Psa 124 | MHM | STEP | Praise for God’s Deliverance This psalm calls God’s people to praise Him for saving them from great danger. The writer wants everyone to remember how close they came to disaster because of the hatred and anger of other people. Sometimes, people can be very cruel—even those who should show kindness. The enemies of Israel were so angry that they wanted to destroy them completely. The danger was so great that it felt like being swallowed alive or drowned by a flood. But God sometimes allows His people to face such trouble so that His power in rescuing them will be even clearer. v. 1–5 : The psalmist says, If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: then the proud waters had gone over our soul (Psalm 124:1-5 ). The danger came from people—other humans—who were so angry that they wanted to destroy God’s people completely. Their anger was like a fire or a flood, and if God had not helped, Israel would have been wiped out. The psalmist uses strong images to show how serious the threat was, but also to highlight how great God’s rescue was.

‏ Psalms 124

Praise for God’s Deliverance

This psalm calls God’s people to praise Him for saving them from great danger. The writer wants everyone to remember how close they came to disaster because of the hatred and anger of other people. Sometimes, people can be very cruel—even those who should show kindness. The enemies of Israel were so angry that they wanted to destroy them completely. The danger was so great that it felt like being swallowed alive or drowned by a flood. But God sometimes allows His people to face such trouble so that His power in rescuing them will be even clearer.

v. 1–5: The psalmist says, If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: then the proud waters had gone over our soul (Psalm 124:1-5 ^a). The danger came from people—other humans—who were so angry that they wanted to destroy God’s people completely. Their anger was like a fire or a flood, and if God had not helped, Israel would have been wiped out. The psalmist uses strong images to show how serious the threat was, but also to highlight how great God’s rescue was.

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v. 6–8: The psalmist praises God for saving His people from great danger. He says, “Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:6-8 ^b). This means that God was on their side, fighting for them and rescuing them from certain destruction. The people were like helpless prey or a bird caught in a trap, but God broke the trap and set them free. Without God’s powerful help, they would have been lost. Because of this, God’s people should always trust Him and never turn away from Him.

The Security of God's People

This section celebrates how God rescued His people from great danger. The psalmist urges everyone to give thanks to God, because it was only by God’s power that they escaped. The closer the danger, the more we should praise God for saving us. God’s people were almost destroyed, but He did not allow their enemies to win. When we are delivered, we must remember to give all the glory to God, who alone can save us in such times.

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v. 8: The psalmist concludes, Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 124:8 ^c). This reminds everyone to trust God, who is the Creator of all things. If God can make the world, He can protect and save His people in any danger. The church and all who love God can be confident that He will always be their help.