From the ash heap to the prince’s seat

“Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.” - Psalms 113v6-8

Praise the Lord! The great, perfect, holy, separate, righteous, just, and awesome creator God loves His creation so much that He stoops down to see what is going on here! Not only that, He does a wonderful work for us as a result.

He raises the poor out of the dust and the needy out of the ash heap. This is an amazing picture. The KJV uses the word “dunghill” to translate the place where man dwells on his own. Paul used the same terminology when he said he counted all of his works but dung when it came to righteousness.

Not to long ago I visited Trim castle in Ireland. In the royal bedroom there is a gardarobe. The gardarobe is, in modern terminology, the toilet. It was a small chamber with a chute to carry away the waste. The waste was collected and its tender, the gong farmer would on occasion stir the waste to release ammonia to kill bugs and lice in the royal family’s clothing so they would hang there garments in the gardarobe.

Now imagine the gong farmer being called directly from the dung heap to the royal chamber. Not only that but imagine him given a seat in the royal chamber. As ludicrous as that sounds it is exactly what God has done for us. God has literally plucked us from the dung-heap of the world and set us a princes in His private chamber through the blood of Christ!