The Restoration
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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