Psalms 87

The version used is KJV

Language and Words study

• Synonymous parallelism
  • None
• Developmental parallelism
  • 2 loves more than all other dwellings
  • 3 glorious things are spoken
  • 5 born in her and establish her
  • 6 count, register
  • 8 inheritence is given even the ends of the earth
• Illustrative parallelism
  • 2 can also be seen as illustrative
  • 7 illustrates why they sing and play
• Formal
  • 1
• Contrastive parallelism
  • None
• Simile
  • None
• Personification/Zoomorphism
  • None
• Cause & effect
  • None
• Hyperbole
  • None
• Metaphor
  • The while psalm is a metaphor for God's love and favor attributed to Zion and how He establishes overall the nations

Psalm 87 Summary

This is one of the most difficult poem I have studied so far. Based on the translation you use, you can attribute all the world is saved vs elect/chosen will be saved. KJV, NASB take the latter view in how its translated, but NIV to an extent, more so NLT takes on the former. This then causes one to examine what man made doctrines they bring to read this Psalm and hence how they will interpret it.

In my view, it is kind of both, by using just Torah (the first five books), we can show that YAH elected a lineage of people from Abraham and a subset of them called the Israelites to redeem them out of Egypt and bring them to the promised land, when they didnt deserve any of that. But at the same time, any one who joined them - be it aliens or sojourners also had the same promise. Hence, as a sojourner who was born in Babylon or Ethiopia, I can be redeemed if I am in Zion.

Studying it in KJV or NSB, I end up with following observations

• indicates the general promise on His chosen people and establishes them in His favored city Zion or Jerusalem
• YAH's blessing is in on the city and any one who is in it
• citizenship is the right of those who are there and that gives all the previleges
• use of Jacob as a fallen version of Israel, signifying the patriarch, which includes both Judah and Ephraim, as in all 12 tribes

Verse 7 is unexplicably hard, as in KJV there are only 3 words in the Hebrew text, while in NASB there are only 4 words in the Hebrew text; and neither of them provides the meaning that is documented in either of the versions. This will remain a mystery, until the Holy Spirit will show me what YAH intended it to be.

Application

Depending on which school of thought we come from, we either claim the citizenship in Zion and hence the promise or we dont care where we are born, as the promise applies to all of us. This is shown if you read this Psalm in NASB vs NLT, as shown below.

At this point of the journey of my walk with my Lord Christ Jesus as I study YAH's Word, I believe that we have to be citizens of Zion to enjoy the blessings of continued grace and promise of YAH. Hence, the questions I want to make sure I answer are

• how do I get to be a citizen of Zion
• if I am already a citizen of Zion, how do I maintain it

Getting to and being in Zion is by the grace of God and thru my belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of YAH who through His sacrifice, and my belief in Him as my Messiah. The below are the proof text for this belief

The Promise

• [Jhn3:3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
• [Jhn3:5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
• [Jhn3:15] That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
• [Jhn10:9] I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Part of Israel

From [Rom8:14-17]

• For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
• The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
• And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

From [Rom11:17-27]

• And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
• Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
• Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
• Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
• For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
• Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
• And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
• For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
• For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
• And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
• For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Therefore, I am grafted in, to the tree of Israel by my belief and faith in my Messiah, Jesus Christ and thereby have the promise of the salvation and treasures in Heaven and the new Jerusalem to come.