THE LAND OF THE LIVING

 

Saturday, April 20, 2024

 

THE LAND OF THE LIVING

 

Ps 27:11-13

11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

 

The phrase, “the land of the living” can be found fifteen times in the Bible. Here, “the land of the living” signifies our earthly existence. David remains confident that he will witness God’s goodness before his death. It is another way of saying “there is hope.” In Jewish thought the verse might sound like this: “If I hadn’t believed that I would see Adonai’s goodness in the land of the living, . . .”  The thought trails off and indicates despair.

 

          David has seen God do marvelous things and his great desire is to simply inhabit the temple of the Lord and seek to understand and enjoy his God. He has salvation and now he desires light and understanding. In the unlikely, even unthinkable, thought that his parents would abandon him, he knows that his God will not.

 

          David was enduring great distress, but he reminds himself that the same God who had been faithful in the past would continue to be faithful now and in the future. It is another way of saying, “this too shall pass.” This trouble will transition to blessing.

 

          Finally, David encourages others to join him in trusting God.

 

Ps 27:14

14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

 

Lord, we are now living in a world of distress. You were not caught unaware of this. You warned us, but we didn’t listen and forgot. Let us not forget your tender mercies of the past. Let us live with expectation and hope of those same mercies now. AMEN