Psalm 122 Prayer for Jerusalem
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.
“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” And now here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached. All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people— make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel. Here stand the thrones where judgment is given, the thrones of the dynasty of David.
Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.”
“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” And now here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.”
Consider what it must have been like to be one of the pilgrims in Biblical times. Even though Israel is a small country, there are very few flat spots in Israel, apart from the land near the Jordan or the land near the Mediterranean Sea. And much of Israel is very rocky. Now think about walking for days over hilly, dusty, rocky roads in thin-soled sandals to reach Jerusalem. The journey alone would be physically tiring and stressful. And pilgrims could not approach Jerusalem unprepared. To celebrate a major feast in Jerusalem would mean considerable expense for any family, for they would have to feed themselves, find accommodation, and purchase animals for sacrifice, not to mention buying festive outfits to wear at the ceremonies.
But at the same time, celebrating in Jerusalem with thousands of other pilgrims would have been one of the highlights of the year for anybody coming from a small village. Jerusalem was a rich cosmopolitan city, and the street scenes alone would have dazzled the eyes of villagers. Little wonder then, that an invitation to join others as they journeyed to a major feast would have been thrilling and exciting.
There was also something else significant about Jerusalem: Jerusalem was-and is-literally a holy city. Even though Jerusalem today is divided and certain sections can only be entered at specific access points, God’s spirit hovers over Jerusalem. At the time David wrote this psalm, God had not yet removed the Shekinah Glory of His Presence from Jerusalem. Later, when the exiles returned from Babylon and rebuilt the temple, God returned His Presence to Jerusalem and has never removed it since.
Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld has this to say about the ascent to Jerusalem for the three festivals: The obligation applied to all males from the age of 13 and up – which is the age of Bar Mitzvah – when a young man becomes obligated in the commandments. Exceptions were people who were elderly or unwell – or otherwise unable to make the trip (Mishna Hagigah 1:1), as well as a ritually-impure person and the uncircumcised. Another possible exception was someone who did not own land (see Tosafot, Pesachim 3b s.v. “mai’alyah”). There was also an obligation for a father to bring his boys from the age that they could walk holding their father’s hand (Mishna there).
This mitzvah extended to all males who lived in the Holy Land, seemingly as far away as the Euphrates (see Mishna Ta’anit 1:3). Thus, for some it was a long trip to Jerusalem and back, but it was not open-ended. Many Jews lived in Babylonia and Egypt during the Second Temple. Many of them did in fact come, but they were not obligated to do so. The Sages estimated that the farthest a person was obligated to travel was a 15-day journey each way (Mishna there). Needless to say, this will be greatly reduced God willing when the Third Temple stands.
The obligation was not simply to appear in the Temple but to bring a special offering – “the burnt offering of the seeing” (see Exodus 23:15: “they shall not appear before Me emptyhanded,” as well as Deut. 16:16-17).There was also a mitzvah (on men and women) to joyously celebrate the holiday, in part by bringing peace offerings which were consumed in Jerusalem. (This consisted of at least one “holiday peace offering” (based on Exodus 23:14), as well as other peace offerings (“joyous peace offerings,”) according to the needs of the family (Deut. 16:14, 27:7).) Thus, almost the entire nation converged on Jerusalem for the three festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. There was lastly an obligation to stay in Jerusalem the night after the first day of the holiday (see Deut. 16:7, Talmud Rosh Hashanah 5a).
In terms of the logistics of these obligations, it was basically a miracle that practically the entire nation was able to arrive in Jerusalem and stay there for the holiday. The Mishna states that one of the regularly-occurring miracles in Temple times was that no person was ever unable to find lodging in Jerusalem (Pirkei Avos 5:5). And the Mishna there similarly states: “They would stand [in the Temple courtyard] crowded together, yet prostrated themselves in ample space.” https://aish.com/ascent-to-jerusalem-for-the-three-festivals/
“Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached.” Those acquainted with Biblical history might ask, “Say what?” At the time David was writing this psalm, Jerusalem undoubtedly had walls and gates, but later Jerusalem was overrun and much of it destroyed by the Babylonians. But perhaps here David is speaking in faith, claiming God’s everlasting protection for Jerusalem. While physical walls can be breached, spiritual walls cannot. Even though God withdrew the Shekinah glory from the temple in the time of Ezekiel, He never stopped brooding over Jerusalem. And God’s glory returned at the time of the dedication of the second temple.
“All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people— make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel.” Here David is referring to God’s commands that He has given through Moses in Exodus and Deuteronomy as mentioned by Rabbi Rosenfeld.
“Here stand the thrones where judgment is given, the thrones of the dynasty of David.” This verse indicates that David is already king at the time he is writing this psalm. God has promised David that there will always be a king from his line to occupy the throne. What David did not know then-but knows now-is that the Eternal King is King Jesus.
“Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.” David served three roles as prophet, priest, and king. Here David is speaking prophetically, for Jerusalem continues to need prayers for peace and prosperity for all who live there. But David is not pledging himself out of selfish interest but out of regard and respect for “the house of the Lord our God.” Even though the only part of Solomon’s temple that is left is the Western Wall, sometimes called the Wailing Wall, that area is bathed in prayer. Pilgrims come from throughout the world to pray there and to leave petitions written on small slips of paper and inserted into the cracks between the stones.
Why should we pray for the peace of Jerusalem? When Jerusalem has true peace, the rest of the world will also. God’s peace radiates out from Jerusalem. Why pray for peace? We cannot plan to attack others when we are truly praying for peace, for God knows when we are faking and God hates hypocrisy. As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we will also find ourselves praying for peace in the various situations in which we find ourselves. While praying for Jerusalem might seem lofty and high-minded; in fact, praying for Jerusalem will lead us to prayers for our homes, our families, and all around us.
May God help us as we pray for peace for Jerusalem and for all those impacting our lives! And may we remember that God is still a God of celebration and that He wants us to have joy in our journey.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we do pray for peace in Jerusalem, in the Middle East, and in the world as a whole. We think about the Ukrainians, still under attack by Russia. We think about Christians in Africa under attack from Boko Haram. Lord, You are the Giver of Peace and only You can bring true peace. May Your Holy Spirit peace reign over all the earth! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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