Psalm
123 reminds me of body surfing as a kid at the beach. We always
wanted the waves to be bigger, but it is a terrifying feeling when a
huge wave breaks and you begin to tumble, holding you under water for
a long time. You need air, but often you don’t know which way is
up. It is when your touch bottom that you can lunge for the surface
in desperation. The turbulence of life is not always as violent, or
as brief. Many times, we don’t realize that we are in trouble.
Our ascent is not always as rapid and we don’t always find the
bottom, so we don’t know which way is up. This is the fourth of 15
“Song of ascents“.
There are many theories about the real meaning, but to me, they are
about the process of redemption. I believe the first step is always
realizing that we are in need. At that, the writer turns to God, “I
lift up my eyes to You… As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of
their master… till He shows us His mercy“.
In our culture we do not understand this picture. We think of the
slave master as evil, but in that day, some would willingly become
bond-slaves because they received all the care and feeding of being
family members. He looks with life-saving gratitude. “Have
mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured much…
much contempt from the arrogant“.
Are you still under water?
Psalm
124 continues telling the story while safely on the beach. He looks
back and says, “What if”. “If
the Lord had not been on our side… when men attacked… when their
anger
flared… they would have swallowed us alive“.
Perhaps he was watching friends still struggling in the surf, “the
flood would have engulfed us… raging waters would have swept us
away“. I look at my
own life and realize that I was bruised, but “Praise
be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn“.
And he says something amazing, “We
have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare“,
but he adds, “the
snare has been broken“.
You
see the red flags, why would you go back into that place of
temptation? Many convince themselves they are going back to help
others. Listen, you cannot destroy the trap on your own, “Our
help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth“.
What name? “Jesus,
the author and perfecter of our faith”
(Hebrews 12:2). Are you still wading into dangerous water?
Psalm
125 seems to make a distinction between those that escaped the
turmoil for the moment and “Those
who trust in the Lord“.
He says these “cannot
be shaken“. He
explains like the mountains around Jerusalem, “The
Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore“.
One lesson about playing in the waves is that there is always
another one right behind the last. The ascent described here means
more than just coming up for air. It means continuing on to higher
ground. It is here that we can spot danger, warn others and stand as
an encouragement for others to follow. I think we are supposed to be
salty
and light! He closes in prayer, “Do
good, O Lord, to those who… are upright in heart“.
Perhaps upright just means you have found the bottom. Hold your
lamp high so that others can see which way is up.