Psalm 124

Psalm 124 is the fifth psalm in the collection of Songs of Ascents, which runs from Psalm 120 through Psalm 134 in the Book of Psalms. The preceding Psalm 123 is a lament that seeks God's mercy amid contempt; this psalm follows it with a song of thanksgiving that looks back on a deliverance already received.

Structure

• Verses 1–5 Israel is called to confess, "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side." The psalm imagines what would have happened otherwise: the wrath of men would have swallowed them up alive, and the overflowing waters would have gone over their soul.
• Verses 6–7 The psalmist blesses the LORD, who did not give them as prey to their enemies' teeth. Like a bird escaping from the fowler's snare, they escaped because the snare was broken.
• Verse 8 The psalm closes with the confession that help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Key Verses

• Psalm 124:1 "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side" — Through this conditional statement, the psalm shows that the ground of deliverance lay not in Israel's strength but in God.
• Psalm 124:7 "The snare is broken, and we are escaped" — This well-known image compares deliverance to a bird set free from the fowler's net.
• Psalm 124:8 "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth" — This verse is the conclusion of the whole psalm and a confession often quoted at the opening of worship.

People and Places

• David — The superscription names him as the author of the psalm.
• Israel — The people of God, called in verse 1 to join in the confession.
• The LORD — Portrayed as the one who stood on the side of his people and rescued them from their enemies and from the waters.

Points for Reflection

• The superscription attributes the psalm to David. Some scholars, however, hold that the collection of pilgrimage songs was compiled for temple worship after the exile. The text itself does not name any specific war or event, so interpretations that tie it to a particular event are later conjectures.
• Verse 8 is nearly identical to the confession of Psalm 121:2: "My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth."
• In the New Testament, Romans 8:31 ("If God be for us, who can be against us?") and Hebrews 13:5–6 ("The Lord is my helper") are read alongside this psalm as passages that carry forward the same faith.

In the Korean Church

• Verse 8 is known as the declaration (votum) with which churches in the Reformed tradition have opened worship since the time of John Calvin.
• In Korea as well, some churches in the Reformed tradition begin worship with this verse.
• The psalm also serves as a sermon text for thanksgiving services held after a time of hardship and for commemorative services.