THE SOLITARY ARE PLACED IN FAMILIES

" God setteth the solitary in families: He bringeth out those which are bound with chains"  (Psalm 68:6)

The sixty-eighth Psalm is a declaration of the wonderful works of God. It is a also a plea for God to arise and scatter His enemies–oppressors of His people. When God works, His people are glad, and rejoice before Him (v 3). He takes up the cause of the fatherless (orphans) and widows (v 5). He also, as our text declares, "sets the solitary in families."NKJV Other versions read, "God sets the lonely in families"NIV, "God gives the desolate a home"NRSV, and "God makes a home for the lonely."NASB There is a prophecy of salvation in this Psalm. It highlights the effects of sin, and the nature of the Divine remedy for it. First, sin produces a state of spiritual isolation–not only isolation from God, but from others as well. It brings upon the sinner a sense of loneliness and separateness. Even though sinners congregate together, immersing themselves in activities, they cannot remove the loneliness that sin produces. This experience of desolation comes home to the transgressor in times of deep trouble. For some, it proves too difficult to handle, and despair drives them to foolish acts. Although they do not realize it, sin has placed them in a moral prison–a sort of solitary confinement, where they are forced to sail the stormy sea of life alone. Believers remember such times all too well.

In salvation, however, God removes the individual from isolation, releasing him from the prison of sin. He brings out of those dingy cells of isolation those who were "bound with chains." And what does He do with those liberated souls? He does not let them run in the great open spaces alone, but sets them "in families." Another word for "families" is "household"–a place where those with a common Father and kindred interests are found. It is nothing less than the "household of faith" (Gal 6:10). This is the "house" over which Jesus presides, feeding, leading, comforting, and providing for it (Heb 3:6). It is the singular privilege of the child of God to be related to every other child of God–to be able to benefit from them, and also contribute to their welfare. Do not take the people of God for granted. Remember when you had precious few people, if any, with whom you could share your experiences and perceptions of the Lord? How blessed you are to have a body of people, regardless of its size, that can share your life in Christ Jesus. These are people who can weep with you, and rejoice with you as well. They will help to bear your burden also. You have been "set" in a family. Praise God!