The Righteous See the King in a Secure Zion

Who can dwell with devouring fire is answered with an ethical life, not a passport

Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.

Near and far must hear. Zion's own hypocrites are afraid. The answer is walk, speech, refused extortion, refused bribes, refused blood-hearing, refused evil-gazing. Bread and water are given. The unit is not a modern land deed, not nationalist immunity, and not a tool to coerce communities.

Eyes see the king in his beauty, Jerusalem is a quiet spacious camp, and the people are forgiven and healed

Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off. Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers? Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand. Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us. Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey. And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

Taxers and tower-counters vanish from the meditation of terror. Divine judge, lawgiver, and king replace the galley. Forgiven iniquity and a people who do not say they are sick close the vision of communal healing. Spacious Jerusalem is not supersessionist possession and not a warrant to exclude the lame who, in the poem, take spoil as a sign of reversal, not as a program of looting.