Psalm 125
125:1. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion. The emphasis lies upon the object of their trust, namely, Jehovah the Lord. What a privilege to be allowed to repose in God! How condescending is Jehovah to become the confidence of his people! To trust elsewhere is vanity; and the more implicit such misplaced trust becomes the more bitter will be the ensuing disappointment; but to trust in the living God is sanctified common sense which needs no excuse; its result will be its best vindication. There is no conceivable reason why we should not trust in Jehovah, and there is every possible argument for so doing; but, apart from all argument, the end will prove the wisdom of the confidence. The result of faith is not occasional and accidental; its blessing comes, not to some who trust, but to all who trust in the Lord. Trusters in Jehovah will be as fixed, firm, and stable as the mount where David dwelt, and where the ark abode. To move Mount Zion was impossible: the mere supposition was absurd.
Which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. Zion was the image of eternal stead-fastness—this hill which, according to the Hebrew, “sits to eternity,” neither bowing down nor moving to and fro. Thus doth the trusting worshiper of Jehovah enjoy a restfulness which is the mirror of tranquillity; his hope is sure. As the Lord as sitteth as King forever, so do his people sit enthroned in perfect peace when their trust in him is firm. We are, we have been, we shall be as steadfast as the hill of God. Zion cannot be removed, and does not move; so the people of God can neither be moved by force from without or fickleness from within.
125:2. The hill of Zion is the type of the believer’s constancy, and the surrounding mountains are made emblems of the all-surrounding presence of the Lord. The mountains around the holy city, though they do not make a circular wall, are nevertheless set like sentinels to guard her gates. God does not enclose his people within ramparts and bulwarks, making their city to be a prison; but yet he so orders the arrangements of his providence that his saints are as safe as if they dwelt behind the strongest fortifications. It is not said that Jehovah’s power or wisdom defends believers, but he himself is round about them: they have his personality for their protection, his Godhead for their guard. We are here taught that the Lord’s people are those who trust him, for they are thus described in the first verses: the line of faith is the line of grace; those who trust in the Lord are chosen of the Lord. The two verses together prove the eternal safety of the saints: they must be able to abide where God has placed them, and God must forever protect them from all evil.
125:3. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous. The people of God are not to expect immunity from trial because the Lord surrounds them, for they may feel the power and persecution of the ungodly. The graceless often bear rule and wield the rod; and when they do so they are pretty sure to make it fall heavily upon the Lord’s believing people, so that the godly cry out by reason of their oppressors. Egypt’s rod was exceeding heavy upon Israel, but the time came for it to be broken. God has set a limit to the woes of his chosen: the rod may light on their portion, but it shall not rest upon it. The saints abide forever, but their troubles will not.
Lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. The tendency of oppression is to drive the best people into some hasty deed for self-deliverance or vengeance. Therefore the Lord puts a limit to the tyranny of the wicked. He ordained that an Israelite who deserved punishment should not be beaten without measure: forty stripes save one was the appointed limit. We may therefore expect that he will set a bound to the suffering of the innocent, and will not allow them to be pushed to the uttermost extreme.
It seems that even the righteous are in peril of sinning in evil days, and that it is not the will of the Lord that they should yield to the stress of the times in order to escape from suffering. The power and influence of the wicked when they are uppermost are used to lead or drive the righteous astray; but the godly must not accept this as an excuse, and yield to the evil pressure; far rather must they resist with all their might till it pleases God to stay the violence of the persecutor, and give his children rest. This the Lord here promises to do in due time.
125:4. Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. To be good at all we must be good at heart. Those who trust in the Lord are good, for faith is the root of righteousness, and the evidence of uprightness. Faith in God is a good and upright thing, and its influence makes the rest of the person good and upright. To such God will do good: the prayer of the text is but another form of promise, for that which the Lord prompts us to ask he virtually promises to give. Jehovah will take off evil from his people, and in the place thereof will enrich them with all manner of good. Meanwhile it is for us to pray that it may be well with all the upright who are now among men.
125:5. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. Two kinds of people are always to be found, the upright and those of crooked ways. How sad that those who once walked in the right way should turn aside from it! Observe the course of the false-hearted: first, they look out for crooked ways; next, they choose them and make them their crooked ways; and then they turn aside into them. They never intend to go back unto perdition, but only to make a curve and drop into the right road again. These people are neither upright in heart, nor good, nor trusters in Jehovah, and therefore the Lord will deal otherwise with them than his own people: when execution day comes these hypocrites and time-servers will be led out to the same gallows as the openly wicked.
But peace shall be upon Israel. In fact the execution of the deceivers will tend to give the true Israel peace. When God is smiting the unfaithful not a blow will fall upon the faithful. The chosen of the Lord will not only be like Salem, but they will have salem, or peace. Like a prince, Israel has prevailed with God, and therefore he need not fear the face of man; his wrestlings are over, the blessing of peace has been pronounced upon him. He who has peace with God may enjoy peace concerning all things.
The Treasury of David by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)
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