Psalm 125

Scripture  Psalm 125:1-2   

Those who trust in the Lord Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever. Observation-What does it say?  Psalm 120-134 are a series of songs known as the Songs of Ascents.  These songs may have been sung as people were climbing the stairs to the temple.  Some scholars believe they were written in a Post Exilic time period, the period after Israel’s exile to Babylon.  Other Post Exilic writings include the five books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.  During this time, under the rule of Cyrus king of Persia, Israel was allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.   Even though Israel has returned from Babylon, it is not the complete end of their exile.  One of the major themes in the Post Exilic writings, the continued trust in the Lord.  These prophets warned against Israel's doubt in God.  The Songs of Ascents may have been used as a way to remind those entering the temple to put their trust in God, who protects those who serve him.   Exile, one of the major themes of the Bible, is a way to represent our position to God.  We are in constant exile, sojourners in this life, waiting to enter our heavenly home.  Those who have put their trust in God, and accepted the free gift of forgiveness through Jesus’ death on the cross, are constantly making their way towards that home.  Our future is secure in Jesus, even though we are in a world that seems insecure.  In John 17:14-16, Jesus prays for us, who are not of this world, but in it for the good of others, that they may come to find the way home through us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSua9_WhQFE Understanding-What does it mean?  I remember having days as a kid where school seemed like the most exhausting thing in life.  I was forced to be in an environment where I didn’t feel at home.  The kids around me were mean, they made fun of me for being skinny and having big teeth.  I was overwhelmed with the instruction from the teacher and felt as though I would never be smart enough to make it.  There were days that it was all I could do to hold back the emotion of wanting to go home.  But, that moment would always come, when I would open the door and find my mom waiting there, and I would finally feel as though everything in the world was right again.  As I got older, as with all kids, I had a better perspective that the school day was only temporary and the emotion I felt was also fleeting.  Through the scriptures, like the Songs of Ascents, God helps us find that perspective.  When we sing, the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever, it is a way of finding the perspective of God’s everlasting joy and fulfillment in our lives.   Life Application  Jesus, you have promised to make my burden light when I come to you (Matthew 11:28-30).  In you I live and move and breath (Acts 17:28).  Help me to always find this perspective when I feel lost and overwhelmed in this world that is not my home.  For you are the mountains around me, my stronghold, the place where I find rest.
-Tyler Galloway