Salmi 125:2 Commento

This short psalm may be summed up in those words of the prophet (Isa 3:10, Isa 3:11), "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 (Psa 125:1), and safe (Psa 125:2), and not always under the hatches (Psa 125:3). 2. They have the prayers of a good man, which shall be heard for them (Psa 125:4). II. It is certainly ill with the wicked, and particularly with the apostates (Psa 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. A song of degrees.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 125 A Song of degrees. Who was the penman of this psalm, and on what occasion written, is not certain. It describes the safety and security of the church and people of God; foretells the deliverance of them from the oppressions of their enemies; the blessings of goodness that should be bestowed upon them, and the vengeance that will be taken on the wicked. According to Aben Ezra, it belongs to the times of the Messiah, whom the Jews yet expect; when Israel, as they suppose, will be in safe and prosperous circumstances, and the wicked will be consumed; as Kimchi on it also observes: and, indeed, it may be very well thought to belong to the latter days of the kingdom of our Messiah; when the church will be in great safety and prosperity, and freed from the persecution and afflictions of wicked men.

As the mountains are round about Jerusalem,.... There was Mount Zion on the side of the north, and the mount of Olives on the east, and other mountains on the other sides of it; so that it was encompassed with them, and was naturally as well as artificially fortified. Tacitus (k) describes Jerusalem as inaccessible, walls and mountains, rocks and towers, surrounding it: and the poet Coerilus (l) makes mention of a people that spoke the Phoenician language, by whom he plainly means the Jews, ' , "that inhabited the mountains of Solyma"; which are spoken of by Homer (m), from whence, according to Tacitus (n), Jerusalem had its name: yet, as Kimchi observes, this did not hinder the enemy from taking it; wherefore the Lord is a greater security to his people; so the Lord is round about his people, from henceforth even for ever; he encompasses them with his favour and lovingkindness as a shield; he encircles them in the arms of everlasting love; he guards them by his providence all around, and keeps a wakeful and watchful eye over them, that nothing hurts them: he keeps them, as in a garrison, by his almighty power: these are the walls that are around them, yea, he himself is a wall of fire about them, and the glory in the midst of them, Zac 2:5; and so he continues; he never leaves his people, nor forsakes them, but is their God and guide even unto death. The Targum is, "the Word of the Lord is round about his people;'' Christ, the essential Word of God. (k) Hist. l. 5. c. 11. (l) Apud Euseb. Praerar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 9. (m) Odyss. 5. v. 283. (n) Ut supra. (Hist. l. 5. c. 11.)

What is this Jerusalem? He briefly describes it. "The mountains stand around Jerusalem" [Psalm 125:2]. Is it anything great, that we are in a city surrounded by mountains? Is this the whole of our happiness, that we shall have a city which mountains surround? Do we not know what mountains are? Or what are mountains save swellings of the earth? Different then from these are those mountains that we love, lofty mountains, preachers of truth, whether Angels, or Apostles, or Prophets. They stand around Jerusalem; they surround her, and, as it were, form a wall for her. Of these lovely and delightful mountains Scripture constantly speaks....They are the mountains of whom we sing: "I lifted up my eyes unto the mountains, from whence my help shall come:" because in this life we have help from the holy Scriptures. And through the mountains that receive peace, the little hills received righteousness: for what says he of the mountains themselves? He said not, they have peace from themselves, or they make peace, or generate peace; but, they receive peace. The Lord is the source, whence they receive peace. So therefore lift up your eyes to the mountains for the sake of peace, that your help may come from the Lord, who has made heaven and earth. Again, the Holy Spirit mentioning these mountains says this: "Thou dost light them wonderfully from Your everlasting mountains." He said not, the mountains light them: but, Thou lightest them from Your everlasting mountains: through those mountains whom You have willed to be everlasting, preaching the Gospel, Thou lighting them, not the mountains. Such then are the "mountains that stand around Jerusalem."

The theme of this Psalm, that human enterprises only succeed by the divine blessing, was probably associated with the building of the temple by Solomon, its author. It may have been adopted in this view, as suited to this series especially, as appropriately expressing the sentiments of God's worshippers in relation to the erection of the second temple. (Psa 127:1-5) suggest the view of the theme given.