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Psalm 124

Psalm 123 was sung by the people ascending the hill to Mt. Zion in preparation for a special day of prayer and fasting, possibly because of a siege that had been laid against them.  Psalm 124, on the other hand, seems to be a song of thanksgiving after the enemy had been defeated.  Just as all Jerusalem had been involved  in the previous psalm, so all Jerusalem would have resounded with the praises of this psalm.

There's at least one extremely important thing we can learn from this psalm: IT'S JUST AS IMPORTANT TO GIVE THANKS AFTER ANSWERED PRAYER AS IT WAS TO PRAY IN THE FIRST PLACE.  After all, one of the prime purposes of our Lord in giving us the privilege of prayer is to involve us in relationship with Him - to get us into the throne room and looking up into His face!  We frustrate that purpose when we don't give as much time, thought, energy, and devotion to thanksgiving as we gave to pleas for help.

The prime ingredient of thanksgiving is praise, so this is a song of praise.  It is in fact one of the very best examples in Scripture of true and simple praise.  A great battle had been won, not by superior manpower, more horses, and better weaponry - but by the Lord's help at every juncture. The people sing, "If it had not been the Lord Who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive . . ."

So the song simply and directly tells the world what the Lord had done for His people – that He had so moved in the battle that it became an overwhelming victory just when it could easily have become an overwhelming defeat!  From this example, we can define praise: praise is simply telling what the Lord has done.  The people are thankful, and their thanksgiving is in the best possible form - that of praise.

Praise is also reciting the results of the Lord's intervention.  So they sing, "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!"  And the results weren't mere happenstance.  It was GOD.  So they sing, "Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth!"

Oh dear people of God!  Do we praise our Lord as we should?  Is it just as important for us to praise Him - to be thankful to Him - as it was to plead with Him in the first place?  Do we give Him ALL the credit from thankful hearts?  Do we gladly tell people (and He Himself) what HE has done?  He's worthy of all the praise we can possibly give Him and much more.  Let's give Him GLORY!

Yes Pastor and isn't it true of Israel in the first instance.  As a Nation she would have been swallowed up by other Nations if it had not been for their God, the True God.
He promised Abraham and He kept His promise.
Israel shall always be a Nation in  His sight....as long as the sun and moon are in the heavens.

He does deliver from the snare of the fowler but like any Creator He does not share His praise...We must always give him all the Praise, all the Glory and all the Honour....Abraham did...

The Nation of Israel is proof of God.

Thanks pastor...
Jenny.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures here below!
Praise Him above ye heavenly host -
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!  
Amen.

Thank you Al for explaining Psalm 124.  You have taught me to always give thanks after the prayer has been answered and He wants us to have a relationship with Him.  

Love Ruthie

Yes we must always thank Him.

          The Ten Lepers

I often wonder what happened to the nine lepers that didn't return to give thanks to Jesus for their healing...Did they become ill again .  I think they might have done? Do you think so Pastor?

Jenny  

And Ruthie - you will be giving thanks from a full heart forever!

QuoteI think they might have done? Do you think so Pastor?

What did you mean by this Jennie?  I'm sorry - I'm a little dense.  As far as answering the question about the nine, I think we must first realize that our Lord was constructing a parable.  There may never have been ten actual lepers - it's an illustration.  Eh?

Pastor...
Speaking the Truth in love and respectfully "so excellent Theophilus":-

                     The Ten Lepers. Luke 17:11-17

This is a true story...not a parable. Luke carefully investigated everything from the beginning., Luke 1:3-4.


"Now on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.  As He was going into a village ten men who had leprosy met Him"....etc.,

This was given as a sermon by a wonderful Minister to our church years ago.Yes, I have heard it used again and again but not to the same effect.  It remains with me. I have looked it up but I did know it was not a parable.

You are not dense...I am..very often these days brother.

It came to my mind re this psalm as it seems that praise and thanksgiving are so important.

We are all "lepers", we don't always give Him thanks and praise when He heals us or does wonders for us of answered prayer so that who else can we blame but ourselves  when our sins are revisited upon us again.

I seriously have often thought about the "other nine" and in my own heart I think they may have suffered again, though not necessarily from leprosy.  When Jesus heals He heals.

It was the foriegner, the Samaritan who went back to say thank-you!

Jenny  

I fall on my face in confusion!  You are absolutely right!  I didn't actually check with the passage before answering you, and my memory (not so good these days) said it was a parable.  But you are right - it is not.
The only answer, though, to your original question is that we simply don't know.  But obviously, giving thanks is important!

I Love You Pastor...

Just shows how much we need the "Body".....

Jenny

Now that was interesting and informative!  How easily one can be lead astray by either innocent error or deliberate misleading.  I shudder at the way blind emotionalism has replaced biblical wisdom in our churches.  An open door to the coming of the Anti-Christ and something more for Satan to take delight in.  It would be a splendid world if all were as gracious as Pastor Al and Jenny.  Thank you.