Notes from Psalm 125

This short psalm may be summed up in those words of the prophet (Isaiah 3:10,11),
"Say you to the righteous, It shall be well with him. Woe to the wicked, it shall be will with him." Thus are life and death, the blessing and the curse, set before us often in the psalms, as well as in the law and the prophets.

I. It is certainly well with the people of God for,
             1. They have the promises of a good God that they shall be fixed (Psalm 125:1),
                  and safe (Psalm 125:2),
                  and not always under the hatches, Psalm 125:3.
             2. They have the prayers of a good man, which shall be heard for them, Psalm 125:4.

II. It is certainly ill with the wicked, and particularly with the apostates, Psalm 125:5.

Some of the Jewish rabbies are of opinion that it has reference to the days of the Messiah however, we that are members of the gospel-church may certainly, in singing this psalm, take comfort of these promises, and the more so if we stand in awe of the threatening.
(MHC)

Notes from Psalm 124

David penned this psalm (we suppose) upon occasion of some great deliverance which God wrought for him and his people from some very threatening danger, which was likely to have involved them all in ruin, whether by foreign invasion, or intestine insurrection, is not certain whatever it was he seems to have been himself much affected, and very desirous to affect others, with the goodness of God, in making a way for them to escape. To him he is careful to give all the glory, and takes none to himself as conquerors usually do.

 I. He here magnifies the greatness of the danger they were in, and of the ruin they were at the brink of, Psalm 124:1-5.
 II. He gives God the glory of their escape, compared with ver. 1,2.
III. He takes encouragement thence to trust in God, Psalm 124:8.

 In singing this psalm, besides the application of it to any particular deliverance wrought for us and our people, in our days and the days of our fathers, we may have in our thoughts the great work of our redemption by Jesus Christ, by which we were rescued from the powers of darkness.

Notes from Psalm 123

This psalm was penned at a time then the church of God was brought low and trampled upon; some think it was when the Jews were captives in Babylon, though that was not the only time that they were insulted over by the proud. The psalmist begins as if he spoke for himself only (v. 1), but presently speaks in the name of the church. Here is,

I. Their expectation of mercy from God (v. 1, 2).
II. Their plea for mercy with God, (v. 3, 4).

In singing it we must have our eye up to God's favour with a holy concern, and then an eye down to men's reproach with a holy contempt.

(MHC)