My King In Zion - The One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament
My King in Zion
Throughout the Old Testament we read about Zion, the city of God. But what is Zion? And where is it?
Zion is first mentioned in 2 Samuel 5:7, where we read that “David captured the fortress of Zion, which is now called the City of David.” David brought the Ark of the Covenant into this fortress and so it became the center of worship and of God’s presence. The more than 150 times Zion is mentioned in the Old Testament, it refers to the city of Jerusalem. But Zion is not just an alternate name for the city of Jerusalem; it also expressed that this was the place where God was present and near to his people. From Zion, God provided blessing, deliverance, and help to his people. For example, David asked rhetorically, “Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?” (Psalms 14:7; 53:6).
But Zion—the City of David, the earthly Jerusalem—was not the ideal city. Enemies invaded and decimated it in the form of conquering armies as well as pagan idols. God’s people began to see that the Zion they loved had to be pointing to a future Zion, a perfected Zion, where God’s King would rule in perfection and peace. Joel prophesied, “Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, live in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy forever, and foreign armies will never conquer her again” (Joel 3:17).
David wrote about God’s reign in another psalm, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill” (Psalm 2:6, NIV). And Zechariah prophesied the arrival of this King:
Rejoice, O people of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you. (Zechariah 9:9)
Jesus is the King of Zion. And when we turn to Christ, we enter into Zion: “You have not come to a physical mountain. . . . You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. . . . You have come to Jesus” (Hebrews 12:18, 22, 24).
King of Zion, I have come to you, and in you I find the peace and safety your people have always longed for. You are on your throne in Zion, and one day you will welcome me into your heavenly city.
