He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer. (Psalm 102:17)
For the people of Israel, the height of their existence was in the days when they were a united people, when the Temple stood on Mount Moriah, and more importantly, when the Presence of God resided in their midst. Consequently, when the Temple was destroyed and the people were scattered to the four winds, exile became the lowest point in their existence. Physically and spiritually they were, as David said, “destitute.” The Hebrew word used by David, thematically, is akin to a lone, fruitless tree growing in an abandoned wilderness with no prospects for thriving. Likewise, when in exile, Israel is regarded as alone — a barren, childless woman pining for deliverance from her pathetic situation.
So for us to truly appreciate David’s prophecy of a restored Zion under the kingship of the Messiah, it is critical for us to understand the Jewish mindset on the matter. Furthermore, though we who are in Messiah should not feel lost and alone, those who do not believe and yet pine for redemption do feel that way. It is to them that the Lord says, “Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman” (Isaiah 54:1). In other words, through Isaiah, the Lord validates the hopeful proclamation long before made by David — He regards the prayer of the destitute and He restores the hopeless.
Before the exile of the Northern Kingdom and before the exile of the Kingdom of Judah the Lord said, “The children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king” (Hosea 3:4-5). In other words, long before the Temple was destroyed, long before the people were made destitute, the God of Israel gave them a word of hope. Even though He warned them that punishment for their sin was inevitable, He told them there was a path that led to reconciliation.
Because He is Good, the Lord always impresses upon those who will hear that His heart is for restoration and life, not destruction and death. Because He is merciful, the Lord is quick to hear the cries of the one who is forlorn and destitute and lovingly receives the repentant. No doubt many of us have felt as if we were the lone, fruitless tree without any hope of thriving — that we were abandoned in the wilderness. But it is in those times that we should cry out because, by His own Word, we know that He will not disregard our prayer. He will not turn a deaf ear to our plea because it is written, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a crushed spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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