What is Zion? What is the biblical meaning of Zion?

This was in reality a part of Jerusalem, being one of the mountains on which Jerusalem was built. Zion is often called 'the city of David,' it was where he dwelt. 2 Sam. 5:7; 1 Chr. 11:5; Micah 3:10, 12. Which part of Jerusalem was thus designated is now a disputed point: some few contend for the north-west; but most believe it to have been on the south-west, and to have extended farther south than the present wall of the city. It would in this case have been in proximity to the temple on the south-east, which could have been reached by a bridge over the Tyropoeon valley. 2 Chr. 5:2. In Ps. 48:2, occur the words "the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." This has been thought to mean that mount Zion was in the north of the city; but may it not signify that on the north side of Zion is the city of the great King, that is, Jerusalem? The psalm is clearly millennial. Zion, having failed as a part of Jerusalem, was to be ploughed as a field. Micah 3:12.

The term Zion has constantly in scripture a metaphorical sense. It represents the intervention of sovereign grace in the person of God's elect king, when Israel were utterly helpless, and the ark had been given into the hands of the enemy. The ark was brought by David to the city of David, and this may have led to Zion being regarded as the centre of blessing, and as a source from whence blessing proceeded, as it often is in the Psalms. Ps. 87:2; Ps. 149:2; etc. The favoured people of God are often spoken of as DAUGHTERS OF ZION, Israel are constantly thus addressed in the Prophets, whether to be blamed for their waywardness and punished; or to be cheered with the prospect of future prosperity. And in these prophecies of their coming exaltation, Zion is referred to as the seat of the Messiah's royal power on earth, as in Isa. 52:1-8; Isa. 60:14; Heb. 12:22. In scripture Zion never means the church: it always signifies blessing on earth, and is specially in connection with Israel, when the ultimate blessing of the nations will be through Israel; nevertheless Christians now enter into its spiritual import as being under the reign of grace while here on earth.

Q. — 1. How are we to understand "Zion" as compared with "Jerusalem"? "the daughter," and "the daughters," of Zion?

A. — 1. Zion was literally the south-eastern height called David's city, as Moriah was the north-eastern one on which Jehovah's house was built. But Zion (Isaiah 1:27) is often employed figuratively by the prophets and synonymously with Jerusalem as a whole. "Daughter of Zion" (as in Isaiah 1:9) is a poetic expression for the inhabitants of the Jewish capital, and so for the people in general. "Daughters of Zion" (as in Isaiah 3:16) would represent rather its female inhabitants. But we may add that it is nothing but ignorance to assume that Zion anywhere means the church of God even metaphorically. In Heb. 12:22-23 it is no doubt contrasted with Sinai (18, etc.), that is, the mount of royal grace, with that of legal responsibility; but it is distinguished alike from the scene of glory on high, a living God's city, heavenly Jerusalem, and yet more from the church or "assembly of first-born ones enrolled in the heavens." Nor is there solid ground to doubt that, as Rev. 7:2-8 points to a sealed number out of Israel's tribes, to be secured from providential judgment in a future day, so does Rev. 14:1-5 to a still more honoured complement of godly Jews, associated with the earth-rejected Messiah and blessed in that day. In both chapters, whether Israel or Jews properly, they are shown separately from the Gentiles, and grace will not forget them in the tremendous crisis at the end of the age. The heavenly redeemed are then and even before this seen symbolised by the crowned elders, who will have been with the Lord on high, and therefore manifestly distinct from any of them.

Zion has a great place in the Old Testament, e.g., "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion...the city of the great King." (Ps. 48:2). "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined." (Ps. 50:2). Mount Zion was really nothing as a geographical feature. Naturally it was merely a flat topped mountain rock with precipices on one side, easily defended in those days of feeble engines of attack. It would not have been sought as a place for comfortable living. But it took its real significance from the Ark having been brought there by King David after its absence of nearly a century, amongst the Philistines and then subsequently in various resting places. What made Mount Zion was not its physical beauty, but that it was invested with the Glory of God, because God was pleased to dwell there. So in the epistle of Peter the mount of Transfiguration is referred to as the "Holy Mount," because the Lord's glory and presence was manifested there; so we have come to the real Mount Zion which is a spiritual conception in contrast to the provisional Zion which was material.

Now Zion does not mean simply Jerusalem, for that city too would ultimately fall under God's judgment. Zion was founded by the Lord in His mercy when He intervened and raised up David, so that it has become a symbol of the mercy and grace of God. This we see in such a scripture as Hebrews 12:22. In that grace, which Zion represents, the godly poor amongst the people will trust. They did so in days that are past. They will do so in days that are to come.

"So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David." This, though it be so briefly named by the Spirit, becomes ever afterwards an epoch and turning-point in the history of Israel. I do not know anything more striking in scripture, or a more remarkable characteristic of it than such a fact as this, slight as some may count it — the quietness with which the Holy Ghost notices the completeness of the blow that was struck in the heart of the land at that which had been a constant challenge and triumph over all the efforts of Israel to that day. Now that David had wrested it from the Jebusites, this becomes the great fact that afterwards stamps its character upon Israel. Zion, in short, becomes a new name of the deepest moment — the sign of divine grace in royalty — the grace that took up the people in their lowest condition, and by that man whom God employed raised them up step by step to such a place of power and blessing and glory as never was before and never can be again till Jesus come and make this very Zion the centre of His earthly government with the blessing and glory due to His name.

Moreover the introduction of Zion is seen to have a notable meaning. For, as thus figuratively used, it expresses the mountain of God's grace in contrast with Sinai, the mountain of the people's responsibility under law, where all was failure, not because the law was not good, but because man is bad and so ruined that he cannot do without a Saviour. Zion appears after the utter breakdown of the kingdom under Saul, man's choice; for it was only wrested from the Jebusites to be the city of David, God's choice. But a greater than David is here, the Christ, Whom Jehovah lays as a cornerstone, elect, precious, beyond all comparison. He that believes on Him shall in no wise be put to shame; as all must be who trust in an arm of flesh, most of all those of Israel who despised Him to whom law and prophets ever pointed. For the world-kingdom Jehovah has anointed His King upon Zion, the hill of His holiness; and Christ, not now but in that day, will ask and have the nations for His inheritance, and the ends of the earth for His possession, breaking all that oppose with iron sceptre, as the vessels of a potter are dashed in pieces. "For Jehovah hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His dwelling: this is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it." The key to all this, is that Zion will be the earthly seat of His anointed, His beloved Son.

"Unto mount Sion," the seat of royal grace. When all was lost and the name Ichabod [the glory is departed] was written on Israel, God intervened for His people. He gave prophets to bring back this erring people; but especially David, the king, through grace. It is by his service the Lord established His ark in rest in Sion. There was through grace the mount of deliverance for Israel after they had failed in everything. This grace abides for the future: Christ shall reign in Sion. "And unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." The church in its heavenly position is seen in contrast with Sion on the earth.

The old covenant is what he refers to as that which we are not come to. “We are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet,” every indication of divine majesty and splendour and terror, and the voice of words that those to whom they were addressed refused to listen to. They excused themselves from hearing them, and entreated that the word should not be addressed to them any more, because it was the demand of God, and they were utterly unable to answer to it. Even Moses, to whom the word was not addressed—the mediator—the one who came with the demand of God to the people, who though he was himself under grace and was not one of the people to whom the law was addressed, nevertheless so terrible was the sight that he says, “I exceedingly fear and quake.” He says, You are not come to that. You and I have not to listen to that rule to which the nation of Israel were not able to listen. We have not to excuse ourselves from listening to the demand of God. You are come to an entirely different order of things. “Ye are come to Mount Zion.” What do you get there? What is said of Mount Zion is that it is the hill of grace. It is where God finds His rest. It says, God will dwell there forevermore. He loves it. Blessing is there; there God commands blessing, life forevermore. It is the hill upon which He places His king. “Yet have I set My king upon My holy hill of Zion.” And why do you think He has established His king there? It is for blessing. If God raises up a king, it is for blessing, not for the destruction of man. He raised up David to be a saviour for Israel. He took him from behind the sheep and He took him to shepherd His people Israel, and it is said of David, “He fed them in the integrity of his heart and guided them with the skilfulness of his hands.” He was the shepherd of Israel, and there is a close connection between the shepherd and the king. By and bye what is said of Christ is this, that He will shepherd the nations with a rod of iron. He will shepherd them. If God has His king, it is for blessing. No doubt the rebellious must suffer judgment, but God’s thought in a kingdom is salvation. Indeed, that is what any kingdom is for. It must be for preservation and salvation. It is not for the destruction of man. You and I would not want a kingdom if we could protect ourselves. But because there is evil abroad, we want a king that will protect us, that will save us from our enemies. And that is God’s thought of a king, one who will save the people. So when the king reigns, He will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in judgment, and when that day comes, “a man shall be a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” That is God’s thought of the king. God intended David should be that; that he should reign in righteousness and be a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest—everything to His people, and David has to confess, though he knows what a true king should be, it was not so with his house. David has to give way to God’s king, but when God sets His king on the holy hill of Zion it will mean salvation for the human race. There will be no evil abroad in that kingdom. He will stretch His sceptre over the whole earth and will bring peace and blessing to man. It will be a comfort to man. He will be a shepherd not only of Israel but also of the nations. He will feed them with the integrity of His heart, and guide them with the skilfulness of His hands. He will lead them to fountains of living water and every tear shall be wiped from every eye by His blessed hand, and of His kingdom there shall be no end. “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, even Thy God, has anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy companions.” Christ has been well proven in the furnace of affliction. He was the righteous One, the One who could obey. No one has any right to reign but the One who can obey. Saul was driven from the kingdom and the throne because he was not able to obey. Samuel tells him “to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams,” and because he disobeyed he lost his throne. Saul was not tested till he got the throne. Then he was tested. But David was well tested and tried before he got the throne, and in that way David is a type of Christ, because Christ has been well tested. He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. No one can expect obedience from others who himself is not able to obey. The principles of His kingdom will be right principles, you may be sure. “I have set My king upon My holy hill of Zion,” and that for the salvation, not the destruction of man.

And then he says, “we are come to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” What is said of it is this: it has the glory of God; its light was like a jasper stone most precious. When you look at it as a whole it is like a jasper stone, but when you come to examine it more closely you find there are other precious stones there, but altogether it looks like jasper, because jasper is the glory of God. The nations, and those that are saved, walk in the light of it, and the tree of life, and the water of life, and the throne of God are there. We are said to come to them. How are we come to these things? How can we be said to come to Mount Zion in a day when Mount Zion literally lies desolate and to the New Jerusalem before the New Jerusalem is in display? I will tell you. By coming to Christ. They are all in testimony, but not only in testimony, they are actual things to us. They are great realities to us, but they are great realities in Christ. How do we come under the sceptre of Christ? You come to Mount Zion in Romans 10:9. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” That is, you come into the kingdom. You come into the kingdom in the age previous to the age in which the kingdom will be in display. You come there now by confessing Christ as Lord. You come there by submitting to Jesus. If you submit to Jesus you come into salvation, and you cannot come into salvation without coming into the kingdom. It is only in the kingdom that salvation is realized, because you come under the protecting sceptre of Christ. You come into the hiding-place from the wind. You find Him a shelter from the tempest. He is everything to you. He is your Saviour, and it says, “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That is how you come to Mount Zion. You come there before it is literally established because the power of the kingdom is established in Christ. You come to the New Jerusalem by coming to Christ, for you come to the One in whose face the glory of God is. The glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ. By and bye the city will have it, but it has not got it yet because it is not built yet When you come to the city it is the saints of this dispensation, and the saints are being builded now. Like Eve who was taken out of Adam they are taken out of Christ. If you come to Christ you come to the One in whom all that God is shines. All the love of God has been by Him perfectly declared, and in His face it rests. The glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ, and there you get into the light. The water of life is there, but by coming to Christ you come to the water of life. And the tree of life is there, and by coming to Christ you come to the tree of life. If we come to Christ we come to all these things Then a person might say, “Why is it that we are brought to these things in an age to which they do not belong? Why are we brought to these things before they are in actual display?” The reason is that we have to take character from these things. The age to come depends really upon the church, upon the Bride, the Lamb’s wife; because all the blessing of God will be administered by the church. It is not administered now by the church because the day of the administration of the church has not come; but when the church is glorified, through it will be administered all the light and the blessing of God. We come to these things now by coming to Christ, and we come in order that we may take character from them and be built up. The city has the glory of God. How does it get into you and me? We hear the glad tidings as poor sinners: we turn to Christ and get the Holy Spirit who sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts. God has been declared in Christ, and we are formed by this, and we grow by the knowledge of God. And then another thing is said about the city. The throne is there. Anybody could understand a throne being in London or Berlin, or in any of the capitals of the world, but when you find the city is a company of people how does the throne get into that city? How is it placed in you and me? What I understand by it is that government is committed to the saints. You know Paul says as to the Corinthians that if they were not able to judge the smallest matter, how would they be able to govern the world? I look at you and say God has taken you up to govern the world. You have to govern this world. I can understand anyone saying it would be a poor world I should govern. I do not understand much about governing a world or about legislation. Well, you will have to judge the world and angels, and tell people what to do and what not to do and how to please God. How will you do it? You are learning it now. It is accomplished by the saints being taught to obey. We are being subjected to Christ, and we are being instructed into obedience, because if I know how to obey I can tell you how to obey.

Zion is the place which, as we see from another psalm (Ps. 78:68), illustrates God's sovereignty in grace, when man has done all he could to produce utter ruin; and the apostle, in his comprehensive view (Heb. 12:22) of the things which (by faith) we are "come to," places it thus, as the earthly centre opposite to the New Jerusalem; the heavenly one. Zion itself means "fixed," and the first place in which it is mentioned (2 Sam. 5:7) is when David takes it out of the hand of the Gentile "treader down" — the Jebusite (see notes). It becomes then "the city of David," which, we rejoice to remember, means "Beloved," and it will be yet the city of the infinitely glorious One, when the time of Jerusalem's "treading-down" is over.

First of all, God speaks of the City of Zion, the City of God. A blessed thing that City of God is, because it means, first of all, the place of the house of God. It means the place where God dwells; nay, "Zion," the very name, means His "fixed" abode. It is where He has fixed His abode eternally. It is the place of which He says: "I have chosen Zion"; He has chosen it for Himself, His place upon earth, His place, therefore, amongst men. Beloved, how blessed it is to realize that!