PSALM 48:1-3

I am always excited about musing in a new Psalm.  This one is no different.  The title tells us little other than the fact it was for the Sons of Korah, the choir members of public worship.  In verse 7 we have the mention of the breaking of the ships of Tarshish.  This is found in II Chronicles 20:36 after the battle of Jehoshaphat with the children of Ammon and Moab.  So by comparing scripture with scripture we find that someone wrote this at the time of the battle.

            Let us draw our attention to verses 1-3 that deals with a time prior to this battle.  The text says, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge.”

            In verse 1 we find the Psalmist ‘Adores The Person Of God’.  He begins to lift up our Lord as being the only great one.  Remember this is all pre-battle.  We fight most of our battles by developing our strategy of battle instead of looking to see what He has already wrought.  The Psalmist offers to Him ‘great praise’.  The word ‘praise’ means to make a show or boast by saying and being clamorously foolish in a public setting.  Here the great key in the text to help our battles is the praise that leads the Psalmist to say ‘this is the city of our God’.  The city is located in the mountain of His holiness.  Here is a great principle of battle. ‘Nothing can be taken that He owns’.  Let us give all to Him because if He owns it He is obligated for its upkeep and outcome.  This is the place of our God.

            In verse 2 the Psalmist ‘Advances The Place Of God’.  Please do not forget this is all pre-battle.  He begins to compare this city to the great city in Zion’s Hill.  He says in our text that this place is the city of the great King.  There is no King like this King.  Let all the kings of Hell and earth come but they must bow to this King.  It is here we find another great truth for battle and it is this. ‘Nothing can be taken where God is observed’.  When we acknowledge Him all the enemies of battle must bow.  Oh, my friend how I want Him to be the King of all my places. My public places, my secret places, my temporal places, and my spiritual places.  My prayer is ‘King of my life I crown Thee now, Thine shall the glory be, lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow, Lead me to Calvary’. I cannot imagine one of our political leaders leading us to praise God like Jehoshaphat did his people.

            In verse 3 we find the pre-battle plan is to ‘Acknowledge The Protection Of God’.  The Psalmist says that God is ‘known’ here.  The word ‘known’ is a word of intimate relationship.  Where God is known in this fashion it is impossible to conquer that place.  He testifies to the fact that God is their ‘refuge’.  The word ‘refuge’ is a hiding place or cleft in the rock.  This would be a high inaccessible place to hide.  We learn here another great battle plan and it is ‘Nothing can be taken that He is over’.  When He owns it, He is over it and they are observing Him in that place.  The enemy best leave them alone.  If they do not it will be detrimental to their health.

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