125 A Song of Ascents.
125:1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!
5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
the Lord will lead away with evildoers!
Peace be upon Israel!
Section Overview
This psalm instills in the Lord’s people confidence that remaining loyal to him really is worth it. The leading image is of Zion as a city surrounded by sheltering mountains. It is possible that some of Zion’s citizens might go over to evil, but the Lord will see to it that he publicly vindicates his faithful ones. This is like Psalm 122 in that it stresses the ideal of what the city should be (and the faithful will do their part to make it live up to the ideal), that it might ever be a suitable place for worship (cf. Section Overview of Psalm 120).
The psalm flows by changing its focus of attention: the first section (vv. 1–2) stresses the enduring stability of Zion under God’s care, while the next (v. 3) shifts just slightly to the Lord’s devotion to the moral well-being of his people. The final section (vv. 4–5) turns to prayer, asking God to confirm his commitment in the sight of his faithful.
Section Outline
I. The Security of Zion (125:1–2)
II. Righteous Rule over Zion (125:3)
III. May the Lord Vindicate His Truth! (125:4–5)
Response
Psalm 125 expresses confidence in the Lord’s care for his people and also prays for the visible manifestation of that care; it thus combines the elements of community confidence and community lament. Its applicability is quite general; there is always a need for the vindication of God’s care for his people via the prospering of the faithful and the downfall of the unfaithful. As a Song of Ascents, Psalm 125 stresses the special place of Jerusalem, where the sanctuary was located and the Davidic kingship was located before the exile. As such it could enable worshipers to pray for continued safe access to the sanctuary and just rule by the Davidic kings. After the exile the prayers might take on the flavor of yearning for the return of the Davidic king, ultimately in the person of the Messiah.
Christians will likewise pray that they will always have safe places to worship; they also rejoice that God raised Jesus to the throne of David in keeping with the principle of verse 3, and they pray that leaders in their churches (and in their nations) would model themselves after Jesus.Psalm 125
Psalm 126