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The City of Zion Part 1
Introduction
This article is a transcribed sermon given to a local fellowship group in July 2005. This is part one of a fourteen part series on the subject of the "City of Zion." These sermons can also be obtained on CDs or audio cassettes. Part one is mainly a prelude to the subject of Zion because I knew I would be on this subject for many future sermons (fourteen to be exact). But for the time being I have suspended part fifteen. Be sure to read all parts of the "city of Zion" in sequence. We as believers know that the Bible mentions the terms; "Zion", "mount Zion", and the "daughter of Zion" many times. We also know that if God has inspired these terms to be written repeatedly; then there must be a very important reason for God to do so. It is obvious that God wants us to understand something about the subject of Zion. I have decided to simply go from scripture to scripture in sequence where Zion is found, and then look at the meanings of the original Hebrew words associated with Zion. I have found this subject to be very interesting and enlightening simply because, quite frankly, some of what I have theologically discovered is not taught in our Christian world. But I want to say that the subject of Zion cannot be understood in its fullness with our very limited minds. No amount of good works of studying the meanings of words can earn salvation; only "rewards" can be earned. Jesus Christ has secured our salvation, and it was truly earned by His works, and then freely given to believers upon faith on those works done by Christ. But understand; that greatest of all gifts given by the Father solely out of love and grace should truly convict all believers to do some serious study to understand what Zion is all about. Believe me, it pleases the Father when we respect and believe the meanings of His original inspired words (not necessarily translated words). Please read the following transcribed sermon very carefully….
All of us know that the Bible talks about subjects that are repeated many times, and we often wonder; what does God want us to understand about these repeated subjects that are found many times in our Bibles? If a certain subject is talked about repeatedly in the Bible then we had better pay attention. God is telling us something.
Today I want to talk about a subject that I was interested in for many years. It is a subject about a certain city that the Bible talks about many times. I’ve entitled this sermon the city of Zion. Have you ever wondered why Zion is mentioned so many times in the Bible? This subject about a certain city has to do with a people called Israel as the Bible repeatedly explains. The prophets of the OT write a lot about the subject of Zion, mount Zion, the daughter of Zion, and the daughter of Jerusalem.
Acts5:17-20 KJV Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation 18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. 19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, 20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
I have an interest in the subjects of the Bible and the words of God, and the Bible has all the words that pertain to this life. To put it in simple terms; all the words of this life are words that explain the purpose of this life. God wanted the apostles to speak the words that caused the people to understand the purpose of this life.
We all love the Bible which is why we have that curiosity in the words that are written in this book. If we would not love God and all the words of this life we would not have that interest and curiosity of studying God’s words. We all meet here every Sunday because we love the Bible; that is the bottom line of why we are here. We normally and naturally do what we love whether it is things that this world offers or things that God offers.
I have always had that love and interest to understand all the words of this life. But none of us understands as we should. I do not find anywhere in the Bible that we have to understand all the words of this life in order to be saved. Salvation is a gift that cannot be earned by any effort of study or any good works done on our part. Salvation is freely given by the grace of God. Grace is simply unmerited favor, or in other words, we do not deserve to be saved. So why are good works and the study of God’s words so very important? God has a love for us that we cannot comprehend and He not only wants to freely give salvation but He also wants to give rewards; rewards that can be earned by good works. All our efforts of overcoming, doing good works, studying God’s words, loving the brotherhood, building Christ’s Church; all these good works do not go unnoticed by an all knowing God, and they are being recorded. God not only loves to save us but He loves to give to every man according to the works that every man has earned. Salvation is not a reward that can be earned; it is a gift that is given freely. Salvation is the work of God and it is God’s reward to save us.
Again, I repeat; salvation is not our reward; it is God’s reward of the works that He is doing in us, and it is His good pleasure, and it is His reward to save us. We are saved only through, and by the works of Jesus Christ. Salvation does not come through and by our good works. Our good works come as a response when we are cut to the heart because we believe God first loved us. If we love God and the works He did for us we will automatically love all the words of this life, and we will automatically want to study and understand them. We will automatically have an interest in all the subjects that the Bible talks about. The Bible covers many topics and subjects, and one of those subjects is the subject of Zion, and what I want to do today is simply read the scriptures that talk about Zion.
I am not a teacher, nor do I have the gift of speaking or the gift of communication. I know what I understand and believe but I do not have the gift of expressing myself with the right words and in the right way. I just want all of you to know that I am not gifted to teach, as if you don’t already know that. Maybe I am just too self conscious of choosing just the right words, and maybe I tend to make things complicated by doing that.
So when we get to the scriptures on the subject of Zion I pray that the scriptures will teach us and cause us to understand. But I feel it is only proper to try and lay the groundwork of the subject of Zion. As we will see, Zion was called the city of David, and when we think of a city we normally think of buildings. We normally do not think of a city as simply a gathering of people.
Matthew 5:14 KJV Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Jesus Christ identified the "Ye" with being a city. A people called Israel is the city that is supposed to light the world. The late President Regan said this nation is a city on a hill. He understood how the goodness of our people with our Christian culture could be the city that lights the world; but he did not understand who the people are. A city of course has buildings but it is a certain people that shine and are the light.
The groundwork on what I will present today is how earthy Zion was used to represent heavenly Zion and a people called Israel. We think in physical terms because that is what we are. We have to think in terms of distance, measurement, time, and things we can touch, handle, and see with our physical eyes. We have to assume that is why God used many symbols of our earthy physical world to show the spiritual things that cannot be seen, touched or handled. That is why God used Zion and the earthy city of Jerusalem to show a heavenly and spiritual city.
As we know the Bible talks about an invisible creation, and as we also know most of present day Israel is blinded as to who they really are, and are blinded to what Zion and Jerusalem represented in the heavenly invisible creation. We are a people that love the Bible, and we know the Bible talks about this subject of Zion; and yes we can read of the connection that Zion has with a people called Israel. Jesus Christ explained of believing in heavenly things; but we must first believe the earthy things Christ spoke about.
John 3:12 KJV If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you [of] heavenly things?
In other words, we have to believe on the premise that the reason Jesus Christ talked about earthy things was to explain the heavenly things. It was not that the Jews did not believe in earthly things; they just didn’t believe on Christ’s premise of earthly things representing the heavenly, spiritual, unseen, invisible creation. There is the physical and there is the spiritual; we all have physical bodies and we all have spiritual bodies. We have an exact copy of ourselves, a duplicate if you will, but we just cannot physically see it or are even aware of our spiritual bodies.
1 Corinthians 15:44 KJV It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
It is the spiritual body that is raised in resurrection. We know the physical city of Jerusalem was used to represent the heavenly city of Jerusalem. When God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle He was only following a pattern of heavenly things, or a blueprint if you will.
Hebrews 8:5 KJV Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, [that] thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
That word "pattern" was also translated as "print" in other scriptures. The word "Zion" is found one hundred fifty two times in the Bible, and in the NT the word is spelled with an S and is found seven times. The term daughter of Zion and the term mount Zion are also found many times. Daughter is female so it has to be a woman that is of Zion; or we can say belonging to Zion, or a woman that came from Zion. Many Bible scholars say that Zion is just used instead of Jerusalem in certain scriptures. That is not entirely accurate because it has a different meaning than Jerusalem.
Zion originally was only a hill or mountain in Jerusalem. The word Zion means "parched place", but also means guiding pillar, signpost, or monument. It is also linked to words such as dryness, desert, and wilderness. Zion could theoretically be called a guiding pillar in a dry desert or wilderness, which is why it means "parched place". Zion is a guiding pillar, a signpost; a city in a dry desert wilderness for a people called Israel. Divorced and lost Israel is in a spiritual dry place and wilderness. This is proven many times in the writings of the prophets. Lost Israel is not lost to God; they are only lost because they are blinded as to who they are. Zion is still a signpost, guiding pillar, a monument for Israel in spite of them being blinded in a dry wilderness.
Ezekiel 17:24 KJV And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done [it].
Israel is symbolically called trees, and anyone can know that God is not talking about earthy trees. Trees are simply earthy things that God uses so we can believe in heavenly things; as Christ explained in John 3:12. Symbols are all over the Bible as we know, and they are used to explain the spiritual reality of heavenly things. God dried up the green tree, and it became the dry tree that God made to flourish. Notice all the trees of the field will know it was God that brought down, exalted, dried up, and made to flourish these trees. God spoke and did that.
God used these trees to represent a people called Israel, and green tree means fresh or moist. That means Israel as the green tree was not in a parched place until God put her away in punishment. Understand; it was God that made Israel into a dry tree in a parched place, in a desert wilderness, but God still made the dry tree to flourish as the sand of the sea; as God promised to Abraham, as we know.
Ezekiel 20:46-48 KJV Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop [thy word] toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field; 47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein. 48 And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.
South would be the southern tribes and north would be the northern tribes. Notice all faces from the south to the north will be burned, and all flesh shall see that God kindled that fire and it devoured every green and every dry tree and this fire is not quenched. Jesus Christ also talked about this unquenchable fire that has this devouring effect on both these two symbolic trees. The dry tree is symbolically in a parched place, in a dry wilderness. But Zion is still a signpost, a monument, and guiding pillar for Israel. In the Old Testament Zion was an actual location and was built on a hill at the site of the city of Jerusalem. The first time Zion is mentioned is in 2Samuel 5:6-9:
KJV And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. 7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same [is] the city of David. 8 And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, [that are] hated of David's soul, [he shall be chief and captain]. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. 9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.
In the New Testament the city of David was Bethlehem, and as we know that is where Jesus Christ was born.
Luke 2:4-11 KJV And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. {taxed: or, inrolled} 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
It is not just a religious sounding joy; it is great joy; a genuine real joy for all people. The town of Bethlehem was not just any town that Joseph decided to go with Mary so Christ could be born there. Bethlehem was also the birthplace of David; which is why it was called the city of David, which is very fitting that the greater David Jesus Christ was also born there. Bethlehem was about six miles south of Jerusalem. That was the place where Ruth and Boaz lived and then Jesse David’s father who came from Boaz and Obed also lived there, and that is where David was born. Bethlehem is where the linage and house of David started; which is why Joseph went to Bethlehem because, as explained in verse four of Luke 2 as we read, he was of the house and lineage of David and Mary was too.
When the Roman emperor issued an order that a census be taken of the Roman Empire, each Israelite was required to go and register, or enrolled as it should read, in his home town. Joseph went to Bethlehem to enroll because that was where the registry of the house and linage of David was kept. The Israelites all knew which tribe they all came from because they all kept a registry of their linage. For instance in Luke 2:36 a woman of the tribe of Aser is mentioned. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; So how did they know which tribe this old woman came from? They kept a record of every birth of all the tribes. But the tribe of Judah, not only kept a record of all the births, but also a record of the king line of David.
Zion the city of David, or Bethlehem was the place where the Israelites of the tribe of Judea kept their registry to keep the linage and house of David accurate because they were looking for a King that would come out of the lineage of David. They read the prophecy that out of David God would rise up a King to rule over them.
Jeremiah 23:5-6 KJV Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The Israelites of Christ’s day knew of this coming king; but they just didn’t know when this coming King would actually execute real, lasting, and true justice and judgment in the earth for all people. "In His days" means in the days that this King will rule with power to restore righteousness in the earth. "In His days" is also when Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell safely when this King rules in power.
Not only did the Israelites of Christ’s day know of the coming King but also certain men known as the wise men also knew about the birth of this coming King; the righteous branch coming from David that was to reign and prosper and restore righteousness in all the earth for all people of Israel with great joy. God gave these wise men the heavenly sign of the star in the east that announced that this King had now been born. These wise men must have followed a tradition and it was only customary for them to present Kings with gifts. They came to Bethlehem; Zion the city of David with gifts as a confirmation to recognize this King as the legitimate King of the true decent, linage, and house of David. This was news that Herod the king of Judea did not like to hear; and we all know the story.
Matthew 2:1-6 KJV Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard [these things], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
It sounds like these wise men of the east knew and were expecting the exact time when this King was to be born. The wise men were called the Magi in the Greek, which is how we get the word magician. The Magi were men known as teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, etc. Notice that term "astrologers;" which is a science and study of the stars. The term "wise men" was translated as magi or as learned astrologers in several translations. These magi not only knew the signs of the stars but they were looking for a King of Israel of the lineage of David. And they knew something else; they knew this King would be born in a town called Bethlehem because they were very familiar with certain Hebrew scriptures. Who were these men of the east that knew all about a King to be born out of the linage and house of David?
They seen a certain star east of Jerusalem, and God put it in their minds that this was the star they were looking for that stood right above Jerusalem. They knew all about the prophecy of Numbers 24:17; which says; a Star will come out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. They knew and were expecting a ruling king that would come out of Jacob, a scepter out of Israel; and since they were astrologers and understood the signs of the stars, they were looking for unusual star that was to represent this ruling star coming out of Jacob. They must have known about all the prophecies that speak about this coming King that was to rule over Israel and was to execute justice and judgment in all the earth for all the Israel people. They read Jeremiah 23, and they must have known from the book of Daniel the timing when this star of Jacob was to appear.
Herod knew where these magi came from and it wasn’t just that any company of men could boldly walk in Jerusalem and in Herod’s court to ask about this new born king of the Jews. I get the impression the way Matt was written that these Magi did not need to ask permission to speak to the rulers of Jerusalem; especially a very sensitive subject as the whereabouts of a new born king of the Jews. These men were very interested in a certain king that would come out of the linage and house of David, and Herod knew that these men had every right to know where this new born king was.
Herod certainly had respect for these magi and He and all Jerusalem believed totally what these wise men told them and Herod had every reason to be troubled; He was convinced his days as the king of Judah were numbered. That is why he ordered all the boys two years and under to be killed. Where did these very learned astrologers come from and why were they very interested in this new born king and where they could find him?
There was a huge territory and empire directly east of Jerusalem. This empire was so huge that at one time it occupied areas now known as Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel. Notice it even occupied the area of Palestine and Israel; which explains why Herod knew who these magi were. The ancient kingdom and empire of Parthia was one of the greatest kingdoms and superpowers of the ancient world. It ruled from 247 BC to 228 AD. The Parthians defeated Alexander the Great's successors, and conquered most of the Middle East and southwest Asia, and controlled a trade route to China which was called the Silk Road. I find it very interesting that Strong’s Con and Thayer’s Lexicon both say these magi were oriental astrologers and scientists. Parthia became a major eastern superpower even before the birth of Jesus Christ. The Parthians counterbalanced the control Rome had in the west. The Parthians and the Roman Empire were arch enemies and were almost always at war.
Who were the Parthians? The Parthians were of Scythian descent, and founded the Aryan ways. I got all this information off the internet. The term Aryan has to with certain nations of a certain culture of a certain people. We all know of course who these nations and people are. As we know, Raymond Capt wrote a little blue book called the Abrahamic Covenant and he traced in history who these Scythian people were. There is also an article called OUR SCYTHIAN ANCESTORS IDENTIFIED WITH ISRAEL By Colonel J.C. Gawler.
The Parthians were some of the lost tribes of Israel that were expecting a King to come out of the linage, descent, and house of David. God divorced these northern tribes, and in their captivity they still kept the Israelite traditions; and they instinctively knew of the heritage and the promises God made to King David. God made sure through a certain sign of the stars at a certain time that these Scythian Parthian lost Israelites would be identified with this King that was born in Bethlehem, Zion the city of David. But I personally believe this "star" could also simply have been an angel directing the wise men. Jesus Christ was born in Zion, the city of David. My point is; it is not a coincident that Bethlehem was the exact location of the birth of Jesus Christ.
I want to now in the remainder of this sermon read the scriptures where the term Zion appears in the Bible. Keep in mind the earthy city of Zion and Jerusalem, is only a replica, an image, a copy, a pattern, and a print of the real heavenly city of Zion and Jerusalem. We already read 2Samuel 5:6-9 but let’s read it again.
KJV And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. 7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same [is] the city of David. 8 And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, [that are] hated of David's soul. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. 9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.
The stronghold of Zion means a fortress, and after David took this fort that is where he lived. That fort became David’s home, and David himself called it the city of David. This fortress was a real physical place in the city of Zion that became the headquarters of David’s rule and power over Israel. God later used this physical location of Zion to represent the real heavenly headquarters of God’s power and rule.
1Kings 8:1-5 KJV Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which [is] Zion. 2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which [is] the seventh month. 3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that [were] in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up. 5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, [were] with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
When Solomon was in power this was a major event of transferring the Ark of the Covenant out of Zion to the house of God that Solomon built, and as we know Solomon referred to the house he build as where God symbolically dwelled with His people. So in a sense that house Solomon built became Zion because that is where the Ark of the Covenant was now located; just like it was in that fortress David dwelled in.
2Kings 19:19-23 KJV Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou [art] the LORD God, [even] thou only. 20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, [That] which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 21 This [is] the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, [and] laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. 22 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted [thy] voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? [even] against the Holy [One] of Israel. 23 By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, [and] the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, [and into] the forest of his Carmel.
This is the first time "daughter of Zion" appears in the Bible, and she is called a virgin that God wanted to protect. Isaiah the prophet told Hezekiah that his prayer was heard and he explains that the daughter of Zion laughed at and despised this king of Assyria. The daughter of Zion can be also called the daughter of Jerusalem. This king of Assyria reproached, blasphemed, lifted up his voice against the Holy one of Israel which is why this virgin despised the king of Assyria. The mountains, the cedar and fir trees, and the forest are just symbols of this virgin; the daughter of Zion and Jerusalem. The king of Assyria was going to cut down the tall and choice trees of this virgin. Now drop down to verse 30
KJV 30 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD [of hosts] shall do this. 32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. 34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
This is the first time in the Bible that the term "mount Zion" in mentioned and Isaiah writes this same prophecy in Isaiah 37:31. Mount means literal mountains, but mount symbolically means literal countries in power with laws that rule. Notice God said He would defend and save the city of Zion for His own sake and for David’s sake. It was just as important for God’s sake to defend and preserve Zion as is was for David’s sake because David’s power and rule in Zion was used to show God’s power and rule in heavenly spiritual Zion.
For David’s sake the copy, pattern, and print of the reality had to be preserved along with that virgin; the daughter of Zion because David’s rule in earthy Zion and that virgin was used to reflect the reality of God’s rule and the reality of spiritual Zion. God made sure that a remnant would escape out of Jerusalem and mount Zion to again be established, or again take root downward as we read, so that the daughter of Zion would be established in the land of Judea hundreds of years later to provide for the birth of the King of the daughter of Zion.
1Chronicles 11:4-9 KJV And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which [is] Jebus; where the Jebusites [were], the inhabitants of the land. 5 And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which [is] the city of David. 6 And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. 7 And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. 8 And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9 So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts [was] with him.
These scriptures are just a repeat of what happened in 2Samuel 5:6-9 as we read when David took the stronghold or the fort of Zion. But here it is called the castle of Zion which became David’s home. Zion is the place where God was with David in that castle or fortress of Zion. Zion must have been very precious to King David; it was David’s home and dwelling place; it was where David waxed greater and greater; it was where God was with David and then with Solomon.
David wrote about Zion in a very special and heartfelt way in the book of Psalms as we will see. David understood the spiritual significant of what a physical place called Zion stood for and represented. It was the place where the greater David Jesus Christ would be born, but Jesus Christ also dwelt in Zion in spirit with David. Christ was in David when he lived in Zion and when David ruled Israel from that fort and castle in Zion; the city of David and Bethlehem. David knew He was only used in a physical way in ruling Israel, and he also knew that fort and castle in Zion was also used in a physical way to picture the very real, spiritual, and heavenly place where the Greater David would rule from.
The real and heavenly city of Zion is the place of real power that will rule all people of Israel, and shall execute judgment and justice in all the earth as we read in Jer 23. It will be great joy for all people of Israel to have Jesus Christ rule over them; the star out of Jacob; the scepter out of Israel; the King of mount Zion that was born in the little town of Bethlehem. Now we will get in the book of Psalms where Zion in mentioned many times.
Psalm 2:4-9 KJV He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. 7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give [thee] the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Christ is set, or anointed as it should read, on the holy hill of Zion and it was David that declared the decree, and that decree was God telling David that he was His begotten son. Both David and Christ are begotten sons of God and both are anointed on Zion; the hill of God’s holiness. But as we know, Christ was the ONLY son begotten (or literally conceived) by God the Father by His Spirit overshadowing Mary the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:35). I should clarify and mention that all that are "in Christ" being led by the Spirit of God; which would include David, are considered as begotten sons of God.
Revelation 2:26-27 KJV And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father
This is almost a direct quote of Psalm 2:9 as we read. Not only David and Christ will be anointed to rule in Zion as begotten sons of God but also everyone that overcomes and keeps the works of Christ unto the end of this age. You see, it is just those that overcome that will be given that special reward to rule in power with a rod of iron as sons of God, and the nations will be broken as vessels of a potter. Power over the nations can only be given to those that qualify and become themselves as broken vessels. Keeping Christ works and overcoming this world, the devil, and the natural man means that God has to break us, and we become as broken vessels in the hands of the real potter. Overcoming also means we have to fear and tremble at God’s words, and grow in understanding all the words of this life.
I want to close with this final scripture in Psalm 9:11-14.
KJV Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings. 12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. 13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble [which I suffer] of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: 14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
God dwells in heavenly Zion but God also dwelled with His people when David ruled in earthy Zion. God also dwells in Christ’s Church. Notice the contrast David makes with the gates of death compared to the gates of the daughter of Zion; then David says I will rejoice in thy salvation (God’s salvation). God’s Salvation is in the gates or city of the daughter of Zion. In my upcoming sermons I want to continue and go through all the scriptures where Zion is mentioned.
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