Lock Us Out

Psalm 126:4 (KJV) Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.

(Proverbs 10 also read)

In the King James Version this is a bit confusing.  How do you turn captivity?  In looking at different translations and the original Hebrew it seems like the consensus is that this somehow means to take them out of their captivity.  That’s a good prayer.  I think there’s a nuance, though that we need to consider.

If you look at the New American Standard, it says, “Restore our captivity”.  The Hebrew doesn’t change, but these words have so many ways of being translated that this is not totally out of line.  I like the idea when it comes to revival and us being servants of the living God.  One of the problems we have is we keep wanting to break out and do our own thing.  Our self rationalizes  and we head off into the sunset leaving God behind, but claiming to be obedient.

It’s very possible that what the psalmist is calling for here is for us to reestablish the fact that He is God, the Creator, and we are men, the created.  There’s a word that’s translated, sometimes servant and sometimes slave, but the concept is that we are to live in submission to the living God.

So?  Repent, return, restore, take your pick.  The point is let God be God.  Let Jesus be Lord. And let’s get on the business of holy living.