Psalm 125

Psalm 125 belongs to the fifth book of the Psalms. It is the sixth of the fifteen "Songs of Degrees" (Songs of Ascents) that run from Psalm 120 through Psalm 134. The preceding psalm, Psalm 124, closes with the confession that the LORD was on our side and delivered us. This psalm goes on to celebrate the security enjoyed by the people who trust in that same LORD.

Structure

• Verses 1–2: Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.
• Verse 3: The power of the wicked will not extend over the portion of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands to iniquity.
• Verses 4–5: The psalmist asks the LORD to do good to those who are good and upright in heart. After declaring that those who turn aside to their crooked ways will be led away with the workers of iniquity, he pronounces peace upon Israel.

Key Verses

• Psalm 125:1 "They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed" — the central confession of the psalm, which likens the stability of those who trust to a mountain.
• Psalm 125:2 "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem" — the hill country encircling Jerusalem serves as an image of God's protection (Psalm 125:1–2).
• Psalm 125:5 "Peace shall be upon Israel" — the psalm closes with a blessing on the community. A similar blessing appears at the end of Psalm 128.

People and Places

• The LORD: Portrayed as the one who surrounds and guards His people like mountains.
• Zion: The mount on which the temple in Jerusalem stood. In this psalm it serves as a symbol of immovability.
• Jerusalem: The city encircled by mountains.
• Israel: God's people, who receive the blessing of peace at the close of the psalm.

Points for Reflection

• In verse 3, the word rendered "power" above is translated "scepter" in the Korean Revised Version (the KJV has "rod"). A scepter is the staff held by a king and signifies the right to rule. "The lot of the righteous" refers to the land or portion allotted to the righteous. For this reason, some interpreters connect the verse to a time when the people lived under foreign domination. Because the superscription names no author, the date of composition is unknown; some regard it as a psalm from the period after the return from exile.
• The phrase in verse 1, "cannot be removed, but abideth for ever," is sometimes cited in Reformed circles to explain the perseverance of the saints. The Wesleyan tradition and others emphasize that this promise is given to those who continue to trust in the LORD, and they read it together with the warning in verse 5 concerning "such as turn aside unto their crooked ways."
• In the New Testament, the words "peace be on them... and upon the Israel of God" in Galatians 6:16 are commonly noted as resembling the form of this psalm's blessing. Interpretations differ, however, as to whether "the Israel of God" refers to the whole church or to Jewish believers.