Zion. It’s such a pity that this name has understandable associations with a political movement to include while excluding some persons from a particular place.
Well, let me for a moment only consider Zion to be the city of God and affirm what “not-so-Zionist” Christians sing:
We’re marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion
We’re marching upwards to Zion the beautiful city of God.
If Zion is the physical, geographical, earthly mountain, elevated in the land of Israel and Palestine, then, indeed, all the residents would want to be part of it, if only in anticipation of what Isaiah prophesied about.
In the last days, the mountain of the LORD’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship (Isaiah 2:2)
If it is about “the mountain of the Lord,” to which people shall ascend to learn goodness and peace as the prophet foresaw,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” Isaiah 2:3 Then, of course, there is going to be a whole lot of doubting, because we hear of so much fighting and positioning for power in this very hill.
Clearly, for those alive today, it is surely not the place that sends out the promised instruction (Isaiah 2: 4)- the teaching and learning to lead us to the dwelling place of God.
That place is not now the place where the Righteous Judge reigns to “arbitrates for many peoples”. There is no movement to “beat swords into ploughshares or spears into pruning hooks,” This is where, fierce fighting goes on.
So, when, Lord, when shall we learn “no war anymore”?
Grant us peace in our time, we pray. Grant peace on earth. Peace in Palestine, peace in Israel. May that place be a holy place, that place dubbed ‘the Holy Land,’ that place and every place which we want to call God’s place. Amen.