Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God!
His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
Within her citadels God
has made himself known as a fortress.
For behold, the kings assembled;
they came on together.
As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic; they took to flight.
Trembling took hold of them there,
anguish as of a woman in labor.
By the east wind you shattered
the ships of Tarshish.
As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the LORD of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God will establish forever. Selah
Comment: The psalm commences with full-bodied praise of God, the King living in His magnificently sighted city and temple! And yet without God in residence it would just be a pile of stones on another mountain. Him, God, being there in the very midst of His people lifts it way, way above the ‘ordinary.’ I’m not sure to whom the assembled kings refers. But I can imagine that the combined excellence of the city of God, His army standing proudly and ready, and maybe even some timely occurring weather events (the East wind shattering the ships of Tarshish), caused the assembled attacking force to quake and flee in fear! Jerusalem is the beautiful powerful city of God for the author!
Prayer: The realization of Your Presence turns the common place to the extraordinary, O God!
As I read it! 