Most people would agree that mountains are very beautiful to look at and travel through. Sports enthusiasts enjoy the mountains for skiing in the winter, and hiking throughout the rest of the year. Mountains have also served another purpose for many millennia, and that is that they have been a source of safety from enemies. When an enemy army would approach, people who lived close to any mountains would often flee there for safety. That is one reason why Switzerland has rarely ever been invaded. The tall mountains of the Alps have kept its population safe. Our psalm for this week reminds us of how the Lord God can also be a protection like a mountain for His people. Let’s take a look.
Psalm 125 is another one of the Songs of Ascents, psalms that traditionally were recited or sung by Jewish pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for the Holy Days during Biblical times. As the pilgrims would approach Jerusalem they would notice many small mountains that the Holy City was situated on or near. They are Mt. Scopus, Mt. Olivet, Mt. of Corruption, Mt. Ophel, the original Mt. Zion, the new Mt. Zion, and the hill on which the Antonia Fortress was built on. Mt. Zion, the southwest mount, figuratively represents Jerusalem, and was an emblem of permanence, supported by God’s Covenant promise.
As our psalmist approached Jerusalem, he saw these seven hills surrounding the city, figuratively standing guard and protecting God’s people and the Temple, and he contemplated how that is a picture of how God stands guard and protects believers (vs. 1-2). God surrounds His people, supporting and standing guard over our souls. He awaits with strong help, steady hope, and everlasting love. God shelters us with His loving care. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).
Sometimes we think of being surrounded as a bad thing. If you are a soldier, you definitely don’t want to be left alone and surrounded by enemy soldiers. Being surrounded by a dangerous storm is not a circumstance we want to be in, either. However, sometimes being surrounded is not a bad thing. We like to be surrounded by family and friends, or surrounded in a fragrant garden. When threatening circumstances surround us, such as bad medical reports, financial troubles, or family problems, we need to remember that the Lord surrounds His people, just like the mountains. Elisha reminded his servant of that when he panicked after seeing the enemy army all round them (II Kings 6:8-17).
Those who trust in the Lord have put their trust in a secure source. As believers, sometimes we need to be reminded that God cares about us, and desires our good. Just as we feel safe and protected in certain places, the one that we should always remember and turn to when problems or enemies surround us, is the safe, supportive, and loving arms of the Savior. Just like a mountain is strong, secure, and cannot be moved, so is the Lord Jesus. No one or nothing can remove us from His loving care. No man can pluck us out of His hand (John 10:28-29). Just like the mountain, Jesus is always there for us. And even if one day that mountain which you see every day were suddenly gone, God will always be with us, and surrounding us (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).
The psalmist wraps up his psalm with a contrast of the righteous saved children of God and the wicked unsaved, and their eternal outcome (vs. 4-5). Eternal judgment will come to the unsaved. However, God’s peace will come to His saved children.
As we close, let us take a moment to look at one of the hills among the mountains that surround Jerusalem. It was on one of these hills, called Calvary or Golgotha, that Jesus, having been previously scourged and crowned with thorns, was led out to be crucified. It was on one of these hills, connected to the mountains that surround the Holy City, that Jesus suffered and died for the sins of the world. Through faith in Jesus Christ we are like Mt. Zion, immovable and strong, confident that the Lord Himself will surround us from this time forth and forever!
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