GOD ALONE

Psalm 124 (David's Reliance on God Alone)

As I looked through this Psalm in one of my morning daily devotions I saw David's Gratitude, Deliverance, Praise and Confidence in God alone.

• In these last days we see the world being less grateful with narcissim and entitlement running rampant.

• People are looking for a way of escape from covid, a bad economy, responsibility, and so many problems, but as we will see in the Psalm GOD ALONE is our way or escape from the snares, lies, and schemes of the enemy.

• Many have forgotten how powerful the weapon of Praise is and that all of our worship belongs to GOD ALONE. There are so many idols in our lives, things more important to us than God.

• I see people being motivated by fear and lack of confidence. It is easy to forget that the only confidence we need to have is in GOD ALONE, and that perfect love casts out fear.

As we look at this Psalm let it remind you that GOD ALONE is enough.

1. GRATITUDE FOR GOD'S HELP

There is help from God when we are under the threat of men.

Verses 1-2 “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,” Let Israel now say— “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, When men rose up against us,”

Here we see David leading Israel in giving thanks to God for past help and expressing confidence in His continuing help. It is an earnest plea for Israel to thank God for deliverance past and present. He called them to recognize that their help was in GOD ALONE.

I like the way David repeats this phrase:

"If it had not been the LORD who was on our side"

It wasn’t just that God was present, but that He actively worked on behalf of His people. It seems that David thought it necessary that all God’s covenant people recognize this when he said, " Let Israel now say" It wasn’t enough for just a few to do this; it was the duty of all Israel to know and to say that God was their absolutely essential help. And all of us need to declare it as well. So please say this out loud right now.

“GOD ALONE IS MY HELP, MY DELIVERER, HEALER, AND PROTECTOR!”

When men opposed the people of God, God stepped in to help. Remember that.

It is the delusion of Satan, to diminish and obscure the grace of God, and his ability and willingness to help us.

2. Delivered by GOD ALONE

The disaster that could have happened had not because God helped.

Verses 3-5“Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us; Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul; Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.”

David tells of what may have happened: they would have been destroyed by their enemies: "they would have swallowed us alive". God wasn’t one of many possible solutions to their problem; He and He ALONE was their savior.

It seems one thought runs through the whole psalm, that the sole actor in their deliverance has always been God ALONE. No human arm; no created might could have rescued them from the rush of the enemies.

Escape has always come by God's action ALONE!

Their enemies were fierce the verse says "Their wrath was kindled against us". This quote from Spurgeon sums it up quite well.

"Anger is never more fiery than when the people of God are its objects. Sparks become flames, and the furnace is heated seven times hotter when God’s elect are to be thrust into the blaze.”

Again David describes their potential ruin "Then the waters would have overwhelmed us" and "Then the swollen waters" The idea here is of a rushing river. The danger of being swept away by the torrent. The danger was like being swallowed alive by a giant beast, or like being drowned.

Well David wasn't just talking about the outward dangers of life like: political or economic unrest, wars, or diseases, but it had to do with the very soul, with life at the deepest levels when he says "Gone over our soul".

David poetically described many of the troubles that face our soul:

• Sometimes our troubles swallow and devour us.

• Sometimes our troubles overwhelm us like a flood

• Sometimes our troubles sweep us away like a torrent.

Remember beloved that from these great dangers, God was their deliverer. And He is your deliverer as well. Say it again:

“GOD ALONE IS MY HELP, MY DELIVERER, HEALER, AND PROTECTOR!”

3. Praise to GOD ALONE

We are astonished, upon looking back, at the greatness of our God.

Verses (6-7) Praise for the help received.

Blessed be the LORD, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

The thought "Blessed be the Lord" is not bestowing a blessing upon God, but on thanking, praising, and announcing Him as blessed. It is a powerful expression of thanks and praise.

When we look back on life, we become aware of the many instances of Divine protection which at the time we were not even conscious of. We may have even felt depressed, alone, unworthy, forgotten or deprived. We can't help but praise Him if we consider the perils that we have been rescued from, just when we were about to be swallowed up, He was there.

In this Psalm David gives us the pictures of being delivered from a beast with grinding teeth, then as deliverance from a trap or snare set for birds.

When I think of the teeth, I am reminded that the devil goes around like a roaring lion. So I see a lion with his mouth wide open about to pounce on his pray. In the jaws of the enemy we feel the slower agonies of defeat, like the tearing and grinding of the prey. But remember GOD ALONE brings us out of the defeat into victory.

Fowlers have many methods of taking small birds, and Satan has many methods of entrapping souls. Some are influenced by evil companions, others are enticed by the love of the world and desires of the flesh, and still others by deception of false doctrines.

As the bird could not get out of the snare, so the soul cannot escape from temptation; but God can bring it out, and he works the rescue. GOD ALONE can deliver you. With God’s help, the people of God were safe from destruction and loss of liberty which is what a snare does. Whatever the sin or lie that has trapped you, the gracious hand of God can set you free.

Praise God ALONE because He will save you from the teeth that want to devour you and the snares that will try to deceive you.

4. Confidence in God ALONE

If God had not helped, how great would have been the calamity! But He has helped.

verse 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.

The nations find their supposed help in their governments and in the world systems; But God’s people confidently find their help in the name of the LORD.

Don't you know that experience breeds confidence? “The great lesson of this Psalm, from the beginning to the end…is that for every deliverance, whether of a temporal or spiritual nature… it comes from GOD ALONE.

The same God who created heaven and earth was and still is mighty to help His people.

Trust in GOD ALONE my friend! You can count on Him. He is faithful.

I have one last quote from Spurgeon for you

“When we worship the Creator let us increase our trust in our Comforter. Did he create all that we see, and can he not preserve us from evils which we cannot see?”

Repeat after me one more time... Believe it and receive it.

“GOD ALONE IS MY HELP, MY DELIVERER, HEALER, AND PROTECTOR!”