April 3, 2019 (Wednesday)
The Psalms of Ascent exist in groups of three. The three we are studying in this blog are summarized in Halley’s Bible Handbook as shown:
Psalm 123. And this may have been sung
inside the temple courts as the pilgrims lifted their
eyes to God in prayer for His mercy.
Psalm 124. A hymn of thanksgiving and praise
for repeated national deliverance in times of
fearful danger.
Psalm 125. A hymn of trust. As the mountains
are round about Jerusalem, so God is round about
His people.
Psalm 123 expresses great faith and patience in the face of contemptuous scorn and mockery. It reflects the feelings of Nehemiah as opposition to his work surfaces and tries his patience.
inside the temple courts as the pilgrims lifted their
eyes to God in prayer for His mercy.
Psalm 124. A hymn of thanksgiving and praise
for repeated national deliverance in times of
fearful danger.
Psalm 125. A hymn of trust. As the mountains
are round about Jerusalem, so God is round about
His people.
Psalm 123 expresses great faith and patience in the face of contemptuous scorn and mockery. It reflects the feelings of Nehemiah as opposition to his work surfaces and tries his patience.
Psalm 123
New International Version (NIV)
A song of ascents.
I. Look to the Lord as the king on his throne (1)
1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
II. Look to the Lord as a servant looks to his master (2)
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
III. Look to the Lord as your merciful Savior (3-4)
3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
4 We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.Compare three translations side by side. Click here.
Psalm 124 points to some sudden danger which had been providentially averted. Israel’s enemies had threatened them: and if the LORD had not fought for them, Israel might easily have been annihilated. When Israel’s enemies heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, they were angry and planned to come and fight against Jerusalem. But God’s people prayed and set a watch against them day and night. Psalm 124 should be regarded as a thanksgiving for the deliverance recorded in Nehemiah 4:7-23.
New International Version (NIV)
A song of ascents.
I. Look to the Lord as the king on his throne (1)
1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
II. Look to the Lord as a servant looks to his master (2)
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
III. Look to the Lord as your merciful Savior (3-4)
3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
4 We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.
Psalm 124 points to some sudden danger which had been providentially averted. Israel’s enemies had threatened them: and if the LORD had not fought for them, Israel might easily have been annihilated. When Israel’s enemies heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, they were angry and planned to come and fight against Jerusalem. But God’s people prayed and set a watch against them day and night. Psalm 124 should be regarded as a thanksgiving for the deliverance recorded in Nehemiah 4:7-23.
Psalm 124
New International Version (NIV)
A song of ascents.
Of David.
I. Affirm the difference God makes in your life (1-5)
1 If the Lord had not been on our side–
let Israel say–
2 if the Lord had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
4 the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
5 the raging waters
would have swept us away.
II. Praise God for His protection and deliverance (6-7)
6 Praise be to the Lord,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
III. Tell others how God has helped you (8)
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.Compare three translations side by side. Click here.
If we long for safety and security in a shaky world, we need to trust the Lord. These psalms remind us that those who trust in the Lord are safe and secure, strong as mountains, having a hope that is eternal. They remind us to testify that God has helped us in the past and He is able to do it again.
New International Version (NIV)
A song of ascents.
Of David.
I. Affirm the difference God makes in your life (1-5)
1 If the Lord had not been on our side–
let Israel say–
2 if the Lord had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
4 the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
5 the raging waters
would have swept us away.
II. Praise God for His protection and deliverance (6-7)
6 Praise be to the Lord,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
III. Tell others how God has helped you (8)
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
If we long for safety and security in a shaky world, we need to trust the Lord. These psalms remind us that those who trust in the Lord are safe and secure, strong as mountains, having a hope that is eternal. They remind us to testify that God has helped us in the past and He is able to do it again.
Psalm 125
New International Version (NIV)
A song of ascents.
I. Those who trust in the Lord are safe and secure (1-2)
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
II. Those who trust in the Lord have a secure inheritance (3)
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.
III. Those who trust in the Lord have a secure future (4-5)
4 Lord, do good to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways
the Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.Compare three translations side by side. Click here.
New International Version (NIV)
A song of ascents.
I. Those who trust in the Lord are safe and secure (1-2)
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
II. Those who trust in the Lord have a secure inheritance (3)
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.
III. Those who trust in the Lord have a secure future (4-5)
4 Lord, do good to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways
the Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.