[The following is a manuscript of my brief devotional delivered on Sunday morning, the 3rd of June, 2018. This Sunday we welcomed the Beulahland Quartet of Gilbert, SC, who shared with us their ministry of beautiful music. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Before we bring the Beulahland Quartet back up, I thought it might be interesting to take a few minutes and see where the term “Beulah Land” comes from. Normally, a word we use from our Bible has many references, many places we can find that word. The land of Beulah can only be found once – in the Book of Isaiah. Listen and follow along as I read from chapter 62 of that great book of prophesy, verses 1 through 5, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
1 For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
And her salvation as a lamp that burns.
2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory.
You shall be called by a new name,
Which the mouth of the Lord will name.
3 You shall also be a crown of glory
In the hand of the Lord,
And a royal diadem
In the hand of your God.
4 You shall no longer be termed Forsaken,
Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate;
But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah;
For the Lord delights in you,
And your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin,
So shall your sons marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So shall your God rejoice over you.
--Isaiah 62:1-5 (NKJV)
Remember that Isaiah warned the kingdom of Judah about falling into the same pattern that ended with the northern kingdom of Israel being exiled into slavery. God showed Isaiah that Judah would also be defeated and taken away into slavery, but that someday the Hebrew people would come back to God, that God would then smile upon them once again and they would be restored to their land. The Hebrew word “Hephzibah” literally means “My delight is in her”, and “Beulah” means married. The people would again be the delight of God and He would marry them to their land.
In his book, Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan defined the term “Land of Beulah” as “that peaceful land in which the pilgrim awaits the call to the Celestial City”. The land of Judah could indeed be seen as that “waiting place”, as the Hebrews awaited their promised Messiah. A gentleman by the name of Edgar Stites was inspired by this view when he wrote the hymn “Beulah Land” in 1876. Part of the lyrics go like this:
Stites took Bunyan’s idea that Beulah Land is that land that borders heaven, where we await our Savior’s coming, where we can look out across the distance and see our forever home.
But I think most of us are more familiar with the much more recent Southern Gospel hymn, “Sweet Beulah Land”, composed in 1973 by Squire Parsons. It’s lyrics, in part, say:
Whether it’s the last stop before we head off to heaven, or that great Celestial City itself, Beulah Land is the place we all want to be, the land we are called to. There we will walk with our Savior Jesus and have sweet and complete Communion with Him. In that land we will live forever. God’s Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, beckons us to our eternal home.
Beulah Land, I'm longing for you. In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
In his book, Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan defined the term “Land of Beulah” as “that peaceful land in which the pilgrim awaits the call to the Celestial City”. The land of Judah could indeed be seen as that “waiting place”, as the Hebrews awaited their promised Messiah. A gentleman by the name of Edgar Stites was inspired by this view when he wrote the hymn “Beulah Land” in 1876. Part of the lyrics go like this:
O Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land,
As on thy highest mount I stand,
I look away across the sea,
Where mansions are prepared for me,
And view the shining glory shore,
My Heav’n, my home forever more!
My Savior comes and walks with me,
And sweet communion here have we;
He gently leads me by His hand,
For this is Heaven’s border land.
Stites took Bunyan’s idea that Beulah Land is that land that borders heaven, where we await our Savior’s coming, where we can look out across the distance and see our forever home.
But I think most of us are more familiar with the much more recent Southern Gospel hymn, “Sweet Beulah Land”, composed in 1973 by Squire Parsons. It’s lyrics, in part, say:
I'm kind of homesick for a country
To which I've never been before.
No sad goodbyes will there be spoken
For time won't matter anymore.
Beulah Land, I'm longing for you.
And some day on thee I'll stand.
There my home shall be eternal.
Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land.
I'm looking now, just across the river,
To where my faith, shall end in sight.
There's just a few more days to labor.
Then I will take my heavenly flight.
Beulah Land, I'm longing for you.
And some day on thee I'll stand.
There my home shall be eternal.
Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land.
Whether it’s the last stop before we head off to heaven, or that great Celestial City itself, Beulah Land is the place we all want to be, the land we are called to. There we will walk with our Savior Jesus and have sweet and complete Communion with Him. In that land we will live forever. God’s Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, beckons us to our eternal home.
Beulah Land, I'm longing for you. In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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