Did We Know?

Read Psalm 102, 106, 123, 137
 
Psalms 102:14-17 For your people love every stone in her walls and cherish even the dust in her streets. 15 Then the nations will tremble before the LORD. The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory. 16 For the LORD will rebuild Jerusalem. He will appear in his glory. 17 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas.
 
“YOU don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” This modern proverb is often used to mourn a lost relationship or circumstances one did not fully enjoy and appreciate. One could say it also speaks to the Jews’ great grief during the exile. They are gone from Jerusalem, their city. It is the city David conquered and Solomon built to be the splendor of the nations. God blessed his people with the city’s secure walls and a glorious Temple  between Mt. Moriah and Mt. Zion. “Jerusalem” means foundation or possession of peace. The city was a refuge for the Jews and the symbol of God’s peace, presence and power. God wanted his chosen nation to enjoy his gift.
   But how did they treat God’s gift? We know they abused Jerusalem’s streets and Temple with their adultery and idolatry. They rejected the LORD’s presence to live in deep disobedience to God’s commands.
   Then God did what any good father would do. He pulled the gift from his disrespectful children. They assumed they could remain in Jerusalem regardless of their behavior, but they learned otherwise. The Jews lost God’s benevolent care. Jerusalem and all it represented to them was gone.
   In exile, the remnant realized their lost gift and mourned their negligence. These four psalms are a litany of despair. The psalmists describe the Jews’ loss, Babylon’s officials’ mockery, and the Jews’ hopelessness. Perhaps in prayer, the exiles wonder will the LORD rebuild the city? Will he appear in his glory again? Surely, they hoped, God would listen to the prayers of his destitute, broken people.
   And that is what God did. Here in the darkness God began to shine his light with prophecies and visions. From deep distress came an expectation: And so the LORD’s fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem, when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the LORD. (Psalm 102:21-22)
   Some of us have lived several decades to watch churches grow, be effective ministries and then disappear. What happened? Did we not know what God had given to us? Did we neglect and reject God’s gift? Did we dismiss the great things God, the Savior, had done? (from Psalm 106:21) Were there too many of us who wouldn’t believe God’s promise to empower us to his gospel mission? Have we worshiped our cultural idols above God? Do we no longer hold to God’s precious presence because we assumed he would always be present in our churches?
          Let’s rejoice the LORD has not forgotten his covenant with his church. Let’s pray this from Psalm 106: Save us, O LORD our God! Gather us back from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you. Amen. It is time to turn to the mockers to denounce their evil and to announce our LORD Jesus Christ.