Psalm 124 is a thanksgiving Psalm. A thanksgiving Psalm is a song of praise to Yahweh for His covenant faithfulness and gratitude for His care in life. This is the type of Psalm we will be looking at this coming Sunday, so I thought it would be good to take a closer look today at the type. Whereas Psalm 138 (this Sunday’s Psalm) is a more general over view thanksgiving, Psalm 124 is a personal very specific thank you to God. Thanksgiving is a vital part of the Christian life. How can a redeemed saint of God go a day without feeling gratitude for the covenant God Yahweh who saved them on the cross and is saving them daily thought the power of the Spirit? It is like the first line of Psalm 124, “If the LORD had not been on our side”. Here is an outline to help us think more critically about this Psalm and find the gratitude in our own lives.
Verses 1-5
These verses lay out the, what if. This group of verses show the cry for deliverance that the people had for God. Whether it was the Philistines, the Assyrians, or another people group, the chosen people of God realized they were under siege and outnumbered by evil forces and if God had not saved them they would have been lost. This is still very true for us today as the people of God. “Oh but for the grace of God I”, I would have been lost and dying and going to hell in my own daily sin.
Verses 7-8
These verses are the testimony to God for what He did. If God had not been for us, we would have been lost. But God, was for us, so we escaped and were saved. The only help we could have found was in the LORD and He found us and saved us. Today, as the church, we are living testimonies to God and His saving work.
Verse 6
This simple verse is the praise and shout to God in thanksgiving. Praise God, He saved me. Praise God, without Him I was lost. Praise God for His protection and care. Praise God for His blessing and grace. Praise God for being God. As Heaven is already proclaiming to God, “Holy, Holy, Holy” praise be to the King of the Universe, who cares enough for me to save me.
Verses 1-5
These verses lay out the, what if. This group of verses show the cry for deliverance that the people had for God. Whether it was the Philistines, the Assyrians, or another people group, the chosen people of God realized they were under siege and outnumbered by evil forces and if God had not saved them they would have been lost. This is still very true for us today as the people of God. “Oh but for the grace of God I”, I would have been lost and dying and going to hell in my own daily sin.
Verses 7-8
These verses are the testimony to God for what He did. If God had not been for us, we would have been lost. But God, was for us, so we escaped and were saved. The only help we could have found was in the LORD and He found us and saved us. Today, as the church, we are living testimonies to God and His saving work.
Verse 6
This simple verse is the praise and shout to God in thanksgiving. Praise God, He saved me. Praise God, without Him I was lost. Praise God for His protection and care. Praise God for His blessing and grace. Praise God for being God. As Heaven is already proclaiming to God, “Holy, Holy, Holy” praise be to the King of the Universe, who cares enough for me to save me.