Up, Down, Up
Some pedantic history, useful Scripture, and a questionable dream
Overturn our captivity, O Lᴏʀᴅ, as when streams refresh the deserts of the south. (Psalm 126:6)
Historical Background
I’m offering the Psalms of Ascent during Morning and Evening Prayer this week. Tradition holds that they were offered by faithful Jews “going up” to take part in Holy Days at the Temple in Jerusalem. This always required an ascent, as Jerusalem sits on a hilltop.
The first Temple, built in the reign of King Solomon, was destroyed (with God’s permission, as punishment for his people falling into idolatry, immorality and injustice) by the Babylonian Empire. Many of the people were taken into exile in Babylon.
After 70 years, Babylon was overthrown by Persia, an event which God used to end the punishment and return the Jews to Jerusalem, where a new Temple was constructed.
But the Jews remained in “captivity” under a succession of empires, including the Persians (who were benevolent as empires go), the not-so-nice Greeks who followed Alexander the Great, and the overwhelming Romans. Psalm 126 appears to have been composed during this second Temple’s existence, as it acknowledged God’s overturning of the Babylonian captivity (verse 1) while continuing to call for God to come as a liberator from subsequent occupations (verse 6, above).
OK, Let’s Look Into Scripture (Lots So There Are Links)
The Prophet Ezekiel was among the exiles in Babylon. He was given a vision of God’s presence leaving the first Temple before its destruction, and also given a message of restoration which included a vision of God’s glory returning to a new and greater Temple.
While Ezekiel prophesied of the literal return and rebuilding, his vision also points to the supernatural, a Temple from which water flows to transform the world. This same revelation came to the Apostle John, showing an eternal river of life flowing from the throne of God to the new creation in Christ.
The literal second Temple was destroyed by the Romans, as foretold by Jesus, who would replace it with himself and those joined to him.
Yet the prayer of Psalm 126:6 remains ours to offer. We remain “captives,” but can look to God for restoration…
from sin — Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34) We can recall that God has swept away our captivity to sin in the streams that flowed for us. The blood of Christ flowed to clease us of our sin, and the waters of baptism flowed to join us to Christ in new life.
from religious legalism — too often, we try to flee our captivity by our own efforts, relying on religious and/or moral compunction rather than living in the grace of God by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to flow through and transform our lives.
from fear of futility and death — the world, the flesh and the devil can make us doubt God’s goodness, our own salvation in Christ, and the promise of eternal life. We can live in slavery to fear and despair. The prayer of Psalm 126:6 can guide us back to the spring of eternal life that Christ has placed within us.
We are not “going up” to a literal temple, but in prayer we “ascend” to God as we seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1).
Prayer also helps us ascend by looking within for refreshment — hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5).
So there’s the “up” of our soul’s longing ascent, drawn by our Father in heaven, the “downward” flowing streams of our restoration and renewal in Christ, then another “up” as those streams become a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14) by the Holy Spirit within us.
A Dream
I had a dream a few weeks ago. CAUTION, dreams can be deceptive or little more than too much spicy food in the evening. Always set them aside and look to the Scriptures.
Anyway, I mention this dream because it seems to have opened my mind to the Psalms of Ascent and Ezekiel’s Temple vision, both of which showed up in subsequent Evening Prayer Psalms and readings.
In the dream, I was floating in something like an amusement park flume ride, except this was a very leisurely ride, more like inner tubing for sun and fun. The flume was along the side of a dense, elevated, sand colored edifice, and the surrounding view was of a desert.
What was weird was that the water was going against gravity, flowing up the side of the edifice, wrapping around it in lazy, ascending loops like hiking trail switchbacks.
I think that the dream was making me receptive to the Scriptures discussed above. The ascent to God is supernatural (“against gravity” in my dream), carried by “water” that God has sent from above to refresh the deserts (Psalm 126:6) of a world — and a soul — dried up by sin and death.
The emotions of the dream were
confusion — “This shouldn’t be happening” — which is an exposition of grace, ...God’s undeserved gift of his love, mercy, and help, which he freely offers to us who, because of our sin, deserve only condemnation.
comfort — despite the desert, the sun was gentle on my skin and the ride on the water was smooth — signs of God’s assistance and refreshment when I still my own striving to ascend and accept the grace of God in Christ and surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit.
But I could be all wrong. Seek God’s wisdom in the Scriptures.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.