Unless the LORD was on our Side
Psalm 124
Today, we are taking a look at the 124th Psalm which is listed both as a Song of Ascent as well as a Psalm of David. The songs of ascent are a collection of fifteen psalms (120-134). Some like this one are attributed to David, one to Solomon, and others have no stated author. These psalms were gathered together by an unknown editor in the Post-exilic period. The word “ascent” or “degrees” which groups them might mean that they were selected for pilgrims coming up to Jerusalem. Or perhaps they were recited when the worshiper ascended the steps coming up to the Temple. We must remember that each of these psalms was inspired separately from the others on different occasions. For example, Psalm 130 begins with words which are the opposite of ascent. The unknown psalmist cries out of the depths of despair. It is the cry of a repentant heart as well as a cry for Israel to turn o God and find mercy. So the idea of ascent comes from the depths of despair to hope in God’s forgiveness. Psalm 126, another song of ascent, seems to have been written on the occasion of Israel’s return from Babylon. their hearts ascended in joy when they heard that they could return to Jerusalem. Yet, they fell into despair and cried that the joy they once had might be restored. So, each psalm has its own context. Let us now take a look at Psalm 124.
David, the stated author, was Israel’s greatest king. He was called a man after God’s own heart. His rise to power was filled with danger and disappointments. He had a great victory over Goliath. Surely the LORD was on the side of David. David came after Goliath in Yahweh’s. But David spent a lot of time trying to escape the snares set by King Saul who was jealous of David in spite of David’s loyalty to him. He and his men had as this psalm states it escaped from the snare of the fowler. God had broken it and delivered David.
This psalm seems to have been written at a later time after David had prevailed and united all Israel unto him. Even so, the times of danger were not over. There were many of Israel’s neighbors in addition to the Philistines who were jealous and concerned over Israel’s rise to power. David was a competent general and had men such as Joab who were skilled in the art of war. There was always the temptation for David to trust in his own resources rather than God. He had avoided this snare earlier with Goliath. He was a skilled slinger but his victory was due to the fact the LORD was on his side. But later in his life, he fell into the snare by numbering his army. God punished Israel for this.
The “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side” is repeated in the second verse which makes it very emphatic. The first time, it is followed by a call to Israel to confess this truth. The repeat is followed by a poetic confession that the enemies of Israel would have overwhelmed them. They would have been swallowed up in the flood. Israel was a land of flash floods. They were also not a seafaring nation like the Philistines. They were terrified of water and storms. They also were bordered by those who believed in Baal, the storm God. they had to be reminded on many occasions that Yahweh was in charge of the storms and not Baal. They also needed to be reminded that this God who controlled the storms of life was on their side.
They trusted in Yahweh, and Yahweh did not disappoint. Israel was delivered from all her enemies. This led to the declaration of thanksgiving in this psalm. He had kept Israel from becoming prey to her enemies. The LORD who created heaven and earth had been on their side. How could Israel fail.
So far, so good. But we must ask some serious questions here. Why was God on their side? The second is like it but concerns us: Is God on our side? How does this psalm apply to us? To answer these questions, we pose another: Are we on God’s side? Should we presume upon God that He will deliver us? If we were to take just a cursory look at the Old Testament, we can find occasions that God was not on the side of Israel. To name just one, we need only to look to what happened then after Israel had believed the evil report of the ten spies and were cursed and commanded not to go up in battle did so and were soundly defeated. God was not on their side that day. One can look at Achan’s sin and the bad results of the battle of AI. Not only had Achan’s sin stirred up the wrath of God, Joshua’s men had presumed that because AI was so little that it could be taken by a small detachment. Here, Israel had trusted in its’ own resources. They were soundly defeated. The Israelites who with Yahweh’s help had defeated mighty Jericho fad fallen to a small miserable enemy. Yahweh was not on their side that day either.
I could go on an on about Israel’s failures, but the church has fallen prey to the snare of the enemy on too many occasions as well. One only need to look at the First World War which pitted “Christian” nation against other “Christian” nations. The chaplains of each side encouraged their troops which were to be mown down by the thousands that “God was on their side.” In the times just before the Protestant Reformation, the Pope, who was supposed to be the Vicar of Christ, could be seen in a suit of armor going out to war. Was it against the incursion of the Turks? Of course not! At one time or another, the Pope would side with the Holy Roman Empire against Catholic France. Sometimes he was with France against the Holy roman Empire. He would try to get England to ally with him in his battles. All of these nations were presumably his subjects. Now tell me, “which side was the Lord Jesus on? Tell me again: “Whose side was the Lord Jesus on?”
There have also been times in which God raised up others to come upon His church. Corruption in the Byzantine empire was followed by the conquest of most of their empire a the hands of the followers of Mohammed. Was God on the side of Mohammed? I think it wise to remember that because God raised up others to punish and discipline His church, this does not mean that He is on their side. God used Babylon and Assyria to punish Judah and Israel. But He certainly was not on their side. He later on punished them severely for their sins.
Then answer to this dilemma is not that God changes sides. We are the ones who do that. When we fall from the will of God and pursue human means of thought and deliverance, we separate ourselves from God and suffer the consequences. It is we who bring this misery upon our own heads. God is in no way to blame as though he abandoned us. We abandoned Him first. when we separate ourselves from the grace of God, we no longer are his people. If we act like Pagans, how could God be on our side? God is never on the side of sin. The sooner we recognize this the better.
The Good News is that God is merciful and calls us to repent. In repentance, we find restoration. The 124th Psalm again becomes our psalm because we are now on God’s side. God has equipped us for Holy War against our many enemies. But this equipage is not to kill our enemies but to save them. these are not the carnal weapons of man but the armor of God for spiritual warfare. We want to win others to Christ’s side that they might enjoy the blessings of the Kingdom forever. Many have given up their earthly lives for this cause, that others can truly say “God is on our side.” We remember Jesus who laid down His life for all, even His enemies that they might join Him in heaven if they would only believe.
Truly, since we have no tanks, planes and guns like the enemies of the Gospel, we realize that we would be quickly overwhelmed unless God were on our side. they have mighty arms and defenses. We have as it were the trumpets of the Gospel as we march around their citadels. But as the walls of Jericho came down by the power of the LORD, their walls will come crashing down as well. What we need to do is to be bold in proclaimers of the Word. If God is gracious, these walls will come down in this life. If not, they are still coming down ad the last trump. As Martin Luther says in his Hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God” puts it: One little word shall fell him.” in these difficult time, let us have the courage of people like Luther who stood up to the Emperor Charles 5th and the entire Diet of Worms with only the strength of his convictions and conscience.
“Are we on God’s side? Let the church of Jesus Christ now say: "Are we on God’s side?”
