Psalm 125

First, a translation.

PSALM 125
A song of ascents (a going up song)
Those who trust in YHWH are like Mount Zion.
They will not be made to stumble, abiding for eternity.
Jerusalem, the mountains surrounding her,
and YHWH surrounding His people for all eternity.
For the rod of the wicked will not rest
on the lot of the righteous,
so that the righteous will not let their hands go to wickedness.
YHWH, treat graciously the good and upright in heart.
But those branching off on their twisted, winding paths
YHWH will send off with those who practice sin.
Peace be upon Israel.


Imagine a group making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They see the mountains ahead of them. As they ascend to the dwelling place of God, they sing this hymn. They equate the protection, majesty, and surety of the mountains with the strength and certainty of God. Those who trust Him will be made like these mountains.
“My dear friends, stand firm and don't be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Those who trust will not be moved. They won’t totter or be shaken.
(Cue “Those Who Trust” from Enter the Worship Circle.)
It isn’t that they won’t experience trouble or hardship, but the LORD is surrounding them. His protection is sure.

Yes, the Lord protects. But what about the wicked who seem to be in control? How can that coincide with the LORD’s protection? Why do they prosper and thrive?

Psalm 125 says that such a situation is temporary. The rod of the wicked may indeed lean upon the upright, but it will not remain there. If it did, good people might be tempted to get ahead by joining in with the evildoers. Too many people fall into this trap. They see a "shortcut" to happiness and abandon the Way.

Psalm 73 explores this temptation so well. Here the psalmist is frustrated by the prosperity of the wicked. Where’s the justice?! But then, he sees their end. Believers can’t be shortsighted. We must be among those who TRUST. So, though the days are evil, and though the tares and the wheat grow side by side in the field, their end is coming. The rod of the wicked will not rest upon the lot of the righteous.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)

In verse 4, the psalmist prays for the Lord to be gracious to those who are good and upright in heart.

He was…
and His graciousness cost Him His Son.

The psalmist’s prayer was answered in a more profound way than he could have imagined.

So, having assured us of God’s protecting & sustaining presence and answering our concerns about the place of the unrighteous, the psalm ends with a warning—those who abandon God and choose evil will be punished with the ungodly. To receive God’s reward, believers must stand firm to the end. Just glancing over the New Testament, I see that we “stand firm” through faith (1 Corinthians 16:14, 2 Cor. 1:24), prayer (Colossians 4:12), God’s empowerment (2 Corinthians 1:21), holding firm to the Word (2 Thessalonians 2:15), following the example of the saints and anticipating Christ’s return (Philippians 3:17-4:1), wearing the heavenly armor (Ephesians 6), resisting the devil (1 Peter 5:9), and through the Spirit (Philippians 1:27, 2 Thessalonians 2:13)

Eugene Peterson sees this psalm as an assurance of our salvation. God will remain faithful to us through all our ups and downs. We can remain confident, because our souls are secure in His hand. The Good Shepherd protects us. His rod and His staff (His protection and guidance) give us comfort.

Charles Spurgeon has a great quote regarding this psalm:

As Jerusalem is fortressed by the mountains, so are God’s people castled in the covenant, fortressed in the Omnipotence of God, and therefore they are impregnably secure.

No hardship or persecution can separate us from the love of God— not the rack, nor furnaces, nor crosses, nor stakes, nor martyrdom, nor being forced from our homes. Not calumny, scorn, nor slander. Not heresy nor divisions. We are secure.

Though I feel I could write much more, I’ll go ahead and conclude with a hymn that Charles Wesley wrote based on Psalm 125:

1 WHO in the Lord confide,
And feel his sprinkled blood,
In storms and hurricanes abide,
Firm as the mount of God:
Steadfast, and fixed, and sure,
His Zion cannot move;
His faithful people stand secure
In Jesu's guardian love.

2 As round Jerusalem
The hilly bulwarks rise,
So God protects and covers them
From all their enemies.
On every side he stands,
And for his Israel cares;
And safe in his almighty hands
Their souls for ever bears.

3 But let them still abide
In thee, all-gracious Lord,
Till every soul is sanctified,
And perfectly restored:
The men of heart sincere
Continue to defend;
And do them good, and save them here,
And love them to the end.

Amen. Rest secure in God’s encompassing protection!