Psalms 125 (WEB)
Dr. Halvor Ronning explains that the Psalmist speaks of the safety of those who trust in Yahweh, because He surrounds His people as the hills surround Jerusalem.
Ancient Jerusalem is located on a little narrow ridge and is incredibly small for those of us who live in these days of population explosion.
And the Psalms even tell how the hills around Jerusalem…
And let's just take a look at that.
Behind me, we're seeing a wall at the edge of the temple courtyards on Mount Zion.
And then a little bit to the right of that, with the tall tower whose pinnacle we can just see, is the Mount of Olives.
The Mount of Olives is a long, narrow ridge running from north to south, and as we continue panning from the Mount of Olives and looking eastward now from ancient Jerusalem where we're standing,
we can see the hill with the trees that is just to the east of Jerusalem.
And the Bible calls it the hill of scandal, or offense, because that's where Solomon built the temples for the idols of his wives.
And then as we continue the pan even further, way off to the south, we can see a horizontal ridge, that ridge from which Abraham, coming to offer Isaac,
looked and saw Mount Moriah just above where we're standing from the distance, and left the young men there and came with his son Isaac to offer him on Mount Moriah.
And so here we're seeing for ourselves how the hills are round about Jerusalem, and so is the Lord God round about His people.
A Song of Ascents.
1Those who trust in Yahweh are as Mount Zion,
which can’t be moved, but remains forever.
2As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so Yahweh surrounds his people from this time forward and forever more.
3For the scepter of wickedness won’t remain over the allotment of the righteous,
so that the righteous won’t use their hands to do evil.
4Do good, Yahweh, to those who are good,
to those who are upright in their hearts.
5But as for those who turn away to their crooked ways,
Yahweh will lead them away with the workers of iniquity.
Peace be on Israel.