Friday 31 January 2020

Psalm: Psalm 125

Background

The verses before these have promised restoration to God's land and people following the devastation wreaked by a locust plague; now a second stage of blessing is promised that goes beyond restoring the way things used to be, bringing about a whole new era as God's Spirit is outpoured on all God's people.

In earlier parts of Scripture we learn that the spirit inspires creation (Genesis 1:2, where 'spirit' is the same word as 'wind'), artistic craftsmanship (Exodus 35:31), and acts of power and courage (Judges 14:6). Prophecy too is understood to be inspired by the Spirit (Micah 3:8), and prophecy is the theme here. In the past it was individuals who were specially inspired by God's Spirit; here it is emphasised that all of God's people will prophesy as a result of the Spirit's outpouring, fulfilling a hope Moses had long ago expressed (Numbers 11:29). Prophecy in the Bible has little to do with foretelling the future, which is what today's English word often suggests, but is about understanding and declaring the mind and will of God. So the promise here is of close fellowship and communication with God, with the emphasis placed on the 'all included' aspect, quite remarkable at that time.

The awe-inspiring portents of verses 30-31 are a poetic expression of the fact that it will be universally acknowledged that God is at work in establishing this age of the spirit. It combines imagery from the great plagues God sent on Egypt prior to the Exodus and from the Exodus itself (see Exodus 7:17; 9:24; 19:18 for the "blood and fire and columns of smoke" (v. 30)) with the fresh memories of the darkening of the sun and reddening of the moon caused by the locust plague and also familiar from the dust storms in times of battle. As in the first part of the chapter (Joel 2:1-17) the terror of judgement is combined with the promise of salvation, again with the emphasis that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord (meaning who worships and obeys God) will be saved.

To Ponder:

• On the day of Pentecost (in Acts 2:17-21) the apostle Peter quoted this whole passage as descriptive of the events of that day. In what ways do you think the Holy Spirit enables Christians to have dreams and visions today, and to what effect?
• Is 'poured out' the way you would describe the relationship of God's Spirit to you, or how alternatively would you describe it? Could you ask for something more?