Psalm 125
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.
Lord, do good to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.
But those who turn to crooked ways
the Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.
Biblical scholars generally agree that most of the Psalms of Ascent were probably written during the second temple period. This was the time after the exile to Babylon, when the people were able to return from their captivity in a foreign land and rebuild the temple and reestablish themselves as a nation. Many of these Psalms, (like tomorrow's psalm) speak directly to that experience.
That is to say, these Psalms are written by people who know upheaval. People who understand how global events can disrupt life and history can change all your plans over night. Kings can be overthrown. Temples can be burned down. Nations can be led away in chains. These people know that the forces of change can be unkind but they also know that the pendulum can swing the other way! A remnant can return. Temples and walls can be rebuilt. Thrones can be reestablished.
Many ancient civilizations had a false sense of permanence. They believed their cities were established by gods and their temples were created at the beginning of time. Not the Jews. They took nothing for granted. What was rebuilt today could easily be gone tomorrow. Cold hard experience had taught them this.
Read again the opening lines of this Psalm: "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mt. Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever..." Mt. Zion was about as permanent a thing as the Psalmist could imagine. Through the rise and fall of empires, through the burning and raising of cities, through the unpredictable march of history, the Mountain was never shaken. And it never will be. You can go stand on Mt. Zion today and see the remains of yet a third temple.
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion. An unshakable mountain! The things that look permanent, like the scepters or wicked empires, will not remain. But God's people, says the Psalmist, will endure.
That must have sounded like a ludicrous claim. But history has borne it out. Where is the Persian Empire? What has become of the Babylonians? The Assyrians? The Roman Empire? Each had their century or more in the sun to claim they were the last empire. Mow they are remembered only through stories and artifacts. But the people of God still remain. When we trust in God, we are unshakable. The very gates of Hell cannot prevail against us.
Maybe you once heard the parable of the Emperor who told his wisemen to present him with a statement that will always be true. One by one, the wisemen bring their statements and the Emperor finds fault with each of them. Finally someone presents the winning statement. The one that will always be true in every age: "This, too, shall pass."
Wilderness people... this, too, shall pass. Like all things, diseases come and go. This extraordinary time we're in will have its own challenges and triumphs and heartaches but there will come a day when it is over. There will come a day when we talk about where we were and what we did as if it were a bedtime story. This, too, shall pass. The sorrow may last through the night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Now as our caravan passes through this wilderness let us do so knowing that the wilderness is just temporary. This part of the journey with its strange trials and tribulations is merely between where we started and where we're going. It will soon be behind us. This too shall pass. So in this fleeting moment, let us place our feet on the things that are eternal... Let us trust in the one who surrounds us like a range of mountains... Let us build our shelters upon the rock of Christ... Let us be truly unshakable!
Lord, We know that you are ever faithful to us. We trust in you to be our solid foundation and to surround us in times of trouble. We do not know all that we will face in these uncertain days, but we do know that you will be with us. Help us to have unshakable faith. Amen.
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