A City Set on a Hill

7/5/09 from my sermon on II Sam.5:1-5 and Psalm 48

Jerusalem is a city set on a hill. Literally....from any direction one approaches it, one must climb. Therefore, we have all of those songs of ascent in the Psalms, songs which pilgrims sang as they approached the holy city.
Jerusalem was just any other city until the time of David. He made it his capital. He had already been anointed as king over the southern tribes of Judah. In this passage today, he is made king over the northern tribes of Israel as well. To bring them them both together, he forms a new capital by taking the city of Jerusalem. It becomes the center of government and very shortly the center for religious life as well. It becomes known as the city of David.
Jerusalem became more than a city; it became a symbol of the ideal government. David too became more than a ruler; he became the ideal one. The messiah was to be a son of David.
For a brief period, maybe forty years, all was up to the ideal. We long for it today. When we look at Jerusalem today, who's fighting there? Israelis and Palestinians both want it as their capital. Three major religions--Judaism, Islam, and Christianity--co-exist there.
We know that things are less than ideal, because the very last book of our Bible, the Revealtion to John, has as one of its final images of the coming of the kingdom of God, a new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
I am glad to be an American and a Christian, because we deal with the less than ideal. On this day after Independence Day, I want to celebrate how we handle things on this side of heaven.
I like how the passage talks about the ideal ruler being like a shepherd. What does a good shepherd do? Takes care of the little ones...the most vulnerable. A shepherd protects, nurtures, tends the flock. I love it that our form of government has rights and freedoms for all, especially those in the minority, seemingly without voice or representation.
Secondly, I like how the passage identifies David as the ruler. The Hebrew word there can mean prince or king-designate. I like one commentary said that in this way, the text allowed for ultimate loyalty to be to God and not to the king.
I like it that the USA has no state religion. One may worship or not as one sees fit. The state is not the ultimate authority and forces no one to worship. One is not automatically a member of the church when one is born. There is no coercion to practice faith in a particular way. Only God is king.
I like our form of government also in that it recognizes the reality of sin. We have three branches of government--executive, legislative, and judicial. They act as checks and balances, so that it is harder to enact abuses. Sins may be corrected. Only God is king.
I realize that there are other forms of government--monarchies, tribal confederations, military regimes, theocracies, etc.--but I like ours that deals with the less that ideal.
I want to leave you with an image that comes from spending part of 3 summers in Boston. They have a parade on July 4. People gather at Government Square downtown--fife and drum bands, musket brigades, people in period costumes, modern day soldiers, and lots of us ordinary people. There is a brief series of speeches and the National Anthem. And then we march...up the hill....along the freedom trail. There are no spectators. We are all a part of the parade. So be it, as we wait for the new Jerusalem. Amen.