❖ Video
❖ Audio (Message)
Those who trust in the LORD
(Psalm 125)
Andy Nagahara
Let’s listen to the Lord our God, Jesus Christ, who speaks to us again through the psalm today. Today’s text is Psalm 125. Let’s read up to verse 2 first.
1. The LORD surrounds us (1,2)
0 A song of ascents.
1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
The phrase we want to focus on is the subject of today’s entire message: that of those who “trust in the Lord”, “Those who trust in the Lord will never be shaken.” That is the theme of this psalm.
Just as Jerusalem is surrounded and protected by the mountains, the Lord’s people will be surrounded by the Lord and protected forever.
We see many expressions of God placing us under His wings and protecting us, but very few expressions of the Lord surrounding His people. In Psalm 139, there is a line that says, “You hem me in–behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.”, However, this expression like today’s is not found anywhere else in the Bible.
What does it mean to be a person who trusts in the Lord? We can see here that it refers to those who trust in the Lord, that is, the Lord’s people. Of course, at that time the people of the Lord were the Israelites.
But when Jesus came, it became clear that God was not a limited ethnic God. Does the Lord’s people mean Christians? Can all Christians be said to be “people who trust in the Lord”?
A more direct question would be: do you consider yourself a ‘person of trust in the Lord’? Who do you trust in your life? That’s the question. I know that many of you believe in Jesus as Lord. However, the question is not “Do you believe in Jesus as God?” but “Are you walking in faith in Jesus?”
Therefore, I think it is necessary to clarify the difference between “believe” and “trust”. Because there are many people who believe that Jesus is the Lord God, but do not live their lives trusting Him.
“Believing” is a matter of the heart. On the other hand, “trusting” is not something that remains in one’s mind. It is reflected in your life.
sometimes watch movies on my TV at home, and I want it to be as movie-like as possible, so I turn off the lights, prepare popcorn and drinks, and most importantly the audio doesn’t come from the TV, but from the front, back, left, and right, from a total of six speakers. Even though the TV and amplifier are old, we can enjoy quite a realistic experience. Those who trust in the Lord are those who receive God’s grace from all directions with a sense of reality. You may say, “I believe in the God of the Bible.”, but if you put your trust in yourself, in someone else, in your position or in the organization you belong to, you can actually only receive God’s grace to the extent that you watch a film on the sound of small speakers on a TV that is not even stereo.
Do you remember last week’s message? For those who trust in the Lord, the ‘reality’ is that they are surrounded by this God and that they are alive in His grace, not that they cannot escape daily worries and difficulties.
The storms of life cease to be storms when we let Jesus come to us.
That’s why we begin this first day of the week by opening our hearts to worship and inviting Jesus to join us as we embark on our week-long voyage.
2. The wicked and The righteous (3-5a)
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways
the LORD will banish with the evildoers
The psalmist asks God for four things in this part.
The wicked would not continue to control the lands of people who have legitimate rights.
b. The righteous would not engage in wrongdoings.
c. May happiness come to those who are upright in heart (good people)
d. May God drive out those who go astray along with the wicked.
Land dispossession occurs at different levels. It can happen at any time and in any area, where private land is swindled or acquired by wrongdoers. Smaller countries are occupied, annexed or made into vassal states by larger countries. Even among children, the strong can dominate the weak, causing them to suffer, hurt, and even lose their lives.
It is right for us to pray these things for ourselves and for our loved ones. But there are some things to be aware of. It is the knowledge of who the wicked are and who the righteous are.
In order to send their people to war, countries have brainwashed their people into believing that their own country is right and that enemy foreigners are evil people whose lives should be taken. The Holocaust and the atomic bombings were tragedies caused by such thinking. Even after World War II ended, acts of ethnic cleansing continued in various places.
In the Old Testament era, God was understood to be the ethnic god of the Jews, and the Old Testament is also depicted from that perspective. However, if we look at the first part of Genesis, it is clear that God is not just the God of the Jewish people, but is the Creator God who made all things. From God’s perspective, the criteria for determining whether a person is good or bad is not based on race, nationality, or religion. It is an attitude towards the Creator.
The phrase “one who is upright in heart” means that one’s heart is straight toward God. It is a heart that seeks to walk according to God’s guidance. If we truly look up to God, there is no way we can remain narrow-minded ethnic supremacists and national supremacists.
In part 1. we considered the difference between believing and trusting, and unfortunately there are many people who say they believe in God but put their trust in nations and ethnic groups. And so the idea persists that the wars waged by Christian countries are just and that heathens deserve to be killed.
And that is what caused the events that are happening in Israel right now.
3. Peace prayer (5b)
Peace be upon Israel.
Just as I was preparing for today’s message, Hamas began attacking Israel. What terrible timing? These are the words that conclude today’s psalm.
Peace be upon Israel!
If we read the Old Testament superficially, we will unilaterally side with the Israeli government regarding the events that are currently happening in Israel, making Hamas the evil one and Israel the righteous one.
Should we pray for Hamas to be driven out? In fact, similar statements have been made on YouTube and elsewhere. But it is not that simple. The actions of Hamas can never be justified. I believe that Hamas also has strong control over the Gaza Strip. However, the Israeli government bears responsibility for forcing the Palestinians into a small area and oppressing them, resulting in the birth of forces like Hamas. The Western Christian countries that have supported Israel are also responsible.
Modern Israel is an artificially and politically created state in a place where many Palestinians already live, with the support of Western Christian countries. Christian countries have colonized all of Asia and Africa and stolen their wealth. I believe that Christians have moved far away from the thoughts of Jesus.
Wouldn’t Jesus have been most sympathetic to the children suffering in the Gaza Strip?
Peace be upon Israel, and it will never come upon the suffering of other nations and peoples. There will never be peace in Israel unless there is peace in Palestine. No matter who we are, let’s pray for peace for both Israelis and Palestinians as part of peace for all.
Francis of Assisi’s prayer for peace is a prayer asking for Jesus to help us become peacemakers so that peace may come true.
And to be a bringer of peace is to be someone who brings love where there is hatred, truth where lies abound, hope to those who are in despair, and joy to those who are sad.
This is a prayer for us to be transformed into those who give more than we seek, those who understand more than we are understood, and those who love more than we are loved.
If we seek peace in Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, or in our workplaces, schools, or families, the first thing we must seek is for ourselves and God. It is to restore peace with the Lord and become a person who trusts in the Lord.
(Prayer) Today, instead of me praying, let’s sing the song ‘Peace Prayer’ together and then move on to worship time.
Summary
Being a Christian does not mean being a member of a certain denomination or church; it means being a person who trusts in the Lord Jesus. There is no contradiction between Jesus’ love and righteousness. Although we know the love and righteousness of Jesus, we tend to use our own attachments and our own righteousness as the standard of our actions. But then we cannot say that we are walking with trust in Jesus. Let’s move forward in prayer so that we can know what Jesus would do and walk in that way.
For Discussion
- What does “trusting in the Lord” mean to you?
- What kind of peace do you pray for?