Psa 125:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

Hezekiah trusted in the Lord more than any before or after him (2Ki 18:5).

TRUST IN THE LORD: Justification by faith!

MOUNT ZION… CANNOT BE SHAKEN: True in the time of Hezekiah: Isa 31:5; Psa 48:1-3,11-14. (On a spiritual level, mount Zion is synonymous with the new covenant in Christ: Heb 12:18-25; Gal 4:24-26 — which certainly is also appropriate here.)

Zion is “beautiful for elevation (RSV: cp Zec 14:10,11), the joy of the whole earth” (Psa 48:2). She is the hill where God will dwell forever (Psa 68:15,16; 132:13,14). And Isaiah calls upon Zion to awake from her slumber (moral stupor), to shake off the dust (of mourning), to loose herself from the yoke (of Assyria), and to put on once again her beautiful garments (the priestly robes, symbols of holiness and divine fellowship). His is the cry of victory at the vanquishing of the murderous oppressors from the north: “For henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean” (Isa 52:1,2).

BUT ENDURES FOREVER: Those who become affiliated with Zion will share her destiny: like her, they will “abide” (Heb “yashab”: to sit down or reign) forever. They will become “pillars” in the glorious millennial temple, and they “shall go no more out” (Rev 3:12).

Psa 125:2

AS THE MOUNTAINS SURROUND JERUSALEM: In what sense can the immediate mountains about the Holy City be regarded as her defense? Certainly not by their height alone, for though ten times higher than the little “hills” on which Rome is built, none of the adjacent mountains (not even Olivet) has any great elevation above the city itself. However, Jerusalem is situated in the center of a mountainous region. Rugged peaks and narrow passes secure the city against any rapid invasion by a large force. And as the city is approached, a network of deep ravines and valleys further breaks up the terrain. Finally, the old city itself is a peninsula of land, immediately surrounded on three sides by steep valleys (at least, this was so before some of the valleys were considerably filled in by the debris of the centuries) (LB 667,668). But geography, while interesting in its own way, is not the truth upon which the spiritual lesson is imposed: By whatever figure employed, God alone is the defender of His city.

Psa 125:3

THE SCEPTER OF THE WICKED: Asshur (Isa 10:5,15,24; 9:4; 30:31). But they will rule Israel only for a little while: Isa 10:24,25; 26:13,14,19. The word there, as here, is “shebet”, or “scepter”, sig the exercise of authority. But the rod of the wicked shall not rest or remain upon the lot of the righteous

WILL NOT REMAIN OVER THE LAND: We are such frail creatures that it would be no great difficulty for God so to multiply our trials that hope and joy would be crushed beyond recovery, and we would be led in despair to forsake righteousness and follow iniquity. But God does not do this; instead, by a delicate balance, He places His children in the testing fire only long enough to purge out the dross, but not so long as to consume them. The trials of our faith are but for a moment alongside eternity (2Co 4:17,18), and they serve an indispensable end: the perfection of godly characters that will be of everlasting use to the Father (Pro 3:11,12; Heb 12:5-11). Let us take our cue from these records of God’s dealings with His nation. “All these things happened unto them for types; and they are written for our admonition” (1Co 10:11).

Perhaps we may in time approach the divine ideal of rejoicing in our tribulations, seeing in them not present distress but future glory (Rom 5:3; Matt 5:10-12).

USE THEIR HANDS TO DO EVIL: KJV has “put forth their hands unto iniquity”: turn in prayer to idols, as Ahaz did (2Ch 28:16-25). At the height of the crisis, it would be a sore temptation to buy peace and easy treatment by forsaking Yahweh for Asshur.

Psa 125:4

Cp v 3: ‘Lord, remember those who remember You — esp in a great crisis such as this!’ ‘Answer the prayers of these faithful ones.’ (This was a favorite theme and prayer of Nehemiah: Neh 2:8,18; 5:19; 13:14,31.)

Psa 125:5

THOSE WHO TURN TO CROOKED WAYS: The special righteousness and faith and trust of Hezekiah still was not enough to command the loyalty of all his subjects (Isa 32:4-7; 33:3; 30:16). There were even among his counselors (did Hezekiah choose them?) men of decidedly different characters — men who wove spider webs of intrigue and double-dealing diplomacy (Isa 30:1), men who with silver tongues urged compromises that would turn Israel aside from godly paths (vv 9-11). Such ministers were never completely eradicated in the best of times; it was probably during Hezekiah’s long illness and confinement that they undid most of his good reforms, and suggested and implemented the various Gentile alliances that so weakened Judah.

Chief among such traitors (no other word fits half as well!) was Shebna (Isa 22:15). Shebna is condemned by Isaiah as a prominent representative of false security and luxury in a time of national trouble, when true Israelites should have been afflicting their souls. His end is not expressly recorded in the Bible, but (unless he repented) it surely fulfilled in some way the scathing prophecy of Isaiah: that any flight would be fruitless, since he was destined to be led forth to captivity and death in a strange country (Isa 22:17,18). So this subtle serpent was at last publicly displayed by God for what he was, and was led away with other “workers of iniquity” to the place of his death.

PEACE BE UPON ISRAEL: The psalmist returns to the concluding theme of other cycles in the Songs of Degrees: the entire nation sharing in the peace upon Jerusalem (Psa 122:6-8; 128:6). Paul seems to quote this verse: “And as many as walk according to this rule [i.e., crucifying the flesh and becoming new creatures], peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16).

It is noteworthy that in this concluding section of his letter, Paul also states that God is not mocked, that a man shall reap whatsoever he has sown (Gal 6:7-9). Shebna and his kind sowed to the flesh, and at last they reaped the same. Their fleshly circumcisions availed them nothing, for they never became new creatures (v 15) — they continued to trust in the arm and the mind of the flesh right to the end. But men like Hezekiah were not weary in well-doing. They sowed the seed of faith and watered it with their tears; in due season they reaped the reward (v 9; Psa 126:5,6): peace upon Israel (2Ki 20:19; Isa 39:8).

Psa 126:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

PSS 126-128: The miraculous prolonging of Hezekiah’s days, so that he could have a family to fulfill the promises.

Psalms 126–128 are the central songs of the Songs of Degrees, the high point in expression of the spiritual types of Hezekiah’s life. Christ is seen in every verse, in every image. What is most wonderful in the contemplation of them is the magnificent way in which the commonplace becomes profound, and the natural becomes spiritual. When the image of Christ is stamped thereupon, the base currency of everyday life becomes the finest gold. The simplest sights and actions glow forth with the most sublime meaning. Sowing and reaping, sleeping and waking, are transformed into rich parables of faith — every detail of these ordinary actions now alive with significance. The house and the city and the gate are places never again to be inhabited or visited in the heedless manner of earlier days; now each is enlisted to the service of Christ: his “Father’s house”, the “city of the great king”, the “gate of his enemy” now possessed by the Eternal Conqueror.

We seat ourselves at the family table for our evening meal, and suddenly we find that the Master is there. The bread is his body, precious seed cast into the ground to die and bring forth much fruit; we are that fruit! The wine is his blood, the blood of the True Vine, and we are his branches! The oil is the light of that perfect Life; in the darkest of all nights he knelt among the gnarled olive trees of Gethsemane while we slept heedlessly — he is the tree of life, and we are like him: little olive plants round his table!

“So shall no part of day or night From sacredness be free; But all our life in every step Be fellowship with thee.”

Step by step, “degree” by “degree”, we ascend into the presence of God. Our daily routine is transformed into life on a higher level — a life lived to the fullest even now, because lived in joyful contemplation of eternity with Christ.

BROUGHT BACK THE CAPTIVES: Though the AV implies a return from captivity (and of course there was such a return), the Hebrew seems to allow for a more spiritual application: ie, “restored the fortunes”. The same phrase has the general sense of restoring of fortunes (and/or healing of diseases) in Job 42:10, where the blessings include, incidentally, long life and many children (cp Psa 127:3; 128:3,6)!

WE WERE LIKE MEN WHO DREAMED: We just couldn’t believe it’, or, ‘It was like coming out of a nightmare.’

Psa 126:2

SONGS OF JOY: The songs of Isa 38:10-20 and Psa 120-134. And even among the Gentiles are the mighty deeds of Yahweh magnified and glorified (see 2Ch 32:23).

It is conceivable, to go a step further, that the returning captives of Assyria (Psa 120:5) bring with them a “mixed multitude”: “We will go with you,” they seem to say, “for we perceive that God is with you [Immanuel!]” (Zec 8:23; cp Psa 122:1,2).

Psa 126:4

STREAMS: “Aphikim” = channels or gorges. Job compared his three companions to such deceitful brooks of the south country, which in the spring are filled with water, but in the heat of summer are dried up to the dismay of thirsty travelers (Job 6:15-20). This annual phenomenon eloquently describes the vacillating fortunes of Israel throughout her history.

Perhaps more to the point, this vivid figure of speech may refer to the 200,000 returning captives: picture a wadi in the Negeb without a sign of moisture in it (not a difficult task in Texas! or Australia? but in England?!). Then, as a result of a thunderstorm in the hills, there comes a mighty rush of floodwaters. So also with the road back to Zion — first it is empty of travelers, and then suddenly it is inundated with an eager continuous stream of rejoicing former captives intent on getting back home as fast as their legs can carry them!

Psa 126:5

Sowing: what to sow (Luk 8:11), what not to sow (Deu 22:9), how to sow (Psa 126:5,6), when to sow (Ecc 11:6), reward of sowing (1Co 15:58).

REAP WITH SONGS OF JOY: The literal reference is surely to the amazing prosperity which the God-blessed Year of Jubilee brought after the preceding year of devastating invasion (2Ki 19:29; Isa 37:30; v 31 there describes the return of the captives, according to Lev 25:10). But the anticipation of such extraordinary fertility would require the faith of the farmer, to sacrifice perhaps his last stores of seed in hope of the wonderful harvest. Cp also the “kingdom” picture of Amos 9:13,14: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them [Psa 127:1]; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof [Psa 128:3]; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.”

“There is something very touching about the courage and faith and self-sacrifice of the small farmer who, when sowing time comes, must take of his little store of seed and give it up, sacrificing it beyond recall when he places it in its bed of earth. The loss may mean less food for many days; but to hold it back would mean permanent loss, for if it is saved to be eaten there will be no harvest, and no seed for further sowings. Such experiences of the conflict of present need and future good would be known to almost every generation of Israelites with their recurring periods of drought and bad harvests. On occasions the seed was sown with tears in the acuteness of a felt hunger. But the Psalmist says, ‘They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him’ ” (CJo 137).

Psa 126:6

(NT) The resurrection of Christ: the grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying, so as to bring forth much fruit (Joh 12:24). First sorrow, then joy, that a child has been born (Joh 16:21,22).

SEED TO SOW: Or “precious (meshek) seed” (AV). From rt “to draw out”, as from a bag or container (sw Amo 9:13; Job 28:18).

SHEAVES: Cp Lev 23:11, the symbolism of the “wave sheaf”.

“Blessed are they that mourn (now), for they shall be comforted” (Mat 5:4). No one but the Master can so touch the heart and spirit of man, and convince us that our consolation shall be infinitely sweeter than any bitter affliction. Our thoughts are transported from the days of the Psalmist to those of the Roman occupation, when God’s people wept in the long night of Zion’s captivity. In their bondage they cried to God for a deliverer, and He heard them. But God’s timetable again called for a sowing in tears before there could be a reaping in joy: “Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24).

From the hill of death, as the shadows lengthened, a little group trudged their forlorn way to a new tomb carved out of a hillside. There they deposited their precious burden; the hungry earth reclaimed its own. The “seed” was planted and watered with their tears, and they returned in sorrow to their homes. Daylight came, and night, and day again, and behold… a stirring! The annual miracle of sowing and reaping found its counterpart in a “harvest” of the highest order. God gave the increase, the “seed” sprouted and grew, though man knew not how.

“A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. Ye now therefore have sorrow,” he had told them. “But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you” (John 16:21,22).

Into the city they ran, with a song of joy on their lips and in their hearts. It is a “harvest song” of thanksgiving which has never ceased from that day to this, no, nor ever shall. It is a song passed from one to another, sung by each new generation with a wonder that is always fresh. It is a song of joy to gladden the heart of the weariest disciple with the prospect of a day when all tears shall cease (Rev 21:4), and the sorrowful sowing of the “night” will be only a memory.

Psa 127:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF SOLOMON”: Or “degrees” (AV).

OUTLINE: V 1: “Of Solomon”: reads like one of his proverbs (cp Pro 8:15; 16:9; 21:30,31). Cp “the Lord’s house” in 1Ki 8:27. Vv 2-5: Poss added by Hezekiah.

THE HOUSE: The natural house (beth) is the pattern of the spiritual. The one is built up of natural stones (eben), the other of spiritual sons (ben) and daughters (bath).

The root word “banah” (to build) has begotten a whole family of Hebrew words: “ben” (son), “eben” (stone), “bat” (daughter), “beth” (house). Sons and daughters build up the spiritual “house” as surely as stones and timbers build up a physical building. In Scripture, the physical house or temple is the symbol of the spiritual, which consists of “living stones”, or sons and daughters (1Pe 2:4-6; Rev 3:12; Heb 3:6).

RR (in Ways of Providence 70,71) — after citing various passages that describe God’s saving hand, without the help of man (ie, 1Sa 17:45-47; Psa 20:7; 33:16; 127:1; etc) — says: “There might be a tendency to conclude that, in such a view of matters, human agency is superfluous, and indeed displaced: and that the only thing left for a man to do is just to do nothing, but stand still and see what God will do. Such a view has, in fact, been acted on in many instances. it is a mistaken view altogether, as we have seen in previous chapters [actually, I would say the whole of RR’s “Ways of Providence” is the perfect working primer for discussions on the Holy Spirit and man’s faith and agency, and how they interact… in short, what God does and what man does!: GB}. It seems to result from one aspect of the matter; but we must not limit our view of any subject to one aspect of the matter. We must take all sides into account. The other side in this case is the revelation that in working with a man, God wills that that man should do his part humbly, faithfully, and diligently, and that God’s part should come in as a supplement or addition to what man does. We might pause with profit to consider the admirable wisdom of a principle of action which, while making effectual results depend upon God, admits man to the pleasure of co-operation in the process by which they are worked out, and compels him to perform this advantage-yielding part. Our aim, however, is not so much to discuss the philosophy of God’s ways as to exhibit what they are.”

Then RR launches immediately into the next illustration of this principle by making the observation: “Israel were made very distinctly to recognize that while they could do nothing if God were not with them, yet God could not, in a sense, do His part unless they did theirs.”

Psa 127:2

IN VAIN YOU RISE EARLY: Not to discourage industry or labor, but rather anxious worry (Mat 6:25,34). While the “Gentiles” fret and worry and “burn the midnight oil”, juggling accounts to find the funds to build “bigger barns”, and to protect the ones they already own, the believer may lay himself down in peace, and sleep. “He that keepeth thee will not slumber” (Psa 121:3-5).

FOOD TO EAT: AV has “the bread of sorrows”. This phrase harks back to Gen 3:16,17 — where the same and similar words are translated “sorrow”. A part of the curse upon our first parents was the difficulty with which bread would thenceforth be wrested from the thorny soil. But this labor was a burden to be shouldered, if not joyfully, then at least from a sense of duty: “If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2Th 3:10,12).

And yet, though honorable, though commanded by God, this labor for daily bread is nevertheless in the highest sense “vain”. It can at best postpone the day when the “grinders” are finally silenced and the frame of dust shall return to the ground (Ecc 12:3,4,7).

THOSE HE LOVES: Echoes the name “Jedidiah” (2Sa 12:25).

Psa 127:3

Hezekiah’s joy at the birth of a son and heir, Manasseh, born after the lengthening of days.

Hezekiah’s joy at the birth of a son and heir was very real to him. But this joy is but the faintest echo when compared to that which Christ will experience when he receives his inheritance of “children” (Isa 8:18; 53:10; Psa 22:30,31), born from “wombs” of stone and earth in the great resurrection day.

Psa 127:4

Naturally speaking, as arrows exceed a man’s own reach, so children exceed the span of his life — projecting into the future the father’s influence either for good or ill, long after his death. At the same time, they are both a reassurance of a sort of “immortality” and a responsibility to the future.

Children of a man’s youth are even more a blessing than those of old age, in that the father may reasonably expect to have more years to influence their development. Though Hezekiah was not particularly young when his son Manasseh was born, he must have felt some of the joys of youth in his miraculous deliverance from death. Consequently he must have also valued his remaining years more than most, having had such a close escape; thus he would see those years as a wonderful opportunity to bring up his child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (But why then does his work seem to have been so fruitless? Or was it?)

(NT) Symbolically, Christ is the gibbor, the mighty man or warrior (RSV), who holds his “seed” as arrows in his hand (cp Zec 9:13,14; Rev 6:2; 19:11-15). They will be his lieutenants by which his judgments (both of sword and word) are executed in the earth, the extensions of his own will. They will be “children of his youth”, for Christ will be eternally “young” (as will they).

ARROWS: The righteous are “arrows” in the hand of Jesus: Zec 9:13,14; Rev 6:2; 19:11-15.

Psa 127:5

BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE QUIVER IS FULL OF THEM: When the haughty Rabshakeh stood before the walls of Jerusalem and uttered his blasphemous boasts, “they held their peace and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, ‘Answer him not’ ” (2Ki 18:36; Isa 36:21). Significantly, Hezekiah had no children at this time to rebuke the enemies in the gate, and he himself was beset by a fatal disease; so at that time, no such challenge could be offered. But the king and the prophet cast themselves upon the Lord, and the threat was answered by His Angel. And Hezekiah survived his illness and begat a son to continue the Davidic line through him.

It is possible that a more figurative reading of these verses may explain the references to “children” who would “speak with the enemies in the gate”: Here “children” is really sons, which can be taken metaphorically as “officers” or “disciples”, ie, those emulating the faith of their master (as in Isa 8:18; Heb 2:13). The helpers of Hezekiah, who spoke with the enemies in the gate, are specified in Isa 37:2 and Psa 45:5 (in v 4 “teach” is closely connected in Hebrew with to fire arrows). If this reading is correct, then the “quiver” is the king’s cabinet. But if the passage is read with reference only to a natural family, it is difficult to assign any specific meaning to “quiver” here.

“But it is manifest such cannot mean ‘full of’ children who are indifferent or non-responsive to the instruction of their parents. Children are, indeed, a blessing when they are Timothy-like (2Ti 1:5). Were all children of that character, parents might regret being childless… So cheer up, ye childless ones who may yearn for offspring. Read Rom 8:28, and emulate Paul as pictured in Phi 4:11” (FGJ).

IN THE GATE: (NT) Christ in the “gate” (of judicial proceedings: Deu 21:19; 25:7; Rth 4:1,2), before the Sanhedrin (Mat 26:62,63). Abraham’s seed to possess the “gate” of his enemies (Gen 22:17; Rev 1:18; 1Co 15:55,57,58).

His body broken and ready for the cross, Christ stood before his enemies in the “gate” (the traditional place of judicial proceedings: Deu 21:19; 25:7; Rth 4:1,2). “Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee?” But Jesus held his peace (Mat 26:62,63). His disciples had fled; there remained none to speak on his behalf (cp Job’s plight in Job 5:4). He stood alone and cast himself upon the Father. The Father spoke for him in thunder and earthquake, and the stone was rolled away. His “children”, born again through the power of his own resurrection — men such as Peter — brought the answer to his adversaries: “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses… Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:32,36).

Christ had overcome the greatest enemy, Death. As God had promised Abraham, his seed had possessed the gate of his enemies (Gen 22:17). The gate which no man can open, the gate of death, was opened by Christ: “I am he that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of Hades and of death” (Rev 1:18).

So now his “children” are no longer ashamed; they may stand face to face with “the enemy in the gate”, and repeat the words of Paul: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1Co 15:55,57,58).

Psa 128:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

Psa 128:2

THE FRUIT OF YOUR LABOR: Hezekiah’s writing his own copy of the Law (Deu 17:18-20).

Psa 128:3

YOUR WIFE… A FRUITFUL VINE: Hephzibah (2Ki 21:1) lost her husband through his disease, and then was “married” to him again (Isa 62:4) after his recovery, and then shortly gave birth to the prayed-for child. (NT) The ecclesia, or church: Eph 5:22-32.

OLIVE SHOOTS: Rich fruitfulness. Sym light, prosperity, peace, joy (Psa 52:8; Jer 11:16). Often an aged and decaying olive tree will be found surrounded by young shoots, sprung from the root of the elder. These have sprung from the root of the older tree; they seem to uphold, protect and embrace the parent. They offer promise to carry on in the production of fruit even after their parent has died. They contribute materially now, and offer hope for the future. In like manner must many a righteous man have viewed the bright young faces of his children round his table. The olive is proverbial for light, prosperity, peace and joy (Psa 52:8; Jer 11:16). Olive orchards were among the most valuable of all possessions to the Israelite.

(NT) Shoots of wild olive, grafted into the other (Rom 11:24).

Psa 128:5

MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU FROM ZION: The closing psalm of the 3-cycle speaks of peace and blessing out of Zion (Psa 122:6-9; 125:5).

Everlasting life to be bestowed at Jerusalem: see Lesson, Judgment seat at Jerusalem.

THE PROSPERITY OF JERUSALEM: True of Hezekiah’s reign (2Ch 32:27-30), but never really true thereafter.

Psa 128:6

MAY YOU LIVE TO SEE YOUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN: As did Job (Job 42:16) and Joseph (Gen 50:23).

(NT) The numerous conversions in Jerusalem were really the work of Jesus, not Peter, etc (Act 2:41; 5:14; etc.)

PEACE BE UPON ISRAEL: Isa 39:8.

Psa 129:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

FROM MY YOUTH: A brief glance at all of Israel’s checkered history: from her youth, spent in Egyptian bondage (Hos 2:15; 11:1; Jer 2:2), to the present time she has been afflicted by the wicked. Yet Israel still lives, while the chariots of Pharaoh and the swords of the Philistines, the scornful words of Rabshakeh and the host of Sennacherib, are no more.

Psa 129:2

FROM MY YOUTH: (NT) When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt” (Hos 11:1). Jesus was afflicted from his youth; even the birth of this holy child brought death in its wake. The swords of Herod’s murderous “men of war” did their heartless work; anguished cries arose to heaven as mothers clasped lifeless forms to their breasts. Yet the power of the enemy could not prevail against God’s Anointed. In Egypt he was sheltered until the death of the mad Herod, and from there he was brought back to the Land of Promise. It was a prelude to the Father’s purpose to be accomplished in him — that one day many sons and daughters would be delivered from “Egyptian” slavery through divinely-arranged trials to eternal glory.

Psa 129:3

PLOWMEN HAVE PLOWED MY BACK AND MADE THEIR FURROWS LONG: In this unusual figure of speech, Hezekiah seems to identify himself with the Land itself, the very soil of Abraham’s promised possession. God loves this Land, and He has caused His Name and His glory to abide there. Even when He has put a curse upon it, and it is defiled by the tracks of alien chariots and the furrows of alien plows, still God delights in His Land, and still His ultimate purpose is that it will one day blossom as the rose. (Cp, generally, the prophecy by Micah that Zion or Jerusalem would be plowed like a field: Mic 3:12; Jer 26:18.)

(NT) The Messianic passage of Isa 50:6 — a part of the “Suffering Servant” prophecies that answer so well in the first place to Hezekiah — tells of a circumstance similar to this verse: “I gave my back to the smiters.” The cruel strokes of the Roman scourge (Mat 27:26; cp Isa 53:5) are compared here to the furrows of a plow, they are so deep and long. The afflictions of Jesus, as the ideal “Israel” and the perfect man, culminated in the extremity of scourging, buffeting, and spitting. (Compare also the experiences of Paul and others, by which they came to understand the “fellowship of his sufferings”: Phi 3:10; Acts 16:23; Col 1:24; Heb 11:36; Gal 6:17; 2Co 11:24).

Psa 129:4

THE LORD IS RIGHTEOUS: Both in the tribulations He brings on His people, and in the retribution He metes out to their cruel adversaries. As in Lam 1:18, the most intense chastenings call forth from the best of men the recognition that God is indeed righteous, and that man suffers justly (Luke 23:41). The strokes from the Lord are designed to recall man to the traces of patient service.

THE CORDS OF THE WICKED: This links this verse with the preceding one. God has cut the cords of the plow that oppressed Israel, and it is fallen useless to the ground. God has cut the cords that bound Israel to Gentile servitude, and she is now free to serve her Lord.

(NT) The cords which bound Jesus to the “altar” (Psa 116:3; 118:27).

Psa 129:5

ALL WHO HATE ZION: And its temple and its God. A study of the tirades addressed to Hezekiah and Jerusalem (Isa 36; 37) and also the “idolatry” chapters in Isaiah (Isa 44, 46, and others) reveals that the driving motive for the invasion was to vindicate the greatness of the gods of Nineveh (humbled by Jonah two generations earlier), and to humiliate Yahweh and those who worshiped Him.

TURNED BACK IN SHAME: The king of Assyria returned to his own land in shame: “And the Lord sent an angel which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land… Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side” (2Ch 32:21,22; Isa 37:22,28,29,35).

Psa 129:6

GRASS ON THE ROOF, WHICH WITHERS BEFORE IT CAN GROW: Travelers in the Holy Land have corroborated this striking imagery. Thomson tells of climbing to a rooftop in Jerusalem for a view of the Tyropean valley; he found that grass which had grown over the roof during the rainy season was then entirely withered and perfectly dry. If the eastern sun did not destroy this housetop foliage, then the constant trampling of feet would, for the roof was a favorite resort of city folk during the summer (LB 682). Only other occurrences of this figure: 2Ki 19:25,26; Isa 37:26,27. “All flesh is grass” (Isa 40:6-8; Mar 1:3; Joh 1:23; 1Pe 1:24). Also, Psa 37:1,2.

Psa 129:7

And so the Assyrians in their military ranks — generals, officers, companies, platoons, right down to the last youthful recruit, 185,000 of them — a great “crop” of mankind, a glorious panoply that had struck terror in the hearts of a dozen peoples… perished as the grass of late summer. Like the lilies of the field, their glory was a vain abbreviated show; like the grass on the housetops, their high place was their ruin; like the seed of Christ’s parable that sprouted in shallow soil, their strength was without root.

Psa 129:8

The psalm closes with two harvest blessings, drawing our minds back to Psa 126. As for the grass that withers before it grows up, the passers by will never say to its reapers, “The blessings of the Lord be upon you.” Neither will the reapers respond with their greeting, “We bless you in the name of the Lord.” These were the traditional words of blessing at the ingathering. With such words the angel of the Lord met Gideon as he threshed wheat in a winepress, hiding from the Midianites (Jdg 6:12). In such manner Boaz blessed his workmen and they returned his salutation (Rth 2:4; cp also 2Th 3:16).

Psa 130:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

A psalm of Hezekiah: weeping (Isa 38:3; 2Ki 20:3); impending death (Isa 38:12,13).

(NT) The anointed king sharing in the sin of his people, and by his intercession (Jer 26:19), saving them from the judgment pronounced.

THE DEPTHS: Cp Israel, saved out of depths of Red Sea (Isa 51:10). The newly-freed slaves of Egypt were led by the fiery cloud through the depths of the sea, and no doubt many a prayer ascended to heaven during that awe-inspiring passage. The depths symbolized death and the grave, and thus the passage of the Red Sea was a “baptism” (1Co 10:2) — there the Israelite died to his old way of life and was born again, being redeemed out of “Egypt”.

The depths here mentioned are Hezekiah’s sorrows at the specter of death, for himself and for his people. The impending disaster is obviously caused by sins (vv. 3,4), perhaps those of Hezekiah but certainly those of the nation, which in any case were far worse.

(NT) Christ, saved out of the depths of the grave (cp Psa 40:2; 69:2,14; Lam 3:53-55).

Psa 130:2

Hezekiah seems to be appropriating the formal language of Solomon in his prayer at the dedication of the Temple (1Ki 8). The salient features of that prayer were God’s choice of David’s house and of Jerusalem, the supremacy of Israel’s God over any pretenders, and the forgiveness and redemption held out to those who repent. Hezekiah is now “calling in” the promise which has been outstanding for 300 years.

Psa 130:3

A RECORD OF SINS: All men are sinners: Ecc 7:20; Rom 3:23; Jam 3:2.

STAND: To be justified, or acquitted, in a legal proceeding. Ct “fall” in Psa 1:5; 18:38; 20:8; Mal 3:2; Rom 14:4.

Psa 130:5

Vv 5,6: Repetition: waiting patiently, continually… “Wait” = Heb “qavah”: from rt sig ‘to bind together’. Hope is a cord which binds in unity our hearts with God’s. Our waiting is one of outward and inward qualities: ‘I wait’ as a public profession, for all to see; and ‘my soul (my inner being) waits’ in true sincerity which only God may see.

Psa 130:6

MORE THAN WATCHMEN WAIT FOR THE MORNING: Borrowing from Isa 21:5,6,8,11; 62:6,7. // to Psa 24: watchmen, gates, the glory of God in manifestation for His people’s salvation.

(NT) The morning of resurrection!

Psa 130:7

PUT YOUR HOPE IN THE LORD: Hezekiah “trusted in the Lord… none like him” (2Ki 18:5). This trust caused Sennacherib’s taunting (2Ki 18:28,31) and is mentioned again and again (Isa 36:18; 37:10). “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Pro 3:5,6).

Psa 130:8

FROM ALL THEIR SINS: A comprehensive salvation to be manifested ultimately in the blessings of the Kingdom (cp Mic 7:18,19). With God there is plenteous redemption (v 7) — it is more than enough for any possible difficulty. The Lord’s arm is never shortened that it cannot save those who come unto Him.

In this psalm we set out minds firmly upon the forgiveness (v 4) and the redemption (vv 7,8) of God. The salvation He offers through Psa 130 is not that provided by the blood of animals. It is instead that salvation of which Paul speaks so eloquently to the Romans — the free gift of the grace and lovingkindness of God. In the life of Hezekiah we have seen a beautiful parable and type of the other king who suffered for the sins of his people, and suffers yet as their intercessor. V 8 finds its grandest fulfillment, an echo for all eternity, in the words of Gabriel: “Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Mat 1:21).

Psa 131:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID”: Or “degrees” (AV).

Psa 131: It requires little imagination to see in this short and touching psalm a cameo of our Savior’s life. From an out-of-the-way stable in Bethlehem to a criminal’s cross outside the walls of Jerusalem, his every moment was a living testament to meekness and humility. The child born to kingship obediently submitted himself to poor parents and grew to maturity in the most lowly of surroundings. The tools of a common tradesman were his, this young man who listened to the voice of God. And afterward, when God in His own good time called His Son to service, his ears like the Father’s were attuned to the cries of the weak and the suffering: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Mat 11:28,29).

Childlike faith was his sure possession; he often found pleasant respite in the eager enthusiasm and simple trust of children (Mat 18:1-4). They came to him and he taught them; his word was simple and pure. The lilies of the field, the beasts and fowls, the seed and the sower, the fishermen at their toil, were all arrayed as exhortations to childlike faith and dependence upon the Heavenly Father, and the “children” (whether six or sixty) understood. They gathered round him and found a new purpose in life. Surely the words of Jeremiah were written for this man: “The Lord is my portion… therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth” (Lam 3:24-27).

MY HEART IS NOT PROUD: Once pride enters the heart, and is cherished there, it eventually finds expression in proud looks, which the Lord hates (Pro 6:17; 21:4; Psa 18:27; 101:5). This humility was the quality of character exhibited by David when the ark was brought to Zion. The king of all Israel cast off his royal outer garments and danced joyfully before the procession, as a slave would dance in the presence of his master. This provoked contempt from the haughty Michal, daughter of a king (Saul) as well as wife of another king. Born to power and position, she at least knew how a king should act; this spectacle was abominable in her sight, and she told David so. His reply was quick and uncompromising to her pride: “I have danced before the Lord, not before men. The Lord chose me above your father and all his house for this very attitude. And I will continue to make myself contemptible, and I will be abased in mine own eyes” (2Sa 6:21,22). David’s humility exhibited when the ark was brought to Zion (2Sa 6; esp vv 21,22).

(HEZEKIAH) Confronted with the taunts of Rabshakeh… Isa 37:1.

(NT) “Come unto me… I am meek and lowly in heart” (Mat 11:28,29). “Not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Mat 26:39).

I DO NOT CONCERN MYSELF WITH GREAT MATTERS: The early life of David illustrates this peaceful acceptance of God’s will time after time. While his brothers sought the excitement and possible glory of battle, David remained behind to tend his father’s sheep. The dangers from wild beasts were just as great (1Sa 17:34-36), but the temporal rewards were non-existent. Anointed by Samuel as king of Israel, David spent years as a fugitive, declining several opportunities to slay Saul and grasp the kingdom that was rightfully his, for he knew that God would elevate him at the proper time. Even as an aged king, burdened by the effect of his sins, he did not abandon his trust in God. When cursed by Shimei he “turned the other cheek” (2Sa 16:11,12).

(NT) Christ’s refusal to become a political Messiah (Joh 6:15; 18:36).

Psa 131:2

Calmness and faith in the protection of God. RSV: “Like a child quieted at its mother’s breast…” The nursing child: who has found his heart’s desire, who can comprehend no greater joy than the nourishment at hand, and need look no further for complete satisfaction.

Psa 131:3

The experiences of the individual are, by God’s revelation, used to enlighten the multitude. “God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble” (Pro 3:34; Jam 4:6,7,10; cp 1Pe 5:5,6).

Psa 132:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

Suggested outline: Vv 1,2: “Lord, remember David”; vv 3-9: David’s psalm — the ark in Zion; v 10: For David’s sake; vv 11-18: Commentary on David’s psalm.

Psa 132:2

HE SWORE AN OATH: Implied in 2Sa 7:2.

THE MIGHTY ONE OF JACOB: Quoting Gen 49:24, where “stone” ref the great stone (“sela”), on Ornan’s threshingfloor, on which the altar of burnt offering was built.

Add “saying” at the end of this verse (see Psa 9:12n).

Psa 132:3

Vv 3-5: How can David rest until he has prepared a permanent dwelling place for the Ark of God? (2Sa 7:2). Cp sentiment of Haggai (Hag 1:4,5).

Psa 132:5

PLACE: Heb “maqom”: commonly meaning a holy place, an altar, or sanctuary (Gen 22:3,4,9,14; 28:11-19; Deu 12:11-21; Psa 24:3; 26:8; Isa 60:13; 66:1).

Psa 132:6

WE HEARD ABOUT IT: The ark of God was the center of David’s hopes. Even as a youth, growing up in Bethlehem-Ephrathah (Gen 35:19; 48:7; Rth 4:11; Mic 5:2), he had heard of it in Shiloh (1Sa 1:3). He had known of its being carried away by the Philistines (1Sa 4:17), and its coming at last to Kirjath-jearim, where it abode 20 years (1Sa 6:21; 7:1,2).

EPHRATHAH: Bethlehem-Ephrathah.

WE CAME UPON IT…or FOUND IT: Suggests Saul allowed the Tabernacle to remain in obscurity and neglect.

JAAR: Kirjath-jearim.

Psa 132:7

FOOTSTOOL: // to “ark” in v 8 (cp Psa 99:5; Lam 2:1; 1Ch 28:2; Isa 60:13; 66:1).

Psa 132:8

ARISE, O LORD: The ancient battle-cry of Israel, uttered by Moses in the wilderness (Num 10:35,36). As David brought the ark to Zion, he sang, “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered” (2Sa 6:1). Similarly, Solomon at the Temple dedication (2Ch 6:41,42).

(NT) “Arise” = the resurrection (sw Mar 5:41), to a new priesthood!

Psa 132:9

MAY YOUR PRIESTS BE CLOTHED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS: Saints to be kings and priests: Rev 5:10; cp Rev 19:8.

Psa 132:10

FOR THE SAKE OF DAVID YOUR SERVANT: Here starts Hezekiah’s psalm, modeled on David’s earlier one (vv 1-8). “For David’s sake” God had spared the kings of Judah and the nation itself (1Ki 11:12,13; 15:4; 2Ki 8:19,24-26), and Hezekiah was firmly convinced He would do it again.

Psa 132:11

Vv 11,12: Thus, Hezekiah remembers the great Davidic promise: 2Sa 7:8-17; 1Ch 17:7-17. Since at this time Hezekiah had no child (2Ki 20:8; Isa 39:7), the phrase “IF your sons…” (v 12) would have special significance for him!

ONE OF YOUR DESCENDANTS: “Of the fruit of thy body” (AV). The Heb is “belly” (AV mg), or more precisely “womb” (sw 2Sa 7:12). In other places, the standard promise is “out of thy loins”, emphasizing the male element in procreation. But here, although spoken to a man, the emphasis is on the female — hence the Virgin Birth! “Blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luk 1:42).

Psa 132:13

ZION: The city of David, the city of the great king (Mat 5:35): Chosen above all others (Psa 48:1,2; 68:16).

A NT doctrine also: Heb 12:22; Rev 14:1-3.

Psa 132:15

Vv 15-18: 6 allusions to the Sanctuary: the shewbread (v 15), the priests (16), choir (16), the horn of the altar (17), lampstand (17), and the high-priestly crown (18).

ABUNDANT PROVISIONS: Hezekiah’s “great store” (2Ch 31:10), by which Jerusalem was sustained during the Assyrian siege (cp Isa 33:16,20).

HER POOR WILL I SATISFY: Hezekiah’s jubilee? Isa 37:30,31.

WITH FOOD: Or “bread” (AV). The breaking of bread.

Psa 132:16

I WILL CLOTHE HER PRIESTS WITH SALVATION: …While Israel’s enemies are “clothed” with shame (v 18; Isa 37:36,37)!

Psa 132:17

HORN: Sym strength (Psa 18:2; 75:4,5,10; 89:17,24; 92:10; 112:9), and the strength of a man is revealed in his children (Gen 49:3; Jdg 8:21).

GROW: Or “sprout” or “bud”, suggesting the great “Branch” prophecies: Jer 23:5,6; Zec 3:8; 6:12 — applied to Christ: Luk 1:69.

A LAMP FOR MY ANOINTED ONE: Lamp = dignity, joy, prosperity (Psa 18:28; 2Sa 21:17). The continuation of the Davidic line: 1Ki 15:4; 2Ch 21:7; Isa 62:1.

(NT) Christ is the “light” of the world: Joh 8:12; likewise, his followers: Mat 5:14-16.

Psa 133:1

See Lesson, Psa 133, exhortation.

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID”: Or “degrees” (AV).

DAVID: Bringing ark to Zion, uniting north and south; appointing a new high priest, Zadok, alongside Abiathar; a year of Jubilee (1Ch 12:38-40).

HEZEKIAH: After defeat of Northern Kingdom, Hezekiah appeals to the northern tribes to come to Zion. A new high priest: Eliakim (Isa 22:20; 37:2) replaces Urijah. And a most blessed Jubilee (Isa 37:30,31), by which the nation (augmented by returning captives) was able to make remarkable and rapid recovery from Assyrian devastation.

CHRIST: The great high priest, joining together Jew and Gentile in one. The “precious ointment” = the holy anointing oil (Exo 30:23-33), consisting of myrrh (sym sacrifice: Mat 2:11; Joh 19:39), cinnamon (purification), calamus (incense, sym prayers of saints: Psa 141:2; Rev 5:8; 8:4), and cassia (sym humility: Phi 2:5-8).

Psa 133:2

PRECIOUS OIL: The unique anointing oil, poured copiously on the head of the high priest.

DOWN UPON THE COLLAR: Or “skirts”, the hem of the High Priest’s robe, adorned with bells and pomegranates (Exo 28:33,34).

(NT) Jesus’ skirts, touched by woman with issue of blood: Mat 9:20 / Mar 5:27 / Luk 8:44; cp Zec 8:23.

Psa 133:3

HERMON… ZION: = north/south of Israel; sym the union of the 2 nations in one.

DEW: Sym resurrection: Psa 110; Isa 26.

HERMON: Sig “projecting” or “elevated”. The name is given to a range of three peaks, nine to ten thousand feet in elevation, which dominates the northern part of Israel, and which is visible over the entire Holy Land. Mount Hermon was called in ancient times “the mount of the old man” or “the mount of snow”. Because of its height it is covered with snow most of the year. In late summer this snow begins to melt, the run-off feeding reservoirs and springs to supply water to the thirsty lands of the south. As the snow melts, a portion is left behind, in the ravines and gorges not so exposed to the sun, thus giving the mountain the resemblance of an old man with thin white hair. The obvious symbolism of Hermon is that of the Divine Blessing, stored up in the providence of God until the proper time, when it is most needed.

THE LORD BESTOWS HIS BLESSING: Quoting Lev 25:21: perfect climate and bountiful harvest in 6th year, thus providing for the two fallow years when the Year of Jubilee was observed. Such a time came in 700 BC, and thus also in 994 BC (6 x 49 = 294 years earlier), when David was anointed in Jerusalem (cp 1Ch 12:38-40).

Psa 121:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

THEME: Jacob’s “going out and coming in” (Gen 28 — esp vv 13,15; Gen 31; 32; etc). // to return of captives after defeat of Sennacherib’s army.

HILLS: These are the “hills” or “mountains” of Israel, made sacred by God’s promises. An exile on the Mesopotamian plain, looking toward the southwest, would dimly see the Holy Land as a range of mountains. As Daniel in captivity prayed toward Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10) in a later day, so the exiles in Assyria turn their eyes and hearts toward the mountains of Israel. They look for help, not superstitiously to the actual mountains, but to the Lord who made the heavens and earth (v. 2), and who chose Zion for His resting place (Psa. 122:4; 125:2; 132:13; 134:3).

(NT) If this is an intensive plural for the great mountain, Zion, then here is a picture of Christ in Gethsemane. No help, but only hatred, would come to him from that source. From that source would only come those who would arrest him. So in Gethsemane his help came from the Lord which made heaven and earth (v 2; Melchizedek’s phrase: Gen 14:19).

“Isaiah refers to the practices associated with the prevalent idolatry, and hints at wooden or stone images in the thickets, votive offerings on trees, brick altars, stones for libations, tables for feasting, broth of abominable things, obscene practices, human sacrifices, and spiritualism” (FSDS 108). There are many “mountains” of idolatry — more in our modern world than we usually remember — but only one true mountain of hope — Zion, around which cluster in faith the one true church of the firstborn (Psa 122:1-4; Heb 12:22,23).

Psa 121:2

There is, for Hezekiah, no reliance on other gods or even on the treaty with Egypt, but only on Jehovah: “With him [Sennacherib] is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help and to fight our battles” (2Ch 32:6-8).

THE LORD, THE MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH: “Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psa 127:1). “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psa 118:6; Heb 13:6). Man builds “hills” and towers and mighty cathedrals; he carves images of wood and stone; but the Lord made heaven and earth, a vastly superior work. “The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands… Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord. Hath not my hand made all these things?” (Act 7:48-50).

Psa 121:3

HE WILL NOT LET YOUR FOOT SLIP: Cp Psa 66:9. In Palestine, with rough mountains and rocky passes, a traveler may easily lose his footing. Thus, God’s people are compared to roes, harts, hinds: surefooted upon mountains (Song 2:17; 8:14; Hab 3:19).

(NT) He who moved the earth on its foundations (Mat 27:51), as a token of His indignation at the despite done to His Son, cares for his nailed feet and will not suffer them to be moved!

HE WHO WATCHES OVER YOU WILL NOT SLUMBER: Ct 1Ki 18:27: “Peradventure your god is asleep and cannot hear you.”

Psa 121:4

SLUMBER… SLEEP: Contrast the Assyrian army in Psa 76:5,6. In the famous scene enacted upon mount Carmel, Elijah chides the priests of Baal: “Peradventure your god is asleep and cannot hear you” (1Ki 18:27). But the one Creator of heaven and hearth fainteth not, neither is He ever weary (Isa 40:28). In this is the hope of His people.

(NT) Intermittent drowsiness… deeper sleep. Ct the disciples in Gethsemane.

Psa 121:5

THE LORD WATCHES OVER YOU: As shepherd over flock (Psa 23:1; Eze 34:11). Cp God’s promise to Jacob in Gen 28:15,20.

SHADE: Allusion to the sun-dial of Hezekiah, the original “degrees”?

YOUR RIGHT HAND: Psa 16:8; 109:31; 110:5.

Psa 121:6

THE SUN WILL NOT HARM YOU BY DAY: The sun is often a fiery trial in the lands of the Bible (Jon 4:8; 2Ki 4:19), and thus a vivid symbol of oppression (Rev 7:16). But to the righteous their God is a shelter from the cruel rays of persecution. He is “a great rock in a weary land” (Isa 32:1,2), and a “shield” (Gen 15:1). Though His people sojourn among barbarians, yet by faith they dwell in the secret places of the Most High, and they abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psa 91:1; cp Psa 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7). And as they began their pilgrimage home, these words would be a special comfort to them (Isa 49:10).

(NT) The unnatural darkness at the crucifixion (Luk 23:44).

NOR THE MOON BY NIGHT: It was a common fear in ancient times that prolonged exposure to the moon might be harmful mentally. But this may simply refer to the bitter and injurious cold of the eastern nights. In his role as a shepherd for Laban, Jacob was “consumed” by the frost of night (Gen 31:40; cp Jer 36:30).

The Assyrian destruction (Isa 37:36) happened under a Passover full moon (Isa 26:20,21; 30:29; 31:5), as did the Egyptian destruction (Exo 13; 14).

(NT) Jesus was not smitten under the moon, because he was dead by sunset!

Psa 121:7

THE LORD… WILL WATCH OVER YOUR LIFE: It was at this same time as the destruction of Sennacherib’s army, that the king was given his life back again (Isa 38:5,6).

Psa 121:8

COMING AND GOING: “Thy going out and thy coming in” (AV) might be: (a) the frequent crossings, during the last week, of the Kedron; (b) his death and resurrection; (c) the first and second advents; and/or (d) his ascension and second coming.

BOTH NOW AND FOREVER MORE: Such is magnificently true concerning both Jacob (the promises) and Hezekiah (his faith), but it is especially true of Messiah, the Lord of Life.