Struck this morning by a stark contrast between two of my readings Both readings dealt with Jerusalem . . . the City on the Hill . . . the home of the temple . . . the geographical spot where God determined His glory would dwell . . . the central gathering point for all things pertaining to atonement and worship. Jerusalem . . . “jeru”, which is literally “teaching or foundation” . . . “salem”, or “shalom”, relating to perfect peace . . . “teaching of peace” . . . “foundation of peace” . . . Jerusalem. And, as I read about Jerusalem in the latter chapters of 2Kings and then encountered her again in Psalm 122, it’s got me thinking about what can take that peace and break it into pieces.

The latter part of 2Kings can be quite depressing, actually. Despite the revival under King Josiah (2Kings 22, 23), God’s determination to judge the southern kingdom of Judah is fulfilled. Actually, I suspect that the revival was actually more external than internal for the people of Judah. While Josiah had “cleaned house” throughout Judah in tearing down and destroying almost all vestiges of idolatry and pagan worship, you kind of sense that the wayward nation, as a whole, still bowed down to the idols they had erected within their hearts — still desiring the things of the world over the things of their God . . . “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me . . . ” (Matt. 15:8-9a).

And so 2Kings ends with the absolute destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple at the hands of the Babylonians. They razed the place. The walls of the city taken down to the ground . . . the magnificent temple built by Solomon as a place for God’s glory to dwell, dismantled, looted . . . the structure destroyed . . . the holy of holies splayed open . . . revealing that the glory had departed.

And then I turn over to Psalm 122 . . . a song of ascents . . . one of the songs written by David to be sung as people traveled up to Jerusalem to worship. A song written, I think, about 400 years before the events of 2Kings 25, also dealing with “the foundation of peace” . . . oh, but what a different picture . . .

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! . . . where the tribes go up . . . to give thanks to the name of the Lord . . . Pray for the peace of Jerusalem . . . peace be within your walls . . . prosperity within your palaces . . . Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good.”

This is what Jerusalem was designed to be . . . the city whose foundation and teaching were peace . . . peace with God. God’s glory would reside at this place that brought priests and people together . . . this place where atonement could be made for sin . . . this place where worship and thanksgiving could be offered to the God of deliverance. But the world around the people of God drew their hearts away from the God of Jerusalem . . . the wiles of the wicked one defiled the holy hill as he implanted his demonic statues within its walls and moved the people to set up God-supplanting deities within their hearts. Jerusalem lost it’s foundation of peace . . . and God, in His redemptive justice, allowed it to be destroyed . . . reflecting physically a spiritual malaise which had already beset her for generations.

And as I view “the peace in pieces” I can’t help but see it as a warning. God’s has redeemed a new people through the once-for-all atoning sacrifice of His Son . . . not calling them to gather at a place where He would be present, but to be His holy temple . . . a place where His glory would dwell through His Spirit (Eph. 2:21-22). This new “temple” is built with “living stones”(1Peter 2:5) . . . a living, breathing, vibrant body where He is to be found . . . a “foundation of peace” built within His people. The warning then is to learn from Jerusalem. To know that a neglected place of worship ends up in shambles . . . to be reminded that our God will not share His glory with another . . . and so, if we clutter this living holy of holies with the gods and idols of this world, the glory will be muted . . . the peace will end up in pieces.

Oh, that God’s people would be faithful to Him alone . . . that we would pray for and pursue the peace of Jerusalem . . .