"Great is the Lord..." - Psalm 48:1-2 (KJV)

The Lord is great! His praise goes beyond anything of this earth. 

I have been fascinated for several days considering this passage in Psalms from a spiritual perspective, there are two places in scripture where God is said to take residence, one is in a garden, and the other is on a mountain. 

(Both references represent the hearts of sons and daughters of God.)

The first place we find is in Genesis, where God resides in a garden, He walks with His creation in the cool evening, and has intimate communion with him regularly. God loves His creation and desires to make him a caretaker (or steward) over all of His creation. God is content living in the garden with Adam, and Adam takes pleasure in naming all of God's creation.

The Lord will always guide you and provide good things to eat when you are in the desert. He will make you healthy. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water or like a stream that never runs dry.

Isaiah 58:11 (CEV)

In the second scenario, God lives on the mountains. 

There is a long string of mountains from Lebanon which extends down into Israel, the tallest mountain in this range is Mount Lebanon which has a spine of mountains that lead southward into Israel.

Also, Mount Zaphron is the last (southernmost) Mount in the string of mountains beginning (in the north) with Mount Lebanon, so (in a spiritual sense) anyone in the north—which was most of the world known to Israelites of that period—would be drawn down to Mount Zaphon. Before King David came to power, there was a Canaanite tribe called the Jebusites, which occupied this area. One of the mounts (or hills) was Mount Zaphon, which was consecrated to Baal worship, so the mountain was called Baal-zaphon. Baal-zaphon was known as the rain (or storm) god.  

King David besieged the city around Mount Zaphon with his troops he conducted a surprise assault against the city, which was called Jebus at the time, and took it, and made it his capital. David gave the city the new name of Jerusalem and Mount Zaphon, he renamed Mount Zion.

Mount Zion has panoramic views of the Hinnon valley and many other areas surrounding the Mount. So why is this called “the mountain of His holiness?”  Namely, because the Temple was built on this site.

The Temple Mount (Mount Zion) was on the north edge of the City of David in Jerusalem, and the altar was on the north side of the Temple. So, the reference in Psalm 48 might be to the most revered spot in all Israel (and, thus, on all the earth). 

In truth, we are that Temple for it is on a Mount (where God resides), and our bodies house the presence of God (much like the Temple.)

In the last days, the mountain where the Lord’s Temple is located will be famous. It will be the highest mountain of all. It will be raised above the hills. All the nations will go to it. 

Isaiah 2:2 (NIRV)

The “city of our God” prophetically speaks of Jerusalem, which is a city of peace, but this is a spiritual Jerusalem and not a natural one, for there can be no peace if the curse of sin exists upon the earth. 

Christ Jesus is the first-born Son who brought the new Jerusalem coming from Heaven; the first-born Son is always entitled to a double portion of the inheritance from the Father, Jesus received so much of the Father’s blessings that it is unimaginable to consider. 

Because Christ Jesus truly resides in us, we are co-heirs of those same blessings, and when we as God’s children take our position as regents of the Kingdom, the city of peace becomes evident through us.

  

I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, descending out of the heavenly realm from the presence of God, like a pleasing bride that had been prepared for her husband, adorned for her wedding. And I heard a thunderous voice from the throne, saying:

“Look! God’s tabernacle is with human beings. And from now on, he will tabernacle with them as their God. Now God himself will have his home with them—‘God-with-them’ will be their God! He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and eliminate death entirely. No one will mourn or weep any longer. The pain of wounds will no longer exist, for the old order has ceased.” 

Revelation 21:2-4 (TPT)

That is the beauty of being in Christ, He lives in us, and enacts His will through us to accomplish His goals of first transforming us into becoming Christlike in our actions and thought life, and then sharing the message of His love and His presence with others.

Christ Jesus is our "Immanuel" (God with us!)

Believe me, the Lord is Great!

Be Blessed;

Stephen Barnett