Psalms 129

Psalms 129 AND 130THEME: Burned but not consumedIn Psalms 129 the pilgrim reviews his youth and the hand of God upon him. It is also a picture of Israel burned but not consumed. The burning bush seen by Moses is the emblem of the miraculous preservation of God’s people. What a picture we have here! God has delivered the pilgrims, and they are in Jerusalem to worship.

Psalms 129:1

Israel was not destroyed because God had preserved them.

Psalms 129:8

“The blessing of the LORD be upon you” should be incorporated not only into the home but also into business today. A man’s religion and his right relationship to God should be an integral part of both his home life and his business life. Boaz was a businessman. When he spoke to his workers, he said to them, “…The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee” (Rth_2:4). You don’t find capital and labor talking like that to each other today. Psalms 130 is closely linked to the preceding psalm. It has been called a Pauline psalm because it speaks of that which has to do with the mercy of God. God has delivered man out of the depths of sin and death, and He has done it not on the basis of man’s works. On a certain occasion Martin Luther was asked what were the best psalms. He answered by saying “Psalmi Paulini,” the Pauline psalms. When they wanted to know what the Pauline psalms were, he replied, “The thirty-second, the fifty-first, the one hundred and thirtieth, and the one hundred and forty-third.” He explained that these psalms teach us that the forgiveness of sins is vouchsafed to all who believe without having any works of the law to offer. Therefore, they are Pauline psalms. This psalm has been inscribed “De Profundis"out of the depths.