PSALM 129:
Being Enlarged through the Lord's Environmental Dealings

We Experience Affliction for the Sake of the Lord's Testimony

Psalm 129 begins, "Many times have they afflicted me since my youth, Oh, let Israel say" (v. 1). The writer of this psalm has had many years of experiencing suffering and affliction. However, he realizes that it was all for "Israel," the Lord's testimony. This verse indicates that the psalmist is no longer afraid of hard times, nor is he trying to escape difficult situations. He realizes that trials and afflictions have been with him since his youth, yet they were not for himself but for the sake of the Lord's testimony. That is why he says, "Oh, let Israel say." Then he repeats, "many times have they afflicted me since my youth," but adds, "yet they did not prevail against me" (v. 2).

In other words the psalmist is saying, "After experiencing so many years of hardship and trials, I can testify that the Lord has always had His way. Outwardly it seemed that I failed and was beaten; but in reality I gained the victory. Outwardly I had no way to overcome all the afflictions. I was often oppressed, defeated, and even tempted to run away. However, after many years of being in all these kinds of situations, now I can testify, they did not prevail against me! I am still here! I am still fighting for the Lord's testimony!" These two verses are very sweet. The writer has been dealt with his entire life since his youth, yet he realizes that the dealings and afflictions always came to him from the Lord with His testimony in view.

Those who have been following the Lord for many years can testify of this. It is not a proud or improper boasting but the declaring of a marvelous fact: "I am still here! Praise the Lord, I am part of Israel! I am part of the Lord's testimony! Many times have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me!" Sometimes the young people in the church look at the older ones and think, "You are too old. You are not in 'the flow.' You are not 'up-to-date' with the Lord's present burden. That is why we are the generation that the Lord needs to bring Him back!" But the older saints used to be younger, and they once thought the same thing: "We are the generation that will bring the Lord back." Now the older generation can only say, "Many times have they afflicted me since my youth." Then instead of, "Oh, let Israel say," they would declare, "Oh, let my local church say!" In their local church over the years they have experienced many trials and hard times. They have shed many tears. They have gone through situations that were beyond their understanding or endurance. Yet they can say, "Praise the Lord, we are still here! They did not prevail against me!" Younger saints, don't despise the older ones. They have acquired many riches. They have gained something precious from the Lord for the sake of His testimony. This is proven just by the fact that they are still here.

The younger ones among us should ask themselves, "Will I still be here in ten years?" This is not a light matter. Young brothers and sisters, there is no guarantee that in a few years all of you will still be here. That is why it is so improper for you to look at the older saints and think, "You are out of date." Without the older ones you wouldn't even be here. You need to learn to appreciate them and be thankful for them. They have paid a tremendous price to remain in the church life. The older ones can testify of much affliction from their youth. Ever since they first began to follow the Lord in the church life, He has measured to them all kinds of difficult environments. Yet the older ones can boldly testify, "They have not prevailed against me!"

All of the saints who have been in the church life for many years may not feel prevailing or useful, but the fact is that they are still here. It is not a small thing that they have remained after going through so many difficulties and trials. Praise the Lord, they are still here! They are a blessing to the church! Once they were only spiritual by themselves, but now they have progressed to having a maturity for the entire Body of Christ. For the Lord to gain His testimony there is the need for us to be enlarged. The first and best instrument the Lord uses to enlarge us is affliction. We have to be thankful to the Lord. He allows us to experience trials and afflictions so that we would mature into a blessing to the Body.

The Lord's "Plowing" Work Brings Us Low and Cuts Us Deeply

The third verse of this psalm is one of the most precious verses in the Bible. It is so profound that it is difficult to appreciate: "The plowers plowed on my back; they made their furrows long" (v. 3). This is a poetic description of environmental dealings and affliction. Affliction causes us to be made very low, because we are constantly under something we can't handle. We usually think that our usefulness comes from our being made high and victorious. But from the Lord's point of view, our usefulness comes from being brought low. For example, we often like to be involved in spiritual activities because they make us feel we are important. We are in the front. But when the Lord puts His hand upon us, He often pushes us to the back. He doesn't allows us to be so high. This is an example of what it means for the "plowers" to "plow on our back."

Whenever you are involved in spiritual activities, you feel that you are a high person. You may even feel that you are on the "cutting edge" of the church life. When I was a young brother I hated to miss any spiritual activity. I always liked to be in the front, but the Lord always pushed me to the back. There was a period of time when I would come to the meeting hall after school every day. There I would meet with some other seeking brothers to study the Word and to pray. Then one day all of a sudden they weren't there when I showed up. For several days when I went, they wouldn't be there. Finally I saw one of them. I was happy to see him and asked him where all the brothers had been. He replied that the elders had selected some brothers who were "hopeful" and had taken them someplace to have a special training. My thought was, "Oh Lord, I gave my life to You, and I'm not even hopeful! All the hopeful ones went, and I'm not even selected!" But this was from the Lord. The Lord desires to make us low, but we desire to be high. We like to rise up, but the Lord tells us to come down. The Lord will arrange everything in our environment for us to be made low.

It is for this reason that the psalmist says, "The plowers plowed on my back; they made their furrows long." This portrays a deep experience in life. The Lord will cause a plow to bring us low. The Lord not only makes us low, He also cuts us deeply. When we are plowed and brought low, it is to the degree that no one sees us. We are no longer up front, and we are no longer so high. We are as low as a furrow in the ground. We are in a situation where no one even sees our face. Although we have given ourselves to the Lord and His purpose, for some reason the elders don't even notice us. We have been so desperate to consecrate ourselves to Christ, yet no one finds that out. This means that we are brought low. We are even "cut" in our experience. We are like the earth, being plowed upon our back.

The Lord Plows "Furrows" in Our Person for Life to Grow

Everyone who loves the Lord will experience affliction. The psalmist vividly describes his affliction after many years of experience: "I was made so low. I was put in a place of abasement. I was put in a place where no one respected me, no one appreciated me, and no one realized my desire or consecration. I was so low, like the ground. And while I was so low, a plow came to cut me. My back was plowed, and it cut me so deeply. Not only was I oppressed in a low place, but my very person was cut and wounded." The discipline of the Lord always comes at exactly the right place and at the right time. He plows "on our back." Often we would complain, "Lord, why me?" Especially when we are young, we have a lot of self-pity. But after many years of being plowed by the Lord governmental hand, we come to realize that every instance of plowing was at the right time and in the right place. As we go through it, it seems that the Lord is unreasonable, even irrational. But when it is finished we recognize that it was exactly what we needed to grow.

When the "plow" comes in our experience, it is not pleasant. It makes us as low as the ground. We feel that we are abased. We are overwhelmed with difficulties. At the same time, we feel that the cutting of the plow is too painful. The suffering seems so unnecessary. But again, after it is over we eventually realize that it was all at the right time and in the right place. The Lord knows exactly what He is doing. His intention is that the plow would make long furrows in our back. A furrow is a narrow ditch plowed into the ground for growing crops. At a farm we can often see one furrow after another dug into the soil so that many different crops can grow. Spiritually speaking, when we are cut deeply by the Lord it is for us to grow in life and bear abundant fruit. If we desire to have a rich and bountiful growth in life so that the Lord can use us as a blessing to the church, we must be willing for the Lord to cut deeply into our person. He will plow over our back until there are long furrows for growth.

Today there are many young people among us who love the Lord. Young people are often so "complete." This means that they do not have many furrows. They do not have the mark of the Lord's workmanship, or a sign of the Lord's dealing with them. They have an objective Christ but not enough of a subjective Christ. When such young ones bring in a blessing it is out of their ability, not out of their person. Some people are so capable that it seems they don't need to be broken. There are many Christian workers on television. How many of them have furrows? They may be very effective, and they can get thousands of people saved, but they can never build up the church. They serve the Lord according to their ability and their talent, but not according to their person. Their person is untouched and unbroken.

When we serve the Lord, it is good if people can look at us and see furrows. This means that we don't impress people with our talent or ability. Instead people say, "There is something different about this person. He has the mark of the Lord's workmanship. He is a man of God." It is the plowing and cutting of deep and long furrows that give us the healthy growth in life. We all should be those who are thoroughly marked with the Lord's disciplinary workmanship. Then people will not get the impression that we are talented. Instead they will recognize something of life. They will recognize that we are people of God, because the Lord has plowed us time and time again for life to grow.

We Should Not Try to Escape the Lord's Plowing in Our Environment

For us to serve the Lord we must be enlarged. This means that we must prepare ourselves to be plowed. Plowing begins in our "youth." Once we begin to love the Lord His hand is already upon us in our environment. The most important thing to remember as we experience the Lord's plowing is not to escape. We must always remind ourselves, "This is exactly where the Lord wants me." We should not run away from where the Lord has put us. When we are faithful to stay in the environment that He has arranged, there will be furrows in our experience. Then when people see us they will sense something of life. They won't sense our talent or ability, even if it is there. Many young people are talented and hopeful, but they never fulfill their potential because they refuse to be plowed. If we receive the Lord's environmental arrangement and refuse to escape from His dealing, then the Lord will plow furrows in our back. This will enlarge us so that we can become a blessing to the church.

To follow the Lord is not cheap by any means. There is no shortcut. We should never think, "The Lord is moving so fast! Now I can grow so quickly!" Biblically it has never been so. We cannot circumvent the normal and healthy process of true Christian growth. If we desire to grow in life, and if we desire to serve the Lord effectively, then we must pass through this process. We must ask ourselves if we are willing, or would we prefer to hide from the Lord's plowing work? When the Lord plows long furrows in our back we may feel extremely low and in a situation of abasement. We may think it is too painful to endure. But we also must remember, as we saw in Psalm 123, that the Lord's hand of discipline is a hand of supply, support, leading, and comfort. The Lord will be with us as we go through His environmental dealings. Our experience of the Lord's plowing work may be difficult and sometimes almost unbearable. However, it affords us a deep, sweet and romantic enjoyment of Him. He will supply us and make Himself known to us. Eventually we will look back and say, "Thank You, Lord. That was precious. It was exactly what I needed to grow."

The best way for us to handle a difficult environment is to tell the Lord, "Lord, this is what I need. This is exactly right. I agree with what You have arranged for me." This is not always easy. Perhaps we are being unfairly criticized or condemned by someone. Our attitude should still be, "Yes, Lord. I need this. I agree with Your plowing work." We should prepare ourselves. If we truly want to be enlarged then we must tell the Lord, "Lord, I am ready. Put Your hand on me. Plow over my back. I know that when You plow, furrows will be cut. Then Your life can grow." If we are so "perfect," so complete and so preserved, if we are still so much in ourselves, then how can the Lord grow in us? We must allow the Lord to deal with our person through the environment He has arranged for us. The Lord will plow over our back at the right time and in the right place so that furrows will be produced and abundant life can come forth. This is what we need for our enlargement.

If We Do Not Cooperate With The Lord's Plowing We Cannot Be a Blessing to the Church

The rest of Psalm 129 is related to the plowing and the producing of furrows for growth. The psalmist writes, "Jehovah is righteous; He has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back. May they be like grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand, or he who binds sheaves, his bosom. Nor may those who pass by say, The blessing of Jehovah be upon you! We bless you in the name of Jehovah" (v. 4-8). This is a description of those who do not cooperate with the Lord's hand. Unless we allow the Lord to plow us, eventually we will wither without any growth. We will be fruitless in our experience. If we do not learn to receive the Lord's plowing work, then nothing of life can come out of us. Regardless of our talent, capability, or potential, we will be unable to render blessing to the church. May we all learn this lesson, especially those of us who are young. May we allow the Lord to plow us so that we can become a blessing to the church.

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