PSALM 125 COMME TARYWritten and edited by Glenn Pease

PREFACE

The object of this commentary is to bring together the comments of a number ofauthors in one place to make the study of this Psalm easier for the Bible student.Sometimes I do not have the author's name, and if it is known and told to me, I willgive credit where it is due. If there is any author who does not wish his wisdom to beincluded in this study, I will remove it when that author expresses his wish to have itremoved. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com

I TRODUCTIO

1. “As the faithful being mingled in this world with the ungodly seem to be exposedto all the ills of life in the same manner as other people, the Prophet, comparingthem to Jerusalem, shows that they are defended by an invincible bulwark. And ifGod at any time suffer them to be plagued by the malice of the wicked, he exhortsthem to be of good hope. He however at the same time distinguishes between trueand false Israelites, that hypocrites may not apply to themselves what is here saidconcerning the safety of the righteous.” author unknown

2. Barnes, “This psalm is entitled merely “A Song of Degrees.” Its author, and theoccasion on which it was composed, are unknown. The contents of the psalm accordwell with the supposition that it may have been written after the return from theBabylonian captivity, and may have been designed to strengthen and comfort thosewho were engaged in rebuilding the city, and restoring the ancient worship, eitheragainst the Samaritans and those who opposed them eh_6:12-13, or against thelukewarmness of a part of the people themselves. There is nothing, however, soexclusively applicable to that time as to make it necessary to suppose that it wascomposed on that occasion. There is, indeed, evidence in the psalm Psa_125:5, thatthere were some among the people who were disposed to turn away from the serviceof Yahweh, or who were perverse and rebellious; but such a state of things was notspecial to the time of the return from the captivity, nor was it special to the Jews, forit has occurred often; it exists still. The psalm is designed to encourage those whowere disposed to trust in the Lord, by the assurance that they would be safe; thatthe blessing of God would be upon them; and that the church was firm and secure.”

3. Spurgeon, “A Song of Degrees. Another step is taken in the ascent, anotherstation in the pilgrimage is reached: certainly a rise in the sense is here perceptible,since full assurance concerning years to come is a higher form of faith than theascription of farther escapes to the Lord. Faith has praised Jehovah for pastdeliverances, and there she rises to a confident jury in the present and future safetyof believers. She asserts that they shall forever secure who trust themselves with theLord. We can imagine the pilgrims chanting this song when perambulating the citywalls.

We do not assert that David wrote this Psalm, but we have as much ground fordoing so as others have for declaring that it was written after the captivity. It wouldseem provable that all the Pilgrim Psalms were composed, or, at least, compiled bythe same writer, and as some of them are certainly by David, there is too conclusivereason for taking away the rest from him.”

4. In the degrees of Christian virtue, this psalm represents the sixth step -- theconfidence which the Christian places in the Lord. "It teacheth us, while we ascendand raise our minds unto the Lord our God in loving charity and piety, not to fixour gaze upon men who are prosperous in the world with a false happiness."(Augustine.) --H. T. Armfield, in "The Gradual Psalms", 1874.

5. This short psalm may be summed up in those words of the prophet (Isa 3:10-11),"Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him. Woe unto the wicked! it shallbe ill with him." Thus are life and death, the blessing and the curse, set before usoften in the psalms, as well as in the law and in the prophets. --Matthew Henry,1662-1714.

6. Patricia K. Tull, "This 125th Psalm is the sixth of fifteen short songs thought to bepilgrimage psalms used by families as they made their way up to Jerusalem duringthe time of the second temple. These psalms vibrate with the synergy between thefaith of the pilgrims and the fortunes of the city they praise. What they say aboutJerusalem they also say for themselves, things like: "Peace be upon Jerusalem; theone keeping Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. May the Lord, maker of heavenand earth, bless you from Zion." Throughout these psalms, Jerusalem, that is Zion,is the dearly loved mediator between worshippers and God.

At the same time these psalmists make it plain that what they long to see is not yetclear. "Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace," thepsalmists say. "Turn again our captivity." Psalm 125 expresses the hope that, as itsays "The scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land," that God will do good tothose that are good, and will lead the crooked people away from them. The psalmsvoiced encouragements for those waiting for something new and different in thefuture: "In God's word I hope; my soul waits more than those who watch for themorning. Peace be within your walls." Jerusalem's glorious future seems just

around the corner, almost accessible. After all, there is Mount Zion, right there,standing as immovable evidence of God’s trustworthiness."

For one of the most interesting and informative articles on Mt. Zion by PatriciaKathleen Tull, A. B. Rhodes Professor of Old Testament, go to the following site:http://caldwellchapel.blogspot.com/2006/11/blog-post.html

1. Those who trust in the LORD are like MountZion, which cannot be shaken but enduresforever.

1. Clarke, “They that trust in the Lord - Every faithful Jew who confides in Jehovahshall stand, in those open and secret attacks of the enemies of God and truth, asunshaken as Mount Zion; and shall not be moved by the power of any adversary.”

1B. Spurgeon, “They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion. The emphasislies upon the object of their trust, namely, Jehovah the Lord. What a privilege to beallowed to repose in God. How condescending is Jehovah to become the confidenceof his people! To trust elsewhere is vanity; and the more implicit such misplacedtrust becomes the more bitter will be the ensuing disappointment; but to trust in theliving God is sanctified common sense which needs no excuse, its result shall be itsbest vindication. There is no conceivable reason why we should not trust in Jehovah,and there is every possible argument for so doing; but, apart from all argument, theend will prove the wisdom of the confidence. The result of faith is not occasional andaccidental; its blessing comes, not to some who trust, but to all who trust in theLord. Trusters in Jehovah shall be as fixed, firm, and stable as the mount whereDavid dwelt, and where the ark abode. To move mount Zion was impossible: themere supposition was absurd.

Which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. Zion was the image of eternalsteadfastness, -- this hill which, according to the Hebrew, "sits to eternity," neitherbowing down nor moving to and fro. Thus doth the trusting worshiper of Jehovahenjoy a restfulness which is the mirror of tranquility; and this not without cause, forhis hope is sure, and of his confidence he can never be ashamed. As the Lord sittethKing for ever, so do his people sit enthroned in perfect peace when their trust in himis firm. This is, and is to be our portion; we are, we have been, we shall be assteadfast as the hill of God. Zion cannot be removed, and does not remove; so the

people of God can neither be moved passively nor actively, by force from without orfickleness from within. Faith in God is a settling and establishing virtue; he who byhis strength setteth fast the mountains, by that same power stays the hearts of themthat trust in him. This steadfastness will endure "for ever," and we may be assuredtherefore that no believer shall perish either in life or in death, in time or in eternity.We trust in an eternal God, and our safety shall be eternal.”

1C. John Owen, “This is a plain promise of their continuance in that conditionwherein they are, with their safety from thence, and not a promise of some othergood thing provided that they continue in that condition. Their being compared tomountains, and their stability, which consists in their being and continuing so, willadmit no other sense. As mount Zion abides in its condition, so shall they; and as themountains about Jerusalem continue, so doth the Lord continue his presence untothem.”

1D. Martin Luther, “...here the Psalmist leadeth us the plain way unto God,pronouncing this to be the chiefest anchor of our salvation, -- only to hope and trustin the Lord; and declaring that the greatest service that we can do unto God is totrust him. For this is the nature of God -- to create all things of nothing. Thereforehe createth and bringeth forth in death, life; in darkness, light. ow to believe this isthe essential nature and most special property of faith. When God then seeth such aone as agreeth with his own nature, that is, which believeth to find in danger help, inpoverty riches, in sin righteousness, and that for God's own mercy's sake in Christalone, him can God neither hate nor forsake. --Martin Luther (1483-1546), in "ACommentary on the Psalms of Degrees."

2. Gill, “Who trust not in themselves, and in their own hearts; nor in anything oftheirs, their strength or wisdom, riches or righteousness; nor in any creaturewhatever, in the mightiest or best of men; but in the Lord; in God, as the God ofnature and providence, for all temporal mercies; and in him, as the God of grace,for all spiritual and eternal ones; who should be trusted in at all times, whether ofaffliction, temptation, or darkness; for which there is abundant reason. The Targumis,

"the righteous that trust in the Word of the Lord;''

in Christ the essential Word, who is trusted in by all that know him, and that knowthere is salvation in him, and in no other: these trust in him for acceptance withGod, for a justifying righteousness, for remission of sin, for all supplies of grace, andfor eternal life; and such are like Mount Zion for many things, being beloved andchosen of God, enjoying his presence, and the blessings of his grace; and being thejoy of the whole earth, and a perfection of beauty; but here for their firmness andstability, as follows. Arama observes, that Mount Zion is made mention of, becausehere the prophecy was given; to which may be added, the psalmist was upon it, andhad it in view, when he compared those that trust in the Lord unto it;

which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever: either, which Mount Zion isimmovable, and continually abides, for which reason the church and people of Godare compared unto it; or everyone of those that trust in the Lord, like that, cannever be removed, but always abide: they can never be removed from the Lord,though they may be removed from his house and ordinances, as sometimes Davidwas; and from his gracious presence, and sensible communion with him, and out ofthe world by death; yet never from his heart's love, nor out of the covenant of hisgrace, which is sure and everlasting; nor out of his family, into which they aretaken; nor from the Lord Jesus Christ, nor out of his hands and arms, nor from offhis heart; nor from off him, the foundation on which they are laid; nor out of a stateof grace, either regeneration or justification; but such abide in the love of God, inthe covenant of his grace, in the hands of his Son, in the grace wherein they stand,and in the house of God for evermore.”

2B. Maclaren, “The word here that is rightly translated ‘trust,’ like most expressions in the OldTestament for religious emotion, has a distinctly metaphorical colouring about it. Itliterally means to ‘hang upon’ something, and so, beautifully, it tells us what faithis―just hanging upon God. Whoever has laid his tremulous hand on a fixedsomething, partakes, in the measure in which he does grasp it, of the fixity of that onwhich he lays hold; so ‘they that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion,’ thatstands there summer and winter, day and night, year out and year in, with its strongbuttresses and its immovable mass, the very emblem of solidity and stability.

Ay! and this is true about these tremulous hearts of ours. There is one way to makethem stable, and only one; and that is that they shall be fastened, as it were, to thatwhich is stable, and so be steadfast because they hold by what is steadfast. There isno other means by which any heart can be made immovable, except in so far as itmay be moved by holy impulses and sweet drawings of love and loftinesses ofaspiration towards God; there is no other means by which a heart, with all itsinward perturbations and all its outward sources of agitation, can be made calmand still, except by living, deep, continual fellowship with Him who is the EternalCalm, and from whose stable Being we mutable men can derive serenity which is afaint likeness of His immutability. ‘We which have believed do enter into rest.’

2C. Spurgeon, “is the first verse of one of the Songs of degrees. These Songs wereprobably sung by the pilgrims as they went up to Jerusalem, when they halted at thevarious stations or passed certain places of interest. It is very possible that thisPsalm burst forth from joyful lips at the moment when Zion first came into sightand the worshipers gazed upon the city of their solemnities. Happy pilgrims! Theyhad left behind them many a dreary glen and dangerous wood and now theysaw in their full view their journey’s end and, therefore, they sang with all thegathered joy of days gone by. They could not have so exulted if they had notpreviously sorrowed. The same truth may be learned from the use of the term,“Song of degrees”―it warns us that this Psalm rises out of that which preceded it,

as one step of a staircase rises above its fellow. David had not sung the 125th Psalmif he had not first learned to sing the one hundred and twenty-fourth. If he hadnot been where men threatened to swallow him up quickly and found in such a casethat the Lord was on his side, he could not have been quite so sure that, “they thattrust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed.” Ourexperiences are our instructors even concerning themselves―they shed light uponeach other and we learn enough from one trial to begin to unfold the mysteries ofanother. The 124th Psalm must first, to some extent, be passed through so that wesee that all our help lies in the Lord, or we shall never reach to the grandpositiveness of this 125th and sing, “They that trust in the Lord shall be as MountZion.”

2D. Spurgeon goes on, “do greatly joy in that utterance of Luther when going toWorms. Some of his friends told him that he would be burned to powder, as Husshad been before him, but he laughed and said he had no fear. “If,” said he, “theyshall build a fire between Wittenberg and Worms that should reach to Heaven, inthe Lord’s name I would appear and step into behemoth’s mouth, between his greatteeth and confess Christ and let him do his pleasure.” His joy at that time seems tohave been overflowing, though his danger was manifest to all. ow, this holyboasting sounds well, but it is not to be imitated by every baby in Grace―this manhad passed through a preparatory process which brought his mind into atriumphant state, in which he was a king of men, a lion among a pack of dogs! It isnot to be forgotten that there was a subsequent sinking of his soul, as in the case ofElijah, to prevent his being exalted above measure at the recollection of his owncourage. For this, also, he who would have a right royal faith must stand prepared.They that do business in great waters must sail in ships fitted for stormy seas. Youand I, perhaps, paddle around the shores of a quiet lake where our little boat islarge enough for most purposes. We are not tested by great storms, neither is ourboat held by great anchors. Our needs are not of the greatest and, therefore, oursupplies are not like those of the larger craft which sail upon greater waters.”

3. Calvin, “The present Psalm differs from the preceding in this -- that while in theother it was said that the Church had been preserved by the power of God, withoutany human means, the Holy Spirit, in the one before us, teaches that in the time tocome she shall always continue in perfect safety, because she is defended by theinvincible power of God. When the Church is emblematically described by thesituation of the city of Jerusalem, the design of the Prophet is to encourage each ofthe faithful to believe, that the safety promised in common to all the chosen peoplebelongs to him. But in exhibiting to the eyes a visible image of the Church, heaccommodates himself to the rudeness of those who, detained by the dulness of theflesh, still continue settled down in the earth. It ought then, in the first place, to benoticed, that to those who may not sufficiently apprehend by faith the secretprotection of God, the mountains which environ Jerusalem are exhibited as amirror, in which they may see, beyond all doubt, that the Church is as well defendedfrom all perils, as if it were surrounded on all sides with like walls and bulwarks.Moreover, it is profitable to know what I have just now touched upon -- that

whenever God speaks to all his people in a body, he addresses himself also to each ofthem in particular. As not a few of the promises are extended generally to the wholebody of the Church, so many contemplate them as at a distance, as far removedfrom them, and will not presume to appropriate them to themselves. The rule hereprescribed must therefore be observed, which is, that each apply to himselfwhatever God promises to his Church in common. or does the Psalmist withoutcause make Jerusalem a representation of the Church, for the sanctuary of God andthe ark of the covenant were there.

With respect to the explanation of the words, it is to be observed that the last twoverbs of the first verse may be understood in two ways. They may both be governedby Jerusalem as the nominative. But some understand the first verb, shall not beremoved, only as spoken of Jerusalem and the latter verb, shall abide, as referringto the faithful, so that according to this view there is a change of number, which isvery common among the Hebrews -- the singular number, being used instead of theplural. And certainly the sentence might not improperly be translated thus: Theywho trust in Jehovah, as mount Zion shall not be removed, shall dwell for ever, orcontinue steadfast, for the verb translated to abide is taken in this sense. We nowperceive the meaning of the Prophet, which is, that although the world is subject toso many and so sudden changes as almost to put on a new face every moment, andalthough the faithful are mingled with and placed in the same external condition asothers, yet their safety continues steadfast under the invincible protection of God. ot that they are permitted to dwell undisturbed and at ease; but because theirsafety being under the guardianship of God is assaulted in vain; at least they cannever altogether fall, although they may stumble. But let us notice that the word,which signifies, those who hope or wait for, conveys an implicit injunction tosteadfastness of faith. Whoever, then, desires to be sustained by the hand of God, lethim constantly lean upon it; and whoever would be defended by it, let him patientlyrepose himself under it. When God suffers us to be often carried hither and thither,or driven about like chaff by the wind, this comes to pass through our owninconstancy -- because we prefer fluttering in the air to fixing our minds on the rockof his help. The similitude employed in the second verse is abundantly plain,teaching us, that as the continuous chain of mountains round about Jerusalemexhibits the appearance of walls, so God encompasses the faithful by his power, toward off from them all harm. Similar forms of expression are frequently to be metwith in the Scriptures' God often promises to be a wall and a fore-wall to his people.But David, or whoever was the author of the psalm, proceeds still farther, showingunder the figure of mountains the secret protection with which God defends his ownpeople, to the end that the ignorant and feeble-minded who are still held down to theearth by their own dulness of understanding, aided by the sight of the mountains,may raise their minds upwards to the conception and contemplation of heavenlythings.

4. Henry's long quote covers three verses, and I keep it together for continuity.“Here are three very precious promises made to the people of God, which, thoughthey are designed to secure the welfare of the church in general, may be applied by

particular believers to themselves, as other promises of this nature may. Here is,I. The character of God's people, to whom these promises belong. Many call

themselves God's people who have no part nor lot in this matter. But those shallhave the benefit of them and may take the comfort of them, (1.) Who are righteous(Psa_125:3), righteous before God, righteous to God, and righteous to all men, forhis sake justified and sanctified. (2.) Who trust in the Lord, who depend upon hiscare and devote themselves to his honor. All that deal with God must deal upontrust, and he will give comfort to those only that give credit to him, and make it toappear they do so by quitting other confidences, and venturing to the utmost forGod. The closer our expectations are confined to God the higher our expectationsmay be raised from him.

II. The promises themselves.1. That their hearts shall be established by faith: those minds shall be truly stayedthat are stayed on God: They shall be as Mount Zion. The church in general is calledMount Zion (Heb_12:22), and it shall in this respect be like Mount Zion, it shall bebuilt upon a rock, and its interests shall be so well secured that the gates of hell shallnot prevail against it. The stability of the church is the satisfaction of all its well-wishers. Particular persons, who trust in God, shall be established (Psa_112:7);their faith shall be their fixation, Isa_7:9. They shall be as Mount Zion, which is firmas it is a mountain supported by providence, much more as a holy mountainsupported by promise. (1.) They cannot be removed by the prince of the power of theair, nor by all his subtlety and strength. They cannot be removed from theirintegrity nor from their confidence in God. (2.) They abide for ever in that gracewhich is the earnest of their everlasting continuance in glory.2. That, committing themselves to God, they shall be safe, under his protection,from all the insults of their enemies, as Jerusalem had a natural fastness andfortification in the mountains that were round about it, Psa_125:2. Those mountainsnot only sheltered it from winds and tempests, and broke the force of them, butmade it also very difficult of access for an enemy; such a defence is God'sprovidence to his people. Observe, (1.) The compass of it: The Lord is round abouthis people on every side. There is no gap in the hedge of protection which he makesround about his people, at which the enemy, who goes about them, seeking to dothem a mischief, can find entrance, Job_1:10. (2.) The continuance of it - hencefortheven for ever. Mountains may moulder and come to nought, and rocks be removedout of their place (Job_14:18), but God's covenant with his people cannot be broken(Isa_54:10) nor his care of them cease. Their being said to stand fast for ever(Psa_125:1), and here to have God round about them for ever, intimates that thepromises of the stability and security of God's people will have their fullaccomplishment in their everlasting state. In heaven they shall stand fast for ever,shall be as pillars in the temple of our God and go no more out (Rev_3:12), and thereGod himself, with his glory and favor, will be round about them for ever.3. That their troubles shall last no longer than their strength will serve to bear themup under them, Psa_125:3. (1.) It is supposed that the rod of the wicked may come,may fall, upon the lot of the righteous. The rod of their power may oppress them; therod of their anger may vex and torment them. It may fall upon their persons, theirestates, their liberties, their families, their names, any thing that falls to their lot,

only it cannot reach their souls. (2.) It is promised that, though it may come upontheir lot, it shall not rest there; it shall not continue so long as the enemies design,and as the people of God fear, but God will cut the work short in righteousness, soshort that even with the temptation he will make a way for them to escape. (3.) It isconsidered as a reason of this promise that if the trouble should continue over-longthe righteous themselves would be in temptation to put forth their hands to iniquity,to join with wicked people in their wicked practices, to say as they say and do asthey do. There is danger lest, being long persecuted for their religion, at length theygrow weary of it and willing to give it up, lest, being kept long in expectation ofpromised mercies, they begin to distrust the promise, and to think of casting Godoff, upon suspicion of his having cast them off. See Psa_73:13, Psa_73:14. ote, Godconsiders the frame of his people, and will proportion their trials to their strengthby the care of his providence, as well as their strength to their trials by the power ofhis grace. Oppression makes a wise man mad, especially if it continue long; thereforefor the elect's sake the days shall be shortened, that, whatever becomes of their lot inthis world, they may not lose their lot among the chosen.”

5. Jamison, “Psa_125:1-5. God honors the confidence of His people, by protectionand deliverance, and leaves hypocrites to the doom of the wicked. Mount Zion ― asan emblem of permanence, and locality of Jerusalem as one of security, representthe firm and protected condition of God’s people (compare Psa_46:5), supportednot only by Providence, but by covenant promise. Even the mountains shall depart,and the hills be removed, but God’s kindness shall not depart, nor His covenant ofpeace be removed (Isa_54:10). They that trust ― are “His people,” (Psa_125:2).”

6. Keil, “The steadfastness which those who trust in Jahve prove in the midst ofevery kind of temptation and assault is likened to Mount Zion, because the God towhom they believingly cling is He who sits enthroned on Zion. The future יׁשבsignifies: He sits and will sit, that is to say, He continues to sit, cf. Psa_9:8;Psa_122:5. Older expositors are of opinion that the heavenly Zion must beunderstood on account of the Chaldaean and the Roman catastrophes; but these, infact, only came upon the buildings on the mountain, not upon the mountain itself,which in itself and according to its appointed destiny (vid., Mic_3:12; Mic_4:1)remained unshaken. in Psa_125:2also it is none other than the earthly Jerusalemthat is meant. The holy city has a natural circumvallation of mountains, and theholy nation that dwells and worships therein has a still infinitely higher defense inJahve, who encompasses it round (vid., on Psa_34:8), as perhaps a wall of fire(Zec_2:5), or an impassably broad and mighty river (Isa_33:21); a statement whichis also now confirmed, for, etc. Instead of inferring from the clause Psa_125:2thatwhich is to be expected with לכן, the poet confirms it with כי by that which is surelyto be expected.”

7. Wayne Shih, “One of the hardest things for believers to balance is God’ssovereignty and our responsibility. In other words, is perseverance something Ido or something God does? Jerry Bridges writes: “Though the power for godly

character comes from Christ, the responsibility for developing and displayingthat character is ours. This principle seems to be one of the most difficult for usto understand and apply. One day we sense our personal responsibility and seekto live a godly life by the strength of our own willpower. The next day, realizingthe futility of trusting in ourselves, we turn it all over to Christ and abdicate ourresponsibility which is set forth in the Scriptures. We need to learn that the Bibleteaches both total responsibility and total dependence in all aspects of theChristian life (The Practice of Godliness, 75-76).”

On one hand, we are responsible for holding fast in faith. On the other hand, God isresponsible for holding us fast. Don’t forget there are two sides to this equation.Both are true. Both are necessary. But both are not equal. Our ability to persevere ispredicated on God’s ability to preserve. It’s not the other way around. Trust in Godcomes first, and then we will be able to endure. ow, what Psalm 125 tells us is thatGod is trustworthy. We won’t be let down when we put our hope in him. We aretold in verse 1: “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot beshaken but endures forever.”

The basic idea of the word “trust” has to do with firmness. It refers to a sense ofsecurity which comes from having someone in whom to place confidence. It meansto put your hope in God. Allen Ross says, “This word ‘to trust’ is the strongest wordin the semantic field for finding security, feeling secure, confident, or relying on theLord…. These are true believers who have put all their confidence in the Lord”

2. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.

1. Barnes, “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem - Hebrew, “Jerusalem -the mountains are round about her.” Jerusalem, except on the north, isencompassed with hills or mountains, so that although the city was built on hills -Zion, Moriah, Bezethah, Acra - it was itself surrounded by hills higher than any ofthese, and was, in a certain sense, in a valley. So the Lord is round about hispeople ... - As Jerusalem is thus protected by the hills around, so the people of Godare protected by Yahweh. He surrounds the church; he is exalted far above thechurch; he guards the approaches to the church; he can defend it from all its foes.Under his protection it is safe. Jerusalem, as surrounded by hills and mountains, hasthus become an emblem of the church at all times; its security was an emblem of thesecurity of all who trust in the Lord.”

1B. John Owen, “That expression which is used, Psalms 125:2, is weighty and full tothis purpose, The LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.What can be spoken more fully, more pathetically? Can any expression of men soset forth the safety of the saints? The Lord is round about them, not to save themfrom this or that incursion, but from all; not from one or two evils, but from everyone whereby they are or may be assaulted. He is with them, and round about themon every side that no evil shall come nigh them. It is a most full expression ofuniversal preservation, or of God's keeping his saints in his love and favor, upon allaccounts whatsoever; and that not for a season only, but it is "henceforth", from hisgiving this promise unto their souls in particular, and their receiving of it,throughout all generations, "even for ever." --John Owen, 1616-1683.

2. Clarke, “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem - Jerusalem, according toSandys, was situated on a rocky mountain every way to be ascended, except alittle on the north, with steep ascents and deep valleys, naturally fortified. It issurrounded with other mountains, at no great distance, as if placed in the midstof an amphitheatre; for on the east is Mount Olivet, separated from the city bythe valley of Jehoshaphat, which also encompasses a part of the north; on thesouth, the mountain of Offiner interposed with the valley of Gehinnom; and onthe west it was formerly fenced with the valley of Gihon, and the mountainsadjoining. The situation was such as to be easily rendered impregnable. TheLord is round about his people - He is above, beneath, around them; and whilethey keep within it, their fortress is impregnable, and they can suffer no evil.

3. Gill, “There was Mount Zion on the side of the north, and the mount of Olives onthe east, and other mountains on the other sides of it; so that it was encompassedwith them, and was naturally as well as artificially fortified. Tacitus (k) describesJerusalem as inaccessible, walls and mountains, rocks and towers, surrounding it:and the poet Coerilus (l) makes mention of a people that spoke the Phoenicianlanguage, by whom he plainly means the Jews, οικουν δ'εν σολυµοις ορεσι, "thatinhabited the mountains of Solyma"; which are spoken of by Homer (m), fromwhence, according to Tacitus (n), Jerusalem had its name: yet, as Kimchi observes,this did not hinder the enemy from taking it; wherefore the Lord is a greatersecurity to his people; so the Lord isround about his people, from henceforth evenfor ever; he encompasses them with his favour and lovingkindness as a shield; heencircles them in the arms of everlasting love; he guards them by his providence allaround, and keeps a wakeful and watchful eye over them, that nothing hurts them:he keeps them, as in a garrison, by his almighty power: these are the walls that arearound them, yea, he himself is a wall of fire about them, and the glory in the midstof them, Zec_2:5; and so he continues; he never leaves his people, nor forsakesthem, but is their God and guide even unto death. The Targum is, "the Word of theLord is round about his people; ''Christ, the essential Word of God.”

4. Spurgeon, “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is roundabout his people from henceforth even for ever. The hill of Zion is the type of thebeliever's constancy, and the surrounding mountains are made emblems of the

all surrounding presence of the Lord. The mountains around the holy city,though they do not make a circular wall, are, nevertheless, set like sentinels toguard her gates. God doth not enclose his people within ramparts and bulwarks,making their city to be a prison; but yet he so orders the arrangements of hisprovidence that his saints are as safe as if they dwelt behind the strongestfortifications. What a double security the two verses set before us! First, we areestablished, and then entrenched; settled, and then sentinelled: made like amount, and then protected as if by mountains. This is no matter of poetry, it is soin fact; and it is no matter of temporary privilege, but it shall be so for ever.Date when we please, "from henceforth" Jehovah encircles his people: look onas far as we please, the protection extends "even for ever." ote, it is not saidthat Jehovah's power or wisdom defends believers, but he himself is round aboutthem: they have his personality for their protection, his Godhead for theirguard. We are here taught that the Lord's people are those who trust him, forthey are thus described in the first verses: the line of faith is the line of grace,those who trust in the Lord are chosen of the Lord. The two verses togetherprove the eternal safety of the saints: they must abide where God has placedthem, and God must for ever protect them from all evil. It would be difficult toimagine greater safety than is here set forth.”

4B. Spurgeon adds, “THE CHURCH AS A WHOLE is secured by God beyond thereach of harm. She is ably garrisoned by Omnipotence, and she is castled within thefaithful engagements of the covenant. How often has the Church been attacked; buthow often has she been victorious? The number of her battles is just the number ofher victories. Foes have come against her; they have compassed her about, they havecompassed her about like bees, but in the name of God she has destroyed them. Thebull of Bashan and the dog of Belial, the mighty and the insignificant, have allconspired to overthrow the Church; but he that sitteth in heaven hath laughed atthem, the Lord hath had them in derision, and his church hath been as Mount Zion,which cannot be removed, but which abideth for ever.”

4C. “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem. This image is not realized, asmost persons familiar with our European scenery would wish and expect it to berealized. Jerusalem is not literally shut in by mountains, except on the eastern side,where it may be said to be enclosed by the arms of Olivet, with its outlying ridges onthe north east and south west. Anyone facing Jerusalem westward, northward, orsouthward, will always see the city itself on an elevation higher than the hills in itsimmediate neighborhood, its towers and walls standing out against the sky, and notagainst any high background such as that which encloses the mountain towns andvillages of our own Cumbriau or Westmoreland valleys. or, again, is the plain onwhich it stands enclosed by a continuous though distant circle of mountains, likethat which gives its peculiar charm to Athens and Innsbruck. The mountains in theneighborhood of Jerusalem are of unequal height, and only in two or three instances-- eby-Samwil, Er-Rain, and Tuleil el-Ful -- rising to any considerable elevation.Even Olivet is only a hundred and eighty feet above the top of Mount Zion. Still they

act as a shelter: they must be surmounted before the traveler can see, or the invaderattack, the Holy City; and the distant line of Moab would always seem to rise as awall against invaders from the remote east. It is these mountains, expresslyincluding those beyond the Jordan, which are mentioned as "standing round aboutJerusalem", in another and more terrible sense, when on the night of the assault ofJerusalem by the Roman armies, they "echoed back" the screams of the inhabitantsof the captured city, and the victorious shouts of the soldiers of Titus.* ArthurPenrhyn Stanly (1815-1881), in "Sinai and Palestine."

5. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, etc. The mountains mostemphatically stand "round about Jerusalem", and in doing so must have greatlysafeguarded it in ancient times. We are specially told that when Titus besieged thecity, he found it impossible to invest it completely until he had built a wall round theentire sides of these mountains, nearly five miles long, with thirteen places atintervals in which he stationed garrisons, which added another mile and a quarterto these vast earthworks. "The whole was completed", says the Jewish historian, "inthree days; so that what would naturally have required some months was done in soshort an interval as is incredible." (Josephus. Wars of the Jews. Book 5, ch. 7,section 2.) Assaults upon the city, even then, could only be delivered effectively uponits level corner to the north west, whence every hostile advance was necessarilydirected in all its various sieges. To those familiar with these facts, beautifully bold,graphic, and forceful is the Psalmist's figure of the security of the Lord's people --

"The mountains are round about Jerusalem;And Jehovah is round about his people,Henceforth, even for evermore."

These words must have been in Hebrew ears as sublime as they were comforting,and, when sung on the heights of Zion, inspiring in the last degree. --James eil.

6. Martin Luther, “The LORD is round about his people. It is not enough that we arecompassed about with fiery walls, that is, with the sure custody, the continual watchand ward of the angels; but the Lord himself is our wall: so that every way we aredefended by the Lord against all dangers. Above us is his heaven, on both sides he isas a wall, under us he is as a strong rock whereupon we stand so are we everywheresure and safe. ow if Satan through these munitions casts his darts at us, it mustneeds be that the Lord himself shall be hurt before we take harm. Great is ourincredulity if we hear all these things in vain.”

7. From henceforth, even for ever. This amplification of the promise, taken fromtime or duration, should be carefully noted; for it shows that the promises made tothe people of Israel pertain generally to the Church in every age, and are not to

expire with that polity. Thus it expressly declares, that the Church will continuouslyendure in this life; which is most sweet consolation for pious minds, especially ingreat dangers and public calamities, when everything appears to threaten ruin anddestruction. --D. H. Mollerus, 1639.

8. Warren Wiersbe, “How is God like a mountain? First, a mountain has stability.When the psalmist was a little boy, he saw the mountains surrounding Jerusalem.When he became a young man, those mountains were still there. When he grewolder, the mountains were there, and the mountains are still there today. Likewisewith God. He is stable, dependable. He doesn't change. God is the same yesterday,today and forever (Heb. 13:8).

Second, a mountain offers security. God surrounds and guards us. He is like MountZion to us. Verse 1 says, "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion." Inother words, God can make you to be like a mountain also--stable and securebecause He is your Refuge and Strength. Therefore, we should trust Him. Thosewho trust in the Lord have stability and security.”

3. The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.

1. Spurgeon, “For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous.The people of God are not to expect immunity from trial because the Lordsurrounds them, for they may feel the power and persecution of the ungodly. Isaac,even in Abraham's family, was mocked by Ishmael. Assyria laid its sceptre evenupon Zion itself. The graceless often bear rule and wield the rod; and when they doso they are pretty sure to make it fall heavily upon the Lord's believing people, sothat the godly cry out by reason of their oppressors. Egypt's rod was exceedingheavy upon Israel, but the time came for it to be broken. God has set a limit to thewoes of his chosen: the rod may light on their portion, but it shall not rest upon it.The righteous have a lot which none can take from them, for God has appointedthem heirs of it by gracious entail: on that lot the rod of the wicked may fall, butover that lot it cannot have lasting sway. The saints abide for ever, but their troubleswill not. Here is a good argument in prayer for all righteous ones who are in thehands of the wicked.

Lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. The tendency of oppression is

to drive the best of men into some hasty deed for self deliverance or vengeance. Ifthe rack be too long used the patient sufferer may at last give way; and therefore theLord puts a limit to the tyranny of the wicked. He ordained that an Israelite whodeserved punishment should not be beaten without measure: forty stripes save onewas the appointed limit. We may therefore expect that he will set a bound to thesuffering of the innocent, and will not allow them to be pushed to the uttermostextreme. Especially in point of time he will limit the domination of the persecutor,for length adds strength to oppression, and makes it intolerable; hence the Lordhimself said of a certain tribulation, "except those days should be shortened, thereshould no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

It seems that even righteous men are in peril of sinning in evil days, and that it is notthe will of the Lord that they should yield to the stress of the times in order to escapefrom suffering. The power and influence of wicked men when they are uppermostare used to lead or drive the righteous astray; but the godly must not accept this asan excuse, and yield to the evil pressure; far rather must they resist with all theirmight till it shall please God to stay the violence of the persecutor, and give hischildren rest. This the Lord here promises to do in due time.”

1B. Old Testament theologian and professor Walter Kaiser writes:“Regardless ofhow secure many of us feel, there come to all of us times when we are suddenly leftwith a real or imagined sense of insecurity. When the strong suddenly become weak,when the trusted suddenly become untrustworthy, when the healthy suddenlybecome ill in either body or mind, the issue of security looms high on our list ofpriorities.” This can lead them to conform to the wicked powers that be in order toassure themselves of greater security.

1C. “When evil is allowed to have dominion (“the scepter of the wicked”), to beprevalent, it becomes easier for all to sin. Surely, that is the age in which we live. Weread more and more about evil in many forms, and it keeps getting worse and morebizarre – and the worst part is, God’s people get sucked into it. How many statisticshave we seen over the past 5-10 years showing how Christians are not noticeablydifferent in their lifestyles and priorities than are pagans. But the ew Testamentcontinually urges us to live up to our calling, to our position in Christ. We haveBEE MADE holy, so we should BE holy. But so often we are not. We are notdifferent. We are not showing a better way of living. This is primarily because wehave forgotten what has happened to us.” author unknown

1D. Wayne Shih, “Verse 3 says, “The scepter of the wicked will not remain over theland allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to doevil.” Here’s the situation: The nation was suffering under the rule of wickedleaders. The rulers were enemies of God’s people. They were making it hard forbelievers to hold to their integrity. Have you ever been in a situation like that? Have

you ever felt like you were being forced to comply with something you knew waswrong? Have you ever felt pressured to compromise your standards in theworkplace? Young people, have you ever felt pressured by your friends to dosomething sinful? When evil abounds, we may feel like giving up and giving in. Butthis verse says that God will step in. He will not let things become so severe that youlose hope. This principle is paralleled in the ew Testament. The apostle Paul saidin 1 Corinthians 10:13, “ o temptation has seized you except what is common toman. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that that you can standup under it.” The sin that other people commit is never an excuse for us to sin. Godalways provides an escape route so that we do not have to turn to evil as well. Wehave to trust God to protect us.”

2. Calvin, “This is, as it were, a correction of the preceding sentence. The Psalmisthad said that the hand of God was extended on all sides to defend his Church. Butas we are disposed to draw the divine promises to our own advantage, in the way ofinterpreting them as securing our exemption from all trouble, we are here warnedthat the guardianship of God does not secure us from being sometimes exercisedwith the cross and afflictions, and that therefore the faithful ought not to promisethemselves a delicate and easy life in this world, it being enough for them not to. beabandoned of God when they stand in need of his help. Their heavenly Father, it istrue, loves them most tenderly, but he will have them awakened by the cross, lestthey should give themselves too much to the pleasures of the flesh. If, therefore, weembrace this doctrine, although we may happen to be oppressed by the tyranny ofthe wicked, we will wait patiently till God either break their scepter, or shake it outof their hands. It is a sore temptation, I admit, to see the wicked exercising cruelty inthe heritage of the Lord, and the faithful lying extended beneath their feet; but asGod does not without just reason thus humble his people, they should comfortthemselves from the consideration suggested in the text.

The reason is added why God will not suffer the wicked always to triumph over therighteous -- namely, lest the just, overcome by temptation, abandon themselveswholly to sinning, a reason which ought to be carefully marked. Hence we gatherthat God, from his willingness to bear with our weakness, moderates our adversities.Although, then, we may not possess in ourselves a sufficient amount of fortitude andconstancy to enable us to persevere in our duty for a single moment, yet let thissentiment be present to our minds, That God will take care that, broken as we maybe by afflictions, we shall not forsake his service. Were he even to afflict us withoutintermission during the whole course of our life, the cross is doubtless alwaysprofitable to us; for we see how indomitable is the rebellion of our flesh, and withwhat vehement impetuosity it is continually boiling up; yea, rather how it ceases notto kick amidst the very afflictions by which it ought to be reduced to obedience. Somuch the more necessary then is this lesson of instruction -- that the Lordseasonably sets limits to our temptations, because he knows that we are too feeble towithstand them. or does the Prophet merely say, that the weak are in danger of

failing, but that even the just, who serve God in truth and from the heart, and whoare devoted to the cultivation of a holy life, are in danger of sinking under the load.However vigorous, then, the fear of God may be in our hearts, let us remember thatwe are not endowed with adequate strength for enduring to the end, unless the Lordhave a regard to our infirmity. If the Holy Spirit makes this declaration concerningthe best champions, what will be the case as to tyroes, who are as yet but imperfectlytrained for the combat? It is also proper to mark the form of speech employed -- lestthey stretch forth their hands; by which it is intimated that the assaults oftemptations. are so violent, that the hands of the just, which were before, as we maysay, bound, and whose motions were also framed and regulated according to the willof God, being now, as it were, let loose, apply themselves to the commission of sinwithout restraint.

3. Barnes, “For the rod of the wicked - Margin, as in Hebrew, “wickedness.” Theword “rod” - the staff, the scepter, the instrument of inflicting punishment - heremeans dominion, power, that condition in which the wicked are commonly found, asone of prosperity or power. God will not deal with the righteous as the wicked areoften dealt with: that is, God will not give his people prosperity as he does them. Therighteous will be afflicted, and will be placed in circumstances to keep them fromputting forth their hands to iniquity; that is, from indulging in iniquity. They will beafflicted; they will be kept in the ways of virtue and religion by trial; they will not beleft to act out the depravity of the heart as the wicked are.

Shall not rest upon - Permanently abide; or, be the constant condition of therighteous. They may be prospered, but they must expect that there will be changes,and that God will so deal with them as to keep them from putting forth their handsto iniquity.

The lot of the righteous - The righteous, considered as the “lot” or portion of theLord. The language is derived from dividing a land by lot (compare Psa_105:11;Psa_74:2); and the idea is, that the “lot” pertaining to the Lord, or his “portion”among people, is the righteous.Lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity - Lest the effect of prosperityshould be to lead them away from God - like the wicked. Hence, they are dealt within a different manner. They are afflicted; they are thus kept under properdiscipline, and their hearts and lives are made what they should be. The statementin this verse, therefore, accords with the uniform statements in the Scriptures, thatprosperity is dangerous to the spiritual interests of people, and that, therefore,people are often afflicted in order that they may be led to seek higher interests thanthose which pertain to this life. The connection here seems to be, that God willdefend his people, even as Jerusalem was defended by hills and mountains; but thatthe real welfare and prosperity of his people was not what the wicked seek - wealthand honor - but the favor of the Lord. Another meaning may, however, be suggestedin regard to this verse, which to some may appear more probable than the oneabove. It is this: that the “rod” - the dominion of the wicked - of bad rulers - of aharsh and oppressive government - will not always be upon the people of God, lest,being crushed, they should be led to acts of iniquity; or lest, being kept from the freeservice of God, they should abandon themselves to sin.”

4. Clarke, “the rod of the worked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous - , here.may be taken for persecution, or for rule; and then it may be thus interpreted: “Thewicked shall not be permitted to persecute always, nor to have a permanent rule.”In our liturgic version this clause is thus rendered: “The rod of the ungodly comethnot into the lot of the righteous.” “This,” said one of our forefathers, “is neithertruth nor scripture. First, it is not truth; for the rod of the wicked doth come intothe inheritance of the righteous, and that often. Secondly, it is not scripture, for thetext saith, ‘The rod of the wicked shall not rest there.’ It may come, and stay for atime; but it shall not be permitted to abide.” This is only one, and not the worst, ofthe many sad blemishes which deform the Version in our national Prayer-book. Inshort, the Version of the Psalms in that book is wholly unworthy of regard; andshould be thrown aside, and that in the authorized Version in the Bible substitutedfor it. The people of God are misled by it; and they are confounded with the greatand glaring differences they find between it and what they find in their Bibles,where they have a version of a much better character, delivered to them by theauthority of Church and state. Why do not our present excellent and learnedprelates lay this to heart, and take away this sore stumbling-block out of the way ofthe people? I have referred to this subject in the introduction to the Book of Psalms.

Lest the righteous put forth - Were the wicked to bear rule in the Lord’s vineyard,religion would soon become extinct; for the great mass of the people would conformto their rulers. Fear not your enemies, while ye fear God. either Sanballat, norTobiah, nor Geshem, nor any of God’s foes, shall be able to set up their rod, theirpower and authority, here. While you are faithful, the Lord will laugh them toscorn.

5. Gill, “, according to Kimchi, is Jerusalem; but Aben Ezra interprets it of theIsraelites that inherit the land. And, the people of God are no doubt designed; theLord's justified and chosen ones, his portion, and the lot of his inheritance; and allthat belong unto them, their persons, families, estates, and good name: in all whichthey are sometimes oppressed and afflicted by wicked men; who are a rod ofcorrection in the hand of the Lord, the rod of men with which he chastises them; butthis shall not always continue: so the word is used for a rod of correction,Pro_22:15. It sometimes signifies a sceptre; an ensign of power and government,Gen_49:10; and here may intend the nations of the world, as Aben Ezra interpretsit; or the antichristian states, prevailing and ruling over the people of God in atyrannical manner, which shall not always last; the reign of antichrist will come toan end, and the Lord will destroy him with the rod of his mouth. It sometimessignifies a tribe; and the Syriac version seems so to take it here,

"the tribe of the wicked shall not rest in the part of the righteous;''

they shall no more dwell among them, lest, being led by their example, they shouldlearn their works, and do as they do; so Aben Ezra and Kimchi. But rather, withGussetius (o), this is to be understood of a measuring rod; laid not on persons, buton lands and estates; and best agrees with the lot, inheritance, and estate of the

righteous; and may signify, that though wicked men unjustly seize upon and retainthe farms, possessions, and estates of good men, as if they were assigned to them bythe measuring line; yet should not hold them long, or always;

lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity; for the righteous are notperfect in this life: they are not without sin, nor do they live without the commissionof it; and may be under temptation, by long afflictions and oppressions, and seeingthe wicked prosper, to desert their profession of religion, and forsake the ways ofGod, and join with the wicked, and commit iniquity as they do; and therefore, toprevent this, the Lord will not suffer them always to be under affliction andoppression; see Psa_37:8, or them and theirs to be always in the hand of the enemy.

6. Jamison, “Though God may leave them for a time under the “rod,” or power(Psa_2:9), and oppression of the wicked for a time, as a chastisement, He will notsuffer them to be tempted so as to fall into sin (1Co_10:13). The wicked shall onlyprove a correcting rod to them, not a destroying sword; even this rod shall notremain (“rest”) on them, lest they be tempted to despair and apostasy (Psa_73:13,Psa_73:14). God may even try His people to the uttermost: when nothing is beforeour eyes but pure despair, then He delivers us and gives life in death, and makes usblessed in the curse (2Co_1:8, 2Co_1:9) [Luther]. the lot ― the possession, literally,“Canaan,” spiritually, the heavenly inheritance of holiness and bliss which isappointed to the righteous. Sin’s dominion shall not permanently come between thebeliever and his inheritance.

7. Keil, “The pressure of the worldly power, which now lies heavily upon the holyland, will not last for ever; the duration of the calamity is exactly proportioned tothe power of resistance of the righteous, whom God proves and purifies by calamity,but not without at the same time graciously preserving them. “The rod ofwickedness” is the heathen sceptre, and “the righteous” are the Israelites who holdfast to the religion of their fathers. The holy land, whose sole entitled inheritors arethese righteous, is called their “lot” (גורל, κλῆρος= κληρονοµία). נּוח signifies to alightor settle down anywhere, and having alighted, to lean upon or rest (cf. Isa_11:2withJoh_1:32, ἔµεινεν). The lxx renders οὐκ ἀφφήσει, i.e., לא יּניח (cf. on the other hand .(He shall let down, cause to come down, in Isa_30:32 ,יניחot for a continuanceshall the sceptre of heathen tyranny rest upon the holy land, God will not sufferthat: in order that the righteous may not at length, by virtue of the power whichpressure and use exercises over men, also participate in the prevailing ungodlydoings. ׁשלח with Beth: to seize upon anything wrongfully, or even only (as inJob_28:9) to lay one's hand upon anything (frequently with על). As here in the caseof עולתה, in Psa_80:3too the form that is the same as the locative is combined with apreposition.”

8. “For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous. o tyranny,although it appear firm and stable, is of long continuance: inasmuch as God does

not relinquish the sceptre. This is manifest from the example of Pharaoh, of Saul, ofSennacherib, of Herod, and of others. Rightly, therefore, says Athanasius of Julianthe Apostate, "That little cloud has quickly passed away." And how quickly beyondall human expectation the foundations of the ungodly are overthrown is fullydeclared in Psalms 37:1-40.” --Solomon Gesner, 1559-1605.

9. “Lest overcome by impatience, or drawn aside by the world's allurements oraffrightments, they should yield and comply with the desires of the wicked, or seekto help themselves out of trouble by sinister practices. God (saith Chrysostom) actslike a lutanist, who will not let the strings of his lute be too slack, lest it mar themusic, nor suffer them to be too hard stretched or screwed up, lest they break.--John Trapp, 1601-1669.

10. Lest the righteous put forth their hands, etc. The trial is to prove faith, not toendanger it by too sharp a pressure: lest, overcome by this, even the faithful putforth a hand (as in Genesis 3:22), to forbidden pleasure; or (as in Exodus 22:8), tocontamination: through force of custom gradually persuading to sinful compliance,or through despair of good, as the Psalmist (see Psalms 37:1-40 and Psalms 73:1-28)describes some in his day who witnessed the prosperity of wicked men.” --TheSpeaker's Commentary, 1871-1881.

4. Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart.

1. Calvin, “The Prophet has already promised to all the faithful the seasonable helpof God; but still he has recourse to prayer, and that not without cause; for althoughfaith may sustain us, yet, as our carnal sense and reason are wavering, we ought tomingle prayers for our confirmation. Let us then follow this rule of the Prophet,who, having exhorted all the faithful to cherish confidence, teaches them at the sametime, that instead of sitting in listless inactivity, they should betake themselves toGod, earnestly beseeching him by prayer, for what he has bidden them hope for byhis word. And assuredly the importance of using this remedy is apparent from theconsideration, that amidst the darkness of afflictions, the aid of God is notdiscerned, but that he rather seems to make no difference between the righteous andthe wicked. or does the Psalmist simply pray that God would deal graciously withthe good, he also defines the goodness by which they are characterized, as whatproceeds from sincere affection of heart. It would not be enough for the children ofGod to abstain from all wrong-doing, were they not distinguished by corresponding

integrity of heart, or rather did it not govern their whole life.”

2. Barnes, “Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good ... - To the good; to the pious.Let them be under the divine protection. Possibly this is not merely a prayer, but isexpressive of the belief of the psalmist as to what would occur under the divineadministration - that the favor of God would rest upon his people.

3. Clarke, “Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good - Let the upright ever findthee his sure defense! Increase the goodness which thou hast already bestowed uponthem; and let all who are upright in heart find thee to be their stay and theirsupport!

4. Gill, “That are made so by the Spirit and grace of God; for none are naturallygood, but evil; only such who are regenerated and made new creatures, who have agood work of grace begun in them; who have the good Spirit of God, and his goodgraces, and the good word of God in them, and are filled with all goodness; andwhich is known by the good fruits which they bear, or the good works done by them.For these the psalmist prays the Lord would do good to them, not only in aprovidential way, as he does to all; but in a way of special grace, bestowing theblessings of his goodness on them, and causing all things to work for their good: andas saints should pray for one another, or supplication should be made for all saints,such a prayer as this may be the prayer of faith; for it is not to be doubted but Godwill do good to those he makes good. Aben Ezra says this may be considered eitheras a prayer or a prophecy; it may have respect unto the church in the latter day, andto the good things spoken of concerning it; which God will accomplish in due time,and should be prayed for; see Psa_51:18; and to them that are upright in theirhearts; which is a further description of good men, from the integrity and sincerityof their hearts; who do all they do before God and men, in the uprightness of theirsouls, cordially and sincerely, from right principles, and with right views.”

5. Henry, “Here is, 1. The prayer the psalmist puts up for the happiness of thosethat are sincere and constant (Psa_125:4): Do good, O Lord! unto those that aregood.This teaches us to pray for all good people, to make supplication for allsaints;and we may pray in faith for them, being assured that those who do well shallcertainly be well dealt with. Those that are as they should be shall be as they wouldbe, provided they be upright in heart,that they be really as good as they seem to be.With the upright God will show himself upright.He does not say, Do good, O Lord! tothose that are perfect, that are sinless and spotless, but to those that are sincere andhonest. God's promises should quicken our prayers. It is comfortable wishing wellto those for whom God has engaged to do well. 2. The prospect he has of the ruin ofhypocrites and deserters; he does not pray for it (I have not desired the woeful day,thou knowest), but he predicts it: As for those,who having known the way ofrighteousness, for fear of the rod of the wicked, basely turn aside out of it to theirwicked ways,use indirect ways to prevent trouble or extricate themselves out of it, orthose who, instead of reforming, grow worse and worse and are more obstinate and

daring in their impieties, God shall send them away, cast them out,and lead themforth with the workers of iniquity,that is, he will appoint them their portion with theworst of sinners. ote, (1.) Sinful ways are crooked ways;sin is the perverting of thatwhich is right. (2.) The doom of those who turn aside to those crooked ways out ofthe right way will be the same with theirs who have all along walked in them, nay,and more grievous, for if any place in hell be hotter than another that shall be theportion of hypocrites and apostates. God shall lead them forth,as prisoners are ledforth to execution. Go, you cursed, into everlasting fire;and these shall go away;alltheir former righteousness shall not be mentioned unto them. The last words, Placeupon Israel,may be taken as a prayer: “God preserve his Israel in peace, when hisjudgments are abroad reckoning with evil-doers.” We read them as a promise:Peace shall be upon Israel;that is, [1.] When those who have treacherously desertedthe ways of God meet with their own destruction those who faithfully adhere tothem, though they may have trouble in their way, shall have peace in the end. [2.]The destruction of those who walk in crooked ways will contribute to the peace andsafety of the church. When Herod was cut off the word of God grew,Act_12:23,Act_12:24. [3.] The peace and happiness of God's Israel will be the vexation, andwill add much to the torment, of those who perish in their wickedness, Luk_13:28;Isa_65:13. My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed.

6. Keil, “On the ground of the strong faith in Psa_125:1. and of the confident hope inPsa_125:3, the petition now arises that Jahve would speedily bestow theearnestlyblessing of freedom upon the faithful ones, and on the other handthecowardly lit. those afraid to confess God and those who havewith apostasy, togetherwith the declared wicked ones, out ofway. For such is the meaning of Psa_125:4.”,in Proverbs with the “righteous,” Pro_2:20, the opposite being the “wicked) טובים Pro_14:19) are here those who truly believe and rightly act inwith the good ,רׁשעים will of God,( ote: The Midrash here calls to mind a Talmudic riddle: There came agood one (Moses, Exo_2:2) and received a good thing (the Tôra, Pro_4:2) from thegood One (God, Psa_145:9) for the good ones (Israel, Psa_125:4).) or, as the parallel member of the verse explains (where ליׁשרים did not require thearticle on account of the addition), those who in the bottom of their heart areuprightly disposed, as God desires to have it.

Finally, the poet, stretching out his hand over Israel as if pronouncing thebenediction of the priest, gathers up all his hopes, prayers, and wishes into the oneprayer: “Peace be upon Israel.” He means “the Israel of God,” Gal_6:16. Upon thisIsrael he calls down peace from above. Peace is the end of tyranny, hostility,dismemberment, unrest, and terror; peace is freedom and harmony and unity andsecurity and blessedness.”

7. Spurgeon, “Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that areupright in their hearts. Men to be good at all must be good at heart. Those whotrust in the Lord are good; for faith is the root of righteousness, and the evidenceof uprightness. Faith in God is a good and upright thing, and its influence makes

the rest of the man good and upright. To such God will do good: the prayer ofthe text is but another form of promise, for that which the Lord prompts us toask he virtually promises to give. Jehovah will take off evil from his people, andin the place thereof will enrich them with all manner of good. When the rod ofthe wicked is gone his own rod and staff shall comfort us. Meanwhile it is for usto pray that it may be well with all the upright who are now among men. Godbless them, and do them good in every possible form. We wish well to those whodo well. We are so plagued by the crooked that we would pour benedictionsupon the upright.”

8. “Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good. They consult their own good best,who do most good. I may say these three things of those who do good (and what isserving God but doing of good? or what is doing good but serving God?). First, theyshall receive true good. Secondly, they shall for ever hold the best good, the chiefgood; they shall not only spend their days and years in good; but when their daysand years are spent, they shall have good, and a greater good than any they had, inspending the days and years of this life. They shall have good in death, they shallcome to a fuller enjoyment of God, the chief good, when they have left and let fallthe possession of all earthly goods. Thirdly, they that do good shall find all thingsworking together for their good; if they have a loss they shall receive good by it; ifthey bear a cross, that cross shall bear good to them. --Joseph Caryl, 1602-1673.

9. “Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, etc. Perhaps it may not proveunprofitable to enquire, with some minuteness, who are the persons for whomprayer is presented, and who have an interest in the Divine promises. They arebrought before us under different denominations. In Psalms 125:1, they aredescribed as trusting in the Lord: in Psalms 125:2, they are described as the Lord'speople: in Psalms 125:3, they are called the righteous: in Psalms 125:4, they arecalled good and upright in heart: and in Psalms 125:5, they are called Israel. Let uscollect these terms together, and endeavor to ascertain from them, what is their truecondition and character, for whose security the Divine perfections are pledged. Andwhile a rapid sketch is thus drawn, let each breathe the silent prayer, "Search me, OGod, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be anywicked Way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." -- . M'Michael, in "ThePilgrim Psalms", 1860.

10. “Upright in their hearts. All true excellence has its seat here. It is not the goodaction which makes the good man: it is the good man who does the good action. Themerit of an action depends entirely upon the motives which have prompted itsperformance; and, tried by this simple test, how many deeds, which have wrungfrom the world its admiration and its glory, might well be described in old words, asnothing better than splendid sins. When the heart is wrong, all is wrong. When the

heart is right, all is right.” -- . M'Michael.

5. But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.

1. Calvin, “The meaning is, that God does not always connive at the wickedness ofthose who, while boasting of a hollow and counterfeit profession, wander hither andthither according to their own lust, or even corrupt the simple, and draw them intothe same excess of sinning with themselves. I have no doubt that the Psalmist herespeaks of hypocrites, who are so hardened by temporary impunity, as to claim to.themselves a place among the holiest of men, because God exercises forbearancetowards them. ot only do we see the good mingled with the bad in the world, butwe also behold on the barn-floor of the Lord the wheat lying hidden under the chaffand refuse. In this dubious and confused state of matters, the bad are elated withpride, as if they were among the best of God's servants. We ought therefore to praythat God would drag them into the light, and, with the workers of iniquity, thrustthem down into the punishment which they have deserved. The consequence is thatpeace, which the Prophet desires may be the privilege of Israel. He does not speakgenerally of all the race of Abraham, according to the. flesh; he rather wishes thatthe Church of God may be purged of hypocrites, who occupy a place in her, untilGod lift up his hand to judgment. On this account I have said, that the peace of theChurch springs from this -- that; God, while executing his just vengeance uponreigned and counterfeit Israelites, who rend and tear in pieces her bowels, gatherstogether the upright in heart, and openly shows by his blessing the fatherly lovewhich he bears towards them.”

2. Barnes, ““for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways - wicked. Those wholeave the right or straight path, and wander in forbidden ways. The word hererendered “crooked ways” occurs nowhere else except in Jdg_5:6, where it isrendered “by-ways,” meaning unfrequented paths or roads; narrow and crookedpaths, remote from the highways, or the ways commonly traversed. Hence, the wordmeans also paths of sin - as deviations from the straight road which man shouldtravel.

The Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity - They shall be dealtwith as sinners. They shall be punished. The allusion is to backsliders; to those whoforsake the worship of God; who cease to do “good;” who, though among theprofessed people of God, wander from him in by-paths and forbidden ways. The

idea is, that their profession of religion will not save them; that they will not obtainthe divine blessing merely because they are avowedly the people of God, or arenumbered among them, but that they will be treated as all other sinners are: theywill be led forth with all the wicked, and will be treated like them. CompareEze_33:12-13; Mat_7:22-23; Mat_25:11-12.

But peace shall be upon Israel - Upon the real Israel; upon the true people of God.Gal_6:16; Isa_54:13; Isa_55:12; Isa_57:2; Isa_66:12; Joh_14:27; Joh_16:33;Eph_2:17; Phi_4:7.

3. Clarke, “for such as turn aside - are not faithful; who give way to sin; whobackslide, and walk in a crooked way, widely different from the straight way of theupright, ישרים yesharim, the straight in heart; they shall be led forth to punishmentwith the common workers of iniquity. Thus thy Church will be purified, and thypeace rest upon thy true Israel. Let him that readeth understand.

4. Gill, “The ways of sin, immorality, or error; which are crooked ways, notagreeing with the word of God, the rule of faith and practice. This seems to designnot openly profane sinners, who have always lived in a course of sin and wickedness;but carnal professors, who, through affliction and persecution because of the word,are offended, and desert the good ways of God; and turn from the holycommandment, word, and ordinances, they have professionally embraced;

the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity; the Targum adds, "to hell.'' These hypocrites shall be led forth by the Lord with abandoned sinners,like malefactors to the place of execution; when he shall bid them depart from him,and they shall go into everlasting fire; and if there is any place in hell hotter thananother, those shall have it; see Mat_7:23; but peace shall be upon Israel; uponevery true Israelite, upon the whole Israel of God; the apostle seems to have respectto this passage in Gal_6:16; such shall have spiritual peace in their hearts now, andeternal peace hereafter. The words may be read either as a prayer that it might be,or as a prophecy that it should be; and may have regard unto the latter day, whenall the enemies of Christ and his church shall be destroyed, and there shall beabundance of peace, so long as the moon endures, Psa_72:7. Aben Ezra observes,that the psalmist prays that God would remove the wicked far off, and then therewould be peace in Israel; and to the same purpose Arama and Kimchi interpret it.”

5. Jamison, “Those who turn aside (under temptation) permanently show that theyare hypocrites, and their lot or portion shall be with the wicked (Psa_28:3). crookedways ― (Compare Deu_9:16; Mal_2:8, Mal_2:9). their ― is emphatic; the “crookedways” proceed from their own hearts. The true Israel is here distinguished from thefalse. Scripture everywhere opposes the Jewish delusion that mere outward descentwould save (Rom_2:28, Rom_2:29; Rom_9:6, Rom_9:7; Gal_6:16). The byways ofsin from the way of life.

6. Spurgeon, “As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shalllead them forth with the workers of iniquity. Two kinds of men are always to befound, the upright and the men of crooked ways. Alas, there are some who passfrom one class to another, not by a happy conversion, turning from the twistinglanes of deceit into the highway of truth, but by an unhappy declension leaving themain road of honesty and holiness for the bypaths of wickedness. Such apostateshave been seen in all ages, and David knew enough of them; he could never forgetSaul, and Ahithophel, and others. How sad that men who once walked in the rightway should turn aside from it! Observe the course of the false hearted: first, theylook out for crooked ways; next, they choose them and make them "their crookedways"; and then they turn aside into them. They never intend to go back untoperdition, but only to make a curve and drop into the right road again. The straightway becomes a little difficult, and so they make a circumbendibus, which all alongaims at coming out right, though it may a little deviate from precision. These peopleare neither upright in heart, nor good, nor trusters in Jehovah, and therefore theLord will deal otherwise with them than with his own people: when execution daycomes these hypocrites and time servers shall be led out to the same gallows as theopenly wicked. All sin will one day be expelled the universe, even as criminalscondemned to die are led out of the city; then shall secret traitors find themselvesejected with open rebels. Divine truth will unveil their hidden pursuits, and leadthem forth, and to the surprise of many they shall be set in the same rank with thosewho avowedly wrought iniquity.

But peace shall be upon Israel. In fact the execution of the deceivers shall tend togive the true Israel peace. When God is smiting the unfaithful not a blow shall fallupon the faithful. The chosen of the Lord shall not only be like Salem, but they shallhave salem, or peace. Like a prince, Israel has prevailed with God, and therefore heneed not fear the face of man; his wrestlings are over, the blessing of peace has beenpronounced upon him. He who has peace with God may enjoy peace concerning allthings. Bind the first and last verses together: Israel trusts in the Lord Psalms 125:1,and Israel has peace Psalms 125:5.”

7. Such as turn aside unto their crooked ways. This is the anxiety of the pastor in thispilgrim song. The shepherd would keep his sheep from straggling. His distress isthat all in Israel are not true Israelites. Two sorts of people, described by the poet,have ever been in the church. The second class, instead of being at the trouble to"withstand in the evil day", will "put forth their hands unto iniquity". Rather thanfeel, they will follow the rod of the wicked. They will "turn aside unto their crookedways", sooner than risk temporal and material interests. --Edward Jewitt Robinson,in "The Caravan and the Temple", 1878.

8. Such as turn aside unto their crooked ways. All the ways of sin are called "crookedways", and they are our own ways. The Psalmist calls them "their crooked ways";that is, the ways of their own devising; whereas the way of holiness is the Lord's

way. To exceed or do more; to be deficient or do less, than God requires, both theseare "crooked ways". The way of the Lord lies straight forward, right before us."Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved; but he that is perverse (or crooked) in hisways shall fall at once": Proverbs 28:18. The motion of a godly man is like that ofthe kine that carried the ark: "Who took the straight way to the way ofBethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned notaside to the right hand or to the left": 1 Samuel 6:12 .” --Joseph Caryl.

9. The LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. They walkedaccording to the prince of the air, and they shall go where the prince of the air is.God will bring forth men from their hiding places. Though they walk among thedrove of his children, in procession now, yet if they also walk in by lanes of sin, Godwill rank them at the latter day, yea, often in this world, with the workers ofiniquity. They walk after workers of iniquity here before God, and God will makemanifest that it is so before he hath done with them. The reason, my brethren, whythey are to be reckoned among workers of iniquity, and as walkers among them,though they sever themselves from them in respect of external conversation, is,because they agree in the same internal principle of sin. They walk in their lusts:every unregenerate man doth so. Refine him how you will, it is certain he doth inheart pursue "crooked ways." -- Thomas Goodwin, 1600-1679.

10. “Sometimes God takes away a barren professor by permitting him to fall into openprofaneness. There is one that hath taken up a profession of the worthy name of theLord Jesus Christ, but this profession is only a cloak; he secretly practiseswickedness; he is a glutton, or a drunkard, or covetous, or unclean. Well, saith God,I will loose the reins of this professor, I will give him up to his vile affections. I willloose the reins of his sins before him, he shall be entangled with his filthy lusts, heshall be overcome of ungodly company. Thus they that turn aside to their owncrooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity.” --JohnBunyan, 1628-1688.

11. But peace shall be upon Israel. Do you ask, What is the peace upon Israel? Ianswer: -- First, the peace of Israel, that is, of a believing and holy soul, is fromabove, and is higher than all the disturbances of the world; it rests upon him, andmakes him calm and peaceful, and lifts him above the world: for upon him rests theHoly Spirit, who is the Comforter; who is essential love and uncreated peace.Secondly, the peace of a believing and holy soul is internal for it is sent down fromheaven upon his head, flows into his heart, and dwells there, and stills all agitationsof mind. Thirdly, the peace of a believing and holy soul, is also external. It is afountain of Paradise watering all the face of the earth: Genesis 2:6: you see it in theman's face and life. Fourthly, the peace of a believing and holy soul is divine: forchiefly, it maintains peace with God. Fifthly, the peace of a believing and holy soul is

universal: to wit, with neighbors, with God, with himself: in the body, in the eyes, inthe cars, in tasting, smelling, feeling, in all the members, and in all the appetites.This peace is not disturbed by devils, the world, and the flesh, setting forth theirhonors, riches, pleasures. Sixthly, the peace of a believing and holy soul is peaceeternal and never interrupted; for it flows from an eternal and exhaustless fountain,even from God himself.” -- Condensed from Le Blanc, 1599-1669.

12. Isaac Watts made this Psalm into a hymn.

Unshaken as the sacred hill and firm as mountains be,

Firm as a rock the soul shall rest that leans, O Lord, on thee.

ot walls or hills could guard so well old Salem’s happy ground.

As those eternal arms of love that every saint surround.

While tyrants are a smarting scourge to drive them near to God,

Divine compassion does allay the fury of the rod.

Deal gently, Lord, with souls of thine, and lead them safely on

To the bright gate of Paradise where Christ their Lord has gone.

But if we trace those crooked ways that the old serpent drew,

The wrath that drove him first to hell shall smite his followers, too.