Psalms 124:1 - Meaning and Application

God’s people are called here to praise him for their rescue, and first they must notice the evil of those who came against them. Let Israel say that they were only one step from death. The more hopeless the danger looked, the more clearly God’s skill in rescue appeared.

They should see where the threat came from. Men rose up against them, people of their own kind, yet set on destroying them. We may expect kindness from fellow human beings, but some people’s “tender mercy” is cruel. Their anger burned against God’s people, and once their wrath was kindled, nothing but destruction would satisfy them (Psalm 124:3).

That anger was like fire, ready to consume everything. They were proud, and the wicked in pride persecutes the poor. They were bold in their attack. They rose up in rebellion with the purpose of swallowing God’s people alive.

They also should see how far the danger went, and how deadly it would have been if it had gone just a little farther. They would have been devoured like a lamb by a lion, not only killed but swallowed up so completely that no trace would remain. They would have gone down alive into the grave. Or they would have been flooded out, like low ground under a sudden flood or sand under a high tide.

The picture of the waters is repeated to show the danger clearly. The waters had swept over them. The stream had gone over their souls, their lives, and all that was dear to them. These were proud waters, and God sometimes allows his enemies to go very far against his people, so that his power in rescuing them will shine all the more clearly.

Then they must notice the goodness of God, who brought them back from the edge of ruin. “The Lord was on our side,” they say, and if he had not been, they would have been lost. God took their part, defended their cause, and appeared for them. He was their helper, and not far away, but near at hand. He was with them, not only for them, but among them, leading and strengthening them.

The emphasis falls on the word Jehovah, the covenant name of God, which speaks of his full power and faithfulness. If their deliverance had not come from Jehovah himself, the God of all power and perfection, their enemies would have crushed them. Happy is the people whose God is Jehovah, the all-sufficient God. Let Israel say this to his honor, and let him never turn away from such a God.