Psalm 125 - Peace Be Upon Israel

Psalm 125 – Peace Be Upon Israel

¹ Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,    which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

Mount Zion is the mount upon which King David fortified the holy city of Jerusalem. Sometimes Zion and Jerusalem are used interchangeably. The mountain is used symbolically as something that cannot be moved and hence those who truly trust in God cannot be moved or shaken.

² As the mountains surround Jerusalem,    so the Lord surrounds his people    both now and forevermore.

This is most comforting. We have an unmovable, unshakable Lord who surrounds us. Notice he is ever with us. Now. And forever.

³ The scepter of the wicked will not remain    over the land allotted to the righteous,for then the righteous might use    their hands to do evil.

“The scepter of the wicked” conjures thoughts of evil and persecution and invasion. The way it is used here it also refers to great influence, meaning that the Lord will not allow that influence to incite his righteous followers into doing evil permanently.

⁴ Lord, do good to those who are good,    to those who are upright in heart.⁵ But those who turn to crooked ways    the Lord will banish with the evildoers.Peace be on Israel. 

These last two verses are a prayer. We know there is no one who is good except the Lord, but the psalmist is asking that the Lord do good to those who would try to be good – those who are “upright in heart” or trying to follow the straight and narrow. Verse 5 is a fact: God will banish evildoers – those who aren't on the straight path. And finally “Peace be on Israel.” Now there’s a prayer we should be praying daily.