NEVER WOULD HAVE MADE IT

INTRODUCTION:

I remember my early days of pastoral ministry. In those days I shared lessons I learned from my father with my congregation. More than I even realized it, I constantly remarked: “My father used to say.” One Sunday afternoon as the worship service concluded, I was met at the door with the question: “did your mother ever say anything?” The comment shocked me because assumed that everyone understood my usage of “used to say.” You see, at that time, my father had recently died, but my mother was still alive. At that time my mama, born on May 12, 1936, was still talking to me. But Mama, with her encouraging sweet voice, departed this life on April 14, 2008. As I thought about her this week and remembered her many struggles, I reflected on something she “used to say.”

One thing she would say in her final days was “I never would have made it without the Lord.” When I began to pray on the preaching task for today, I asked the Lord to allow me to preach a message that would honor Him and lift the Lord Jesus as well as bless and encourage the people of God on this Mother’s Day. Psalms 124 arrested my attention:

Psalm 124 (NASB 2020)

A Song of Ascents, of David.

“Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,”

Let Israel say,

“Had it not been the Lord who was on our side

When people rose up against us,

Then they would have swallowed us alive,

When their anger was kindled against us;

Then the waters would have flooded over us,

The stream would have swept over our souls;

Then the raging waters would have swept over our souls.”

Blessed be the Lord,

Who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.

Our souls have escaped like a bird from the trapper’s snare;

The snare is broken and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

Biblical Context

This song is ascribed to David. It is included in the section of the book of Psalms called the Songs of Ascent. The “Songs of Ascent” are a collection of Psalms, specifically Psalms 120 - 134, in the Bible. They are also known as the Pilgrim Songs or Gradual Psalms. These psalms were traditionally sung by Jewish pilgrims as they made their way up to Jerusalem, which is situated on a hill, to attend the three main annual Jewish festivals. The journey to Jerusalem was seen as a spiritual ascent, not just a physical one, symbolizing a movement towards the presence of God.

Each Psalm of Ascent carries its own theme and message, offering encouragement, expressing deep longing for God, seeking His protection, and celebrating the joy of unity and fellowship. They continue to be a source of inspiration and worship for both Jews and Christians today. This song, Psalm 124, is a victory song that celebrates God as the Savior of Israel. The song consists of two strophes; in poetry strophes or stanzas are a group of lines of poetry, usually related by a pattern or a theme. It is equivalent in poetry of the paragraph.

The first strophe is found in verses 1 - 5 and describes what would have happened if the Lord had not come to His people's rescue. These first five verses make up an extended conditional sentence. Within this conditional sentence is an if and a then clause. The text says “if it had not been the Lord who was on our side” (KJV). This clause presents a condition or a hypothesis. The writer posits three possibilities using the then clause: then they would have swallowed us alive (3) then the water would have flooded over us (4a), the streams would have swept over our souls (4b ), then the raging waters would have swept over our souls (V5).

The extended conditional sentence with its use of metaphors (ferocious monster, and raging waters) emphasizes on the one hand the threat and danger the people faced and on the other the intervention of the Lord and his deliverance. The metaphors suggest a connections or an association to the legendary agents of disorder. The text declares that the Lord is able to protect his people against all of these forces. David believed that deliverance was possible only because God was on their side. The phrase who was on our side translates what is literally in Hebrew “who was for us” and may be understood as “who helped us” or “who fought for us.”

The second strophe (v6-8) has the theme of Thanksgiving. It begins by saying “Bless it be the Lord.” The writer again employs metaphors, namely “escape from a devouring monster” whose teeth quickly killed its victim and a bird that has escaped from a snare.” The point is that the Lord is to be praised because he has not given them over to destruction. Instead, He set them free from their enemies: the snare is broken and we have escaped.

The psalms concludes at verse 8 with the declaration: “Our help is in the name of the Lord” (or in other words our only help is in the name of the Lord). Some may disagree with this statement and argue that there is help To be found in people, money, and education. But there are some things that human strength and devices cannot fix.

Anecdote

The Storm and the Ship

In the heart of the Atlantic, a seasoned ship named the Lady of the Sea sailed with confidence under the command of its competent Captain . The crew was experienced, the vessel was sturdy, and the technology aboard was state-of-the-art. They had weathered many storms before, relying on their strength and devices to navigate through perilous waters.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, a calm breeze turned into a howling wind. The sky darkened, and the radio crackled with urgent warnings of an approaching storm. The Captain ordered the crew to prepare, trusting in their collective might and the ship’s advanced systems to see them through.

As the storm hit, monstrous waves pummeled the Lady of the Sea. The crew worked tirelessly, adjusting sails and steering with all their might, while the navigation systems blinked with data and forecasts. But the storm was unlike any they had faced; it was a force of nature so fierce that their efforts seemed like whispers against a thundering shout.

Hours passed, and the storm only grew. The ship’s hull groaned under the strain, and one by one, the technological marvels aboard failed. The GPS flickered out, the engines sputtered, and the communication systems went silent. Human strength waned, and the devices they relied upon became useless trinkets in the face of nature’s wrath.

As dawn broke, the storm miraculously calmed, and the Lady of the Sea, battered but still afloat, drifted in the aftermath. The crew, exhausted and humbled, realized that their survival was not due to their own strength or devices, but to the mercy of God, the maker of the sea that had spared them.

Transformational Point

Today is a good time for us all to reflect on this hypothetical question.

The Christological transformation point of Psalm 124 can be seen in the way it foreshadows the ultimate help and deliverance that comes through Jesus Christ. While the psalm originally celebrated God’s physical deliverance of Israel from their enemies, Christians interpret this spiritually as Christ being the ultimate source of help and salvation.

In a Christological context, the repeated phrase “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side” takes on a deeper meaning. It reflects the belief that without Christ’s intervention—His life, death, and resurrection—humanity would be overwhelmed by sin and death. The psalm’s imagery of escape from danger and victory over overwhelming forces is seen as a metaphor for Christ’s victory over sin and death.

The transformation point is the recognition that Jesus is the Immanuel, “God with us,” who stands by humanity’s side, not just in past history but in present and eternal reality. This is echoed in the commentary that “the phrase ‘had been on our side’ (hayah lanu) is the past tense of Immanuel (‘God is with us’). Thus the community confesses that God has been with them in their past history” and that "For the Lord Jesus in His incarnation and death has taken His place beside us forevermore. He is always on our side, so long as we keep His paths and walk in His ways"12.

Ultimately, the Christological reading of Psalm 124 sees it as a celebration of God’s saving action in Jesus Christ, who provides the ultimate help and protection against the powers of sin and death, offering believers hope and assurance of eternal life3.