Can I Get a Witness?
What reason do we have to praise the Lord?
This psalm is a hymn of thanksgiving in which the community, the people of Israel, thank God for rescuing them from their enemies.
These psalms are identified as ‘Songs of Ascents’ because they were sung by pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem
Can we say that our hearts ascend within us as we anticipate worship in the house of God? We should regard worship in the Lord’s house with the Lord’s people as the highlight of the week and look forward to it more and more with each passing day.
In this corporate thanksgiving psalm (meant for group settings)—which is also one of the pilgrimage psalms (Pss 120–134) intended to be sung during pilgrimage to Jerusalem
The first section compares the enemy’s anger to an overwhelming flood (vv. 1–5). The second describes them as hunters pursuing Israel, who is portrayed as a bird that has barely escaped capture (vv. 6–8).
The people gave thanks for having escaped conquest at the hands of their enemies. The two images of a flood and a bird in a trap portray the helplessness they felt
Observe the pronouns “we,” “our,” and “us”. The psalm represented the nation’s experience. It was an appropriate expression of gratitude and praise by the community in worship
A. The Lord’s presence is with us (Ps. 124:1,2)
Who was on our side translates what is literally in Hebrew “who was for us” and may have to be recast as “who helped us” or “who fought for us.
1, 2. on our side—for us (Ps 56:9).
That God was Jehovah; there the emphasis lies. “If it had not been Jehovah himself, a God of infinite power and perfection, that had undertaken our deliverance, our enemies would have overpowered us.”
1. “God was on our side; he took our part, espoused our cause, and appeared for us. He was our helper, and a very present help, a help on our side, nigh at hand. He was with us, not only for us, but among us, and commander-in-chief of our forces.”
He called for the nation to realize that her victory was due to the Lord’s being on their side (vv. 1–2). Then he explained what would have happened if the LORD had not been on their side: the nations in their anger would have destroyed them (vv. 3–5).
An appropriate acknowledgment of the source of the deliverance. Too often the source of blessing is forgotten once the petition is realized and the crisis past (see Luke 17:12–17). A striking announcement. God had been Israel’s ally. With God on the side of Israel, the people need fear no foe.
Unless Yahweh had taken the part of Israel in this particular peril, the nation would have been destroyed by enemies.
124:1 on our side. Lit., “for us” (so too in 124:2; see Rom 8:31).
In the poetic structure, the threatening waters thus surround the people of God, just as their enemies had done (see McCann 1996:1190).
After the first state ment, the psalmist calls on the congregation to join in (let Israel say), indicating the liturgical nature of the psalm.
If he had not been present, according to verse 3a, their enemies, driven by their anger, would have soundly defeated them
B. The Lord has given his protection to us (Ps. 124:6)
C. The Lord provides for us (Ps. 124:8)
The worshiping people recognized only one source of adequate help. They acclaimed the “Lord, who made heaven and earth” (v. 8). Apart from him they would have been overcome completely.
