Psalm Chapter 124

A Song of degrees of David.

Psalm 124:1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;
2 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
3 Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:
4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
6 Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

All through history Israel has been a hated persecuted nation. If it wasn't for God's protection they would never have survived.

First of all there have always been those that are persecuted because they stand for righteousness. Those that preach the gospel are hated and persecuted. There are scriptures that say that all that live godly will be persecuted until the time when Jesus Christ returns. Then all will be stopped. Persecution comes to the faithful even though they did nothing to deserve the persecution. As a result they will reap a reward at the coming of the Lord.

Some of our trouble though is because we stray away from our place of safety. That place being the safety of the Lord. Many times Israel forsook God and started worshipping the idols of the nations that surrounded them. Why would someone who knew God worship an idol? Good question.

Some idols are accompanied by a demonic seducing spirit that is not the true spirit of God. They can deceive people into believing that they are God. People want to worship something they can see. Sometimes they want to feel something also. Yes false worship will produce feeling just like worldly music will produce emotions. True worship of God will produce feelings and emotions also but it is different, the one exalted is not self, it is Jesus.
Usually idol worship will allow one to commit sin mostly of the flesh, like fornication. True worship in the Spirit God will not permit such actions.
False worship promises freedom but in reality, the victims become slaves and in bondage. At first though one is deceived into thinking they can sin and still be right with God.
If we do not want to worship God and stay close to Him, Satan will offer us many substitutes. We are seduced into lying spirits when we begin to doubt God, stray from His word or neglect to pray and stay in fellowship with the true God.

Some false religions do the opposite and offer it's victims a strict religion of rules and regulations even though the leaders live a life of luxury and sin. The strict outward holiness standards are not real holiness but just a show to fool them into believing they are a godly religion. While some religions even Christian may offer salvation and allow people to still remain in sin, some go the opposite way and offer an outward show of holiness but the people are not really born again by the spirit.

Religions that trust in ordinances and outward rituals, ceremonies and observances also are in danger of not offering the real salvation that saves the soul but only an outward form of religion. True religion brings forth a new birth, a change takes place when one repents of sin and gives their lives entirely to Christ. (Not some man, woman or church organization but Christ).

When we get into disobedience and backsliding, God doesn't have to send judgment. Judgment comes because without God as our protector, the devil has more power to do what he desires. When God lifts His hand of protection, the enemy comes in like a flood.

This happened to Israel many times because Satan hates Israel. Israel was chosen of God to bring salvation to the whole world through Jesus Christ. Satan has always tried to wipe them out. When the Jews rejected Jesus at His first coming, that opened the door to even more sorrow. The nation of Israel was destroyed in 70 AD.

Yet God is faithful and remembers His covenants and promises. In 1948 the nation of Israel had begun again thus setting the stage of latter day bible prophecy to be fulfilled. Though Israel has been a prey and still will be a prey until the time that they recognize their Messiah, they will be delivered in the end. At that time armies will surround Israel and Jesus will return with His saints to deliver Israel and set up the everlasting kingdom of God.

We need to make sure that God is on our side so that whatever happens either bad or good, we know God is in control and we are in His hands.

God cannot be on our side if we are ignoring His word and walking in sin. God cannot be on our side if we hate Israel. God cannot be on our side if we hurt or speak evil of God's people who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

To have God on our side, we must do things God's way. His way is for us to repent of sin and receive the savior from sin that He provided in His Son, Jesus the Christ. There is no other way to be forgiven of sin and live for God. Outside of Christ there is no guarantee of God's protection or eternal life. If we get outside His safety net, we are not under His protection.

We may not understand why innocent children and innocent believers are sometimes harmed. We will not understand everything until they day Christ returns but until then it is better to be in fellowship with God so that whether we live or die, we are with the Lord. If we walk in the spirit at least we know that whatever happens, He will walk through it with us. If we examine ourselves though, we can easily see that some of our troubles is because of our own bad choices.

Going back into the sin that Jesus saved us from is the most dangerous because we open the door to deception, false religion and spiritual blindness. We don't have to live that way. We can walk with God just as much as Enoch, Elijah and Moses. Because of Jesus, we now can have access to the same Holy Spirit that led those men. Amen. Because of Jesus, salvation is available to all who will just believe. DC

Psalm 125

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