Psalm 124 [MT 125]

1–2

"If the Lord Himself had not been in us, now may Israel say" [Psalm 124:1]...When? "When men rose up against us" [Psalm 124:2]. Marvel not: they have been subdued: for they were men; but the Lord was in us, man was not in us: for men rose up against us. Nevertheless men would crush other men, unless in those men who could not be crushed, there were not man, but the Lord. For what could men do to you, while you rejoiced, and sang, and securely held everlasting bliss? What could men do to you when they rose against you, if the Lord had not been on your side? What could they do?

Exposition on Psalm 124

1–3

The holy martyrs, you see, did not rely on themselves but asked for relief from Christ. That is why they were also victorious. Listen to the voices of those who do not rely on themselves; it is the voice of the holy martyrs: “Unless the Lord were among us, let Israel now say; unless the Lord were among us when people rose up against us, they would perhaps have swallowed us alive.” The martyrs say, “Unless the Lord were among us,” unless he had helped us, unless he had strengthened our hearts with faith, unless he had endowed us with patience, unless he had provided us with power as we fought, “they would perhaps have swallowed us alive.”

Sermon 335F.2

"Perchance they had swallowed us up quick" [Psalm 124:3]. "Swallowed us up:" they would not first have slain us, and so have swallowed us up. O inhuman, O cruel men! The Church swallows not thus. To Peter it was said, " Kill and eat:" [Acts 10:13] not, Swallow quick. Because no man enters into the body of the Church, save he be slain first. What he was dies, that he may be what he was not. Otherwise, he who is not slain, and is not eaten by the Church, may be in the visible number of the people: but he cannot be in the number of the people which is known to God, whereof the Apostle says, "The Lord knows who are His," [2 Timothy 2:19] save he be eaten; and eaten he cannot be, save he first be slain. The Pagan comes, still in him idolatry lives; he must be grafted among the members of Christ: that he may be engrafted, he must needs be eaten; but he cannot be eaten by the Church, save first he be slain. Let him renounce the world, then is he slain; let him believe in God, then is he eaten...But they in whom the Lord is, are slain and die not. But they who consent and live, are swallowed quick, when swallowed up they die. But they who have suffered, and have not yielded to tribulations, rejoice and say, "If the Lord had not been in us," etc.

Exposition on Psalm 124

..."When their fury was enraged upon us." They are now in anger, they now openly rage: "perchance the water had drowned us" [Psalm 124:4]. By water he means ungodly nations: and we shall see what sort of water in the following verses. Whoever had consented unto them, water would have overwhelmed him. For he would die by the death of the Egyptians, he would not pass through after the example of the Israelites. For you know, brethren, that the people of Israel passed through the water, by which the Egyptians were overwhelmed. [Exodus 14:22-29] But what sort of water is this? It is a torrent, it flows with violence, but it will pass by...Hence He, our Head, first drinks, of whom it is said in the Psalms, "He shall drink of the torrent in the way: therefore shall He lift up His head." For our Head is already exalted, because He drank of the torrent by the way; for our Lord has suffered. If therefore our Head has been raised up, why does the body fear the torrent? Without doubt, because the Head has been raised, the body also will say hereafter, "Our soul has passed over the torrent. Perhaps our soul has passed over the water without substance" [Psalm 124:5]. Behold, what sort of water he was speaking of, "The water perchance had overwhelmed us." But what means, "without substance"?

Exposition on Psalm 124

In the first place, what means, "Perchance our soul has passed over"? [Psalm 124:5]. Understand however the meaning to be this: "Do you think our soul has passed over?" and why do they say, "Do you think"? Because the greatness of the danger makes it hardly credible that he has escaped. They have endured a great death: they have been in great dangers; they have been so much oppressed, that they almost gave consent while alive, and were all but swallowed up alive: now therefore that they have escaped, now that they are secure, but still remember the danger, the great danger, say, "Do you think our soul has passed over the water without substance?"

Exposition on Psalm 124