Psalm 125
This psalm is the third in the second triad. This is about strength in God. Those who trust are as secure as Zion itself. The Mountain stands firm and so do we. It is interesting that the third psalm in the first triad (122) was about peace and this psalm ends with the blessing of peace on Israel.
This psalm gives a picture of believers finding their security in trust and that trust is in the totally trustworthy God. The community was living under threat, danger, evil, corruption, indifference to God and was waiting patiently, trusting that God would remove the burden of wicked rule. Today the Ekklesia lives in difficult circumstances. Some live under great persecution, others live in societies where it is considered ridiculous to believe in God. This is a society where there is a great indifference to God. This indifference to God is written in the Amplified Bible version of the psalm (v5) as a form of evil. God wants to reassure all of us, just as He reassured the pilgrims in the time of the psalms, that we must wait patiently, trusting in His power and intention to intervene because in time He will reward the righteous and lead them to Him. The evil doers will face their judgement.
Looking at the verses in more detail it is lovely that the psalm starts with a statement of faith. Here we see the solid security of God’s people. They confidently hope in the Lord, like Mount Zion which stands fast forever. Just as Jerusalem is surrounded by other mountains, God surrounds us substantially and immovably like a ring of mountains. Our trust in our immovable and every present God makes us a living Zion. We are solid and immovable when our trust is in the God who encircles us. (v1-2)
After the statement of trust and faith in God, the psalmist reminds us that living in a society ruled by wicked people can corrupt even the righteous. The people applaud because God knows this is corrosive for us and will protect us from this. We must trust God. That trust includes having faith in God’s rule and timing. We must accept that sometimes we have to endure oppression or poor quality rule but we must be patient. God will not allow us to endure such rule beyond our ability to remain righteous. He will intervene before we fall into the evil of resisting where God does not want us to. (v3)
The psalm concludes with the statement that God will do to us as we deserve. If we are righteous then we will reap the reward of the righteous. Those who are evil will reap the reward of those who oppose God. When we find ourselves in such difficult times we need to pray for strength for our fellow believers (v4). We then need to trust that the evil and those indifferent to God will be dealt with by God.
When we rest in such trust in God then Peace will be upon us(v5). Praise God for His faithfulness and trustworthiness.

Psalm 124
As the second psalm in the triplet, this psalm is concerned with the Lord’s power to keep us secure and deliver us. This psalm specifically discusses God’s protection of us against raging human powers. The psalm acknowledges that if God had not been supporting the Israelites, they would have been destroyed by their enemies. We can also take this psalm and remind ourselves that, just as God watched over the ancient Israelites, He watches over us and we are not destroyed by our enemies because of His power to keep us secure and deliver us.
The theme of this psalm is beautifully paraphrased in The Message (v8)
“God’s strong name is our help, the same God who made heaven and earth.”
In Verses 1 to 5 the psalmist reminds Israel to acknowledge that God alone has saved them from extinction. This is a call to always acknowledge God’s intervention in our lives. This reminder is as much for us as for the ancient Israelites. By reminding ourselves of God’s protection over us we strengthen our faith and our praise of God strengthens our knowledge of His goodness. When we have a strong faith in God then we can always trust in the everpresent help of God.
Verses 6 to 8 are the response of praise to God for deliverance with verse 8 finishing with the great confession of faith in God.
If this Psalm was to be described in a phrase it would be “the Lord alongside” because this is what it represents.
Notice the four pictures of danger in this psalm. In verse 3 there is the earthquake and in verse 4 the flood. These devastating natural disasters are hard to survive if you are in the midst of them. But with God you can survive them! In verse 6 there is the beast of prey and in verse 7 the hunter. The words ‘fowler’s snare’ are a metaphor for danger from an enemy. They represent the threats to our lives by animals and humans. Also in verse 7 we see that we have survived the many threats and the threat has been destroyed. It can no longer harm us. Only a God of total sovereign and worldwide command could do this (v 8). As we saw at the start of the Psalm, this God is the one who is committed to and unfailingly on the side of those who love Him.
Verse 8’s reference to the name of God intrigued me. What exactly does it mean? In seeking an answer to this I looked at 1 Samuel 17:45 where David confronts Goliath. It is noted here that David’s strength was his reliance on God which he describes as ‘faith in the name of God’. Exodus 3:13-14 reveals that God’s name expresses His character as the dependable and faithful God who desires the full trust of His people. It is in this verse that God tells Moses that “I am who I am” is His name. Psalm 9:10 speaks of those who know God’s name will trust in Him. Psalm 5:11 tells us the name of the Lord is the manifestation of His character because it expresses his nature and qualities. In Proverbs 18:10 we read that the name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous run to it and are safe. So when verse 8 speaks of the name of God being our strength it is referring to our trust in God’s character as expressed in His name. This psalm is about that character expressed in God’s name and it is about our proper response of praise to the character and person of God. That is as relevant to us now as it was for the pilgrim climbing the road to Jerusalem.

Psalm 123
This psalm marks the start of the second triplet. The first triplet was about when trouble comes and this one is about when our resources fail. In Psalm 120 the pilgrim was asking God to deal with his foes. Here in 123 he is asking God to cater for His weakness. In 121 the pilgrim envisages dangers in his circumstances. In 124 his concern is for raging human powers. In 122 the pilgrim speak of Zion as peace. In 125 Zion is strength.
The first triplet concluded that when trouble comes we look to God for peace. This triplet concludes that when we are weak and facing powerful enemies God is strength.
This psalm starts with an emphasis on looking up to God (1). This is hope and a willingness to look towards God and wait for his mercy. The eye is a symbol for a need, longing and expectancy. God’s heavenly throne speaks of His endless resources and worldwide sovereignty. The pilgrim looks to God and acknowledges He is the Lord who revealed His name and performed miracles when they were slaves in Egypt (2, 3). The pilgrim looks to God in hope and obedience whereas those of this world look to the uncertain, flawed resources of earthly leaders.
So why is the pilgrim needing to cling to the hope of God?
The believers are surrounded by contempt, ridicule, and proud or complacent, arrogant people (4). They are finding it very hard to take this rough treatment. This is why at the start of the psalm they are looking to God. They acknowledge that God’s mercy will not fail. He gives grace to those who don’t deserve it. That includes us.
In this current world we face the same difficulties the pilgrim’s faced. Just as the pilgrims professed faith and obedience in God and His strength, so we must also trust. We need to submit all our needs and desires to God and submit to His timing.
Remember, in God when we are weak then we are strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).