How does Psalm 87:4 connect with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19? Zion’s Surprising Guest List • Psalm 87:4: “I will mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me—along with Philistia, Tyre, and Cush—when I say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’ ” • The psalmist records the Lord Himself announcing that long-standing enemies and distant nations—Rahab (Egypt), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, Cush (Ethiopia/Sudan)—will be numbered among His people. • The decisive phrase “This one was born in Zion” presents a supernatural new birth, conferring full citizenship in God’s city on outsiders. • Psalm 87 anticipates a multinational family gathered not by ethnic descent but by divine declaration. From Prophetic Foretaste to Apostolic Mandate • Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” • What Psalm 87 foretells, Jesus commissions: the welcome of “all nations” into covenant relationship through the gospel. • The Great Commission is the practical outworking of Psalm 87: God’s people now carry the news that everyone—Egyptian, Babylonian, Philistine, or modern equivalent—can be reborn into Zion. Shared Themes: Nations, New Birth, God’s Initiative • Nations: Both passages spotlight the inclusion of every ethnic group. • New Birth: Psalm 87 speaks of being “born in Zion”; Jesus commands baptism, the public sign of new birth (John 3:3–5; Romans 6:3-4). • God’s Initiative: In Psalm 87 God declares the outsiders His own; in Matthew 28 Jesus authorizes His followers to act on that same authority (v.18). Echoes Throughout Scripture • Genesis 12:3—The promise to Abraham: “All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” • Isaiah 2:2–3—“All nations will stream to it… For the law will go forth from Zion.” • Acts 1:8—“You will be My witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” • Acts 13:47—“I have made you a light for the Gentiles.” • Revelation 5:9—A redeemed multitude “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Living the Connection Today • Confidence: Psalm 87 assures that God loves to save the most unlikely people; this fuels bold evangelism. • Clarity: The church’s task is not cultural domination but spiritual adoption—inviting people to be “born in Zion.” • Celebration: Every conversion fulfills ancient prophecy, enlarging the joy of Zion just as God promised. |
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