psalm85

BACKGROUND TO THE PSALM

A number of suggestions have been made as to the possible background for this psalm. Graham Scroggie is one of many biblical scholars who think that the time following the nation’s exile in Babylon provides the setting. Graham Scroggie[1] writes …

The Psalm reflects the feelings of Judah shortly after the return from Babylonian captivity, and with it we should read Haggai and the early part of Zechariah. The people had expected much from their deliverance, but ‘the harsh realities of their enterprise had stripped off its imaginative charm.’ Only a small proportion of the captives had returned, and had returned to a scene of desolation, and to not a little opposition. The great hopes expressed in Isaiah 40-66 had not been realized.

Taking that as a background, we see that at the time of writing, while the people of Israel had been a people in exile for many years, many of them were now …

Seventy years had gone by since the armies of King Nebuchadnezzar ravaged the land of Israel and taken its people captive to Babylon. The biblical writer tells us what happened back then.

The king also took home to Babylon all the utensils, large and small, used in the Temple of God, and the treasures from both the LORD’s Temple and the royal palace. He also took with him all the royal princes. Then his army set fire to the Temple of God, broke down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all the palaces, and completely destroyed everything of value. The few who survived were taken away to Babylon, and they became servants to the king and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. So the message of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate for seventy years, just as the prophet had said. (2 Chronicles 36:18-21)

The years of exile came about as the result of the decline in the moral and spiritual integrity of the people, and the degenerate life style of the nation’s leaders. Among them was Zedekiah, who was in power at the time.

Zedekiah was twenty one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and he refused to humble himself in the presence of the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke for the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty in God’s name. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the LORD, the God of Israel.

All the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful. They followed the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, desecrating the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.

The LORD, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple. But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the LORD’s anger could no longer be restrained and there was no remedy. (2 Chronicles 36:11-16)

It was during those years of exile in Babylon that God called Jeremiah to the ministry, not only for the benefit of his own people but for the world. Like Moses and other significant servants of the Lord, Jeremiah found reasons for not wanting to answer the call, including his young age. He writes of his response.

The LORD gave me a message. He said, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.”

“Don’t say that,” the LORD replied, “for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Then the LORD touched my mouth and said, “See, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. You are to uproot some and tear them down, to destroy and overthrow them. You are to build others up and plant them … Get up and get dressed. Go out and tell them whatever I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. For see, today I make you immune to their attacks. You are strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. None of the kings, officials, priests, or people of Judah will be able to stand against you. They will try, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 1:4-10, 17-19)

When Nebuchadnezzar’s forces took possession of Jerusalem in 586 BC Jeremiah was allowed to remain in the city along with others, while the rest were taken captive to Babylon. Later, rather than remaining in a city under occupation by a foreign power, some fled to Egypt and took Jeremiah with them.

Among the teaching that Jeremiah was to pass on to his people were the predictions of Israel’s restoration to their land after the years of exile in Babylon. One of these was the subject of a letter that he wrote to the exiles there.

Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. This was after King Jehoiachin, the Queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah, and all the craftsmen had been deported from Jerusalem. He sent the letter with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, when they went to Babylon as King Zedekiah’s ambassadors to Nebuchadnezzar. This is what Jeremiah’s letter said:

The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, sends this message to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food you produce. Marry, and have children. Then find spouses for them, and have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon. Pray to the LORD for that city where you are held captive, for if Babylon has peace, so will you.”

The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel says, “Do not let the prophets and mediums who are there in Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams because they prophesy lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the LORD. “The truth is that you will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you,” says the LORD. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you home again to your own land.” (Jeremiah 29:1-14)

The opportunity to return to their land came when the Babylonian kingdom fell to the Persians, allowing king Cyrus of Persia to begin his reign over Babylon in 538 BC. It was the Lord who installed Cyrus to head the government at this time, having chosen him as his instrument to facilitate the people of Israel’s return to their land. God is in control in his world, not the government. It is the Lord who puts down some and raises up others. This fact was important to Daniel who was one of those taken to Babylon. As he served in the court of Nebuchadnezzar during those seventy years of exile, he was often reassured in the knowledge that God was in control, prompting him to write …

Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he alone has all wisdom and power. He determines the course of world events, he removes kings and sets others on the throne. (Daniel 2:20-21)

It was something that Paul reminded some eminent Greek philosophers of as he debated with them on one occasion …

He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. (Acts 17:24-26)

And so it was for Nebuchadnezzar. When the Babylonian kingdom was brought to an end and replaced by the Persian, Nebuchadnezzar was removed and Cyrus was installed on the throne. Isaiah writes of him …

This is what the LORD says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralysed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never again to shut against him. This is what the LORD says: “I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.

And why have I called you for this work? It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. I called you by name when you did not know me. I am the LORD. There is no other God. I have prepared you, even though you do not know me, so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the LORD, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:1-6)

It was not long before the attention of Cyrus was drawn to the several million Jewish people living as exiles in the country. It was then that the Lord began his move for opening the way for his people to return to their land. Cyrus was moved to give the people a choice, to go or to stay. Ezra recorded this historic moment.

In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy by stirring the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation into writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:

“This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem in the land of Judah. All of you who are his people may return to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! Those who live in any place where Jewish survivors are found should contribute towards their expenses by supplying them with silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a freewill offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:1-4)

The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD, he turns it wherever he pleases. (Proverbs 21:1)

For his people then in exile in Babylon, God’s plans “for good and not for disaster, to give [them] a future and a hope,”[2] are now unfolding. The way is open for the people to return to their homeland and rebuild their Temple. Some decided to make the journey, while others made the decision to stay in Babylon. From a careful reading of the Biblical records written by Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah, we learn that there were three people movements that took place over several years. The first wave of 49,897 returnees occurred soon after Cyrus issued his decree. The second wave of just 1754 people, among them Ezra, took place 80 years later in 458 BC. 14 years after that, a third group went with Nehemiah to help rebuild the walls around Jerusalem.

Reading more of Ezra’s account we sense a rising tide of enthusiasm among the people as they respond to the challenge.

Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the LORD. And all their neighbors assisted by giving them vessels of silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock. They gave them many choice gifts in addition to all the freewill offerings.

King Cyrus himself brought out the valuable items which King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the LORD’s Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his own gods. Cyrus directed Mithredath, the treasurer of Persia, to count these items and present them to Sheshbazzar, the leader of the exiles returning to Judah …

So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah, in addition to 7,337 servants and 200 singers, both men and women.[3] They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

When they arrived at the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders gave generously toward the rebuilding of God’s Temple on its original site, and each leader gave as much as he could. The total of their gifts came to 61,000 gold coins, 6,250 pounds of silver, and 100 robes for the priests.

So the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, The Temple servants, and some of the common people settled in villages near Jerusalem. The rest of the people returned to the other towns of Judah from which they had come. (Ezra 1:5-8; 2:64-70)

Turning back to our psalm, we sense the psalmist’s nostalgia as he reflects on how things are going with the group now back in their homeland. He recalls the people’s …

It all began well for the people. With their former life in Babylon now behind them, the returnees looked forward to rebuilding their lives in the place they were always meant to be. Joy filled their hearts as they celebrated this new beginning. Gathered around the newly laid temple foundations …

Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the LORD because the foundation of the LORD’s Temple had been laid.

Many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders remembered the first Temple, and they wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy. The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud commotion that could be heard far into the distance. (Ezra 3:11-13)

The psalmist mentions more of the reasons for the people’s initial joy in the opening words of his prayer. Their joyfulness flowed from …

Some of the older people were at first somewhat disappointed. Remembering how it was in the days of the old Temple, they thought the new one being built was too small. It’s often the same today. “Things are not like they used to be,” wail some. But as the foundations were completed and the building started to take shape they began to see just how blessed they were. The people had been kept safe from enemies and bandits on the long journey of around 1500 kms from Babylon. They were now rebuilding their lives in their homeland, the crops were sown, the worship services had recommenced, the Festival of Shelters[4] celebrated as they built temporary homes to live in while gathering materials for more permanent ones, the cedar logs were arriving from Tyre and Sidon, and the construction of the new Temple of God had begun.[5]

Looking back on it all the psalmist reminds the people how blessed they are as he offers this prayer of thankfulness with them, “LORD, you have poured out amazing blessings on your land.” (vs. 1a) We too have so much to thank and praise God for, like David, who said of the Lord …

Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion. To you our vows will be fulfilled. O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come. When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions. Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple. You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness. (Psalm 65:1-5a NIV)

As rendered by the translators of the NLT, the psalmist praises God in these words, “You have restored the fortunes of Israel.” (vs. 1b) The NASB however, translates the sentence as “Thou didst restore the captivity of Thy people.” Most English translations choose one or other of those two ways of translating the words.

The Hebrew word translated ‘restore’ in the above translations is shub. This word has various components in its meaning, ranging from ‘to turn back, to return,’ to the idea of ‘bringing back, the restoring of something.’ The common thread in all of the components is a sense of well being that comes with the restoration. This underlying sense is implied in all the translations. The Hebrew word related to shub, translated as ‘fortunes’ in the NLT and ‘captivity’ in the NASB, is shebuth or shebith. The primary sense of the word has reference to ‘captives’ or to the ‘captivity’ in which they are held, but has in its secondary meaning related components, the idea of a person’s sense of well being.

Martin Tate[6] takes us to this meaning when he discusses the ways in which we can understand the meaning of the phrase—‘restored the fortunes of Israel’ as in NLT, or ‘didst restore the captivity of Thy people’ as in NASB.

The technical expression occurs in a number of contexts, for example, Psalms 14:7; 126:4; Deuteronomy 30:3; Jeremiah 29:14; 30:3, 18; 31:23; 33:26; 48:47; 49:39; Hosea 6:11; Amos 9:14; Zephaniah 2:7; 3:20; Ezekiel 16:53; 29:14; Joel 4:1; Lamentations 2:14; Job 42:10. In some cases the meaning may be that of ‘bring back/restore captives,’ as the scribal tradition on the margin of Psalm 85:1 indicates, ‘brought back the captivity of Jacob,’ probably thinking of the return of exiles from Babylonia. However, the more comprehensive meaning ‘restore the fortunes/well being’ is to be preferred in most contexts.

Tate[7] uses the word ‘turned’ in his translation of the phrase, expressing it as ‘O Yahweh … you turned the fortunes of Jacob,’ while noting that the Biblical scholar Kraus[8] translates it as ‘the restoration of the wounded body politic.’

Word-Net[9] defines wellbeing as “a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous; as in ‘the town was finally on the upbeat after our recent troubles.’ ” The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy; as in ‘an improvement in the patient’s well being.’ ”

Feeling anything but comfortable in your present situation in life? When reading the writings of Paul, that well known Christian missionary of the first century AD, we learn that it was his Christian faith that gave him that sense of wellbeing. To the believers in Philippi for example, he wrote …

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11b-13 NIV)

The secret to Paul’s well being was his trust in the Lord. Because of that trust, and no matter what troubles he was coping with or whatever was his present situation, Paul’s sense of wellbeing stayed with him.

Also contributing to the people’s initial joy was the experience they enjoyed back in their homeland of …

We find an application for us in the word for word translation given us by the NASB translators; “Thou didst restore the captivity of Thy people.” It would not make sense to take the words to mean that the people had been taken captive again to Babylon. There would be no joy in that. And besides, when the psalmist writes, they were in a different place, back in their homeland. However, if we want to take the words literally, it does make sense to understand the people to have been taken back into captivity once more, but into a different kind of captivity, namely the freedom of being a captive of the Lord. This is the captivity in the freedom of serving him.

Paul has that kind of captivity in mind when he writes of the gifts that the Lord apportions to his people. Paul writes as a ‘prisoner for serving the Lord,’ referring to the fact that at that time he is physically in prison because of his preaching, but also as one of the Lord’s captives, one of those enjoying the freedom of the captivity of his service to the Lord.

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to live a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.

We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say,

‘When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.’ (Ephesians 4:1-8)

Paul draws his word picture of Christ’s ministry, ‘led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people’, from the scene in which an army leader, after winning a significant battle, returns to his homeland leading a long line of captives. Back home he receives gifts from a people grateful for the victory he has won for them. David drew from the same scene in his word picture of the Lord coming into his sanctuary from Mount Zion.

Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the LORD came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary. When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the LORD God will live among us here. (Psalm 68:17-18)

While drawing their word pictures from the same scene, that of the army leader returning victorious from battle, the focus in each case is different. David’s focus is on the gifts the people bring to the army leader, Paul on the gifts the leader brings to the people. Both aspects are complementary, not contradictory. The army leader brought the gift of freedom to the people, the people brought the gift of grateful service to their leader. Paul did not miss the Messianic reference in the way David drew his picture of the Lord God. Paul sees a clear picture of Christ’s ascension after his death and resurrection, when he says of him, ‘When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.’ (Ephesians 4:1-8) You may be wondering what kind of captivity had previously been experienced by those who Paul writes of as having now been taken captive by Christ.

There are many forms of captivity waiting for people to fall into. Here are some that still confront us today.

The Biblical historian and medical doctor Luke tells us about a man imprisoned in the sinful world of fortune tellers and magic. Simon was a person of status living in the city of Samaria but he was caught up in the web of the occult. When Philip visited the city and ‘told the people about the Messiah’[10] Simon believed that what he was hearing was true but he remained powerless to break free from the evil practices that held him captive. When he saw that Philip, and the apostles who came to join him in Samaria possessed power that he lacked, he offered them money thinking that he could buy this power from them.

But Peter replied, “May your money perish with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right before God. Turn from your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, for I can see that you are full of bitterness and held captive by sin.” (Acts 8:20-23)

Paul warned the new believers in Colosse about the possibility of becoming captivated by the prevailing world view, fed by long held traditions and misleading philosophies.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:6-8)

Often using well known biblical terms to hide the error inherent in their teaching, the false teacher is all too often able to draw the unwary and often untaught Christian into a sticky web of unbelief. Often associated with the false doctrine is the grab for the captive’s money. Christians are often more of a target for the false teacher than are non believers. To become captive to one of the many cults is tragedy indeed. Peter writes of his concern ‘to all of you who share the same precious faith we have, faith given to us by Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour, who makes us right with God.’[11] He warned of false teachers worming their way in amongst Christian communities …

But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach their destructive heresies about God and even turn against their Master who bought them. Theirs will be a swift and terrible end. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and his true way will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction is on the way …

They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With lustful desire as their bait, they lure back into sin those who have just escaped from such wicked living. They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. And when people escape from the wicked ways of the world by learning about our Lord Jesus Christ and then get tangled up with sin and become its slave again, they are worse off than before. (2 Peter 2:1-3, 18-20)

Particularly vulnerable to the subtleties of the false teacher are those who are unsure of their Christian faith. Among them are the people[12] who work at home, either as full time homemakers with young children or in employment that allows them the freedom to work from home. A knock at the door and there stands the cult member ready to dump his wares on the unsuspecting and untaught person, who is easily captivated by the right sounding but dangerous teaching of those smooth talking imposters. Paul writes specifically of these quasi[13] religious people.

They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.

They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and ‘win the confidence of’ (Greek: ‘captivate’) vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by many desires. Such women are forever following new teachings but they never understand the truth. And these teachers fight the truth just as Jannes and Jambres fought against Moses. Their minds are depraved, and their faith is counterfeit. But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as happened with Jannes and Jambres. (2 Timothy 3:5-9)

Illicit relationships inevitably end up holding people captive. Solomon warns against becoming enmeshed in the net of sexual promiscuity and adultery.

Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife? For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him, the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly …

My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever, fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you, when you sleep, they will watch over you, when you wake, they will speak to you. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, keeping you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the wayward wife. Do not lust after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the adulteress preys upon your very life.

Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife. No one who touches her will go unpunished …

But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment, whoever does so destroys himself. Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away. (Proverbs 5:20-23, 6:20-29, 32-33. NIV)

It is also possible to become captive to the sinful impulses that reside within us. Paul writes in the language of warfare when he speaks of the struggle that he is engaged in. Two principles of operation are competing for control of the way he lives.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do. No, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law, but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from the body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:18-23 NIV)

The words Paul uses in describing the struggle he experiences in his Christian life are taken from warfare. Paul sees himself as being engaged in a fierce battle. His enemy is his old sinful nature that still exists within him. It is always lurking there trying to make him a captive of any of the sins this old nature throws up to him. The Lord pictured it for Cain this way: “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not well, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7) Clarke[14] offers this comment on Paul’s awareness of his old sinful nature’s strategies for ‘making me a prisoner of the law of sin.’

‘Making me a prisoner of the law of sin’ - He does not here speak of an occasional advantage gained by sin, it was a complete and final victory gained by corruption; which, having stormed and reduced the city, carried away the inhabitants with irresistible force, into captivity. This is the consequence of being overcome; he was now in the hands of the foe as the victor's lawful captive; and this is the import of the original word, αιχμαλωτιζοντα, and is the very term used by our Lord when speaking of the final ruin, dispersion, and captivity of the Jews. He says, αιχμαλωτισθησονται, they shall be led away captives into all the nations, (Luke 21:24). When all this is considered, who, in his right mind, can apply it to the holy soul of the apostle of the Gentiles? Is there anything in it that can belong to his gracious state? Surely nothing. The basest slave of sin, who has any remaining checks of conscience, cannot be brought into a worse state than that described here by the apostle. Sin and corruption have a final triumph; and conscience and reason are taken prisoners, laid in fetters, and sold for slaves. Can this ever be said of a man in whom the Spirit of God dwells, and whom the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made free from the law of sin and death?

David reminded his son Solomon that God is aware not only of our thoughts but also of the motives, the hidden intent wrapped up in them.

“As for you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive (yetser) behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. (1 Chronicles 28:9 NIV)

And all too often those motives arise from the sinful nature which troubles us all. Like it did for the people of Noah’s day and for all of us since that time.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent (yetser) of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart. (Genesis 6:5-6 NASB)

After the judgment of the catastrophic flood which followed Noah remained aware that he was a sinful human being. In the sacrificial offerings Noah prepared for the forgiveness of sins, God foreshadowed that ultimate provision he had planned ‘long before the world began,’[15] when those frequently offered animal sacrifices would be replaced by the ‘once for all’[16] sacrificial death of Christ Jesus our Messiah/Saviour. Once again we are reminded that our thoughts can so often be dominated by sinful desires and motives, but with the reminder comes a pointer to the way of salvation.

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled the soothing aroma, and the LORD said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent (yetser) of man’s heart is evil from his youth, and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.’ (Genesis 8:20-21)

On one occasion the Pharisees and teachers of religious law brought a charge to Jesus that his disciples were breaking from tradition. They raised this question with him …

“Why do your disciples disobey our age-old traditions?” they demanded. “They ignore our traditions of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.” (Matthew 15:2)

After confronting them with their own inconsistencies with regard to their religious laws …

Then Jesus called to the crowds and said, “Listen to what I say and try to understand. You are not defiled by what you eat, you are defiled by what you say and do.” (Matthew 15:10-11)

Peter asked Jesus, “Explain what you meant when you said people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”

“Don’t you understand?” Jesus asked him. “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body. But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God!” (Matthew 15:15-20)

Paul also lists ‘impure thoughts’ among the products of the sinful nature that bring people into captivity.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, he feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

Wikipedia[17] offers this definition of worry: ‘Worry is thoughts and images of a negative nature in which mental attempts are made to avoid anticipated potential threats. As an emotion it is experienced as anxiety or concern about a real or imagined issue, usually personal issues such as health or finances or broader ones such as environmental pollution and social or technological change. Most people experience short-lived periods of worry in their lives without incident.’ Martha was a lady who worried a lot when guests were expected, always welcoming yet prone to worry. Luke tells us of the occasion when Jesus and the disciples called in on their way to Jerusalem.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her. (Luke 10:38-42)

It is one thing to be worried from time to time, like Martha appeared to be. It is quite another however, to worry over everything, to the point of becoming captive to worry. The Victorian Government website Better Health[18] affirms that ‘worry and anxiety can take over the life of some people’—surely a captivity that anyone would want to be set free from. David tells us that he found that freedom in the Lord.

Who stood up for me against the wicked? Who took my side against evil workers? If God hadn’t been there for me, I would never have made it. The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,” your love, God, took hold and held me fast. When I was upset and beside myself, [When my anxious thoughts multiply within me NASB] you calmed me down and cheered me up. (Psalm 94:16-19. The Message)

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. (1 Peter 5:6-9)

On the other hand, David one day asked the Lord to tell him if there was anything in his life that would make him responsible for the anxiety within so that he could deal with it himself.

Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24. NIV)

Peter also drew attention to the responsibility we have in caring for ourselves when he said, quoted above, that we were to be always on the lookout for ‘attacks from the Devil,’ and that we should ‘take a firm stand against him.’ That is, against …

Behind all the forms of captivity identified above, is the creativity of Satan himself. He uses all of those and more as he continues to think up new ways of taking people captive. Paul reminds Timothy to remain watchful.

If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for his purpose. Your life will be clean and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. The Lord’s servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will believe the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do what he wants. (2 Timothy 2:21-26)

Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that Christians all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

Just as those people of Israel were set free from their captivity in Babylon and restored to their homeland, so too may we who have been taken captive by our sinfulness, be set free by accepting the forgiveness and restoration provided for us in the sacrificial death of Christ. Paul tells us of his discovery of this truth as he concludes his description of the inner battle that raged within him.

Oh what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 7:24-25a)

Charles Wesley describes his experience in the fourth verse of his hymn ‘And Can It Be’ …

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

As it was for Wesley, so it can be for all who will turn to the Lord in faith. Christ can replace the captivity brought about by our sinfulness with the freedom to be found in being a captive of the Lord. Isaiah made these predictions of him …

And you will be a light to guide all nations to me. You will open the eyes of the blind and free the captives from prison. You will release those who sit in dark dungeons. (Isaiah 42:6b-7)

Jesus gave those he taught in one of the synagogues on one occasion, the opportunity to see him as the one spoken of when he quoted another of Isaiah’s references to the work of the coming Messiah …

When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll containing the messages of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him, and he unrolled the scroll to the place where it says:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”[19]

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue stared at him intently. Then he said, “This Scripture has come true today before your very eyes!”

All who were there spoke well of him and were amazed by the gracious words that fell from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:16-22)

Back now to Paul’s reference to Christ, that ‘When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.’ Let’s consider the question, what does it mean to be a captive of the Lord? For Paul it meant …

Having responded to the Lord’s call to take his message to the Gentiles as well as to his fellow Israelites, Paul never wavered in his commitment despite the many difficulties that came across his path. He was constantly thinking of and praying for those he ministered to. To the church in Corinth for example, he wrote …

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you.

But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believe in God, and so I speak.” We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you. All of these things are for your benefit. And as God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving and God will receive more and more glory.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now, rather we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over but the joys to come will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:8-18)

It was a life time commitment that enabled Paul to say at the end of his life …

My time has almost run out. Very soon now I will be on my way to heaven. I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to stop fighting and rest. In heaven a crown is waiting for me which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just to me, but to all those whose lives show that they are looking forward to his coming back again. (2 Timothy 4:6b-8)

It was when writing to the church members in Corinth that Paul made reference to our thoughts as being brought into the captivity of Christ. This was one of the goals of his teaching, that the thinking of those he taught might be captivated by biblical truth, taken captive by the one who is ‘the way, the truth, and the life.’[20]

By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am ‘timid’ when face to face with you, but ‘bold’ when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:1-5 NIV)

What Paul has in mind in this paragraph of his letter is that of contrasting mind-sets. On the one hand there is the mind-set of those who think in terms of the ‘standards of this world,’ while on the other is the thinking of those whose mind is captive to, is obedient to the Lord. The former is a mind constantly in turmoil, while the latter is a mind at rest. Speaking of the Lord, Isaiah writes …

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always for the LORD God is the eternal rock. (Isaiah 26:3)

Captivated by love

This thought comes from “Solomon’s song of songs, more wonderful than any other,”[21] when the young man says of the woman he loves, “Your head is as majestic as Mount Carmel, and the sheen of your hair radiates royalty. A king is held captive in your queenly tresses.” (Song of Songs 7:5) Earlier in the song, the young lady says of her beloved …

³“And compared to other youths, my lover is like the finest apple tree in the orchard. I am seated in his delightful shade, and his fruit is delicious to eat. ⁴He brings me to the banquet hall so everyone can see how much he loves me. ⁵Oh, feed me with your love—your ‘raisins’ and your ‘apples’—for I am utterly lovesick! ⁶His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.

⁷Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the swift gazelles and the deer of the wild, not to awaken love until the time is right.

⁸Ah, I hear him—my lover! Here he comes, leaping on the mountains and bounding over the hills. ⁹My lover is like a swift gazelle or a young deer. Look, there he is behind the wall! Now he is looking in through the window, gazing into the room.

¹⁰My lover said to me, ‘Rise up, my beloved, my fair one, and come away. ¹¹For the winter is past, and the rain is over and gone. ¹²The flowers are springing up, and the time of singing birds has come, even the cooing of turtledoves. ¹³The fig trees are budding, and the grapevines are in blossom. How delicious they smell! Yes, spring is here! Arise, my beloved, my fair one, and come away.’ ” (Song of Solomon 2:3-13)

What a picture of a person being captivated by love has Solomon drawn for us here! And beneath that canvas lies another. Can you see there a picture of Christ the Lord and Saviour? Pictured there as a bridegroom coming for his bride? We find this imagery in Isaiah’s prediction of the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah draws this word picture of him using the brush stroke of the Messiah’s own words, “I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10).

When life situations heat up, there is calmness to be found in the protective shade of his presence (vs. 3a). There is tasty and satisfying food to be found in his word (vs. 3b), comfort in his love (vs. 4-5), and support when exhausted (vs. 6). And then there is the expectation of his coming (vs. 8-13). In these days of crisis and uncertainty can you hear him approaching, like the young lady who said, “Ah, I hear him—my lover! Here he comes.” Do you hear his voice calling you now to come away with him? To be captivated by his love? In 1846 Horatius Bonar penned his response in these words …

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one,
Lay down Thy head upon my breast.
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting-place,
And he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink, and live.
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
I am this dark world's light;
Look unto me, thy morn shall rise,
And all thy day be bright.
I looked to Jesus, and I found
In him my Star, my Sun;
And in that light of life I'll walk
Till traveling days are done.

The picture of forgiveness the psalmist draws here would have been well understood by the people. It displays a glorious panorama of meaning for us also. “LORD … You have forgiven the guilt of your people—you have covered all their sins.” (vs. 1a, 2). The richness of meaning flows from the words the psalmist uses in drawing his word picture—forgiven, covered.

The Hebrew word translated ‘forgiven’ is nasah. The primary sense in its meaning is ‘to lift, to carry, to carry something away.’ It is not difficult to see why this word comes to convey the idea of forgiveness. In choosing to use this word the psalmist may well have had in mind the ceremonies conducted on the day of atonement. On that special day the people gathered for worship and to seek forgiveness for their sins. The animals set aside for the sacrificial offerings to be presented to the Lord were brought to the tabernacle. Among them were two male goats. One would be the sacrificial offering and the other the ‘scapegoat.’ The meaning that attaches to the place of this goat in the ceremony remains today, as it has become a term to refer to ‘someone who is made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place.’[22] Moses[23] records the instructions for the part to be played by the two goats.

Aaron … must bring the two male goats and present them to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle. He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be sacrificed to the LORD and which one will be the scapegoat. The goat chosen to be sacrificed to the LORD will be presented by Aaron as a sin offering. The goat chosen to be the scapegoat will be presented to the LORD alive. When it is sent away into the wilderness, it will make atonement for the people … When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, and the altar, he must bring the living goat forward. He is to lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the sins and rebellion of the Israelites. In this way, he will lay the people’s sins on the head of the goat, then he will send it out into the wilderness, led by a man chosen for this task. After the man sets it free in the wilderness, the goat will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land. (Leviticus 16:6-10 … 20-22)

It is helpful to digress for a moment to consider the question of how the Jewish sacrificial system could provide for the forgiveness of sins. It is because the Lord is seeing in that system the sacrificial death of Christ. Peter writes of Christ’s sacrificial death as already having taken place in the mind of God.

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days he was sent to earth for all to see. And he did this for you. (1 Peter 1:18-20)

For us now, ‘The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of the things to come, not the reality of the good things Christ has done for us.’[24] Our trust is in the sacrificial death of Christ. But for the people then, God’s forgiveness was possible because he was accepting Christ’s coming sacrifice as having been already accomplished on their behalf, albeit only pictured in the system of sacrifices at that time. John makes reference to this when he writes of the “Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb who was killed before the world was made.” (Revelation 13:8b)

The aspect of forgiveness that is the focus in the psalmist’s choice of nasah, is pictured in the role of the scapegoat. Just as the scapegoat carried away the sins of the people so has Christ. It was in this light that Isaiah wrote of his sacrificial death, using the same word as Psalmist, nasah.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried (nasah) our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:3-6 NIV)

I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore (nasah) the sins of many and interceded for sinners. (Isaiah 53:12)

Peter takes up this same aspect in one of his letters when speaking of Christ’s death he writes …

He never sinned, and he never deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds! Once you were wandering like lost sheep. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. (1 Peter 2:22-25)

The Hebrew word translated as ‘covered’ in the phrase ‘you have covered all their sins,’ is kasah meaning ‘to cover over, to clothe.’ It is a word closely related to kaphar. We find this word kaphar appearing several times in describing the atonement day ceremonies. For example …

In future generations, the atonement (kaphar) ceremony will be performed by the appointed priest who serves in place of his ancestor Aaron. He will put on the holy linen garments and make atonement (kaphar) for the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and the entire community. This is a permanent law for you, to make atonement (kaphar) for the Israelites once each year. (Leviticus 16:32-34)

The ark provided the only way of salvation for earth’s earliest inhabitants. We find a picture of atonement in its construction, when tar was used to cover the inside and outside of the hull.

Now the earth had become corrupt in God’s sight, and it was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, and he saw violence and depravity everywhere. So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Yes, I will wipe them all from the face of the earth!

Make a boat from resinous wood and seal (kaphar) it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. (Genesis 6:11-14)

David was not only aware of God’s mercy but also of his displeasure at the sinfulness rife in the world. In another psalm he writes …

God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right. God is a judge who is perfectly fair. He is angry with the wicked every day. If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword, he will bend and string his bow. He will prepare his deadly weapons and ignite his flaming arrows. (Psalm 7:10-13)

How then, was David able to say of the Lord that his anger towards him and the people back in the land had ended? How is it that we can today can sing along with the people then, “You have withdrawn your fury. You have ended your blazing anger?” (vs. 3) It is because God’s anger has been transferred to Christ on the cross on our behalf. It was there that he took upon himself the punishment that we were due for. Isaiah wrote of this aspect of our salvation when he said of him, “… the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”[25]

Those who have repented of their sins, acknowledged that Christ has taken the death penalty in their place, and accepted him as Lord, are no longer the subjects of God’s displeasure. “Those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God,”[26] and “it is impossible to please God without faith,”[27] but when trusting in Christ the Christian believer is in that place which is pleasing to God. We can never do things that we think might please the Lord in order to earn our salvation, but now in Christ, and as a result of being saved by God’s grace, ought to be living lives that please him.

For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom Of God. Let no-one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Be very careful then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks giving thanks to God the father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Where are we now then, in our reading of this Psalm? From the story so far, we have drawn meaningful lessons for ourselves: We have learned of some of the forms of captivity that we can become captive to. We have understood what Paul’s reference to Christ, ‘When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people,’ can mean for us today. We have noted that following the return to their homeland after exile in Babylon, the people’s initial joy came from: An appreciation of the blessings received, the restoration of a sense of wellbeing, the finding of a new freedom in becoming a captive of the Lord, receiving the assurance of sins forgiven, and becoming aware that God’s displeasure over them had ended.

But now as we read on in the psalm we find the choir leading the people in a prayer, asking God to “Now turn to us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us.” (vs. 4) This comes after rejoicing in the fact that God had ended his ‘blazing anger’ (vs. 3) against them. Something must have happened between verses three and four to bring about this change in the song. It must be that following the initial joy of their salvation there has been ..

What may have contributed to the drifting away? As we have seen, it all began well. Enthusiasm ran high as materials for rebuilding the Temple started to arrive from Tyre and Sidon, and the people began work with the laying of the foundations.

They rebuilt the altar at its old sight … They celebrated the Festival of Shelters as prescribed in the law of Moses, sacrificing the burnt offerings specified for each day of the festival … Freewill offerings were also sacrificed to the LORD by the people … before they had started to lay the foundation of the LORD’s Temple … Then they hired masons and carpenters and bought cedar logs from the people of Tyre and Sidon, paying them with food, wine , and olive oil. The logs were brought down from the Lebanon mountains and floated along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Joppa, for King Cyrus had given permission for this.

The construction of the Temple of God began in mid-spring, during the second year after they arrived in Jerusalem. The work force was made up of everyone who had returned from exile, including Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jehozadak and his fellow priest, and all the Levites. The Levites who were twenty years old or older were put in charge of rebuilding the LORD’s Temple. (Ezra 3:3, 4, 5, 6, 7-8)

It was when the foundations had been completed however, that we notice the beginning of a drifting away. There are lessons here for those engaged in Christian work today …

As they looked over the foundations and could visualize the size of the Temple when completed, it was not long before some of the older people began to compare it with the Temple of old. Notice that the drifting is starting in the leadership. Can’t you hear them complaining, “It’s too small. Things aren’t what they used to be. They don’t build things like they used to.”

When the builders completed the foundation of the LORD’s Temple … Many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders remembered the first Temple, they wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. (Ezra 3:10, 12a)

The younger people however, disagreed and saw the new foundation as cause for rejoicing. They reveled in the new ways of doing things. While the older members of the congregation continued to complain about the way the building was progressing the young kept right on singing and praising the Lord.

The others however, were shouting for joy. The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud commotion that could be heard far in the distance. (Ezra 3:12b-13)

The commotion created by the clashing of the two views would not have been a good witness for the Lord.

The drift gathers momentum with each passing day of neglect. Early in his dissertation on Christ’s priestly ministry as it is pictured in the Jewish sacrificial system, the author of the Hebrews treatise draws attention to the possibility of the Christian believer drifting away from Biblical certainty.

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. The message God delivered through angels has always proved true and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak, and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so. (Hebrews 2:1-4)

The author draws his picture from the Greek word παραρεω (pararewō) ‘to flow by, to slip away.’ This word picture makes Donald Guthrie[28] think of something ‘flowing past like driftwood in a river.’ William Barclay understands the author to be using the word in its nautical sense.[29] For him the word draws a picture of ‘… a ship which has been carelessly allowed to slip past a harbor or a haven because the mariner has forgotten to allow for the wind or the current or the tide.’ It is, Barclay[30] continues, ‘a vivid picture of a ship drifting to destruction because the pilot sleeps.’ Philip Hughes[31] sees in the word picture a Christian believer drifting away from Scriptural truth like that of a ship drifting from its moorings. He writes …

The metaphor in mind here seems to carry one away from a fixed point through carelessness and unconcern and, instead of keeping a firm grip on the truth, of failing to maintain a secure anchorage which will keep one from drifting from the Gospel.

That secure anchorage for us to hold onto is the Scriptures. The truths contained in them hold us steady when the storms of false teaching rage around us. The author of the Hebrews treatise[32] writes of the hope the Scriptures give him to hold onto …

This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. (Hebrews 6:19a)

And the author of that masterful treatise on the Scriptures, Psalm 119, writes of their importance to him as he prays …

“Be good to your servant, that I may live and obey your word. Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law. I am but a foreigner here on earth. I need the guidance of your commands. Don’t hide them from me! I am overwhelmed continually with a desire for your laws. You rebuke those cursed proud ones who wander from your commands. Don’t let them scorn and insult me, for I have obeyed your decrees. Even princes sit and speak against me, but I will meditate on your principles. Your decrees please me. They give me wise advice …

Remember your promise to me, for it is my only hope. Your promise revives me, it comforts me in all my troubles …

Your principles have been the music of my life, throughout the years of my pilgrimage …

I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your statutes. I will hurry, without lingering, to obey your commands. Evil people try to drag me into sin, but I am firmly anchored to your law.” (Psalm 119:17-24, 49-50, 54, 59-61)

From Ezra’s account of the story and his ministry to his people, we can identify some of the factors that contributed to the people of Israel’s drifting away from the Lord.

With high hopes the people began the rebuilding of the temple around the middle of the year 536 BC. But over the next sixteen or so years, intense opposition brought about a gradual decline in the people’s enthusiasm and the work came to a halt. First came the offer of some of Israel’s enemies to help them in the work. “Let’s build with you,”[33] they said, but their only intention was to infiltrate their ranks and bring the work to an end. When that failed they wore the people down with years of verbal harassment.

Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their aims. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne. (Ezra 4:4-5)

Eventually they were able to get a letter from the king denying them government approval to proceed with the building and so it was that …

The work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem had stopped, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia. (Ezra 4:24)

However with the rise of a new King, Darius, government approval was once again given. It was then that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah encouraged the people to get to work once more. Haggai brought this message to them from the Lord …

“Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the LORD Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! You have planted much but harvested little. You have food to eat, but not enough o fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

This is what the LORD Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! Now go up to the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD.”

Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave the people this message from the LORD: “I am with you, says the LORD!” So the LORD sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people. They came and began their work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God. This was on September 21 of the second year of King Darius’ reign. (Haggai 1:4-8, 13-15)

So the Jewish leaders continued their work, and were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. The Temple was completed on March 12, during the sixth year of King Darius’ reign.

The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile. (Ezra 6:14-16)

But it was not long before the people began to drift away from the Lord once more. Contributing to the drift this time was …

It was with much joy and a sense of achievement that the people celebrated the Passover when they had finished the rebuilding program.

The Passover meal was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile and by the others in the land who had turned from their immoral customs to worship the LORD the God of Israel. They ate the Passover meal and celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout the land because the LORD had changed the attitude of the King of Assyria toward them, so that he helped them to rebuild the Temple of God, the God of Israel. (Ezra 6:21-22)

Immediately following the ending of a project is the time to beware. It is then that lethargy may descend on those involved. With the difficulties and hard work behind us at such times it is easy to adopt the attitude of it’s time to take it easy. As everything is going along nicely now it may seem that there is not the same need to trust in the Lord for help. Less and less time is set aside for prayer and looking into the Scriptures for guidance and encouragement.

Moses was aware of this danger. As the long years of their journey to the promised land were nearing completion, he spoke strongly to the people of Israel of the need to be especially careful after they had taken possession of the land and settled into their new way of life.

So obey the commands of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with springs that gush forth in the valleys and hills. It is a land of wheat and barley, of grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, olives, and honey. It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. When you have eaten your fill, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and laws. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, that is the time to be careful. (Deuteronomy 8:6-14a)

But like us, those people were slow to learn. They did forget the warning for after entering the land they drifted away from the Lord and never took full possession of it. And again after returning from exile in Babylon and completing the rebuilding of the Temple, they drifted once more. Returning now to our psalm we find the psalmist …

To experience again the joy that came with the return to their homeland and the excitement of rebuilding their lives there, and to regain that sense of well being will mean …

And so the psalmist prays “Now restore us again, O God of our salvation.” (vs. 4a). Jesus once told a moving story as an illustration of the “joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”[34] The younger of two sons asked for an early gift of his inheritance. He then broke with his family then left home to take his chances in the world. It was not long however before he had ‘wasted all his money on wild living.’ Destitute and starving ‘he finally came to his senses.’ He decided to return home, and ask for forgiveness. Feeling totally unworthy however, he asked not for restoration to the family circle as a son but as one of the farm laborers.[35] As he began the walk back home he wondered how his father would receive him.

When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, “At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.’ ”

So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son and embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.”

But his father said to the servants, “Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.” So the party began. (Luke 15:17-24)

Notice that the boy’s father saw him while he was still a long way off. His father must have been continually looking into the distance for him. He must have been praying for him and expecting that he would someday come home. Notice also that as soon as he saw his son coming, the father raced out of the house and ran to meet him. The son approached his father hungry and dirty, and fearful of his reception. His father however ran towards his son with a heart overflowing with love and forgiveness.

For another picture of what it means to drift away from the Lord we go back to a church in the first century AD. The church in Ephesus was well known for its hard work, perseverance in times of difficulty, and its stand against error. But its members had drifted out of the relationship with God that they had once enjoyed. They had left their first love for him and his word. They were now out of touch with him. And so John sends them a letter containing this message from the Lord …

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I have this against you. You have forsaken your first love. Remember he height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” (Revelation 2:2-5)

For those who may be wandering around lost and lonely, estranged from their heavenly Father, like that young man in the story Jesus told, and for any of us who have drifted slowly away from the happiness of our first love, like those in the church at Ephesus, the Lord is there, for that is his name. He is there, waiting for our repentance and longing to restore the broken relationship. It is now over two thousand years since he provided the way through the sacrificial death of Christ. And still he waits, giving humankind the maximum possible time to turn to him before the day of the Lord finally comes. For, as Peter writes …

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think, No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.

Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! You should look forward to that day and hurry it along—the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God. (2 Peter 3:9-13)

Yes, he is there always ready to restore that broken relationship, for as Peter writes …

In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a sure foundation. All power is his forever and ever. (1 Peter 4:10-11)

Paul urges Christians to always be ready to help any of their number who may be drifting away to get back on track. To the churches in Galatia he writes …

Dear friends, if a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back on the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same relationship yourself. Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody. (Galatians 6:1-3)

The Greek word giving rise to the translation ‘help that person back on the right path’ is καταρτιζω (katartidzō). A strong component in the meaning of this word has in it the idea of ‘mending’ something. It is the word Matthew uses to describe what James and John were doing when Jesus invited them to become his disciples. They were “ …sitting in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending (καταρτιζω) their nets.” And so it was appropriate for Paul to use the word in encouraging Christians to help a person who may be drifting away from the Lord to get back on track, to help them mend the broken relationship.

That then is what the psalmist is praying for when he asks “Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?” (vs. 4-5). He is praying for the restoration, the mending of the broken relationship as his people remain adrift from the Lord.

As the people drifted further away from the Lord following the completion of the temple building, any vision for the conduct of temple services that would bring glory to the Lord and see people coming to know him gradually receded. The temple lacked appropriate fittings, there was nothing to make it attractive enough for people to want to come in, and, as it was in the time of King Asa in Judah, once again “ … Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without God’s law.”[36] And so the psalmist prays, “Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?” (vs. 6) The Hebrew word used here is chayah which has the primary meaning ‘to live’. The several components give us the meanings of ‘restoration to life, coming alive again, recovery of life.’

As the psalmist prays now for revival he could be encouraged by the Lord’s promise to the people when they were in exile in Babylon. Ezekiel describes the picture that was drawn for him then. The people are pictured as dead men with only their lifeless bones spread around a valley floor. The question is asked of Daniel, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” If we see the church today as being without life, consisting in many places as just a collection of old bones, we might well ask the same question. Is revival possible? Here is the picture presented to Ezekiel.

The LORD took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the LORD to a valley filled with bones. He led me around among the old, dry bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

The he said to me, “Speak to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to breathe into you and make you live again! (chaya, revive) I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. (chaya, revive) Then you will know that I am the LORD.

So I spoke these words, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as they had been before. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Speak to the winds and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says; Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so that they may live again.’ ” (chaya, revive)

So I spoke as he commanded me, and the wind entered the bodies, and they began to breathe. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army of them.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old dry bones—all hope is gone.’ Now give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the LORD. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will know that I am the LORD. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I am the LORD. You will see that I have done everything just as I promise. I, the LORD, have spoken.”

Would this have been the thinking of the people as they began to drift away after completing the Temple building, and their vision of the future faded—‘We have become old dry bones, all hope has gone?’ Could it be the way that many of us in the church of today are feeling? With old dry bones all around us, and even perhaps feeling that we too are part of the dryness, have we given up hope of ever see revival among God’s people? Are we discouraged when there appears to be little thirst for the waters of life, the Scriptures? Join the psalmist in his prayer: “Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?” Continuing the rhetorical question form of the psalmists prayer, ask the Lord if he will not revive the faded vision, that there might be a revival of enthusiasm for the work of the Lord. Habakkuk prayed for such a revival at another time in the nation’s history.

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth[37], “LORD, I have heard the report about Thee and I fear. O LORD, revive (chaya) Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known. In wrath remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:1-2 NASB)

The New Living Translation puts the request this way, enhancing the meaning for us …

This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk: “I have heard all about you, LORD, and I am filled with awe by the amazing things you have done. In this time of our deep need, begin again to help us ((chaya, revive), as you did in years gone by. Show us your power to save us. And in your anger, remember your mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:1-2 NLT)

A prayer of the prophet Habakkuk, with orchestra: “God, I’ve heard what our ancestors say about you, and I’m stopped in my tracks, down on my knees. Do among us what you did among them (chaya, revive). And as you bring judgment, as you surely must, remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:1-2 The Message)

“Come back, we beg you, O God almighty. Look down from heaven and see our plight. Watch over and care for this vine that you yourself have planted, this son you have raised for yourself. For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies. May they perish at the sight of your frown.

Strengthen the man you love, the son of your choice. Then we will never forsake you again. Revive us so we can call on your name once more. Turn us again to yourself, O LORD God Almighty. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. (Psalm 80:14-19)

The prayers of those people for revival at different times in the history of their nation remind us that it may well be a prayer that all of us could pray each morning. For it is then that the Lord draws near with an assurance of his love and care for us, giving us fresh hope and the strength we needed to face the challenges of each new day. It is the revival that we all need each morning. Jeremiah writes of his experience …

Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!”

The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness, his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance, therefore I will hope in him.”

The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. (Lamentations 3:17-26)

The psalmist realizes that he and the people of his nation need to see afresh just what their God is like. He is not like the so called gods of the people around them. For, as another psalmist writes …

Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be revered above all gods. The gods of other nations are merely idols, but the LORD made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. O nations of the world, recognize the LORD, recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong. (Psalm 96:4-7)

The Lord has always been there for his people, always is there, and always will be there for them, as another of Israel’s song writers assures us …

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God himself lives in that city, it cannot be destroyed. God will protect it at the break of day. The nations are in an uproar, and kingdoms crumbled! God thunders and the earth melts!

The LORD Almighty is here among us, the God of Israel is our fortress. (Psalm 46:1-7))

But as the nation remains adrift from the Lord just now, our psalmist asks that the Lord may show himself afresh to his people. Join him in his prayer, “Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.” (vs. 7) He is praying that once again they might see the Lord acting for them in their troubled times, to see him in all his greatness, to feel his presence in their lives, to experience again his help.

Remembering other times when they had seen the Lord working for them would have encouraged the psalmist in his prayer. For example, going back to the days before the Babylonian exile, he would have learned that when they do not know what to do and hand the situation over to the Lord, it is then that they see him at work. Enemies are at their borders, ready to invade. Jehoshaphat gathers the people together for prayer …

So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the LORD. So Jehoshaphat stood before the people of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the LORD. He prayed, “O LORD, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty. No one can stand against you … O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

As all the men of Judah stood before the LORD with their little ones, wives, and children, the Spirit of the LORD came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph. Said, “Listen, King Jehoshaphat! Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions, then stand still and watch the LORD’s victory. He is with you , O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out there tomorrow for the LORD is with you!” ( 2 Chronicles 20:4-6, 12-17)

The promise given to Jehoshaphat so long ago, when he and the people did not know what to do, became meaningful for my wife and I at a time when we too did not know what to do. We were about to return to Beama village at Oro Bay in Papua New Guinea after our furlough assignment in Australia. As members of Wycliffe Bible Translators we had built our house in the village five years before and were making good progress in translating the New Testament into the language of the people. We had learned that while we were away the people had moved the village to a new location. This left us anxious about what we should do. Back now at our base at Ukarumpa in the highlands we were packed and ready for the two hour flight down to the village in the morning. That night, reading in my Living Bible at the time, the chapter in Chronicles quoted above, I came to the promise that I felt was meant for us just then.

“But you will not need to fight. Take your places, stand quietly, and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem! Don’t be afraid or discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the LORD is with you.” (vs. 17)

And that’s exactly what we experienced, an ‘incredible rescue operation’. The village leaders made a place for us to rebuild in their brand new village along the shores of the Bay. The provincial government granted us use of the former patrol officer’s home nearby for the several weeks needed for the operation. Different men came each morning to help us dismantle our village home, and stack the frames, roofing, floor timbers, and steps neatly to one side. The family which owned the village truck then came to our rescue, firstly to transport our furniture and household goods to the patrol officer’s house, and then the various components of the now dismantled house to the new site. A friend and supporter in Australia sent a gift to help with any costs involved in the rebuilding. About a month later we were back at work in our new village home with the waves of the sea breaking gently nearby and ready for us to dive into at the end of each day’s work at the translation desk, or out among the people listening for new words and ways to transfer the meaning from the Scriptures into the ways of the language. Incredible!

As he prayed, the psalmist may also have been encourage when he remembered the revival that occurred during the reign of King Josiah in Judah. Once again the people were adrift on the sea of idol worship. Instead of meeting to hear the Scriptures taught, the people had been gathering at pagan shrines, worshipping around the Asherah poles, and meeting at the feet of the carved idols and metal images of their neighbors. Wikipedia describes an Asherah pole as “a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honor the Ugaritic mother-goddess, Asherah consort of El.” The Encyclopedia Britannica adds the explanation that “the word asherah in the Old Testament was used not only in reference to the goddess herself but also to a wooden cult object associated with her worship.” As he thought back to those times our psalmist would have remembered that it was then that Josiah came to the throne. Still a young man he began to pray for the situation to change. We read that …

During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David. Then in the twelfth year, he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images. He saw to it that the altars for the images of Baal and their incense altars were torn down. He also made sure that the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images were smashed and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. Then he burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem. He did the same thing in the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even as far as Naphtali. (2 Chronicles 34:3-6)

It is never sufficient however to get rid of the wrong elements operating in a society. Reform is of no use unless there is a replacement of the wrong by a better way. This happened six years later with the discovery of what was missing in their lives. It came about during a time of reform but it was not the reform that created the better way, it was the discovery of what was missing that brought about the change. It was in the eighteenth year of his reign that Josiah arranged for the repair of the Temple building. He appointed men to supervise the work and raised the necessary finances for the project to proceed. Carpenters and masons were employed, and cut stone for the walls and timber for the rafters and beams were purchased.[38] We read of a happily functioning work place.

The workers served faithfully under the leadership of Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the Merarite clan, and Zechariah and Meshullam, Levites of the Kohathite clan. Other Levites, all of whom were skilled musicians, were put in charge of the laborers of the various trades. Still others assisted as secretaries, officials, and gatekeepers. (2 Chronicles 34:12-13)

It was while all this was happening that the discovery was made. Hilkiah had evidently been foraging among the dusty archives in the neglected rooms of the temple looking for the financial records in which to add the details of the money collected for the repair when he made the discovery. It would have been with some surprise and yet delight that he showed what he had found to the court secretary.

As Hilkiah the high priest was recording the money collected at the LORD’s Temple, he found the Book of the Law of the LORD as it had been given through Moses. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the LORD’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.

Shaphan took the scroll to the king and reported, “Your officials are doing everything they were assigned to do. The money that was collected at the Temple of the LORD has been given to the supervisors and workmen.” Shaphan also said to the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king. (2 Chronicles 34:14-18)

As he listened, Josiah realized that what had been found was none other than a portion of the Scriptures. He was deeply moved by what was being read to him from the scroll. After conferring with others, he decided that what he had heard must be shared with the nation.

Then the king summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up to the Temple of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites—all the people from the greatest to the least. There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the LORD’s Temple. The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the LORD’s presence. He pledged to obey the LORD by keeping all his commands, regulations, and laws with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll. And he required everyone in Jerusalem and the people of Benjamin to make a similar pledge. As the people of Jerusalem did this, they renewed their covenant with God, the God of their ancestors.

So Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the LORD their God. And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from the LORD, the God of their ancestors. (2 Chronicles 34:29-33)

Beginning with the leader of the nation, the drift was reversed as the people caught a new vision of who the Lord was and what he required of them. Revival had come.

As our psalmist may have recalled these and other times of spiritual awakening across the nation, and as he continued to pray, “Won’t you revive us again so your people can rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love O LORD, and grant us your salvation,”[39] he may well have been asking himself, “Can it happen again?” It can and it did.

Remember that we are following the position of Scroggie and other biblical scholars that the time following the nation’s exile in Babylon provides the setting for this psalm. With that in mind we are at the point where after seventy years of exile in Babylon many of the people had taken up the option to return to their homeland. Babylon had fallen to Persia and was now under the rule of the Persian King Cyrus who gave the permission for the people of Israel to return. Following him came other rulers until we come to King Artaxerxes. The temple had been rebuilt but by now the people’s initial joy had faded, faith was at a low ebb, enthusiasm for God’s work had waned, and the people were adrift and directionless. The psalmist had prayed for revival. How did God answer his prayers? Enter Ezra!

How can we be sure that he was not just a mythological figure in folklore, like the hero of Gulliver’s Travels, a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift? I am reminded of what one man said to me soon after he had begun to read the newly published New Testament in his language, Ewage, spoken by the coastal people of Oro Province in Papua New Guinea. After reading the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, where he found a record of the genealogy of Jesus, he said, “Now I know that Jesus was a real person because those in stories that are myths do not have a genealogy.” This is precisely the reason for our confidence that Ezra was a real person involved in real historical events in real time, for when he is introduced to us in the biblical record we are given his genealogy, taking us right back to Aaron, brother of Moses.

Many years later during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, there was a man named Ezra. He was the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, son of Serahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the high priest. (Ezra 7:1-5)

This Ezra was a scribe, well versed in the law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel. He came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the LORD his God was on him. Some of the people of Israel, as well as some of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple servants, travelled up to Jerusalem with him in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes’ reign.

Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in August of that year. He had left Babylon on April 8 and came to Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the law of the LORD and to teach those laws and regulations to the people of Israel. (Ezra 7:6-10)

As a man of the book he did what Paul has encouraged all of us to do—to work hard in studying the Scriptures, and to faithfully pass on to others the truth that is discovered. Paul wrote of this to Timothy for example …

Remind everyone of these things, and command them in God’s name to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:14-15)

He did not hold back in delivering God’s message to them in its totality. He held nothing back.[40] On his arrival in Jerusalem, Ezra soon learned of the extent of his peoples’ drifting. He writes …

But then the Jewish leaders came to me and said, “Many people of Israel, and even some of the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the other peoples living in the land. They have taken up detestable practices of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken then as wives for their sons. So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages. To make matters worse, the officials and leaders are some of the worst offenders.” (Ezra 9:1-2)

The seriousness of the situation lay in the fact that marrying into the cultures of those people would have meant adopting the ‘detestable practices’ of their religious systems. Greatly disturbed by the news, Ezra continues to share the moment with us when he leads the people in prayer as they gather together before the Lord …

When I heard this, I tore my clothing, pulled the hair from my head and beard, and sat down utterly shocked. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel came and sat with me because of this unfaithfulness of his people. And I sat there utterly appalled until the time of the evening sacrifice. At the time of the sacrifice, I stood up from where I had sat in mourning with my clothes torn. I fell to my knees, lifted my hands to the LORD my God. I prayed, “O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens … ”

While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and throwing himself to the ground in front of the Temple of God, a large crowd of people from Israel—men, women, and children—gathered and wept bitterly with him. (Ezra 9:3-6, 10:1)

“We confess that we have been unfaithful to our God , for we have married these pagan women of the land. But there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Let us now make a covenant with our God to divorce our pagan wives and to send them away with their children. We will follow the advice given by you and by the others who respect the commands of our God. We will obey the law of God. Take courage, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight, and we will cooperate fully.” (Ezra 10:2-4)

Ezra then addressed the people to encourage them to follow through with their decision. He then called upon everyone who had returned to their land to come to Jerusalem to consider their position. The nation responded to his call.

Within three days, all the people of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem. This took place in December 19 and all the people were sitting in the square before the Temple of God. They were trembling both because of the seriousness of the matter and because it was raining. Then Ezra the priest stood and said to them: “You have sinned, for you have married pagan women. Now we are even more deeply under condemnation than we were before. Confess your sin to the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and do what he demands. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from these pagan women.”

Then the whole assembly raised their voices and answered, “Yes, you are right, we must do as you say!” Then they added, “This isn’t something that can be done in a day or two, for many of us are involved in this extremely sinful affair. This is the rainy season, so we can’t stay out here much longer. (Ezra 10:9-13)

At least two factors have emerged from the story so far. A primary reason for the drift away from the Lord was now apparent—that of a man marrying a woman who did not share with him in his faith in God. It may have been that the man thought she would come to believe in his God after marriage and all would be well. But it seldom happens that way, rather the opposite. Slowly the man drifts away and either follows the religious beliefs of his wife or goes the way of an agnostic. This is why Paul offers this advice for us today …

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.[41] Therefore, come out from among them and separate yourself from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.[42] And I will be your Father and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”[43]

Another important factor to notice in the story is this: The awakening needs to be maintained. Revival is not a once and for all experience. It is not meant to be a periodic event in the church calendar. It is to be the continuing day by day experience of God’s people. But this was not always the experience of the people of Israel. Many changes had taken place in their lives. The rebuilding of the temple was complete. Worship services as they were meant to be had been recommenced. But the spiritual fervor of the revival seems to decline over the next few years. This brings us to notice something else about Ezra. In times of discouragement …

Fourteen years passed quickly by. People still went to the Temple services but were their hearts in it? What the Lord said of his people on another occasion may well be said of them at this time also—a picture perhaps of the church today in many parts of the world? Isaiah writes …

The LORD says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote. Because of this I will do wonders among these hypocrites. I will show that human wisdom is foolish and even the most brilliant people lack understanding. (Isaiah 29:13-14)

But notice the assurance that comes to Isaiah as he hears that assessment of where the people really are at in their spiritual journey.

Soon—and it will not be very long—the wilderness of Lebanon will be a fertile field once again. And the fertile fields will become a lush and fertile forest. In that day deaf people will hear words read from a book, and blind people will see through the gloom and darkness. The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the LORD. Those who are poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 29:17:19)

The people had continued to attend the Temple services but spiritual life was at a low ebb. Parts of the city fell into disrepair and the city wall became reduced to a heap of rubble. Will the people who have become spiritually deaf, ‘hear words read from a book’? Will those who have become spiritually blind ‘see through the gloom and the darkness’? Yes they will, for Ezra kept right on teaching. It came about after Nehemiah arrived to help with the rebuilding of the wall. Nehemiah was a prominent Jewish man employed by the Persian government in Susa.[44] In his journal he tells us how he heard about the situation in Jerusalem.

In late autumn of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had survived the captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been burned. (Nehemiah 1:1-3)

Nehemiah prayed about the situation then went to the king to ask his permission to go to Jerusalem to see how he could help. When the king asked him why he was looking so sad, ‘like a man with deep troubles,’[45] he replied …

Long live the king! Why shouldn’t I be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been burned down.” (Nehemiah 2:3)

King Artaxerxes not only gave him permission to go, but provided him with an armed escort for the journey as well as letters of introduction to the provincial governors whose territories he would pass through along the way. Back in Jerusalem he was able to assemble a work force, gather the materials needed, and soon the rebuilding of the protective wall around the city was under way. After telling us how they kept right on building in the face of many difficulties and opposition Nehemiah in his journal brings us to the day when the wall was finished. But while rejoicing in the completion of the task, Nehemiah also mentions the ongoing problem that mixed marriages were causing.

So on October 2 the wall was finally finished—just fifty two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

During those fifty two days, many letters went back and forth between Tobiah[46] and the officials of Judah. For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him because his father in law was Shecaniah son of Arah and because his son was married to the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. They kept telling me what a wonderful man Tobiah was, and then they told him everything I said. And Tobiah sent many threatening letters to intimidate me. (Nehemiah 6:15-17)

We are now into the second half of the year. And Ezra goes right on teaching, encouraged by a further request from the people themselves, then joined by others to help in the teaching.

When all the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled together as one person at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had given for Israel to obey.

So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the scroll of the law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people paid close attention to the Book of the Law. Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiai, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullum. Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.

Then Ezra praised the LORD, the great God, and all the people chanted “Amen! Amen! As they lifted up their hands toward heaven. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (Nehemiah 8:1-6)

Following the reading of the Scriptures those with the gift of teaching were called upon to explain the sections that had been read. Many of the people listening to the readings would have been born in Babylon during the seventy years exile. Their first language therefore would have been Aramaic, the dominant language of the Babylonians. But the Biblical scrolls being read were written in Hebrew. This is why Nehemiah and several others were also called upon to translate the Scriptures from the Hebrew into Aramaic so that the meaning would be clearly understood.

Now the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozadab, Hanan, and Pelaiah—instructed the people who were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God.” All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the law.

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of choice foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our LORD. Don’t be dejected or sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

And the Levites too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.” So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them. (Nehemiah 8:7-12)

Several weeks later the people gathered once more to hear the Scriptures read and explained to them. The revival continued as the people became deeply convicted of their sinfulness. Repentance led to the restoration of the broken relationship with God and with each other and a joyful time of worship.

On October 31 the people returned for another observance. This time they fasted and dressed in sackcloth and sprinkled dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors. The Book of the Law of the LORD their God was read aloud to them for about three hours. Then for three more hours they took turns confessing their sins and worshipping the LORD their God. (Nehemiah 9:1-3)

Nehemiah devotes the remainder of the part of his memoirs that have been preserved for us, to describe the changes that occurred in the lives of the people.[47] He gives more details of their repentance and renewed commitment to follow the ways of the Lord as revealed to them in the Scriptures, which they had drifted away from.

The awakening brought about an amazing transformation in the lives of individuals, in family life, and in the life of the nation. It is clear from his memoirs that it was the awakening that produced the reforms that Nehemiah describes. It was not the reforms that produced the awakening. The reforms came about as a result of the awakening. The revival did not come about as a result of the reforms. The teaching of the Scriptures was at the heart of the awakening. Just as it was for the people of Thessalonica when Paul taught there. Luke writes of the occasion.

Now Paul and Silas travelled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he interpreted the Scriptures to the people. He was explaining and proving the prophecies about the sufferings of the Messiah and his rising from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” Some who listened were persuaded and became converts, including a large number of godly Greek men and also many important women of the city. (Acts 17:1-4)

After leaving Thessalonica Paul and Silas went on to other cities on what we have come to know as his second missionary journey. It was in Corinth that his thoughts and prayers turned again to those who had become Christians while he taught from the Scriptures in Thessalonica, prompting him to write to them. In his opening remarks he recalls his visit and their response to the teaching they had received …

We know that God loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and that he chose you to be his own people. For when we brought you the Good news, it was not only with words but with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message. So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way you imitated both us and the Lord. As a result, you yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece. And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God.

We don’t need to tell them about it, for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God. And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. (1 Thessalonians 1:4-10)

We now turn back to our psalm where we left the psalmist praying for a spiritual awakening among his people who had drifted away from the Lord. While he was remembering earlier times of revival we imagined him wondering if times like those could come again. His prayers were answered with the coming of Ezra, who brought with him …

For the people of Israel then, Ezra’s reading of the Scriptures and the teaching accompanying the readings, brought great benefit to the people. This was because it was evident from their responses that they believed the Scriptures that were being read to them. The way Paul wrote of the Scriptures describes exactly the benefits that came to those people then as they believed the Scriptures read and explained to them, benefits that are available to those of every generation who will believe.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. (2 Timothy 3:16-17))

And now as we read on in the psalm we notice what the Scriptures meant for the psalmist. For him …

In another psalm, to which we might give the title, ‘Voices That Cannot Be Silenced,’ the psalmist begins with a reference to the voice of creation.

The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak, night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word. Their voice is silent in the skies, yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

In the next words of the psalm he implies that the Scriptures also have a voice for …

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight to life …They are a warning to those who hear them, there is great reward for those who obey them. (Psalm 19:7-8, 11)

It is for us to listen carefully to the voice of Scripture for it is in the words of the Bible that God speaks to us still. The writer tells us that he was a person who listened to that voice.

“I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks to his people, his faithful ones. But let them not return to their foolish ways. (vs. 8)

This way is available to all people, all who will come to him in awe and thanksgiving for its provision.

Surely his salvation is near to those who honor him. Our land will be filled with his glory. (vs. 9)

It is a way that is always nearby, inviting us to turn off the road we may be travelling on, calling us to walk another road. It needs only a step of faith to change direction. There is no other way that leads us to heaven. When Jesus talked with his disciples about his soon departure he reassured them that he would return for them after preparing a place for them in heaven. By place he meant not only a location but also a role. Thomas was puzzled over what Jesus was saying and posed the question that many today may be asking: “How can we know the way?” What Jesus said then to those first disciples is for us today. It is through him that we find the only way to heaven. No other way will ever take us there, only turn us away from that way. Jesus says to us …

“Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there.”

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We haven’t any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1-6)

Isaiah has passed on God’s invitation to all people of every generation to take that salvation way, for “All of us have strayed away like lost sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.”[48]

“Is any one thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul!

Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David. (Isaiah 55:1-3)

The invitation comes in the format of an invitation to a banquet at which no payment is required. We are invited to listen for the voice of God in the invitation, to listen carefully as he describes all that awaits us at that salvation banquet. The invitation is addressed to each of us personally. It is in this sense that our psalmist says, “Surely his salvation is near … ” This is why Isaiah warns against delaying a decision.

Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he was near. Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7)

Many are the ways that we are invited to step onto. But it is not too far along any of those ways that it becomes apparent that something is not quite right. The road seems to get wider and wider so that it becomes harder and harder to discern where to walk. Those who point to that way refrain from revealing what lies at the end of the road. How terrible it would be to reach the end of the road only to cry out in anguish, “We have been deceived!” But not so for our psalmist as he writes of his confidence that the way of salvation presented to us in the Scriptures is the true way.

Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed.[49] Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. (vs. 10-11)

It is on this salvation road that God’s mercy and the carrying out of justice meet in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. For it was in his death on the cross that Christ “bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners,”[50] opening the way of forgiveness for sinful humanity. It is on this salvation road that truth rises up from that cross to meet the righteousness coming from heaven, to cover, like a garment of clothing[51], the lives of those who have turned onto that road. Spurgeon[52] writes of that way …

Mercy comes hand in hand with Truth to fulfil the faithful promise of their gracious God. The people recognize at once the grace and veracity of Jehovah. He is to them neither a tyrant nor a deceiver.

Of no other way can it be said that mercy and justice find a meeting point anywhere along that road. Only law and punishment can be found in those justice systems. They may have some attractive features about them but these are deceptive. Solomon was aware of this when he wrote …

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 14:12)

A conclusion echoed by Jesus in his comprehensive ‘Sermon On The Mount,’[53] when he said …

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.

Beware of false prophets who come as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles.” (Matthew 7:13-16)

Listening carefully to the Lord as he speaks to him through the Scriptures, aware that the Scriptures tell him of the only way of salvation, and assured of their absolute truth, our psalmist also finds them giving him great satisfaction and much delight as they bear fruit in that vast land of his inner being. This is the picture that can be drawn from his next statement …

Yes, the LORD pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful crops. (vs. 12)

Great blessing and fruitfulness! But only when the heart is receptive! Jesus once told a story about a farmer sowing seed on his land. Some of the seed was blown onto a hard walk way nearby, some fell into shallow soil sitting on top of a rocky area, some into a patch of thorny plants, while other seed dropped into good fertile soil. From this story Jesus drew a word picture in which the people listening were invited to see themselves …

“This is the meaning of the story: The seed that fell on the hard path represents those who hear the message, but then the devil comes and steals it away and prevents them from believing and being saved.

The rocky soil represents those who hear the message with joy. But like young plants in such soil, their roots don’t go very deep. They believe for awhile, but they wilt when the hot winds of testing blow.

The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.

But the good soil represents honest, good hearted people who hear God’s message, cling to it, and steadily produce a huge harvest. (Luke 8:11-15)

Lydia was a business woman whose heart proved to be good soil for the seed of God’s word to fall into. She was one of those who listened carefully to Paul as he taught from the Scriptures during a visit to Philippi. Dr Luke was with him and records the event in one of the books he wrote for his friend Theophilus[54] …

We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. From there we reached Philippi, a major city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We stayed there several days.

On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we supposed that some people met for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had come together. One of them was Lydia. She was a worshipper of God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She was baptised along with other members of her household, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am faithful to the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we did. (Acts 16:11-15)

Paul found others whose hearts were open and ready to receive the word in Thessalonica. When writing to them later, Paul affirms them in their faith …

And we will never stop thanking God that when we preached his message to you, you didn’t think of the words we spoke as being just our own. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it was. And this word continues to work in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

I have refused to walk on any path of evil, that I may remain obedient to your word. I haven’t turned away from your laws, for you have taught me well. How sweet are your words to my taste, they are sweeter than honey …

The wicked have set their traps for me along your path, but I will not turn from your commandments. Your decrees are my treasure, they are truly my heart’s desire. (Psalm 119:101-104, 110-111)

The writer concludes his psalm by telling us again of his delight in the Scriptures …

Let my lips burst forth with praise, for you have taught me your principles. Let my tongue sing about your word, for all your commands are right. Stand ready to help me, for I have chosen to follow your commandments. O LORD, I have longed for your salvation, and your law is my delight. Let me live so I can praise you, and may your laws sustain me. I have wandered away like a lost sheep. Come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands. (Psalm 119:171-176)

In another of his psalms David refers to ‘rivers of delight’ and food in abundance that are available for all those who walk with God. In this reference David is drawing a word picture of what is needed to sustain spiritual life. For it is the Scriptures that are so often spoken of as food for the hungry soul and water for the thirsty. As Jesus said, when tempted by Satan to change stones into bread, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People need more than bread for their life. They must feed on every word of God.’ ”[55] David writes …

How precious is your unfailing love O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your rivers of delight. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see. (Psalm 36:7-9)

Jeremiah was another who found delight and sustenance in the Scriptures. At a time of great sadness in his life when people were not accepting the message he brought them from the Lord, he became so dejected that he wished he had never been born. But the Lord met him as he prayed and sought comfort in the Scriptures. Jeremiah writes of this time …

Then I said, “What sadness is mine, my mother. Oh that I had died at birth! I am hated everywhere I go. I am neither a leader who has threatened to foreclose nor a borrower who refuses to pay, yet they all curse me.”

Then I said, “ LORD, you know I am suffering for your sake … Your words are what sustain me. They bring me great joy and are my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God almighty. I never joined the people in their merry feasts. I sat alone because your hand was on me.” (Jeremiah 15:10-17)

It was in the Scriptures that Jeremiah found the bread and water of life to sustain him, not in the partying of his contemporaries.

Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven … Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps. (vs. 11b, 13)

Because the psalmist personifies the noun righteousness, smiling, going, preparing, it is not difficult for us to see several pictures related to the coming of the Lord in the psalmist’s words. The first is that of the Lord ‘smiling down from heaven.’ He is pleased because all that he does is good. As David wrote in another of his psalms …

We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple. You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth. (Psalm 65:4-5)

Peel away that picture and we come to a picture of John the Baptist, who came as a herald, preparing the way for Christ’s first coming. Matthew writes of his ministry …

In those days John the Baptist began preaching in the Judean wilderness. His message was, “Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare a pathway for the Lord’s coming! Make a straight road for him!’ ”[56] (Matthew 3:1-3)

Underneath that picture we find a picture of Christ at his first coming. For it is in this picture that we see Christ himself as the righteousness spoken of. Paul speaks of ‘not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.’[57] Paul sees this righteousness not only as a moral characteristic but as person. Christ himself becomes our righteousness when by faith we come to God through him. God sees us then, not covered in our own ‘righteous deeds’ for ‘they are but filthy rags,’[58] but covered in Christ’s righteousness. Paul draws this picture when he says in his letter to the churches in Galatia, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”[59] When reading Paul’s masterful thesis written to explain the way of justification by faith for the church members in Rome, in many parts of the letter where we come to the word righteousness, Christ can be substituted for that word in our minds, for he himself is our righteousness. For example the name Christ can be substituted for the noun righteousness in this sentence, “… all who receive God’s wonderful gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death.” Paul identifies Christ himself as being that righteousness in another of his letters.

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were influential, not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:26-30 NIV)

The author of the Hebrews thesis reminds us that Christ as our righteousness has both come and is yet to come.

And just as it is destined that men die only once, and after that comes judgement, so also Christ died only once as an offering for the sins of many people. And he will come again, but not to deal again with our sins.

This time he will come bringing salvation to all those who are eagerly and patiently waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27-28 Living Bible)

This brings us to yet another picture in the picture frame hanging in the last sentence of our psalm. While ‘patiently waiting for him’ God’s people are not to be passive but are to be seen as those living lives of integrity ‘as a herald before him,’ as those walking in the footprints he has left behind at the time of his first coming. Peter wrote originally for ‘the Jewish Christians driven out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Ausia, and Bithynia, but his challenge is for all of us, even when passing ‘through deep waters and great trouble … through waters of difficulty … through the fire of oppression.’[60] Peter writes …

This suffering is all part of the work God has given you. Christ who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps: He never sinned, never told a lie, never answered back when insulted. When he suffered he did not threaten to get even, he left his case in the hands of God who always judges fairly. He personally carried the load of our sins in his own body when he died on the cross, so that we can be finished with sin and live a good life from now on. For his wounds have healed ours. Like sheep you wandered away from God, but now you have returned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls who keeps you safe from all attacks. (1 Peter 2:21-25 Living Bible)

Been drifting at sea for a long time now? Lost your first love? For the wife or husband of your youth? For the Lord? Lost a valuable friendship that you had enjoyed for many years? Wondering if the broken relationship can be mended, if the love you once had for the other one can be rekindled? Wanting it to happen, are you wondering how it could possibly come about? The Lord has the answer for you. Dust off the Scriptures that you used to read so eagerly. Open up those Scriptures and ask the Lord to talk with you and show you the way back as you read. This was what the Lord said to the Christians in the church of Ephesus who were being rocked this way and that as they drifted on the ocean of a lost love.

[1] Scroggie, W. Graham. THE PSALMS Volume 2. London: Pickering and Inglis. 1949. p. 208.
[2] Part of the quotation from Jeremiah 29:11 referred to above.
[3] This first wave of people returning adds up to a total of 49,897.
[4] Refer to Ezra 3:4-6.
[5] Refer to Ezra 3:7-10.
[6] Tate, Marvin E. PSALMS 51-100. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas, Texas: Word Books. 1990. pp. 364-365.
[7] ibid: p. 363.
[8] ibid: p. 364.
[9] Go to <www. http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=well-being>
[10] Acts 8:5.
[11] 2 Peter 1:1.
[12] Paul writes specifically of women at home. In the cultures of that era, those at home during the day would have in most cases been women. But what he has to say applies equally to men and women in our culture today.
[13] ‘quasi’ – Referring to those resembling somebody or something in some ways, but not exactly the same.
[14] Clarke’s Commentary on Romans 7, found at http://biblos.com
[15] Refer to 2 Timothy 1:9b.
[16] ‘Unlike the other priests he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day … he sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.’ (Hebrews 7:27)
[17] Go to: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worry>
[18] www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Worry?open
[19] Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2a.
[20] John 14:6.
[21] Refer to Song of Songs 1:1.
[22] Macquarie Concise Dictionary. Fifth Edition.
[23] Regarding the authorship of Leviticus, refer to Ross, Allen P. HOLINESS TO THE LORD. Michigan: Baker Academic. 2002. pp. 34-35.
[24] Refer to Hebrews 10:1a.
[25] Refer to Isaiah 53:5b NIV.
[26] Quoted from Paul’s discussion of the new life in Christ, Romans 8:8.
[27] Refer to Hebrews 11:6a.
[28] Guthrie, Donald. HEBREWS. England: Inter Varsity Press. 1983. p.81.
[29] Barclay, William. THE LETTER TO THE HEBREWS. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press. 1976. p.21.
[30] ibid: p. 21.
[31] Hughes, Philip Edgecombe. A COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. Michigan: Eerdmans. 1977. p.73.
[32] ‘treatise’ – A written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject. Oxford Dictionary of English. Amazon kindle.
[33] Refer to Ezra 4:1.
[34] Luke 15:10-11.
[35] Luke 15:11-31.
[36] Refer to 2 Chronicles 15:3.
[37] Shigionoth. The meaning is obscure, though it may indicate something about the liturgical use of this psalm (see Psalm 7 for the singular of the word). THE RYRIE STUDY BIBLE. Chicago: Moody Press. 1978. Footnote, Habakkuk 3:1.
[38] Refer to 2 Chronicles 34:8-11.
[39] Psalm 85:6-7.
[40] Compare with Paul’s statement to the leaders of the church in Ephesus, Acts 20:27.
[41] Paul is referring to Leviticus 26:12, Ezekiel 37:27.
[42] ibid: referring to Isaiah 52:11, Ezekiel 20:34.
[43] ibid: referring to 2 Samuel 7:14.
[44] Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about 250 km (150 miles) east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers. The modern Iranian town of Shush is located at the site of ancient Susa. Shush at the site of ancient Susa is the administrative capital of the Shush County of Iran's Khuzestan province. It had a population 64,960 in 2005: (Wikipedia On Line)
[45] Nehemiah 2:2.
[46] Tobiah, one of Israel’s enemies. Refer to Nehemiah 6:1-14.
[47] Refer to Nehemiah Chapters 9-13.
[48] Isaiah 53:6.
[49] Tate suggests that the alternative translation “have embraced” is acceptable. Tate, Marvin E. PSALMS 51-100. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas, Texas: Word Books. 1990. pp. 366, note 11.b.
[50] Refer to Isaiah 53:12.
[51] Refer to Isaiah 61:10, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, Ephesians 4:24.
[52] Spurgeon, C. H. THE TREASURY OF DAVID. London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott. 1950. Vol. 3, p. 453.
[53] Matthew Chapters 5-7.
[54] Acts 1:1.
[55] Matthew 4:4.
[56] Quoted from Isaiah 40:3.
[57] Refer to Philippians 3:7-9.
[58] Isaiah 64:6.
[59] Galatians 3:26-27.
[60] Refer to Isaiah 43:2 – Living Bible.
[61] Quoted from Living Bible.