrdom of Stephen, the early believers scattered
from Jerusalem to various parts of the Mediterranean world (Acts 8:1). But
Jerusalem always was the place to which they returned for significant events.
For example, Acts 15 records that when the early church leaders sought to
reconcile their differences about the acceptance of Gentile believers, they met
in Jerusalem. Thus, the city became a holy city for Christians as well as Jews.
During the time of Paul's trials, the Lord's divine
Presence came to Him and encouraged Him to witness of Him in Rome just like he
did in Jerusalem.
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As
you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome"
(Acts
23:11 NIV).
One of the end-times prophecies concerning Jerusalem
in the New Testament is found in Luke 21:20 and this was prophesied by Christ:
“…And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know
that the desolation thereof is nigh” (KJV).
Another one is in Luke 21:24
“…And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led
away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (KJV).
Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until
the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
The earthly Jerusalem which is natural is a
representation of the New Jerusalem which is above. The
New Jerusalem is a Kingdom that cannot be shaken—it is the Heavenly Mount Zion—the
City of the Living God.
“But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the City of the
Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels…” (Heb
12:22 KJV).
Apostle John saw this holy City, and he wrote:
“And I John saw the holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Rev 21:2 KJV
“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and
high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from
God.
It shone with the Glory of God, and its brilliance was like that
of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high
wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were
written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the
east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of
the City had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb.”
Rev 21:10-14 NIV
Our risen Lord made an amazing promise to us:
“Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the Temple of My God.
Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the Name of My God and the
Name of the City of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of
Heaven from My God; and I will also write on him My new Name.”
Rev 3:12-13 NIV