Psalm Devotional
Preserved to Persevere
Written by Kit Swartz. This devotional was first published in the September 2015 issue of The Reformed Presbyterian Witness.
Psalm 125 is the sixth in the Songs of Ascents (120-134). The overall theme of the series is ascending to the temple in Jerusalem for the annual feasts (Exod. 23:14-17). Therefore, the Songs of Ascents are well suited to our praise as we ascend by the Spirit into the very presence of God in public worship (Heb. 12:22-24), which is an act of faith, and the ordinances of worship are the means to equipping faith for perseverance.
Introduction
The structure of this psalm is similar to that of Psalm 123 in that there is a confession of faith (123:1, 2; 125:1-3) that leads into prayer (123:3-4; 125:4-5). This reminds us of the Lord’s prayer (Matt. 6:9-13) and teaches us that saving faith is necessary for effective prayer (Jas. 1:5-8).
Confession (vv. 1-2)
Saving faith has three components: cognizance, conviction and commitment—in other words, knowledge, persuasion, and action. Persuasion by the Holy Spirit, by which we understand the truth of Scripture, is emphasized in verse 1, “Those who trust in the Lord.” Believers, rooted through faith in God Himself, are as immovable as Mt. Zion and as surrounded by God’s power as Jerusalem is by a wall of mountains (v. 1, Matt. 7:24, 2 Kings 6:17f). This is in stark contrast to those who put their faith in things that decay and fail (Isa. 40:18-20; 1 Tim. 6:17).
Context (v. 3)
Stable faith is critical under the crushing pressures of wickedness in places of powerful influence such as churches, governments, media and culture (scepter of wickedness, v. 3). Though this weight oppresses believers, intimidating them from doing good and provoking them to do evil, the Lord will not let evil prevail against His people (vv. 1-3), or let the power of wickedness continue to frustrate His blessing promised to the righteous (lot, v. 3; see Ps. 73). The Lord broke the scepter of wickedness in Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. He put the scepter of righteousness in the hand of His Son Jesus Christ (see Ps. 2, 110; Dan. 2; Eph. 1:18-23). This shows that believers may suffer for a time, but their sorrow will be turned into joy so that they do not give in to temptation (v. 3; Ps. 30:11; 1 Pet. 5:10).
Call (vv. 4-5)
The psalmist is rooted through faith in God’s promises and faithfulness (vv. 1-2). This stability exists in the context of oppression that appears to be overwhelming (v. 3). Therefore, he now prays that God would fulfill His promises to bless the righteous (v. 4) and curse the wicked (v. 5), thus establishing peace (v. 5). Those who submit themselves to the scepter of wickedness thereby inherit the curse with the wicked (v. 5). The scepter is powerful, and it is difficult to persevere (Matt. 24:12-13, 22-24). Nevertheless, the point of this psalm is that we must trust God to preserve us so that we will persevere to the end and be saved (John 10:28-29; Phil. 1:6).
