Psalm 129

why don't we go ahead and have some coffee? We'll pray and we'll get into God's Word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day, and we thank you for your word. We thank you that even though technology might fail us, you never fail us. Lord, we pray that as we read your word now, that you would let us believe and understand in Jesus's name. Amen. All right, thanks so much for joining me. I'm really glad you're here with me. Thanks for putting up with technological patience. Here we go, Psalm 129, a song of a sense.
Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth. Let Israel now say, many time they have afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed on my back. They made their furrows long. The Lord is righteous. He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked. Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turn back. Let them be as the grass on the hilltops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand, nor does he who binds sheaves his arms. Neither let those who pass by them say, the blessing of the Lord be upon you.
We bless you in the name of the Lord. or we need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to these words? So A, what is this about? This is a song of ascents. They're going up to Jerusalem. They're going up to Mount Zion. They're going to the temple. And there's something going on here, and this is almost one of these psalms of lament, right? But it's a psalm of deliverance, because what is it talking about?
Let's look at the first four verses. Many a times they have afflicted me from my youth. Let Israel now say, many times they have afflicted me from my youth. And then it uses the graphic imagery. It's like their backs are a furrow. They've made their marks on their backs. It's most likely that it's talking about a time of slavery, a time where the Israelites were put into bondage, put into slavery. And their enemies marked their backs, struck them, whipped them, hurt them.
He has cut, but the Lord, verse 4, the Lord is righteous. They're not left in that state. They're not left in that place. But what's it say? He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked. Yahweh is righteous. He's not going to let his people suffer forever. He's going to bring them back. And so let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back.
And then it compares the wicked to something interesting. This takes a little bit of cultural context. I was wrestling through this and then I was like, oh yeah, duh, I remember that. Let them be as the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand, nor he who binds sheaves in his arms. What is this about? This is in ancient Israel. They had flat roofs that were made out of clay and chalk like. And they would put the wood up there, and then they would put this layer of mud on top of it. And what happens? Well, have you ever cleaned out a gutter before? And have you ever seen the little bits of oak trees or something that try to grow up?
There's no way it's possibly going to grow up there. More than that, the sun's going to come down. It's going to beat on it. It's going to die away. This is what he's saying that the wicked are like. They might sprout up for a moment. They might go up for a second, but the sun's going to scorch them, and they're going to go away. The sun is going to make it die off. And you can't go up to the rooftop with a sickle and go and harvest and fill up your arms with a whole bunch of good food.
That doesn't happen on the housetop. And he's saying that's what the wicked are like. They're like those little plants that grow up in the gutter or that would try to grow up on the rooftops of Israel. And they're never going to grow large. They're never going to be there forever. But they're going to die away.
And so those who are the enemies of God, those who do not love the Lord and hate His people, what's the end of the verse say? Neither let those who pass by them say, the blessing of the Lord be upon you. We bless you in the name of the Lord, right? He's saying they don't have God's blessing because they aren't in covenant with God. They don't have God's blessing because they aren't in communion with the Lord. And so you can't tell people who don't love the Lord, the Lord bless you.
That's what this Psalm is getting at here. So, okay, so we know what it's about, best verse. I think in my mind, I would underline verse 4, the Lord is righteous. He has cut in pieces the cord of the wicked. Calling, what are we called to do? Well, I think this should be a psalm of encouragement to us. I think this psalm should encourage us.
Persecution doesn't last forever. Trials don't last forever. The wicked will have their day, but it will be short. In the light of eternity, we know that we don't need to be so wrapped up as to think that somehow the Lord can't deliver his people. We know this is true even of Jesus Christ. Jesus had this perspective, right? He knew that he was going to suffer. He knew that the day of the wicked was going to come, that they were going to arrest him and persecute him and they were going to mock him and they were going to beat him and they would even kill him.
But Jesus knew that he didn't have to lose heart because the Lord's righteousness reigns. and the day of the wicked is short, and Jesus' kingdom is forever." I think that we can have comfort and encouragement knowing that the Lord is righteous and his kingdom endures forever.
So rest in the Lord. Trust in the Lord. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day and we thank you that we can rest in you. Lord, we pray that your kingdom would come here on earth as it is in heaven. Father, please protect us from the evil one. Father, we thank you for your love and for your care of us. Thank you for blessing us. Though we were once your enemies, you have now called us your friends. Lord, we thank you. for your care for us, in Jesus's name, amen. Well, may you rest in Jesus Christ, may you have comfort in his eternal kingdom, and I'll see you tomorrow, bye.