SOUNDING OUT:
God Hath Done Great Things For Us
How strange that God’s
people would be surprised when God delivers with His
mighty hand. God can turn any situation “right
side up.” There is nothing beyond His power and
providence. We expect Him to work in a mighty way in
the lives of His people.
When God worked in such
a mighty way to turn the captivity of His people, they
could hardly believe it. It was almost too good to be
true. They had lived so long under the oppression, they
had almost given up hope. Now it was as if they wondered,
“Could it indeed be real?”
God turned their sorrow
into rejoicing. The time in captivity is not as important
as the deliverance from the captivity. “When”
deals with time. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred
maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it
is a tree of life.” We should never give up hope;
so what if it takes longer than we would like. We should
not dwell on the length or misery of the captivity,
but rather rejoice when the deliverance comes.
Christians, who dwell
more upon what they have gone through than upon what
God has done for them, rob themselves of the joy of
living. Enduring difficult situations is seldom fun,
but the end of the captivity is always a cause for rejoicing.
What is our impression of life? Is it continual conflicts,
deep afflictions, and sad adversities? Or, is it a continual
feast upon the great things God has done for us?
“Then” is
another word that deals with time. It refers back to
verse one. Look at what happened when God turned the
captivity of His people. First let’s note the
response of God’s believing people: “our
[plural] mouth [singular]” and “our [plural]
tongue [singular].” The people responded unanimously
with laughter and singing. It was as if they had one
mouth and one tongue. They were united in their rejoicing.
The pain of the captivity was swallowed up by the elation
of God’s mighty power working on their behalf.
Next, let’s note
the response of the unbelieving heathen: “The
Lord hath done great things for them.”
Note specifically:
1. Who got the glory?
|
The
Lord |
2. They recognized it was
not by chance. God worked deliberately and completely
|
hath done |
3. They recognized that it
was not just common or ordinary things that
God did
|
great things |
4. They recognized that God
moved on their behalf
|
for them. |
Then verse three begins
like verse two ends. This time it is God’s people
declaring, “The Lord hath done great things for
us.” (That’s the figure anadiplosis.) God’s
people are the “apple of His eye” (Deu 32:10;
Psa 17:8; Zec 2:8). What was the end result? God’s
people were glad. They spoke of it, and it changed their
attitude or disposition. Psalm 40 echoes similar sentiments.
Psalm 40:1-5:
I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto
me, and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up also
out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set
my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3 And he hath put a new
song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall
see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is that man that
maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud,
nor such as turn aside to lies.
5 Many, O LORD my God, are
thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts
which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in
order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them,
they are more than can be numbered.
We should speak of God’s
wonderful works. Yes, we may endure trials, but we are
delivered out of them (II Timothy 3:11; 4:17,18). Yes,
we have our weaknesses and shortcomings, but we also
have an all-sufficient Savior, who works on our behalf
and helps us overcome our frailties. God can turn any
captivity. Remember how God turned the captivity of
Job?
If we remember and recount
the difficulties we have been through, let us not forget
that we have been through them safely and profitably.
We have not remained in captivity. He has turned our
sorrow to rejoicing. The deeper our troubles have been,
the louder our thanks to God should be. He has led us
through all, and preserved us until now. As Charles
Spurgeon once said, “Our griefs cannot mar the
melody of our praise, we reckon them to be the bass
part of our life's song,”
REMEMBER: "The
Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad."
