I Have Chosen Jerusalem

by Jesma O'Hara

From the "Watchmen on the Walls" series of studies

"But I have chosen Jerusalem that
My Name might be there."

Chosen by God:

Just as the Lord chose a people to be His own, out of all the peoples of the earth (Deuteronomy 7:6) and just as He said that the Land of Israel was His land (Leviticus 25:23), so too, He chose a city out of all the cities and said that this was where He would place His name.

"This is Jerusalem, in the centre of the nations I have set her,
and countries round about her." - Ezekiel 5:5

Read also Psalm 87:

What do you think was in the Lord's Mind when He set apart this people, this land and this city to be His own possesions?

At the centre of this question lies one issue, the sovereignty of the Almighty God.

Man tends to believe he is the master of his own destiny and that it is he who orders the affairs of this earth so the Lord in His infinite wisdom has placed His seal of ownership upon a tiny piece of real estate, a stiff necked minority group (1% of the world's population is Jewish) and a dusty city with no strategic value at all.

Consequently this people, this land and this city have been thorns in the side of an unbelieving world from the beginning of time as they are inseparable from the Lordship of the Almighty over this earth, its cities and its people.

It's Roots:

Jerusalem is first heard of in scripture some 4,000 years ago as the city of Salem, home of Melchizidek, Priest of the Most High God and King of this city whose name means peace. (Genesis 14).

The story is mentioned again in the book of Hebrews - chapter 7. We are told that Melchizedek resembles the Son of God as he continues to be a priest without successor or interruption. We are also told his name means King of Righteousness

That we find Jerusalem mentioned in the first book of the Bible with the King of Righteousness reigning there and also in the last where the Apostle John describes the glory and majesty of the heavenly Jerusalem with the Lamb of God on the throne must give us some clues as to the importance of this city.

Jerusalem is referred to 811 times in scripture!

It was originally a Jebusite city situated on Mount Ophel just outside the present Old City walls which were built by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1536.

The Arab village of Silwan is there today along with the City of David Archaeological Gardens which contain wonderful excavations from the time of King David.

It remained impregnable to the tribes of Israel until David took it in about 1000 BC and made it his capital.

From that time it became the spiritual home for the Jewish people.

Jewish sages have said that when the Almighty created the world He poured out ten measures of suffering and Jerusalem received nine of them!

One can almost sense the tragedies that have been played out there down the centuries in a city that has undergone some 27 sieges and has been destroyed so many times that today there is an accumulation of between 30 and 80 feet of rubble underneath the city.

After David's death, his son Solomon built the Temple there on Mount Moriah, the site of Abraham's binding of Isaac (Genesis 22).

Its Place in Jewish Hearts:

It has been said that the city of Jerusalem is the soul of the nation of Israel. Even during the long years of the exile the Passover Seder and the Yom Kippur service always ended with the words

L'Shana Ha Ba Ha B Yerushalyim

The poignant words of Psalm 137 have echoed down through the ages reflecting as they do the heartcry of the Jewish people.

"If I forget you O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her skill.

Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I remember
you not, If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy."

Jerusalem is joined to the Jewish people in the same way that the land and people are bound and because of this she degenerated from the magnificent city David and Solomon had built to a poverty stricken village during the long years of the exile.

Contrary to the PLO propaganda, she has never been a capital city of any state but a Jewish One.

In Luke 21 Jesus spoke of Jerusalem being trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled.

That these "times of the Gentiles" were drawing to a close became obvious in December 1917 when General Allenby of the British Army marched into Jerusalem and freed it from 400 years of Turkish rule.

Allenby was a devout Christian and had spent the previous day praying and the city was liberated without one shot being fired

The city remained under British rule until May 14, 1948 when the State of Israel was proclaimed. The following day five Arab armies invaded the new/old nation and by the end of the war, Jerusalem was a divided city.

For a detailed study of this amazing period of history read "O Jerusalem" by Larry Collins and Dominique La Pierre (Panther Books).

The Old City and East Jerusalem were under Jordanian control and the new city to the west remained in Israel's hands. During this time the Jewish people were unable to worship at their most holy site - the Western Wall which had been a retaining wall for the Temple on Mount Moriah.

This state of affairs changed dramatically during the Six Day War of June 1967. The Israeli Defence Forces broke through into the Old City and the "Times of the Gentiles" were over as Jerusalem became a unified city in Israeli hands.

Moshe Dayan, Israel's Minister for Defence said at that time, "we earnestly stretch out our hands to our Arab brethren in peace, but we have returned to Jerusalem never to part from her again."

The Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, has since declared Jerusalem the eternal capital of Israel.

It should be noted here that the Arabs showed no interest whatsoever in Jerusalem until the Jews began to return to it.

"The God of heaven will prosper us, therefore we
His servants will arise and build; but you have no
portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem"
Nehemiah 2:20

These are Nehemiah's words to Israel's enemies after the return from the First Exile.

What relevance do they have for those who would try to
thwart the rebuilding of Jerusalem as the Second
Exile draws to a close?

How can we as believers stand with and support this city
where the Lord has chosen to place His Name?

"On the holy hill stands the City (of Jerusalem and the Temple)
God founded. The Lord loves the Gates of Zion more than
all the dwellings of Jacob." (Psalm 87:1-2)

Introducing John & Jesma O'Hara John, a businessman & Jesma have five children, and two grandchildren, Isabella and Asher. Both serve on the Eldership of Hesed Fellowship and are board members of International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem, Australian Branch and Jesma has also been the Editor of their magazine for the past 12 years. Hesed Ministries is involved in supporting a number of projects : Field workers in Israel, Orr Shalom Children's Homes, Kesher Friends of WIZO and Mercy International in Thailand. They also support orphanages and schools for AIDS affected children in Malawi and Kenya. Jesma is Chairman of the Board of Nambour Christian College, co-educational inter-denominational college of over 1200 students, from preschool to year 12. They are also the Australian Representatives of Orr Shalom Children’s Homes. Jesma's Qualifications Masters in Early Judaism and Early Christianity. B A major in Religious Studies Studied in Jerusalem at AMI Jerusalem Centre For Biblical Studies and Research and Educator’s From Abroad Study Course at Yad VaShem.