Psalm Steps> “Stick-to-it-iveness” Psalm 129 Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
It pays to persevere. Thomas Edison experimented with hundreds of filaments before he succeeded in making the first electric light; Jonas Salk failed over 200 times before he found the right vaccine for polio. Douglas MacArthur was rejected twice before he was allowed to enter West Point. In art school Charles Schulz received a low grade for his ability to draw children. And Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school varsity basketball team but kept on trying. We know their names because these were people who didn’t quit. It’s been said, “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction” (George Lorimer).
Psalm 129 is all about sticking with a task, determining to continue on, regardless of opposition or set-backs. Perseverance is a sign of genuine faith. Authentic faith produces a life of faithfulness. The Christian life is a cooperative effort—we do our part and God does His part. Paul counsels Timothy to be consistent, “in season and out of season” (II Tim 4:2). That means whether we feel like it or not, we continue to trust God and live for Him, relying on His strength.
The psalm-writer begins in verses 1-2 by describing his lifetime of oppression; he then calls for his listeners to repeat the refrain. The enemies of Israel tried everything, but nothing worked: “They have not gained the victory over me.” This is a healthy refusal to succumb to discouragement. He is talking personally, and is speaking for the nation as well. Israel was persecuted but not forsaken.
Perseverance is not passive resignation, or putting up with things the way they are. It is growing stronger through the storms of life, weathering them and becoming better able to withstand adversity. Perseverance is not perfection. We continue on, through our successes and failures, learning from both. Even when we fall, we get up and keep going.
We may be persecuted, but not destroyed. Verse 3 offers a gruesome image of an enemy attack, cutting gashes like a farmer plowing a field. It’s as though Israel has been forced to lie face down on the ground and plows are run over the nation’s back. There is blood and pain, back-and-forth cruelty, likely a reference to cuts made by a whip; Israel has been lashed mercilessly by enemies…but then comes verse 4: the harness cords, the ropes connecting the plow to the oxen, are severed. The plows of persecution stop functioning, because “the Lord has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.” This refers to deliverance from slavery and tyranny.
We’re able to persevere because (still verse 4) “the Lord is righteous”. This attribute of God describes His relationship toward us. God is righteous in how He deals with us. Perseverance is not the result of our determination; it’s not self-generated; it is the result of God’s goodness and faithfulness. We survive, not because we have extraordinary stamina, but because God is righteous. He rescues His people.
When I attended my high school 30-year reunion in New Jersey, I thought, “What message can I try to convey to my former classmates about my faith?” The message is simply that after 30 years God continues to sustain me—what stronger argument need I supply to defend my faith?
The danger in a message like this is that we may miss the point and think that perseverance is something we have to produce. We should expect little from ourselves, and expect everything from God. We’re not in charge of perseverance—that’s something God does within us. This doesn’t mean we grow complacent—it means we actively rely on God for victory. Eugene Peterson writes, “The way of faith is not a fad that is taken up in one century only to be discarded in the next. It lasts. It is a way that works. It has been tested thoroughly.”
How do we respond to our enemies? We defend ourselves, but we also let God deal with them. This doesn’t mean we idly stand by and let ourselves be abused; it means when we are being mistreated the first Person we should go to is God. Verse 5 is a prayer for vindication, asking God to fight our battles. The writer is honest and angry, angry enough to ask God to take action: “May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.” Zion is another name for the hilly geography of Jerusalem, and often refers to the entire land of Israel. God causes the enemies of His people to retreat in humiliation. The writer is passionate about his pain and God’s power. People who give up become apathetic and indifferent. Psalm 129 is the gutsy prayer of one who cares deeply enough to ask God to intervene and provide vindication. God’s enemies will be “turned back”—their destiny is defeat.
The author of this psalm goes on to describe how his enemies are foiled, verses 6-7. They will be like “grass on the roof.” Homes in Israel were flat-topped, constructed of beams covered with branches; dirt was then spread over the roofs for insulation. When it rained, seeds would sprout and grow from this dirt, but the grass didn’t last because of the thin soil. The grass was quickly scorched by the sun and withered and died. There isn’t even a handful left to harvest. The psalmist wants the plans of the wicked to shrivel and become utterly futile. The plowmen who control the land (vs 3) become its useless produce (vs 6).
Throughout Israel’s history, God used various heathen nations to discipline His people…but then God judged those nations as well. It was humbling for Israel, but they emerged stronger and more united.
Perhaps we may feel somewhat embarrassed by the rhetoric of this psalm—it reads like a curse. Quite a few (imprecatory) psalms ask God to punish evil. Only when we are at war do we appreciate the sober reality of this kind of praying. A popular military toast is to wish “confusion on our enemies.” It is not wrong to pray that the efforts of evil persons will be unsuccessful. God doesn’t expect us to be neutral in our prayers. We’re free to pray “deliver us from evil.” When we’re being opposed, we’re not looking for a cease-fire; we want victory, and it’s perfectly appropriate to ask this of God. Since God’s enemies are under His judgment, they are to remain un-blessed, verse 8. In Bavaria people greet one another with the words “Gruss Gott”, meaning “The Lord bless you.” There is no blessing for God’s enemies. God told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you” (Gen 12:3). Prayer is rebellion against the world; we pray against every ideology that is opposed to God.
Is ours a fragile, fair-weather faith? Our faith may be tried, but we will outlast our oppressors. Faith lasts. Faith invites God to fight our battles. Faith maintains confidence in God even when things seem out of control. Faith is developed through hardship, disappointment, conflict, frustration, failure and loss. We’re able to persevere knowing that, although life often isn’t fair, God will make things right; if not in this world, definitely in the life to come. God will not abandon us—He will be true to His promises.
Psalm 129 is about perseverance and survival, focusing on the most enduring people on the planet, a nation set apart by God. Frederick the Great, the king of Prussia, had a discussion with his chaplain regarding the truthfulness of the Bible. He complained, “Every time I’ve asked for proof I’m given some enormous book on the inspiration of the Bible which I have neither time nor disposition to read. If the Bible is really from God, you should be able to give me proof of its inspiration in a word.” The chaplain answered, “Your majesty, it is possible to give the proof you ask for in a single word.” Frederick looked at his chaplain skeptically and asked, “What is this magic word that carries such a weight of proof?” The chaplain answered: “Israel.” Frederick, so the story goes, was silent. In spite of persecutions, pogroms, captivity, exile, the Crusades, the Holocaust, the Intifada, and on-going anti-Semitic efforts to extinguish the Jews, they remain survivors. Their history is one of resilience. Israel’s enemies never have the last word—God does.
Christians are included in this promise; we are grafted into Israel and are the spiritual seed of Abraham. We can claim victory because of our Messiah’s suffering. Isaiah writes that He “was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for iniquities.” Jesus was scourged; His back was plowed by the lash, and His shed blood grants us life eternal. “With His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, KJV).
We may be oppressed, but we are never consumed. We will persevere and prevail! We will outlast our oppressors. We may be knocked down, but not knocked out. We can face adversity head-on and say, “Let’s roll.”
