Psalm Chapter 129

A Song of degrees.

Psalm 129:1 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:
2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.
4 The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
5 Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.
6 Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:
7 Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand; nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.
8 Neither do they which go by say, The blessing of the LORD be upon you: we bless you in the name of the LORD.

Very seldom do we hear the nation of Israel blessed by other countries.

Israel has always been an afflicted people. Most of the time is was because of their own disobedience against God. God chose them above all nations to bring forth the law and then salvation to all mankind through Jesus Christ. They were shown miracles time and time again. The sea parted so that they could cross on dry land and escape Egyptian armies, they were fed in the wilderness by God Himself, and they had victory in battle over their enemies.

When Israel forsook God to worship idols, God sent prophets to warn them to repent. Many times they persecuted the prophets and did not heed the warning. As a result they were driven from their land many times. Yet we must not be high-minded but fear. We must not lift a hand against Israel.

We must pray for Israel and pray for peace in that land. We must pray that they come to the knowledge of Jesus the Messiah before the great time of Jacob's trouble comes upon the world. We must never persecute, harass or hurt any one of them. God has plans for Israel even now.

There is a warning given to those who persecute the Jewish people because they were chosen of God for a purpose. That does not mean if they genuinely break the law in a certain country that they cannot be prosecuted. It does mean that we are not supposed to harass, persecute or kill them for being Jews or being of Israel. A curse is upon us if we do these things. Again I say that we are not to overlook something they do wrong morally and think because they do it, it must be okay.

No. It does mean that since God chose that nation and commanded that we do not touch them or trouble them, we are not to harass them for who they are. We can disagree with them, try to win them to Jesus Christ, tell them when they do wrong but we are not to physically harm them in any way or desire evil to befall them. We are to pray for them to have peace.

God's promise to Abraham:

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed

Through the seed of Abraham the whole world would hear and have a chance to obtain salvation.

Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

We are to love Israel and pray for them to have peace.

Remember that our savior, Jesus was a Jew. God chose a Jewish woman to bring us God in the flesh. The Messiah that brought us salvation and reconciled us back into the fellowship of God, was a Jew.

Although Israel as a nation is still outside of God's will because of the rejection of Jesus their own Messiah, we still must acknowledge the word of God concerning Israel. They will be grafted back into the vine they were cut off of. We must pray and long for this to happen. We are not to despise them in any way.

Romans 11:23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

Even though Israel's troubles are mostly caused by their own rejection of the Messiah, we must not be high-minded and gloat. We must fear God and walk in God's ways continually praying for Israel to be saved. In fact, not only Israel but at this present time God wants all to hear the gospel, repent of sin and turn to Jesus His Son for salvation. God doesn't want any to perish.

2Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

To those who believe, we need to be walking in godliness. To those who do not believe only Jesus is the way to salvation and eternal life. Repent and believe the gospel this day.

Psalm 130

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