"Spiritual warriors fight for love, fight for light,
and believe in what others say is impossible."
~ Maura Casey
and believe in what others say is impossible."
~ Maura Casey
The Day of the Lord
#biblestudy
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,
in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning:
thou hast the dew of thy youth.
~ Psalms 110:3 (KJV)
Your troops will be willing on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you
like dew from the morning's womb.
~ Psalms 110:3 (TNIV)
... when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe ...
~ 2 Thessalonians 1:10 (NKJV)
While the Psalms are all poetical, Psalm 110:3 is more so. The Lord has allowed to King David the prophet that his eyes should see the glory of the coming of the Lord. The majestic vision has evidently compelled David to use language even more evocative and figurative than usual. Of roughly 30 Bible versions I consulted, the translations for this particular verse were highly varied. As is often the case with poetry, no one understands it quite the same.
Here's what I see in today's passage from Psalms, translated to prose:
During the long dry months from perhaps April thru October, Israel's ground receives no life-sustaining moisture except the dew. For someone like David, in exile from Saul for many long years, and often in the desert wilderness, the dew was indeed a glorious display of life from the womb of the morning. His glimpse of the Day of the Lord was more glorious yet, for it was a day long awaited, accompanied by the Lord's bride in all of her own glory, willingly at her King's side as He faces His enemies.
Our adornment shall be the splendor of holiness. Holiness gets a bad name, because artificial holiness is a source of pride. True holiness is being like Christ, in all the beauty of His goodness and love, with all the strength of youth in its prime.
The Day of the Lord is awaited by Him with even more zeal than by us. When the hour finally arrives for the Lord Jesus to display His might, it will be as lovely as the early dawn—the best part of the day—and it will be only the first light of our Lord's reign.
Lord Jesus, we see the signs You said would tell us it is near—right at the door! How happy we are that we shall see you soon. How beautiful shall be the King and His bride. Prepare us, Lord. Make us beautiful in Your eyes.
Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Photo from flickr.com
It feels near impossible for me ever to be prepared. As long as I'm hidden in his blood I'll be OK though ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, prepare us precious Lord.
ReplyDeleteLike wise virgins, we must have oil in our lamps.
ReplyDeleteGive us strength to endure the tests to come, Father. Pour out wisdom on your people on these last days. Come, King Jesus!
ReplyDeleteGod is calling me toward a specific holiness right now and it the following has been harder than I thought it would be.
ReplyDeleteMissed your posts on my break. Glad to be back in blog land again.
~ Wendy
"True holiness is being like Christ, in all the beauty of His goodness and love, with all the strength of youth in its prime."
ReplyDeleteBeautiful.
...Christ in you, the hope of glory.Col. 1:2
Happy Advent!
ReplyDeleteThought I was already following your blog - guess I was just following your Twitter...
ReplyDeleteTHIS is really cool. Thank you for sharing your meditation. I echo, "Beautiful..."
T. Anne, we are being prepared. Every trial is the opportunity to deepen dependence on him. : )
ReplyDeleteDenise, thanks for the strength you share.
Natasa, each yielding to the Spirit is a fresh anointing.
Gwen ~ We. Don't. Have. The. Strength. HE DOES! His strength in our weakness, through our dependence.
Wendy, my reader's a bit backlogged as well. But my family loves your playlist, so we're on your blog all the time.
Doug! Wonderful to see you. I was just telling my husband John how much I appreciate the Scriptures you include in your comments and have missed you. Grace and peace to you.
Helen, I live in a permanent spirit of Advent, aware of His coming.
Kelly, if all goes as planned, this will all look different in a day, moving from autumn to winter. Tho not likely as beautiful as the photos you've got ...
nAncY, one of these days I'll try the poetry again.
Hey Anne... :-) Will we ever stop learning and growing? I hope not! :-)
ReplyDeleteDavid has always been a powerful mentor in my life. I'd like to be much like him with an open heart for God and a having the spirit of forgiveness close at hand. Great post Anne! Thanks for your encouraging words on my blog. Big hugs!
ReplyDeleteRussell, you're certainly a catalyst for learning and growing. Keep on keeping on ...
ReplyDeleteEllie, I'm delighted to have you in my life. I'm quite the student of David myself. The biblical fiction I have under representation is a story of David and Saul. I'm amazed at how many people study him.