Is Not This the Land of Beulah?

“I am dwelling on the mountain, where the golden sunlight gleams
O’er a land whose wondrous beauty far exceeds my fondest dreams;
Where the air is pure, ethereal, laden with the breath of flow’rs,
They are blooming by the fountain, ’Neath the amaranthine bow’rs.

Chorus
Is not this the land of Beulah? Blessed, blessed land of light,
Where the flowers bloom forever, And the sun is always bright!

I can see far down the mountain, where I wandered weary years,
Often hindered in my journey by the ghosts of doubts and fears;
Broken vows and disappointments thickly sprinkled all the way,
But the Spirit led, unerring, to the land I hold today.

I am drinking from the fountain, Where I ever would abide;
For I’ve tasted life’s pure river, And my soul is satisfied;
There’s no thirsting for life’s pleasures, Nor adorning, rich and gay,
For I’ve found a richer treasure, One that fadeth not away.

Tell me not of heavy crosses, Nor of burdens hard to bear,
For I’ve found this great salvation makes each burden light appear;
And I love to follow Jesus, gladly counting all but dross,
Worldly honors all forsaking for the glory of the cross.

Oh, the cross has wondrous glory! Oft I’ve proved this to be true;
When I’m in the way so narrow, I can see a pathway through;
And how sweetly Jesus whispers: “Take the cross, thou need’st not fear,
For I’ve tried the way before thee,” And the glory lingers near.”

In addition to the great theology and truths founds in hymns, one of the things hymns can also do is encourage a person to dig a little deeper into the Word.  This is often times done by referring to an obscure story or an unusual reference in the Bible.  Hymn titles like “Honey in the Rock,” “Balm in Gilead,” and “Bringing in the Sheaves” make you wonder “Where did that song come from?”  This particular song does the same by referencing the “Land of Beulah.”  This is one of several songs written about a land called “Beulah”, but, surprisingly, there is only one specific reference in the Bible to “Beulah land,” and it is found in Isaiah 62:4 which reads “No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah ; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.”  This little phrase in Isaiah has been elaborated on by several songwriters, and this particular hymn paints a mental picture of this special land, and does so in a wonderfully poetic way.

A couple of phrases jump out to me in this song are:

• “But the Spirit led, unerring…” – Do you have a GPS device in your car?  Do you trust it to lead you to where you need to go all the time?  I have been on a trip before where one of these navigation systems did not work.  It got us to the right city, but did not get us to our destination.  This phrase reminds us that the Spirit is leading and guiding us (if we will follow Him), and we can be assured that the Holy Spirit does not make mistakes or give you bad directions.  His leading is without error.

• “Great salvation makes each burden light appear” – Do your burdens seem heavy?  I wonder if the reasons our burdens seem heavy is because we compare our problems to people that seemingly have life made.  This comparison makes our troubles worse in light of someone else’s “good life.”  However, if we compare our burdens to the great salvation we have experienced, our burdens should appear “light.”  Jesus said in Matthew 11:30 “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

Did you watch the Superbowl this year?  Chances are you did, and you probably know that the MVP of the Superbowl was Santonio Holmes because of the great catch he made for a touchdown at the end of the game.  One of the rewards of winning the MVP honor in the Superbowl is to be the star in your own commercial for Disney.  During the fanfare and celebration after the game, a cameraman comes up to him and asks “Now that you have won the Superbowl, what are you going to do next?”  The standard response is “I’m going to Disney World!!!” or “I’m going to Disney Land!!!”  I wonder if we as Christians are as excited about going to “Beulah Land” as these athletes are about going to Disney Land.  As a reminder to us all, I thought it would be a good idea to contrast a trip to these distinct “lands.”

• One is a reward for the Superbowl MVP’s personal accomplishments.  The other is a reward from God’s merciful heart by no personal accomplishment of your own.

• One trip may cost you financially.  The other cost you nothing, but cost God His only begotten Son.

• One is a short-term trip.  One is an eternal destination.

• One is primarily self-indulgent or self-centered.  One is Christ-centered and Christ glorifying.

• One is called a place “where dreams come true.”  The other is where perfect Truth reigns.

I have attached a version of this song by The Isaacs family.  Hope you enjoy it.