WHERE IS BEULAH LAND?

We are supposed to "sing with the spirit and with the understanding" (1 Cor. 14:15). So let me ask, what are we singing about when we sing Beulah Land?

If you answer heaven, I am not surprised. The way that the first verse of this song has been altered from its original tense certainly leaves this impression. But without trying to get into the mind of the writer, let us explore the scriptural meaning of the term Beulah Land.

The only place where I know that it occurs (and the reference given for it in our songbook) is Isaiah 62: 1-2. This is clearly a Messianic prophecy which refers to our day and age. Beulah literally means "married" as spelled out by Isaiah. The figurative reference is to a land which is already cleared, plowed, seeded and ready to bear fruit.

Those who have worked desolate land understand the figure quite well. Jesus has already done the hard work. Our job is merely to harvest the crop (ref. Mt. 9:37).

That the original writer of the song meant to accurately apply this figure to our current state in the church is readily apparent from the tense of the chorus. Speaking of Beulah land, he says "as on thy highest mount I stand" (present tense), while looking toward heaven across the sea. In the second verse he proclaims: "this is heaven's borderland" (not heaven itself).

While there is nothing unscriptural about the first verse of the song as now written, it is clearly inconsistent with the rest of the song. The intent of the song was to voice our satisfaction with and thankfulness for the spiritual blessings which we have in Christ NOW (Ephesians 1:3). Those who were around thirty years ago remember the original words: "I've reached the land of corn and wine, and all its riches freely mine, Here shines undimmed one blissful day, for all my night has passed away."

I suppose our editors felt sqeamish about such definitive statements of bliss, and thought they would best be relegated to heaven. While our current version is not technically wrong, it does rob us of some valuable lessons that we desperately need to learn. Among them:

1. The blessings we receive now for being Christians are worthy of acclaim: "he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time ..." (Mark 10: 30). The problem is that we do not have the proper spiritual attitude to realize the full impact of this statement.

2. The apostle Paul had the right attitude when he said: "Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8: 37). Again Peter: "Ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation ..." (1 Pet. 2: 9).

3. Perhaps if we understood these truths, we would have a better grasp of what it means to "live and reign with Christ for a thousand years" (Rev. 20: 4). Unfortunately, our premelinialist friends cannot fully appreciate the now in their preoccupation with what they assume will be a period of rapture.

Regardless of how you feel confortable singing this great song, let us never forget what God does for Christians everyday in this world; for unless we understand this, we will never comprehend the meaning of heaven. Indeed, this realization is the highest mount of Beulah land.


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