The Theme of the Redeemed | Psalm 124
INTRO
Good morning, church. If you have your Bibles with you, you can turn to Psalm 124 as we begin this Summer Psalm Series. This is a psalm that my family loves to sing together in our home and I am excited to be preaching it this morning.
Andrew A. Bonar, the youngest brother of the famous hymn writer Horatius Bonar, recalls this event in his book “Christ and His Church in the Book of Psalms.” He says:
In the year 1582, [Psalm 124] was sung on a remarkable occasion in Edinburgh. An imprisoned minister, John Durie, had been set free, and was met and welcomed on entering the town by two hundred of his friends. The number increased till he found himself in the midst of a company of two thousand, who began to sing as they moved up the long High Street… They sang in four parts with deep solemnity, all joining in the well known tune and psalm. They were much moved themselves, and so were all who heard; and one of the chief persecutors is said to have been more alarmed at this sight and song than at anything he had seen in Scotland.
Singing is powerful. It shapes cultures and communities and churches. And singing the psalms is uniquely powerful because it gives us a heavenly and inspired vocabulary to speak encouragement and admonition to ourselves and to those around us. In Ephesians 5:19, we are commanded to “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with [our] hearts.” In the parallel passage from Colossians 3:16, Paul says that we are to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in [our] hearts to God.”
When we sing, we are teaching one another. Our souls are being fed food. And part of our diet needs to be the psalms. And I believe that Psalm 124 is a rich feast for us. This psalm—Psalm 124—teaches you to sing because the sovereign Lord is on your side.
It is a psalm that is chiefly concerned with our response to God and what he has done—it teaches us how to praise Him. And I want to motivate you to sing this morning by showing you that the disposition of David in this psalm is not only fitting for times of great deliverances from great dangers (though it certainly is), but that it is also fitting for every Christian at all times of our lives. This psalm reveals and reflects the constant theme of the redeemed.
We are not certain of the exact occasion that prompted the writing of this psalm, some believe it could have been written when King David was facing the Philistines armies who sought the destruction of God’s people as we see in 2 Samuel 5, but the language here does not specify. However, you may notice that this psalm is listed as a Song of Ascents, meaning that it was a congregational song sung by the faithful as they journeyed up to Jerusalem for worship. As the ESV Study Bible notes, “God’s people have known many occasions on which this psalm provides just the right hymn.” It’s worth quoting one commentator at length who describes the context and applicability of this psalm beautifully like this:
“No reference is made to any specific danger and deliverance. There is a delightful universality in the language, which suits it admirably for an anthem of the redeemed, in every age and in every clime. The people of God still live in a hostile territory. Traitors are in the camp, and there are numerous foes without. And the church would soon be exterminated, if the malice and might of her adversaries were not restrained and defeated by a higher power. Hence this ode of praise has never become obsolete. How frequently have its strains of adoring gratitude floated on the breeze! What land is there, in which its outbursting gladness has not been heard! It has been sung upon the banks of the Jordan and the Nile, the Euphrates and the Tigris. It has been sung upon the banks of the Tiber and the Rhine, the Thames and the Forth. It has been sung upon the banks of the Ganges and the Indus, the Mississippi and the Irrawaddy. And we anticipate a period when the church, surmounting all her difficulties, and victory waving over her banners, shall sing this psalm of praise in every island and continent of our globe. The year of God's redeemed must come. The salvation of Christ shall extend to the utmost extremities of earth. And when this final emancipation takes place, the nations will shout for joy, and praise their Deliverer in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs.”
—N. McMichael, cited by Spurgeon
Amen. That’s a sermon in itself right there.
Since this “ode of praise has never become obsolete” as this commentator says, I want to motivate you to continue singing this psalm today, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, by showing you three constants that you can bank your life on: 1) the distress of God’s people; 2) the dependence of God’s people; and 3) the deliverance of God’s people.
The Distress of God’s People (v. 2-7)
Firstly, the distress of God’s people.
The majority of Psalm 124—verses 2 through 7—deals with the hypothetical consequences of what would have happened if the Israelites found themselves on the opposite side of the Lord. Notice how verses 3, 4, and 5 all begin with the word “then.” If we weren’t on the Lord’s side, then this would have happened, then this, then this. David knew of the dangers that God’s people continually faced.
What would have happened to them? Verse 3 says, they would have been swallowed up whole. They would have been burned up as man’s anger was kindled against them. Verse 4 says, they would have been caught up in the current and the waves. Verse 5 says, they would have been drowned under the raging waters. Verse 6, they would have been eaten up in the jaws of a beast. And Verse 7, they would have been trapped inside a net.
Swallowed up, burned up, caught up, drowned under, eaten up, trapped inside. With all of these metaphors and word pictures, David paints a very bleak picture of the predicament they were in.
He says in verse 2 that it was people who rose up against them. It wasn’t just abstract opponents in their imaginations, there were real, flesh-and-blood enemies who were out to get them.
He then goes on to personify the waters. The ESV calls them raging waters in verse 5, but I like how the KJV calls them proud waters. They were arrogant. They had a mind of their own. They set themselves up against God’s people to destroy them. So not only were people against them, but so were the haughty powers of nature.
And then lastly, there were the snares of the fowler. Charles Spurgeon says of verse 7 here,
“Our soul is like a bird for many reasons; but in this case the point of likeness is weakness, folly, and the ease with which it is enticed into the snare. Fowlers have many methods of taking small birds, and Satan has many methods of entrapping souls.”
Spurgeon goes on to say that we are trapped “by temptations to pride, worldliness, drunkenness, [doctrinal] error, or lust, according to the tastes and habits of the individual.” Do you find yourself ensnared by any of those things? Pride? Lust? Worldliness?
What causes the distress of God’s people according to this psalm? We could say: Proud people, proud waters, and our own proud hearts that are prone to temptation. Notice, the dangers are both from without and from within.
What I want you to realize is that those things are universal realities that we face in this fallen world that we live in. Yes, it is true that we live in what has been called Negative World, where Christianity is now viewed as a social negative in ways that it wasn’t before, and it is true that our times are uniquely tumultuous—there really are enemies and forces at work distressing the people of God. But it is also true that in times like these, we are also exposed to temptations and snares that would otherwise remain dormant. We need to be watchful and mindful of the effect these distresses can have on us. All this should not come as a surprise to us, but we do need to be reminded of why this is the case.
Doug Wilson explains it like this…
That we live in oddball times really needs no explanation. Yes, we know. But why we live in such oddball times does need to be explained over and over again. When our first parents sinned in the Garden, one of the central consequences—which was part of God’s redemptive promise and plan—was that He placed a permanent antithesis between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). This is why the history of the world is filled with conflict. This is the central conflict. It is the driver of everything that happens. It is the reason for the long war. This is why Jesus had to die, and it is why the death of Jesus crushed the serpent’s head while bruising His heel.
Psalm 124 is a universal psalm because it addresses the universal distress that the people of God experience due to the antithesis placed between those who are on God’s side and those who are on the serpent’s side.
The existence of conflict and culture wars and even our own battles with indwelling sin are the norm in this fallen world until Christ finally crushes Satan under the church’s feet and then casts him into the lake of fire. And it is actually the lack of those things—that conflict and that battle—that might indicate that there is a problem. Jesus says, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you” (Luke 6:26). And, “In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart” (John 16:33). Paul says, Don’t be surprised. Put on the armor of God. Fight the good fight.
Conflict might make us uncomfortable, but it is also clarifying. Conflict reveals the latent fault lines underneath the surface and it reveals our hearts. C.S. Lewis insightfully illustrates this idea through one of his characters in his dystopian (but also borderline non-fiction) novel That Hideous Strength who says,
"If you dip into any college, or school, or parish, or family—anything you like—at a given point in its history, you always find that there was a time before that point when there was more elbow room and contrasts weren't quite so sharp; and that there's going to be a time after that point when there is even less room for indecision and choices are even more momentous. Good is always getting better and bad is always getting worse: the possibilities of even apparent neutrality are always diminishing.”
—Dr. Dimble, That Hideous Strength
Like Dr. Dimble, David shows us in this psalm that neutrality isn’t real: there are only two sides; and you want to be found on the Lord’s side when the battle lines are drawn. He is the only one who can humble the proud people, and proud waters, and proud hearts that oppose him. And it is the distress and danger of God’s people revealed in Psalm 124 that reminds us of our utter dependence on him.
The Dependance of God’s People (v. 1-2, 8)
This psalm is formatted almost as a call and response, it’s meant to be chanted or sung. The leader opens in verses 1 and 2 saying,
1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say— [or in other words: say it again!] 2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us,
And then the congregation responds with their testimony of distress in verses 3-5. And finally, it collectively culminates in verses 6-8 with the powerful summation in verse 8:
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
The people of God proclaim their dependence upon him.
In reflecting on the opening verses of the psalm, Spurgeon says, “Here are two "ifs," and yet there is no "if" in the matter. The Lord was on our side, and is still our defender, and will be so from henceforth, even for ever.”
The conditional clause in verses 1 & 2 “if it had not been” introduces a situation that was never true in the past and cannot ever be true in the present or future. God was never not for his people. One commentator says, “In other words, it was not possible that the LORD was not for them, and so it could never be that the enemies would destroy them” (Allen P. Ross, pg. 645).
And so we sing because the sovereign Lord is on our side and we are fully dependent on him for our every deliverance. But if David just sets up a hypothetical here in this psalm that isn’t actually possible, then what is the purpose of this repetition? Martin Luther says,
“This repetition is not in vain. For whilst we are in danger, our fear is without measure; but when it is once past, we imagine it to have been less than it was indeed. And this is the delusion of Satan to diminish and obscure the grace of God. David therefore with this repetition stirreth up the people to more thankfulness unto God for his gracious deliverance, and amplifies the dangers which they had passed. Whereby we are taught how to think of our troubles and afflictions past, lest the sense and feeling of God's grace vanish out of our minds.”
—Martin Luther
We are like the kid who is terrified to jump into the water, but then he puts on a lifejacket and jumps in, only to come out of the water later and then deny that he was ever afraid in the first place or that he needed the lifejacket to sustain him and keep him afloat.
Like foolish kids, we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, and we fail to view God with the honor and gratitude and glory that he deserves.
Notice in verse 8, the emphasis of our dependence on him is rooted in the distinction between the Maker and the things made. Our help is in the name of the Lord. [WHY?] Because he made heaven and earth. [He is in control. He is sovereign. More than that, he is supernatural. And, “Breaking the ‘traps’ of the wicked is no problem for the one who made everything” (Allen P. Ross, pg 648).]
In our tendency toward self-sufficiency, we turn to many natural and material things.
We store up money and resources for the looming economic crash,
We think that princes and politicians can get us out of this mess, even though they continually disappoint us, or
We increase our arsenals, just in case.
None of those things are wrong in and of themselves. In fact, the Bible affirms the importance of human diligence and preparation and prudence and action. David himself was a mighty warrior and he had a host of Mighty Men in his service. And God used David and his men to subdue his enemies. This is not a call to an ethereal or unearthly existence, but it is a reminder that our ultimate help comes from outside of this world. And so, when we take action in this world, we must always do it from a place of dependence and faith in God. He is the one with divine guardianship over the affairs of man. He is the ultimate cause of all that happens, though we sometimes cannot see it with our natural eyes.
Derek Kidner puts it, as only he can, he says:“This invisible aid [from God] is shown to be more real and more potent than the most advanced equipment of the day.” Believe it or not, God can accomplish his purposes through the mouth of a mule or through Cyrus the great, or through some other unexpected means that we didn’t have on our bingo cards. This should humble us and remind us that he is on the throne of heaven and we are not.
As God’s people, may we never forget our dependence on God. May we never try to act outside of his will and Word. May we never sinfully fear the dangers and distresses we face. But with the sovereign Lord on our side, may we learn to say with the Reformer John Knox that, “One man with God is always in the majority.”
Third, let us consider the deliverance of God’s people.
The Deliverance of God’s People (v. 7)
Psalm 124 shows us the pattern of how God saves his people.
Verses 6 & 7 say,
6 Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. 7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped!
If you are familiar with your Bible, then you know that God loves cliff hangers and last-minute rescues. Just consider these biblical examples…
When Abraham brought Isaac up the mountain to sacrifice him, it wasn’t until Abraham’s hand was raised to slay his son that God stayed his hand and provided a ram to sacrifice instead.
When Moses brought the people out of Egypt, they were trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, it wasn’t until the people despaired of life itself that God parted the sea and made a path available for their deliverance.
When Daniel was unjustly sent into the lions’ den, it wasn’t until he was next to the lions when God closed their mouths to protect him.
Here in Psalm 124, David speaks of God’s people being caught in a snare, but the snare was broken and the people escaped.
God saves in the knick of time—at the precise moment that he means to. And to show his power even more clearly and more gloriously, God saves when the point of deliverance is past and salvation seems impossible. In the most significant and momentous moment in the history of the world, God did not deliver his own Son, Jesus, before he went to the cross, but three days after he was crucified and crushed.
In the resurrection of Christ, God showed us that not only can he save his people from death when he wants to, but he can also deliver his people from the grave. He is the God who raises the dead. He raised his own Son! When Paul was despairing of life itself, he reminds the Corinthians, Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
And if God can raise the dead, then how much more is he able to deliver us from the lesser circumstances we face in our world today? How much more is he able to deliver us from the temptations and struggles and snares and enemies and distresses we face that we think we have no power over? Psalm 124 teaches us to think like Christians. To know that God is in control, and he is good, and he is on our side. That he is our help. As Saint Augustine so incredibly puts it,
“So let us also set ourselves in that triumph which will be in a future world, when we shall trample on death, which will then have been destroyed, when we shall say, O grave, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? Then united with angels, and rejoicing in our King, Who willed first to rise from the dead, although He willed not to be the first to die; for many died before Him, but no man rose again for evermore; let us then, rejoicing with Him, already there in hope and in heart, because we have escaped, reflect on what we have escaped, what offences, what tribulations of the world, what persecutions of all Pagans, what deceits of all heretics, what suggestions of the devil, what struggles of our desires. Who could escape all these trials, save the Lord Himself were on our side? Now Israel may say, for Israel saith it securely, If the Lord Himself had not been in us. When? When men rose up against us. Marvel not: they have been subdued: for they were men; but the Lord was in us, man was not in us: for men rose up against us. Nevertheless men would crush other men, unless in those men who could not be crushed, there were not man, but the Lord.” - St. Augustine
Or as the Apostle Paul would say, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
Conclusion: The Delight and Gratitude of God’s People
Church, how should we respond to Psalm 124?
Our hearts should overflow with thanksgiving, and delight, and praise. For our God is the same yesterday, and today, and forevermore. The Lord was on our side in times past, the Lord breaks the present snares we find ourselves trapped in today, and the Lord is our help forevermore, in whatever future we might find ourselves in. The antithesis between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent will rear its ugly head again and again in this world. But we can sing because the sovereign Lord is on our side, the Lord who made heaven and earth. The Lord is on our side who died, and was buried, and rose again from the dead, trampling over death by death. The Lord is on our side who sits at the right hand of the Father, who ever lives to intercede for us. The Lord is on our side who will make all his enemies his footstool. And the Lord is on our side who will come again to judge the living and the dead. This Lord is our help.
So let us now say in thankfulness, let us sing because…
“Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.” - Psalm 144:15, KJV