 Psalms
129-131:
The Stage of Enlargement
Introduction
and Review
We have seen that the third stage of the Psalms of Ascent, the stage
of enjoyment, begins with two different "turns" from captivity. In
Psalm 126 we are freed from the world and from Christianity to be
brought into the church life. After enjoying the church life we are
eventually released from the captivity of our self-life by falling
into the ground to die. This leads to the experience of transformation
as seen in Psalm 127. In the process of being transformed we become
a "mighty man with arrows." As we go through the process of bearing
fruit in the church life we became equipped with riches to serve the
Lord. This issues in the mature and healthy serving life as described
in Psalm 128. We become like an "olive tree" and a "fruitful vine,"
which means we become a supply of "oil" for the
church to grow and a supply of "wine" for the church to be joyful.
We no longer labor in vain but are able to produce and minister life
to meet the needs of those around us.
| "The
Lord must work on us and enlarge us so that our desire is not
for ourselves, but for the whole church life to be healthy."
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Once we come to this
point in the Psalms of Ascent we may feel, "It is sufficient. There
is no need for anything more. This is as high as it can go." However,
we still need another "turn" in our experience. We have had two "turns"
already, in Psalm 126 - a turn to come into the church life and a deeper
turn to be freed from our self-life. Now we need an even greater turn,
which we call "the stage of enlargement." The Lord must enlarge us so
that we no longer consider ourselves to be special individuals. No matter
how mature or spiritual we are, we can only satisfy the Lord by taking
care of His testimony. The Lord must work on us and enlarge us so that
our desire is not for ourselves, but for the whole church life to be
healthy.
The Lord enlarges us through three different experiences. Firstly, He
arranges difficulties and afflictions in our environment so that we
would grow properly (Psalm 129). Secondly, He exposes our sinful condition
as we spend time in His presence (Psalm 130). Thirdly, He brings us
to a state of lowliness and submission (Psalm 131). By these healthy
experiences we are enlarged to properly care for His testimony.
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purchase the book Journey of Life; the Psalms of Ascent and Song of Songs
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Other
messages of the Psalms of Ascent
Being
Enlarged through the Lord's Environmental Dealings
Psalm 129: The psalmist 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. He has the
mark of the Lord's workmanship. It is the plowing and cutting of
deep and long furrows that give us the healthy growth in life.
Being
Enlarged through the Knowledge of Ourselves Psalm
130: Whenever we experience the Lord's plowing work through our
environment, we become a person of prayer. The knowledge of ourselves
makes us the proper person for the building up of the church. By
our knowledge of ourselves and our trust in the Lord's redemption
we become enlarged for the sake of His testimony.
Being Enlarged through Lowliness and Submission
Psalm 131: By
knowing ourselves, we are humbled and no longer desire to be exercised
in great matters. We enjoy submitting to Him. Now we are able to
properly care for the Lord's testimony. |
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