Psalm 124:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

NIV: Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

NASB: Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

CSB: Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

NLT: Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

KJV: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

NKJV: Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

As the Creator, God's power cannot be matched by anything in existence. When God is on someone's side, there is nothing an enemy can do to override Him. Israel's history proved that reliance on God was their only hope against powerful enemies (Psalm 124:1–5; Exodus 12:41; 14:28–29; Deuteronomy 4:37–38). A God with the power to create by just speaking a word (Hebrews 11:3) is not challenged by anyone or anything.

Christians can celebrate that the Lord offers His strength in our spiritual battles. He understands our weakness and receives us with compassion (Hebrews 4:15–16). He offers us the guidance of His Spirit (John 15:8–11), tools and resources of faith (Ephesians 6:11, 14–18), and the free will to make choices (1 Corinthians 10:13). Even when we stumble, He is ready to forgive (1 John 1:8–10).

Those ideas explain God's character. This is what it meant by "the name of the Lord." The power is not in written or spoken words, but in what they represent. We can rely on God because of who He is.

Psalm 124:6–8 praises the Lord for victory over angry, vicious enemies. Earlier verses celebrated God's intervention which kept Israel from being destroyed by many enemies (Psalm 124:1–5). The psalm began by noting what would have happened to the nation without God. At the end, the psalmist indicates what happened because of the Lord's actions.

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.

Accessed 11/22/2024 10:25:03 PM