The Geography of His Protection is Impenetrable - Part 1
(Ps 125)

(all major Scriptures are from NASB)

Ps 125 Security

2b So the LORD surrounds His people

Background - Nothing in particular places this Psalm in a specific timeframe, although one could see it as a song for strengthening those who were rebuilding Jerusalem after the captivity in Babylon. It could be either to strengthen the resolve of the people in the face of local opposition, or to rekindle the hearts of the people to rebuild the temple and the holy city. (Neh 6:12-13 c.f. Neh 4:9). The final verse seems to speak to those who would consider leaving God's direction, even as the whole of the psalm works to encourage those who are faithful. A later note seems more certain of the setting. Note the echo of their situation in the "Had it not been the LORD who was on our side" of the previous psalm.

The example of Nehemiah (Neh 4:1-9)

The arguments fear will make (1-5)

 
1 Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews.
  I They hear (v1a)
   No matter whether we're bold in our faith, or if we are doing our best to keep it quiet when we're out amongst the world, they will hear of it. And for the most part, they're not going to be terribly supportive.
  II They mock. (v1b)
   Far from building you up, they'll do their best to tear you down with their scorn. Did they profane God's name before? Expect more. The light exposes darkness, and that darkness, being exposed, will be shown all the more dark.
 2 And he spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?"
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, "Even what they are building-- if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!"
  III They question our ability (v2)
   Do they really think they can? Do they really think they're something? Hah! Their works are so feeble. This is the assessment they will make of your efforts. Those whose view is restricted to the physical realm will see only the physical evidence. Satan had this opinion of Christ's earthly ministry. He thought that God had wrought a weak thing, easily subdued and defeated. Yet, he's been trapped in his own losing battle for millenia, now, fighting a battle he already knows to be lost.
 4 Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity.
5 Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before Thee, for they have demoralized the builders.
  IV They despise us (v4a)
   

Sadly, there are those that our best efforts will never convince to abandon their wicked ways and follow the LORD. All our efforts will simply lead them to despise us, and to despise the God we serve. Indeed, they will be doing their utmost to convince us of the error of our ways! And they will write us off as worse than fools when we stand firm, as we must.

Notice that prayers are not offered for these. God has declared His curse upon those who harass His people, to pray blessing upon them would have opposed His will. (We are to bless our enemies, but we cannot pray for God to bless sin.)

The response faith will make (6-9)

 6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
   I Ready to work (v6)
   The faithful will not be stopped by these tactics. They have a mind to work, and they will work. They know their LORD, and they will be faithful to serve Him.
 7 Now it came about when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry.
8 And all of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.
   WARNING! They won't just fold at the first sign of resistance! Revolution requires dedication and persistence! Be prepared for the long haul.
 9 But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.
   II We prayed AND we worked (v9)
    There's a footnote in the Harper Study Bible that I've always loved, in regards to this verse:
   
"Prayer and works are perfectly illustrated here. We are to pray as though we had never worked, and work as though we had never prayed."
   

The prayer God desires will (a) be in full accord with His revealed will, (b) will not seek selfish ends, (c) will not ask that God set aside His righteousness in answering, and (d) will be accompanied by our every effort.

The effort that God desires will (a) be free of all pride, (b) acknowledge Him in all that is done, and (c) seek His aid, knowing we can do nothing without Him

Surrounded by His Love

1 Those who trust in the LORD
Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the LORD surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.

 

These opening verses can easily be imagined as the testimony of Nehemiah and his coworkers. As they worked upon the rebuilding of Jerusalem, no barriers were to be found between them and their enemies. None of those defensive bulwarks so familiar in the ruins that have been excavated in our times were existent in their time. They were completely exposed, with no visible defense. But look at these verses! Their defenses were greater than any ramparts made by human hands! Already, they had the natural defenses of the mountains that surrounded God's chosen city. But even these were nothing compared to their true defense. They served only as a reminder.

Look at the echo of Ps 121 in this image. There, the mountains served to remind the people of the false hopes that had deceived them in the past, and to remind them to look beyond the mountains for their true help. Here, the image is similar, but they are now in amongst those mountains, and the reminder they now serve is of the protection that God provides. He surrounds His people even as the mountains surround His city, and the walls of His love are even stronger proof against any breach.

  Ps 46:4-54 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
   The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
 

What has you surrounded?

  What is it that has you under siege? What seemingly insurmountable enemy is coming against your gates? Do you feel defenseless? Exposed, with no walls to protect you from this enemy? How have you responded? Have you been ruled by the arguments of fear, or walking in the response of faith? Nehemiah worked and prayed to build up the walls that were needed to protect them, but more than that, he was working to rebuild God's city. It was not so much an issue of defense, as it was an issue of obedience and reverence. As to your security in your situation, look to the testimony of Scripture:

  

©2001 - Jeffrey A. Wilcox