Expository - Songs of Degrees

Psalm 124

Sweet Remembrances

Here the Lord reminds him of His grace and mercy along the way. As he meditates on this, his heart is filled with praise and adoration for the Lord. Today we come round the table of the Lord, a time of sweet remembrance of all that the Lord has done for us. We were once astray or, as Ephesians puts it, afar off, strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God. To use the picture that Jesus gave, we were like sheep lost on the mountain, in danger, far away from the safety of the fold. But Jesus came to find us and save us, to bring us to Himself to enjoy rich fellowship and communion. God always wants to draw us back.

As David thinks on these things, his heart is filled with praise to God. When we come round the table and think how the Lord rescued us from the pathway that was leading to destruction, how he gave His own life on the cross, shedding His blood to save us, how our hearts fill with praise and worship. It is good to pause and think back.

How sweet to think on what the Lord has done when we come round the table on Sunday! How it tunes our heart to praise! It does concern me sometimes, during our time of worship, to see people just gazing blankly around them, waiting for the end of the meeting. They seem unmoved, untouched and yet they take the bread and wine. How can it be? Do those emblems stir no precious memory of the Lord's grace? We come to worship the Lord and, if God's Word is really getting down into our heart, and we are being strengthened with might in the inner man, then our whole being should be taken up with Him. We would worship Him just as David worshipped Him, because he knew he was there only as a result of the grace of God. He had done nothing himself. But for the grace of God he would be lost.

By the grace of God and through what He has done for us, and because His Spirit has been poured out into us, we can love Him with our entire being. If you do not feel that love, if you do not feel that well of adoration springing up within, then there is something wrong. The New Testament challenges us: "Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith!" Now I do not want to put doubts into the minds of people who are saved, but there are people who put on a show of religion, who are not saved. You should experience a deep love for the Lord and a desire to worship Him.

David had reached this fifth step and he was saying, "Praise the Lord! Look what He's done for me! He's lifted me up out of the miry clay. He's set my feet upon a rock and established my goings. Hallelujah! If it had not been for the Lord on my side, I would have been lost." But look, David is not alone. The saying is taken up by all the Lord's people. "If it had not been the Lord on our side, now may Israel say..." Everyone joins in together, because the experience of salvation is something we share as brothers and sisters in the Lord. We can all say the same thing. None can say we got this far by our own goodness and strength. No. The Lord helped us and lifted us up. So we rejoice together. We worship and adore Him together, not just with words but from the heart, in Spirit and in Truth.

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side...

Now David did not always feel like this. There were times when he felt like giving up, or when he questioned whether God was with him. He may have wondered why the Lord was allowing such circumstances. That may happen to you too. However, David is now in a position to look back and review his situation. He can see those places where the going was tough, but now, having gone through the experience, he can see the purpose of it and how the Lord was there all the time. He can see that prayers were answered. How foolish to have worried!

The Psalm also reveals who it is that stands against us. As a Christian you are not only loved but you are also hated. The world hates you: "...the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." John 17v14. In the Song of songs, where the bride is in search of her beloved, the watchmen treat her roughly and try to hinder her search. As we go on, seeking to be closer to the Lord and leaving the things of the world, the world will manifest its hate. The world system is governed by Satan, whom the Bible calls 'the god of this world.' By the world system, the devil holds millions in blindness and bondage. It is a huge network that ensnares people. It consists of political and economic systems which determine its direction and which glory in the name of civilisation. It boasts of the Arts and Sciences, the repository of all human ability and knowledge, the culture that is essential for 'life' today. Its social, philosophical and religious framework is a selfish, twisted imitation of 'Love God and love your neighbour..' These systems rule where God should rule. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side... they would have swallowed us up.

On earth today, there is a one world order emerging. It is happening day by day. Politicians have spoken openly about a new world order. People will go along with it because it is an interlinking network, an organised system. Be part of it and everything will go smoothly; break away from it and there will be problems. Everyone will be against you. The world will hate you.

We have been delivered. By ourselves we could not have escaped, but He has translated us from Satan's kingdom, the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of His dear Son. It is a work of His grace. David had experienced this too. He speaks of all those that were against him; the moment he moved out, he found that there was opposition. Nevertheless, he could say that he was where he was because the Lord had helped him.

Escaping the World System

"Forasmuch then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God."

The way in which the Satanic world order manifests itself is revealed in this Psalm. One way is beastlike. No matter how 'nice' people may seem, the ungodly will ultimately show their beastlike nature. In the garden of Eden, Satan appeared as a serpent; in the book of Revelation he is the dragon. These are they, says David who would swallow us alive (A.V. quick) Yes, the world would love to squeeze the life out of us. You are free.

The world order under the influence of Satan will manifest itself in many ways, all intended to lead us astray. Often it is beastlike, seeking to swallow us up alive. From the serpent in Eden, and the roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, to the fierce dragon in Revelation, the devil and his agents are continually seeking a prey. Yes, the nice, refined, cultured world around us would try to squeeze the very life out of us.

At times the sheer volume of adverse circumstances threatens to overwhelm us, like rising floodwaters or a raging torrent. The proud waters seem to rise over our soul. When floods come rushing in, they sweep everything away. Sometimes people get too close to the sea, maybe, for instance, climbing down onto those rocks at Land's End. Suddenly, without warning, a huge breaker sweeps them from the rock and carries them out to sea. They thought they were safe, that there was no danger, but, in a moment, they were gone. That is how the world would like to attack us. It is better not to stand too close to the danger, but, when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall raise up a standard against him. (Is.59) The Lord is on our side.

The world system seems to be full of traps for the believer, like the snares set to catch birds. Now, no snare looks dangerous or repulsive; they would never work. Snares are deceptive. They are baited with something attractive. There may even be a decoy - something that looks alive but is only an imitation of the real thing. Oh, how the enemy uses the world system to lure unsuspecting Christians and then get them trapped! Praise God, there is a deliverer who breaks the snare and sets us free.

Let us learn from our experience. Let us look to the Lord at all times. Do not let us be deceived again! Let us keep going up and up to full communion and fellowship with Him. Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.