March 7

Beautiful in loftiness, the joy of all the earth, like the peaks of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the great King. — Ps 48:2 BSB

The significance of Zion as a representation of the royal throne of Jesus is often misunderstood. Mount Zion was a steep hill in Jerusalem, so steep and fortified that for generations, even after Israel had taken the land, it remained in the hands of the Jebusites, like a stronghold. “As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out” (Joshua 15:63).

When David became king over Israel, after reigning in Hebron for seven and a half years, he turned his eyes toward Jerusalem as a more fitting capital for his growing kingdom. However, the Jebusites still controlled the hill of Zion, giving them command over the lower city. David’s first task was to dispossess the Jebusites from their stronghold. The Jebusites mocked his efforts, even placing the blind and lame on the ramparts, as if these weak defenders could hold back David’s army (2 Samuel 5:6-8).

But Joab, driven by the promise to be made David’s chief captain, climbed the hill, struck down the lame and blind, and won the coveted spot (1 Chronicles 11:6). From that time, David made Zion his royal dwelling place, ruling from there over all Israel. The name Zion means “sunny” or “to shine upon,” as it faced the south, basking in the sun’s warmth. In this way, Zion became a fitting symbol of Jesus’ royal throne, a place won by conquest (Revelation 3:21), where He now reigns as King of heaven and earth. Thus, Zion represents not the cross but the crown, not the law but the gospel, not the battle but the victory.