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.
When the anger and pride of powerful forces rise up against us, only God can deliver us, and He has delivered us.
The wrath of man is a frightening thing. When proud and wrathful people rise up against us, there is no telling what they will do. They will not rest until they have destroyed us. Most intimidating of all are the demonic powers, who would drag us to hell with them if they could. But now, we have escaped the claws of this malicious force. As we look back, we feel incredible relief that we have made such a harrowing escape.
Verses 1-3
The repetition of the first line increases the sense of relief expressed by the rescued. Have you ever escaped very narrowly from imminent death or disaster? From the bottom of your heart, you know that only supernatural intervention saved you from certain destruction. Your escape cannot be attributed to some assignable human cause. Such an experience will stick to you for a lifetime. You will tell your children and grandchildren about the amazing work of God in your life.
In this case, the psalmist has faced the threats of proud and wrathful men who are bound and determined to destroy him. Think about how hard it would be if the mafia put a contract on your life. These powerful cartels form a tight, conspiratorial network of wicked men such that it seems nigh impossible to escape their grasp. If this malevolent coalition against us were broad enough to include most of the major media, Hollywood, Nashville, the civil government, and the education establishment, it would appear impossible for the church to survive. Their entire systems are built upon human pride and academic hubris. And, if there is one thing they know—they hate the Christians who stand opposed to their licentiousness, their feminism, and their evolutionary godlessness.
Verses 4-5
The church is so small. The enemy is so much larger, and so dedicated to the destruction of the church, it is a wonder that the enemy doesn’t destroy the church in short order. How did the Christian church survive the persecutions of the gigantic Roman Empire? How did the church survive Darwin, Freud, Marx, Dewey, and Margaret Sanger? What single Christian of the last century comes close to matching their power and influence over human societies the world over? The streams would have gone over our soul, had it not been for the Lord who was on our side! The only possible explanation for the survival of the church worldwide (especially over the last 75 years) is that the Lord is on our side.
Verses 6-8
The salvation referenced here may be either individual or corporate salvation. Because these are ascent psalms, it would be best to take this as the church. When the Reformation-era church emerged out of the corrupted malaise of Romanism in the 16th century, it was a harrowing escape. The devil did not take kindly to it. Political disturbances produced tens of thousands of martyrs amongst the Waldensians, the French Huguenots, and the Scottish Covenanters. How so many devout, godly men and women could be so cruelly drowned, dismembered, and burned at the stake in the name of Christ boggles the mind! It must have been the devil who set snares in the minds of powerful popes and princes. Nonetheless, the Reformation succeeded, nations were transformed, and the missionary movement took the Word of God around the globe in subsequent centuries.
Freedom for the church in Holland and England eventually came about through William the Silent and his posterity. It all began during a hunting excursion with the King of France. As the King conversed with young William, he happened to reveal the intentions of the European powers to wipe out every Protestant in the Netherlands. William was silent. Then and there, he committed himself with strong resolution to counter the King’s plan. And that he did, over the subsequent twenty years. God uses these seemingly insignificant historical moments to bring about the preservation of His work.
Whatever persecution the church will face in the future, it must cling to these words: “Our help is in the Name of the Lord who made heaven and earth!” We must remember who it is that we worship. Who is this God? He made a universe of a trillion galaxies. He made the most powerful angels, including those who turned their power to evil purposes. If this be the source of our help, who shall we fear? Why should we be afraid?
Let us not be too proud, or too fearful, concerning the state of the church. Both of these all-too human responses are unacceptable for us. On the one hand, there are formidable enemies that tear at the church and strip back the work, yet on the other hand, we must continue to build the church in faith that God will go before us.
The church is a place where we recount the salvation stories, from the Red Sea to Calvary. We speak of the narrow escapes, individually and corporately, and give God the glory for what He has done in the past. We look forward with eager expectation to what He is going to do in the future.
1. What is the sentiment of this psalm?
2. What are the things that the ungodly hate about the church of Christ?
3. How did the enemy respond to the Reformation?
4. How did God preserve the Reformation church?
5. How many Ascent Psalms do we find in the Book of Psalms?
1. What narrow escapes can we recount in our church? Our country? Our own individual lives