Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. 3 Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress. 4 For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together. 5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;  they were in panic; they took to flight.

6 Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor. 7 By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish. 8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah
 
9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. 10 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. 11 Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments! 12 Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, 13 consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation 14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.
 
Meditation
The defining characteristic of a great city is the citizens, Ancient Jerusalem was the greatest city of it’s day because our great God made it His dwelling place. Our cities can find their full potential for greatness the more Christ’s rule and reign are extended through His people, our practices, and the priorities of our city. May His Kingdom come in our cities as it is in Heaven.
 
“Our great God”, the “joy of all the earth”, our “fortress” (1-3) made His home in Jerusalem. The “city of our God” hosted kings and powers from around the world (4-8). The historic reality draws a foretaste of eschatological hope; God’s city will be established “forever” (8), “forever and ever” (14).
 
To think upon the steadfast love of God in His home (9) is to participate in furthering His praises in all the earth (10), the joy of His righteous rule (11). To walk around God’s city (12) compels us to tell the next generation of the greatness of God (13). God’s greatness is contagious for those who encounter Him.
 
Through Christ the city of God can be manifest in our city, your city. His Kingdom comes when His presence, His glory, fills the hearts of His people and our neighborhoods.  The promise of His glory covering the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14) can be tangible in His people today. The historic reality of ancient Jerusalem gives us eschatological hope in the future grace of God and present purpose for the Kingdom of God.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What do you love about the citizens of your city? How does the greatness of citizens lead to a great city?
 
-God’s city is ancient Jerusalem and this Psalm of Zion celebrates the historic reality of God’s presence with His people as it anticipates the eternal hope we have in the New Jerusalem. What part of this Psalm stands out to you? Why?
 
-How can you create space for glory, God’s presence, His Kingdom to come in your city? Do you believe the greatness of your city will be directly correlated to the presence of the King and His kingdom?
 
Key Verse
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.

Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right. 2 For they call themselves after the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; the Lord of hosts is his name. 3 “The former things I declared of old; they went out from my mouth, and I announced them; then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. 4 Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead brass, 5 I declared them to you from of old, before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, ‘My idol did them, my carved image and my metal image commanded them.’
 
6 “You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known. 7 They are created now, not long ago; before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’8 You have never heard, you have never known, from of old your ear has not been opened. For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, and that from before birth you were called a rebel. 9 “For my name's sake I defer my anger; for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off.

10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;  I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name[b] be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. The Lord's Call to Israel 12 “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last. 13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I call to them, they stand forth together. 14 “Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves him; he shall perform his purpose on Babylon, and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans. 15 I, even I, have spoken and called him; I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.

16 Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit. 17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. 18 Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; 19 your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.”
 
20 Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!” 21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and the water gushed out. 22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”
 
 
Meditation
We forfeit peace when we refuse to listen to the Lord. We find peace when we respond to God’s grace by returning to Him and listening to His love.
 
In chapter 48 God’s prophet calls God’s people to listen- “Hear this!...” The prophet cries (1, 16). “Listen!...” The Lord pleads (12, 14).  “Draw near to hear” the Father invites, seeking to remedy the root of Israel’s problems. Grace freshly invites us to “draw near” (16) to hear God’s word.
 
There is no peace for the wicked (22). Peace can be found by God’s children- The Father has called you by name (1), knowing His people before their birth (8). The Father is doing a new thing (6), rescuing His people for the sake of His name (9). Exile has been a “furnace of affliction” (10) to refine His people, restoring them to His presence and faithful participation in His purposes of shining His glory among the nations (9-11).
 
The Lord is our Redeemer whose word teaches us to profit, leading us in the way we should go (17). We must go out from bondage with joy, proclaiming the Lord’s redemption (20). The Lord’s ultimate redemption comes through His full presence in Jesus Christ who entered into the exile of death in order to free us for life. Listen to the love of your heavenly Father! Peace like a river is available to all who listen to His love.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you find it difficult to listen to the Lord? Where have you forfeited peace by forgoing listening to the Lord?
 
-The Lord draws near to you in Christ and invites you to draw near to Him, to listen. Do you trust His invitation? How can your life model this through rhythms of listening?
 
-There is no peace for the wicked because they do not listen to the Lord. Who do you know that does not know peace that you can share the word of the Lord with today?
 
Key Verse
18 Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;

Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2 I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, 3 and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man,[a] and all the people will be at peace.” 4 And the advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
5 Then Absalom said, “Call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say.” 6 And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “Thus has Ahithophel spoken; shall we do as he says? If not, you speak.” 7 Then Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.” 8 Hushai said, “You know that your father and his men are mighty men, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people. 9 Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10 Then even the valiant man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that those who are with him are valiant men. 11 But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. 12 So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground, and of him and all the men with him not one will be left. 13 If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it into the valley, until not even a pebble is to be found there.” 14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom.
15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so have I counseled. 16 Now therefore send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’” 17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. A female servant was to go and tell them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they were not to be seen entering the city. 18 But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it. 19 And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it. 20 When Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them, “They have gone over the brook of water.” And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
21 After they had gone, the men came up out of the well, and went and told King David. They said to David, “Arise, and go quickly over the water, for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you.”22 Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.
23 When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.
24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. 25 Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite, who had married Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother. 26 And Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.
27 When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils, 29 honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”

Meditation

God answers prayer, He protects us from our enemies. God is our sovereign shepherd.

Ahithophel’s counsel (1-3) seemed good to Absalom (4) until Hushai offered a more royal road centering Absalom in the midst of a mighty army (5-9). The reader discovers what the people in the narrative find out the hard way- The Lord is sovereign and he had ordained the defeat of Ahithophel’s good counsel (10), exactly as David had prayed in 2 Samuel 15:31.

The destiny of those who counsel against the Lord’s anointed is destruction (23) but there is security for those whose identity is aligned with the Lord’s anointed King (15-22).God protects and provides for those loyal to His anointed king (24-29) and he hears the pointed prayers of His people.

David was on the run but imagine the boost to hiss faith when he heard Ahithophel’s counsel was turned to foolishness, exactly how he had prayed! The Lord wants to revive your faith, too. We may feel like we are on the run for our lives! But in Christ we serve the true King. David’s prayer later orient’s our faith now:

The Lord is my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:3-4

Richly Dwelling
-Has God’s Spirit put a pointed prayer on your heart?

-What portion of the passage stands out to you? Why?

-How does this passage hint a larger Biblical theme, that the destiny of those who stand in opposition to God’s anointed is death and that God will always provide for those who align with God’s anointed King? How does this encourage you? 

Key Verse
14 … For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom.

After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
 
8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
    the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
    and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
    and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
 
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,
‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”
 
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
 
Meditation
“The Lord is my shepherd…” (Psalm 23) is rightfully one of the most quoted portions of Scripture. Believers notably hold to this promise when in the “valley of the shadow of death.” Today we see the power of holding to this truth in the green pastures of Goshen.
 
Jacob was obsessed with blessing people. He blesses Pharaoh and his house (Genesis 46) and chapters 48-49 are filled with him blessing his family. Central is the reverse blessing of Joseph’s sons, setting the younger before the older, setting apart Ephraim before Manasseh in the purposes of God (14-20).
 
Why was Jacob obsessed with blessing others? “…The God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day…” (15) provides the substance of Jacob’s blessings.
 
Jacob had been shepherded by the Lord personally (3), experiencing the power of God’s promises (4) and purposes (5). Jacob’s security in God’s shepherding care leads to sonship in God’s family, expanding the covenant promises of the Lord (5-6). Jacob gave Joseph a small piece of land in the promises land (22), a tiny gift to the person who ruled the land of Egypt, because Jacob trusted God’s sovereign shepherding care more than the power of Egypt.
 
Joseph, as the older brother in the prodigal son story, resists the pattern of the grace of God for his sons (17-18). Jacob re-orients Joseph, and all of us- God’s shepherding blessings are to be extended according to God’s desire and design. His grace is beyond our comprehension. His blessing is for all people.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you see the shepherding care of the Lord in the green pastures of Goshen in your life, when things are going well?
 
-How does this reality empower you to steward the blessings of God’s covenant to others, blessing those in your family and community?
 
-Is your heart hard like Joseph who did not want God’s blessing stewarded as God designs?  How does the heart of a loving Father change your heart?
 
Key Verse
15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day…