1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.
3 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
4 Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.
5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.
God protects the righteous from the corrupting influences and the tyrannical forces of the world.
For a time, it may appear that the church is threatened by extinction because of prolonged persecutions from both apostates and tyrants. When the tyrants have completely enslaved God’s people and forced their children into indoctrination programs and exposed them to foul cultural systems, we wonder if the righteous will survive at all. Only if they trust in the Lord.
Verses 1-2
References to Jerusalem in the Old Testament denote a physical place where God met with His people Israel. That would change with the coming of Christ, as He notes in John 4:23: “The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father… The hour cometh and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” As the Old Testament saints ascended to Jerusalem for worship, they were reminded of the true Mount Zion. Those that trust in the Lord are “as mount Zion.”
As verse one says, there must be something of Mount Zion that cannot be removed. Something abides forever. It is common knowledge that Jerusalem was destroyed twice, and it did not remain forever. If that is the case, then what is it that remains forever, but those people who trust in the Lord?
Verse two contains a comforting promise that the Lord surrounds His people like the mountains surround Jerusalem. Again, this is strong confirmation that the people of God really constitute the figure of Jerusalem. Hebrews 13:5 confirms the promise again for the New Testament saints, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Verse 3
Occasionally in history, evil rulers virtually wiped out Christian influence from a land. This is the case with Afghanistan, Iraq, and North Korea in our day, as well as Japan in the 17th century. Forced intermarriage with Muslims wiped out Christian civilization in Turkey and the Middle East during the early middle ages. Thankfully, God provides a way of escape for Christians all over the world. America has served as a refuge for several hundred years, although that appears to be coming to an end now. The Department of State has been very hesitant to allow Christian refugees into the country. Suffice it to say, that God can provide a way of escape for Christians so as to protect a heritage for the future. These tyrannies are short lived, if the kingdom of Christ will continue to prosper through history.
Several years ago, a Christian shopkeeper in Mexico received an unwelcome visit from members of a drug cartel. They threatened his family, revealed that they knew his children’s names and other personal information about them. Later that evening he heard a message preached on the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. The verse that remained with him was Exodus 14:13. Speaking of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, Moses said, “Ye shall see them again no more forever!” The next day, as the shopkeeper picked up a newspaper in a coffee shop, he was astonished to see the pictures of the men who had accosted him the day before. Evidently, the police had apprehended them, and to this day the Christian man has seen no sign of the thugs.
The powerful influence of ungodly institutions and demonic forces on the hearts and minds of Christians is also a consideration in this Psalm. When these forces get a foothold in the lives of Christian leaders, these leaders can produce significant damage. Between 2008 and 2014, a number of large evangelical ministries in America were severely compromised when the leaders succumbed to sexual sins. The Roman Catholic Church has been decimated by an unprecedented number of lawsuits and court trials relating to treacherous sexual behavior.
These are desperately evil times, when the church is besmirched with the worst filth of the world. Much of this may be traced to the 1960s sexual revolution that unleashed upon the world a destructive, demonic force, destroying the institution of marriage. The rod of the wicked came to rest upon the organized church in many instances.
Verses 4-5
These verses mark out three categories of persons: faithful believers, apostates, and the heathen (called “the workers of iniquity”). The Psalmist requests God’s blessings and peace on those who are faithful to the covenant—they are upright in heart and steadfast in faith (by God’s grace). As for those who apostatize from the faith, they will degrade into the ways of the heathen. Certainly, we have seen this in our apostate Christian nations where young people everywhere are leaving the church, and increasingly gravitating towards the heathen practices of body mutilation, cannibalism, vampirism, homosexuality, and transvestism. Apostates look more and more like pagans. So in the end, there will always be two groups of people—referred to in Scripture as the wheat and the tares, the sheep and the goats, and the righteous and wicked.
We have the assurance that even in these dreadful times of mass apostasy, there is peace with Israel. God’s church does survive, protected from the chaos and destructive forces about it. Peace shall be upon Israel.
We should take great encouragement that God is sovereign over the great tyrants and the apostasies. These persecutions will not destroy the church entirely, because they are intended to strengthen the church. What does not destroy us will only strengthen us, because the wrath of man will praise God, and whatever excess wrath they wish to express—He will restrain (Ps. 76:10).
God blesses those who commit to His worship, and He forces those given to worldly influences to repent or leave the church. The preaching of the church should clear the fence-sitters off the fence. Either God’s people must commit to His worship and to His service, or they turn aside to their crooked ways.
1. What is it about Jerusalem that abides forever?
2. In what countries (recently) has the very existence of the church of Christ been threatened?
3. What is the “Rod of the Wicked?”
4. What happens to apostates who turn aside to crooked ways? How do apostates in the Western world increasingly look like the “workers of iniquity?”
5. In what sense are there only two categories of persons, and in what sense are there three categories of persons (in relation to Christ and the church)?
6. Categorize the Ascent Psalms from Psalm 120 through Psalm 125. Which are Faith Psalms, Deliverance Psalms, and Thanksgiving Psalms?
1. Can you think of instances in which God protected His people from the rod of the wicked, in recent experience