Remember the Fallen

May 25 Memorial Day

Series: Life is Good

Title: Small Things

Scripture: Psalm 107:8-9

Sometimes the smallest things that happen leave us feeling sad. Upon reflection we realize it’s not really the small thing that makes us sad the cause of the small thing.

This week a joke with told on television. As is the case most of the time jokes have some truth to them. The reason for that is so we will associate with the joke. It makes the joke more lifelike.

In the case of this joke, the result made me sad. It reminded me that America is not the America I grew up in. It reminded me men of power are in the process of changing my America.

It hit me deeper than I expected.

Whenever I get “hit” like that and I feel like there’s no place for the powerless, I start to become a little afraid.

Then I open my iPad to write today’s lesson and I read the scripture.

Psalm 107:8-9 was written by someone who had lived through (or was living through) a very difficult time in Israel’s history. The Babylonians had stormed Israel and captured Israel’s brightest and strongest men and taken them to Babylon. The only people lest in Israel were women and very old men.

Psalm 107 is classified as a post-exilic psalm and the author is anonymous. We are told, “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man.

For he satisfies the longing soul,
    and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

This psalm was written to proclaim the goodness of God for their return to their homeland.

The psalm speaks of their redemption. The word redeemed in the Hebrew is goel and it referred to a loving powerful person who stepped in and redeemed them.

Israel had been redeemed by the Lord from the powerful Babylonians.

The Persian King Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonians and he released the Hebrew captives by decree. They were redeemed after 70 years. Just as the Prophet Jeremiah foretold, the captives were allowed to return home.

There wasn’t much left in Israel after Nebuchadnezzar had stormed and pillaged the land.

The Persian King Cyrus knew that and he provided for those returning (read Ezra for details). The returning exiles were given silver and gold and other supplies they would need. King Cyrus also returned the sacred vessels and temple cups Nebuchadnezzar stole from Israel.

Those returning home were redeemed.

King Cyrus gave the captives the needed items to rebuild Israel. Ezra 1:2-4 says, “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

Israel was redeemed. King Cyrus was a pagan king yet he had been moved by God to help the Hebrew exiles return home and rebuild.

I happen to believe the women and old men who had remained in Jerusalem had prayed for this moment.

I am reminded that God can do anything.

I needed that reminder today.

I am reminded that though evil men who do not worship God can assume power but our God can restore anything.

Deborah

acrazyjourney.com