Psalm 87 A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.
1 His foundation is in the holy mountains. 2 Yahweh loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah
"'A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song' for those once spited for destruction but redeemed of God.“The writer celebrates the glory of the Church, as the means of spiritual blessing to the nations.”(Jamieson, Fausset, Brown) Here is: “The voice of prophecy concerning the heavenly Jerusalem, that is, the Church of Christ.” (Bishop Bruno) For “God promised that Abraham would have an earthly family, like the sands of the sea (physical descendants), which is Israel , and a heavenly family, like the stars of the heaven (spiritual descendants), which is the church (Gen. 13: 16; 15: 4– 5).” (Warren Wiersbe)
“‘His’— Yahweh’s— ‘foundation is in the holy mountains,’ that is Jerusalem— “founded on the mountains or hills of Zion and Moriah. The after increase of the population obliged the inhabitants to inclose all the contiguous hills; but Zion and Moriah were the principal.” (Adam Clarke) The Universal Church was built thereon. “‘Yahweh loves the gates of Zion’— The gates of a city were the places of concourse; where business was transacted; where courts were held.” (Albert Barnes)— “’more than all the dwellings of Jacob’- To be the place of His temple and sanctuary, before any other place in the promised land.” (Adam Clarke) He prefers the Heavenly to the earthly land… and so should we. Perhaps spiritually- “‘The gates of Zion’ are the doctrines of the Gospel, ‘the tabernacles of Jacob’ are the teachings of the law, the law was accomplished in the gospel; therefore it is said that ‘the Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.’” (Plain Commentary) Or— “”Mystically, the Lord prefers the Christian Church to the Jewish: the latter was only a type of the former; and had no glory by reason of the glory that excelleth.” (Clarke) “Glorious things are spoken of you, O City of God!"— "glorious words or doctrines” (Adam Clarke)
4 I will make mention of Rehab and Babylon to those who know Me; behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: “This one was born there.” 5 And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her; and the Most High Himself shall establish her.” 6 The Lord will record, when He registers the peoples: “This one was born there.” Selah
"The Almighty... will cause the Gentiles to flock into his Church, even those who have been hitherto the most bitter enemies of Israel (ver. 4)- I will make mention of Rehab and Babylon to those who know Me; behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.’ etc.” (Pulpit Commentary) “The psalmist uses the language of birth to speak of conversion and in doing so ‘anticipates the later language of being ‘born again’ in the New Testament.’ (Ross) The new birth is not a matter of natural descent nor of human enterprise. This is a work of the Holy Spirit. ‘Every conversion is a virgin birth. With human beings this [new life] is impossible; but with God absolutely everything is possible (Mt 19:26). The Holy Spirit, in other words is the miraculous how of New Life.’ (John Bruner) The only way to become the children of God is to be born of God (John 1:13). The psalm’s expression, ‘this one and that one. (Ps 87:5), emphasizes one person at a time. One by one we enter the kingdom of God. It is not difficult to imagine that Jesus had in mind Psalm 87 when he said to Nicodemus, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again’ (John 3:3). Undoubtedly Nicodemus understood himself to be a solid citizen of the kingdom of God – the ultimate insider if there ever was one. He was a Pharisee who sat on the Jewish ruling council. But Jesus implied otherwise when he repeated, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. . . .You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’ (John 3:5-7). It must have been shocking to Nicodemus to realize that he had to ‘born of the Spirit’ just like God-fearing Gentiles from far flung nations.The meaning of Psalm 87 is played out throughout the Gospels. For Matthew, the magi represent the unexpected, but very welcome, citizens of the Kingdom of God. They are like Rahab, the surprising recipient of God's grace when the Israelites entered the promised land. They are like Naaman the Syrian, trusting in God's Word. They are like the Queen of Sheba, but they are bowing before the one greater than Solomon (Matthew 12:42). They are like the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of John and the Roman centurion in Luke's gospel. Surely if God can raise up the children of Abraham from stones, as Jesus said, then he can extend His grace to Eastern magi and Mongolians and Latin Americans. If God's grace can overcome the distance between Babylon and Bethlehem, it can overcome all cultural and intellectual barriers. As Jesus said, ‘I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen....there shall be one flock and one Shepherd’ (John 10:16). The impact of the gospel led the apostles to see the promise of Zion fulfilled in the heavenly Jerusalem. Paul wrote, ‘the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother’ (Gal 4:26).” (Douglas Webster)
7 Both the singers and the players on instruments say, “All my springs are in you.”
“As well the singers as the players on the instruments shall be there,… In Zion, in the church; signifying that there should be great spiritual joy there when the above things should be accomplished; great joy in the churches, because of the conversion of Jews and Gentiles; and great joy in the persons themselves, born again, and brought to Zion; in allusion to the vocal and instrumental music used in the temple service. See Isaiah 35:8-10.— ‘A highway shall be there,” that is in spiritual Zion— “and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.’” (John Gill)
"’All my springs are in you’— The original word ynyem, which we render 'springs', is used in a figurative sense, to denote any one's [spiritual] posterity. Thus Pro 5:16, 'Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad'; i.e., thy posterity be exceeding numerous. And thus in the place before us: the inhabitants of Jerusalem should triumph and sing [or play], All thy citizens enjoy the glorious privileges thou art favoured with, are all inserted in God's register, and entitled to His protection and favor." (Samuel Chandler)