Psalm 124:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: If it had not been the Lord who was on our side — let Israel now say —

NIV: A song of ascents. Of David. If the Lord had not been on our side— let Israel say—

NASB: 'Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,' Let Israel say,

CSB: A song of ascents. Of David. If the Lord had not been on our side— let Israel say—

NLT: What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat:

KJV: A Song of degrees of David. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say;

NKJV: {A Song of Ascents. Of David.} “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say—

The point made in these early verses (Psalm 124:2) must be emphasized, and the people of Israel must acknowledge it. Israel became a true nation when the Lord rescued them from a powerful enemy (Exodus 12:41; Deuteronomy 7:17–18). That included God using flood waters to defeat the oncoming Egyptian army (Exodus 14:28–29). When the people came into Canaan, they were smaller and weaker than their opponents (Deuteronomy 4:37–38; 7:7). Only God's intervention gave them success. Even when the nation was captured by a vast empire (2 Chronicles 36:17–21), God preserved the nation and brought them back to their land (Ezra 2:1).

The apostle Paul also recognized that God is on the side of His people. He points out that this guarantees believers victory, in the end (Romans 8:31). Believers must credit God alone with both their salvation (Jonah 2:9) and their peace (John 14:27; Romans 5:1). He even offers a means to escape every temptation to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). Without His help, we would have no one to carry our most difficult struggles. But the Lord has encouraged believers to come to Him with every concern they have (Philippians 4:6–7).

Psalm 124:1–5 recognizes Israel's total dependence on God. Without His intervention, the nation would have been completely destroyed and its people lost. Israel's many powerful enemies are symbolized as a violent flood ready to sweep away everything in its path.

The psalmist emphasizes that enemies would have overwhelmed Israel were it not for the Lord's intervention (Deuteronomy 4:37–38). The power of hostile nations is compared to a massive flood. Yet God prevented Israel from suffering that fate. Because of this, Israel should recognize that their ultimate source of strength is their Lord, the Creator of all things.

As with a few other psalms labelled "of David" (Psalm 86:1), this may or may not have been directly written by him. The song may have been composed in David's style by a much later psalmist. Neither possibility changes the meaning of the text; Israel suffered threats from neighboring countries throughout its entire history. Psalm 124 is one of fifteen songs "of ascents" (Psalm 120—134) associated with major festivals (Deuteronomy 16:16).

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.