The Lord had told His people that one day there would be a central place where they would worship (Ex. 23:14–19; Deut. 12:5–7, 11–14, 17–19; 14:23; 16:2, 16), and that place was Jerusalem. The Lord instructed David that the place on Mount Moriah where he had built the altar was to be the site for the temple (1 Chron. 21–22), and He also gave David the plans for the structure (1 Chron. 28). Jerusalem had been a Jebusite stronghold before David captured it and made it his capital city, “the city of David” (2 Sam. 5:6–10). His choice was a wise one, for not only was Mount Zion an almost impregnable citadel, but it was located on the border of Judah and Benjamin and helped to bind the northern and southern tribes together. King Saul was from Benjamin, and David was from Judah.
When the psalmist looked at the city, he thought of unity and security. Just as the stones of the walls and houses were “bound firmly together,” so the people were bound together in their worship of the Lord and their respect for the throne. The twelve separate tribes, plus the tribe of Levi, shared the same ancestors and history, participated in the same worship in the same Holy City, and were governed by the same divine laws. The church today already has spiritual unity (Eph. 4:1–6), but we must endeavor to maintain it and demonstrate it before a watching world (John 17:20–23). As for security, Jesus promised that the very forces of hell could not stand before the onward march of His church (Matt. 16:18).
But it was the praise of Jehovah that was central (v. 4). God had commanded that His people go to Jerusalem for the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Ex. 23:14–19; John 4:20–21), and the people went as worshippers and not sightseers. Yes, there was much to see in Jerusalem, but giving thanks to the Lord was their most important task and their greatest privilege. At the same time, the people were giving allegiance to the dynasty of David, for the same Lord who assigned the feasts also established the throne. In Romans 13, Paul makes it clear that the Lord established the system of governmental authority that we have, and we must respect the offices even if we cannot always respect the officers. Though there is a separation of church and state in modern democracies, there must never be a separation of God and country. Regardless of our political affiliation, our most important civic duty is to pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1–6).