Today I got to give a talk at an aged care place. This week I have felt a little under the pump, so this is quite short, and probably could have been tightened a little. Below is mostly the flow of what I said.
Psalm 125
A song of ascents.
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.
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.
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.
Safe and secure like mountains
On Tuesday, I went for a walk around Condor, and all around me I could see the mountains in this Lanyon Valley. It was lovely. (I even saw some kangaroos). Today our Psalm is one of ascent, which is a song that pilgrims going up to the temple would sing. As they would approach the temple in Jerusalem, they would be able to see the mountains all around them, like the Lanyon Valley.
In this Psalm we are told, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevemore” (Ps 125:2).
We may feel like we are surrounded by hardship, by temptations and even by disappointment in ourselves, but we can take comfort, for the Lord surrounds His people, like those huge immovable mountains around us. We are not to look at the evil in this world, but to what we have with God.
"Our relationship with God provides a security as real and as certain as the strong, solid, physical landscape of Mount Zion and the hills of Jerusalem." (Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, Volume 4 Pastoral Perspective)
We are safe in His arms.
It’s like a 3-year-old in his father’s arms in the middle of a pool. The Dad starts walking more and more to the deep end, saying “Going deeper, going deeper” as they move closer and close to the deep end the kid starts to panic and holds more tightly to his father, who, of course, easily touches the bottom.
Had the little boy been able to analyse his situation, he’d have realised there was no reason for increased anxiety. The water’s depth in any part of the pool was over his head. Even in the shallowest part, had he not been held up, he’d have drowned. His safety anywhere in that pool depended on Dad.
At various points in our lives, all of us feel we’re getting out of our depth—problems abound, family and health issues, someone dies. Our temptation is to panic, for we feel we’ve lost control. Yet, as with the child in the pool, the truth is we’ve never been in control over the most valuable things of life.
We’ve always been held up by the grace of God, our Father, and that does not change. God is never out of his depth, and therefore we’re as safe when we feel like we are “going deeper”. (750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 609: Security)
The good and the bad
The Lord is in control over this world, even if it seems like the wicked hold the sceptre or power. But God has the power to remove their power, and their rule will not be permanent.
There are two truths in this Psalm, the world can be a dangerous place, and God can be a sure refuge. (Psalms, Volume 2 Bridging Contexts)
God does good to those who trust in Him, and will banish the evil doers in the future.
At the end of this Psalm, there is a contrast between the upright and the crooked. Those who do good the Lord will keep; those who do evil will be banished. They will receive the consequences of their actions.
This contrast between good and evil reminded me of something Proverbs would say. Proverbs is all about the choice between the straight path and the crooked path. It is about how best to live.
In knowing the right way, we need to look towards Jesus and see that His ways are the wise ways. We need to listen to Jesus and see that His teachings are the wise teachings. That in Jesus is the wisdom of God and instructions on how we get life.
Peace
Right at the end of this poem, we are told that there will be peace on Israel. This is the great final hope of our faith, that not just in Israel, but that there will be peace all over the Earth. One day, God the Almighty will do this.
The righteous long for God to come and restore the world. Right now, they admit that all is not right, but this Psalm tells us that God is bigger and that He shows concern for those who tust in Him, and that Peace will await His people.
The Christian faith does not ignore the world, nor does it seek to escape the trouble inherent to it. Christianity readily accepts that such is life in a broken creation that has sin in it (Rom 8:20–22). (Psalms, Volume 2 Bridging Contexts)
But in the midst of all that, we also know that we can have peace with God, through
Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Paul writes to the Romans, “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1 HCSB). You can have peace with God through Jesus, who forgives sins and grants eternal life. And you can know the peace of God through daily resting in him. (Exalting Jesus in Psalms 101–150 Those Who Trust in God Know His Holiness (125:5))
Jesus tells His disciples, on the evening before He was to be crucified, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27). Jesus sought to bring peace. Peace between us and God; and peace between each other.
Let’s trust God and experience his stability in the midst of chaos. Let’s trust God and experience his security in the midst of fear. Let’s trust God and experience his goodness in time of need. As we trust him, we can know his peace even in times of anxiety. (Exalting Jesus in Psalms 101–150 Those Who Trust in God Know His Holiness (125:5))
God’s words are good and true, and He promises that all those who trust in Him cannot be shaken but will last forever.
Lord our protector,Surround us with your steadfast love,as the mountains surround Jerusalem.Keep us safe from the hands of the wicked,and establish us in righteousness and peace.Do good, O Lord, to those who are upright in heart,and lead us in your ways forever.Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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