Jerusalem

The Hebrew word ‘Jerusalem’ incorporates the idea of ‘peace’ in its meaning. But for so much of its history it has been anything but peaceful.

Recently I again came across Australian singer Mark Seymour’s version of American songwriter Steve Earle’s song ‘Jerusalem’. I found the lyrics very moving. The following words from the song particularly resonated with my religious beliefs, that there will come a time when Jerusalem really will be a city of peace, and at peace.

“But I believe there’ll come a day when the lion and the lamb

Will lie down in peace together in Jerusalem

And there’ll be no barricades then

There’ll be no wire or walls

And we can wash all this blood from our hands

And all this hatred from our souls

And I believe that on that day all the children of Abraham

Will lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem” (Earle 2002)

It’s interesting to compare Steve Earle’s words with what God’s Bible says about Jerusalem.

The Bible mentions Jerusalem more than any other city (about 800 times).

Three verses sum it all up for me:

‘For the LORD has chosen Jerusalem; he has desired it for his home. “This is my resting place forever,” he said. “I will live here, for this is the home I desired. I will bless this city and make it prosperous; I will satisfy its poor with food.”’ (Psalm 132:13-15 NLT)

Elsewhere in the Bible you can read that not only will there be eternal peace in Jerusalem, but also in the whole world when Jesus returns to set up his Kingdom. We can all be involved.

The details are all there in the Bible.

Reference

Earle, S. (2002). Jerusalem. New York: Reed Distribution Inc.

Photo attribution: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons