Psalm 125 “From This Time Forth And Forevermore”

Psalm for Today = 125:2-3
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.

Comments:

The point of verse 3 is that God is not absent from his people. If you have been to Jerusalem, you know that it really is surrounded by mountains. As the mountains around Jerusalem serve to protect the city, even more so God protects his people. I love the phrase, “from this time forth and forevermore” though the language does bring back some memories of Edgar Allen Poe. There is permanence to God promised care and faithfulness, a deeply rooted historical providence.

There is also a purpose to this protection. God doesn’t want an authority based on wickedness to “rest” in the land he has given to the righteous. Yes there were wicked kings even in Israel, but they did not rest but were judged by God and removed or replaced by either their own people or by another nation which God raised up as his instrument. God doesn’t want his people to think that they need to become like the wicked to gain influence. We are not to fool ourselves into thinking that God doesn’t judge wickedness.

Verse 3 reminds me of Romans 12:2 which says,  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

And also in Romans 6:12-14 we are instructed not merely to say “No” to sin but to actively say “Yes” to God.

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ¹³ Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

Questions:

·         What are the influences in our life? Who do we respect and want to be like?

·         What do we spend our time doing?

·         Who do we listen to?

·         What do we watch?

If we marinade ourselves in worldliness all week we should not be surprised when we “stretch out our hands to do wrong.” If we follow the one whose scepter  is righteous than we will not be tempted to lobby for influence unrighteously. Jesus' authority is based in righteousness and it brought joy. May we rediscover the oil of gladness that comes with dwelling in the righteousness of Christ (Hebrews 1:8-9)!