The Restoration

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The Restoration

 

Psalm 126:1-3 (NIV)

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dreamed.

2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”

3 The Lord has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy.

 

Devotion:

            The psalm we will begin to look at today provides a glimpse into what the Jewish people felt upon returning from exile in Babylon. The people had been taken captive by Babylon for 70 years. When they finally got to return to the land of Israel they rejoiced greatly. This psalm expresses the great gratitude the people of God had for the restoration of their homeland. They had been punished for their sins and now they were being restored.

            Since this psalm has a definite place in the history of Israel what truths, if any, are we able to take from this psalm and apply to us today. While we must be careful about saying too many specific things we can apply to our own situation in the world of the 21st century, there surely are some general comments we can make.

            We can, for example, look at the way we have been restored into fellowship with God through the work of Jesus on the cross. God thru Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection has done a great thing for us. We should rejoice at the great salvation that has been accomplished for us. That while we were sinners God provided his only begotten son as a way to end our exile in the land of sin and slavery. The people of Israel had been taken captive to a foreign land because of their sin. Now they were rejoicing in their return. Just as we were once taken captive by sin and death and separated from God’s love and blessing. Now we should be in a state of great thankfulness and joy because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross to secure our release from sin and death our prior masters.

            Also, we can tell others about the depth of love that we have received from God in our salvation. The returning Jews told everyone who would listen about their return to the promised land. They were witnesses of God’s great love and restoring power to the nations. Even so, we should be witnesses to the great love we have experienced through the great salvation we have received from our God through Jesus. We can, with the people from so long ago, declare to the nations and all the people the great love that God has for us.

Prayer:

            Holy and Mighty God, we praise your name today. Your love for us is so great it cannot be measured. You have saved us and set us apart as your own beloved people. Just as you set apart the Hebrew people as your own under the old covenant, even so you have set apart those who belong to Christ as your own under the new covenant. We lift up prayers of rejoicing to your Holy Name for all you have done for us. May we be true to you O God, may we serve you and be faithful witnesses of your great power to all the watching world. Amen.

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