Psalm Steps> Psalm 125, “Stirred, not Shaken” -Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
A minister was visiting an elderly man, who’d been a Christian for most of his long life. The minister remarked, “Well sir, after keeping the faith for so long, you must feel pretty confident of holding out to the end.” The gentleman replied, “It’s not a matter of me holding out; it’s the Lord holding on to me…and the Bible assures me that I can trust Him for that!”
We admire such confidence, but some believers are plagued with what you might call “eternal insecurity”. They’re hoping they’ll make it to heaven, but sense little assurance. This is often because they are trusting their feelings, rather than the clear facts and promises of God in Scripture. Some days (particularly before coffee) I feel miserable—but my eternal security does not depend on how I feel. We stop worrying about losing our salvation when we realize Who’s doing the “holding”. We can be “confident that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion” (Phil 1:6). Ours is a know-so salvation. The Bible doesn’t leave us wondering if we’re going to make it to heaven.
Security is the theme of Psalm 125. In an age of insecurity, we need all the encouragement and reassurance we can get. We can be confident, “In God we trust.” This pilgrim Psalm of Ascent shows that God is our Protector—He grants us security in this life, and for the life to come. We don’t know when this psalm was written, but there’s not a time in Israel’s history when these words didn’t apply.
Jerusalem is a city surrounded by hills which provide fortification against invading armies. It’s possible that this psalm was sung by travelers at the moment when the hills came into view. The One who made the hills is our security, and “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever”, verse 1. Some people think the Christian life is precarious, like walking a tightrope without a net. They fear they may backslide and miss heaven. Nothing could be further than the truth. We can have confidence that God will “keep us from falling” (Jude 24). We are secure in our fortress of faith. God’s protection encircles us with an impenetrable wall of defense. We are and will remain God’s people, surrounded by His protection.
People install elaborate security systems in their homes and cars, and nations amass extensive defense measures. Governor Tom Ridge was just appointed by the President as the Secretary of Homeland Security, a new cabinet post. For eternal security, we find that we don’t build our protection—this is the work of God. We don’t have to worry that evil will overtake us, or that we will stumble into evil. We are steadfast and immovable; we know that Jesus is with us. In John 17 He prays for us, “Father, keep them in Thy Name, the Name You gave Me” (vs 11). Will God answer that prayer? I think so! We are as secure as our Savior. Christ within is our ultimate defense. He is our Advocate, Intercessor, Payment for sin, and our Righteousness before God. We need to feed our faith and starve our doubts.
We trust what God will do for us and in us. The word “trust” in verse one means to extend one’s self out fully, totally letting go of everything. We let go and let God take over. We’re not trusting in religious ritual or in ourselves—we’re trusting a Person. We cannot be “shaken”. This word was used to describe natural calamities, like earthquakes. Nothing will cause our faith to collapse. Christ is our foundation.
To trust may seem like a simple thing. God gives promises, and we believe them. He is at work in our lives, and we accept His will. He gave His Son to secure our salvation, and we receive Him. The reason people do not trust is that they are foolishly wise in their own perception. Those who walk by sight cannot understand those who walk by faith. We pray that their spiritual blindness will be lifted so they will trust the Lord.
Our faith may falter, but God will not disown us. He has secured for us a nonnegotiable contract; there’s no getting out of it. Verse 3 says that “the scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous” The key word is “remain”, which conveys a sense of finality. Evil is temporary, and does not characterize the condition of God’s people. God won’t let us be changed by the evil in the world. We may falter, and sin may influence some decisions we make, but we will not be permanently affected. The word “scepter” refers to the political climate of the times. The “scepter of the wicked” for Israel describes the periods when evil rulers were on the throne. Their ungodly sphere of influence was but temporary. Think of the dark times that surrounded the birth of Christ—in spite of the troubling political situation, the Prince of peace came to establish His righteous Kingdom.
Verse 3 also affirms that we have a land “allotted” to us. The word is used in Scripture to describe an inheritance. The psalmist is guaranteeing the future of God’s people, which will not be affected by anything in this world. Nothing will change our destiny, which is foreordained by our sovereign God. Paul proclaims, “Those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son” (Romans 8:29). Who will find us guilty after God has declared us innocent?
God will reward those “who are upright in heart”, verse 4. To be “upright” means to travel in a direct path. The Hebrew word is used in the building of roads. Obstacles are removed to make the pathway smooth and straight. God is maintaining the path we walk; we are “being kept” by the power of God, I Peter 1:5.
Some people “turn to crooked ways”, verse 5. Who are these people? They are described by the Apostle John as those who “went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (I Jn 2:19). They didn’t lose their salvation—they never had genuine faith. You don’t lose something you never had. Jesus says to these people, “I never knew you” (Mt 7:22-23), not “I once knew you but you’re no longer Mine.” Authentic faith produces a changed life that lasts. True believers are those who, in the midst of evil, refuse to compromise the truth in their hearts and actions. Those who depart may have seemed like true believers, but they never had the “real thing” to begin with. They may have appeared to be followers of Christ, but their fruit reveals their true nature.
We carry on our church roll people who haven’t been to our church (or any church) in years. Are they genuine Christians? It’s not my job to judge, but I am concerned about them. I try to encourage them, and I would never shut the door on them. I don’t mean to judge them, but at the same time I’m not going to assume that they are believers simply because they used to attend church. It is inconsistent to claim to be a Christian while having no interest in worship, Biblical instruction, fellowship, Godly virtues, or acts of Christian service.
I told the children at the Christian Learning Center chapel service this week that a parrot can be trained to say “I’m a Christian”, but that doesn’t make a bird or a person a true believer. So then I asked how we know we’re Christians, and one student pointed to his shirt, “Our shirts say so.” That’s certainly an indicator, but appearances can be deceiving. How we live verifies the authenticity of our faith.
God will cause those who turn to “crooked ways” to come to the end of the path they chose. Thoughts can become actions, which form character, which affects one’s destiny. People reap what they sow.
I’m not saying that true believers are perfect, or that we never choose a crooked path. We may lose a few battles over sin along the way, but we’ve already won the war, because we’re motivated to obey God. So what can we lose? Not our salvation, but we can lose irreplaceable time, opportunities for doing good, peace of mind, confidence, our reputation and our usefulness to God. We can also expect God to correct us when we stray.
The psalm concludes by looking forward to God’s blessing: “Peace be upon Israel” (vs 5). Peace isn’t simply the absence of conflict; it’s a serene trust in God’s superintendence.
What are we trusting in? Our ability to maintain our faith, or in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit? We have no confidence in our performance, our righteousness, or even our church. We trust in the perseverance of our Savior working within us. Our eternal life begins the moment we come to Christ. Our sins have been paid for and our salvation has been accomplished, protected and will one day in heaven be completed. We’re like Jerusalem—fortified and secure. We may wander like lost sheep at times, but the Good Shepherd will bring us back to the fold. We may slip and stumble, but God will hold on to us.
