THE CHOSEN PLACE OF WORSHIP

When people speak of a place of worship, they usually mean a building set aside for religious services. Certainly, in O.T. times, mount Zion was specifically chosen by God to be the site of the temple and the great gathering centre of Judaism, Deut. 12. 10, 11; 2 Sam. 5. 7; 1 Chron. 15. 12. Thus Israel was not permitted to worship Jehovah wherever or whenever they pleased, Deut. 12. 13, 14; 1 Kings 8. 44-48.

Today, however, our centre of worship is a Person, not a place, for the Lord Jesus has guaranteed His divine presence where two or three are gathered in His Name, Matt. 18. 20. Thus Psalm 48 becomes rich with instruction. Zion is a dwelling place, vv. 1-3, for God is there. Whether believers meet in a private house, a hired hall or an open field, the Saviour is assuredly present. Ponder the miracle: He who is gloriously seated at the Father’s right hand is also in the midst of His assembled people! But Zion is also a delightful place, vv. 2, 9-11, because it is characterized by godly joy. Nothing can thrill the Christian’s heart like the knowledge that he worships a Risen Saviour, John 20. 20.

Around us the enemy may threaten and the world mock, but Zion is a defended place, vv. 3-7, 12, 13. One of the loveliest O.T. promises is that of safety for the loyal worshipper of Jehovah, Exod. 34. 23, 24; does not God still honour those who honour Him? There is no place of greater spiritual security than the assembly of God’s people. Finally, Zion is a distinctive place, vv. 1, 2, standing out from all others as the place that God has appointed. However attractive or popular man’s traditions may seem, the believer’s responsibility is to worship in God’s way. Think of the unique simplicity of the Lord’s Supper, free from human supervision and ritual, and yet peculiarly marked by godly order and solemnity. There the Christian is most conscious of God’s love, v. 9, being most poignantly reminded of Calvary, the place where it was displayed at its greatest.

If we approached our Zion with the reverent joy of the psalmist, would we not equally experience the reality of God’s presence?

“God is among you of a truth”, 1 Cor. 14. 25 R.V.