The Exile Returned

Meaning in Psalm 34

Alfred D. Byrd

DRIVEN away from his home and from God,
An exile destined to rule his people
Groveled before a king of strangers.
Hoping to find acceptance, a refuge—
Somewhere to linger apart from his foes—
The exile received, however, rejection.
Even foreigners called him accursed.
In the night of his soul, in the depths of despair,
The exile returned to his faith in the One
And called on his God in hope and in trust.
Our God would listen! The exile would find
A path that led on to the throne of promise.
Here is a song of that man of faith.

"ANSWER a question! Who is the one
Who wants to live on because there's good
In a world that shows us often but evil?
The one who lives on is the one who trusts,
Though it seems to some that we have no hope,
In our God to hear and answer our cries
For rescue from those who despise the truth.

"The truth is simple: the One is fearsome,
Able to do whatever is needed.
Rescue will come to those who bow down;
Judgment, to those who stand defiant.
Fearing the One Who can do all things
Is the path of reason leading to life.
For the one who turns away from darkness—
Evil's abode, where we win for a while,
But come up empty paying the bill—
And seeks the light of our God, the Maker,
Blessings below and above await.
The evil, however, are empty of hope:
What they do will be done in turn to them,
And none will recall their deeds when they're gone."

("Not a bone," the exile told us, "will break
In those delivered by God from the world."
The exile's promise would find fulfillment
Centuries later within Messiah.
Falsely accused and tortured to death,
He stayed intact throughout His ordeal
Until He chose to send His spirit
Heavenward, having completed its work
Of making a way from darkness to light
For all who will call on His Name in faith.
Messiah has shared our pain and our grief,
And wishes for us to share in His joy.)

"BECAUSE the One is Light and is Love,
And because our God will listen and act,
I'll sing of the Name of God forever.
Join me, brothers and sisters of faith,
In shouting the Name of God so loudly
(Lovers are known for showing their love)
That it shakes the world from sloth and from sleep
And brings the humble, broken in heart,
To a place of healing and joy with our God!"

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.