Psalm 129: I Am Being Attacked

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Sunday - 9:15 AM Sunday School, 10:30 AM Worship Service

by: Denise Robinson

09/17/2020

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The times are becoming perilous. Enemy nations/empires such as Persia, Assyria and Babylon are rising; but for now, smaller enemies are harassing at Israel's borders, sometimes crossing over and attacking outright. The time is coming when Israel's enemies, one after another, will conquer - but this psalmist lives in the times of Israel's mighty kings, David and Solomon. Israel is still powerful, but times are uncertain.


"Often have they attacked me from my youth" - let Israel now say - .. "yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed on my back. they made their furrows long." The Lord is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion (Jerusalem) be put to shame and turned backward. Let them be like the grass on the housetops that withers before its grows up .. while those who pass by do not say, "The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!"  (Ps. 129)

What does the psalmist mean when he says, "The plowers plowed on my back..?" It was common practice in those days to take captives in raids and make slaves of them; plowing on the back may refer to the welts left by lashing or other physical signs of mistreatment. As to the comment about grass on the housetops, roofs of homes were often made of mud and branches. Grass would begin to sprout in the dirt, but couldn't take root so it would quickly die in the desert heat. Finally, the last two lines of blessing were a common means of greeting in Israel. Israel's enemies, naturally, will not be greeted with this normal courtesy but more than that, the blessing of God will be withheld.

As we have discussed in these meditations before, we don't face such overt enemies. But there are, I believe, forces of evil in this world that work against God and God's will and that try to weaken our faith. It is then that the imagery of this psalm becomes relevant. May all such forces of evil wither and die like grass on the roof. And certainly, while we pray for God's blessings upon all God's people, may God's enemies suffer from the loss of such blessing.

Prayer: Help us to be strong in our faith and in our resolve to live according to your will. If there are things in our lives turning us away from you, cut them off and remove them from us. As we remember to bless one another in your name, we put our trust in your love and righteousness to protect us and lead us in all that we say and do. Amen.
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The times are becoming perilous. Enemy nations/empires such as Persia, Assyria and Babylon are rising; but for now, smaller enemies are harassing at Israel's borders, sometimes crossing over and attacking outright. The time is coming when Israel's enemies, one after another, will conquer - but this psalmist lives in the times of Israel's mighty kings, David and Solomon. Israel is still powerful, but times are uncertain.


"Often have they attacked me from my youth" - let Israel now say - .. "yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed on my back. they made their furrows long." The Lord is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion (Jerusalem) be put to shame and turned backward. Let them be like the grass on the housetops that withers before its grows up .. while those who pass by do not say, "The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!"  (Ps. 129)

What does the psalmist mean when he says, "The plowers plowed on my back..?" It was common practice in those days to take captives in raids and make slaves of them; plowing on the back may refer to the welts left by lashing or other physical signs of mistreatment. As to the comment about grass on the housetops, roofs of homes were often made of mud and branches. Grass would begin to sprout in the dirt, but couldn't take root so it would quickly die in the desert heat. Finally, the last two lines of blessing were a common means of greeting in Israel. Israel's enemies, naturally, will not be greeted with this normal courtesy but more than that, the blessing of God will be withheld.

As we have discussed in these meditations before, we don't face such overt enemies. But there are, I believe, forces of evil in this world that work against God and God's will and that try to weaken our faith. It is then that the imagery of this psalm becomes relevant. May all such forces of evil wither and die like grass on the roof. And certainly, while we pray for God's blessings upon all God's people, may God's enemies suffer from the loss of such blessing.

Prayer: Help us to be strong in our faith and in our resolve to live according to your will. If there are things in our lives turning us away from you, cut them off and remove them from us. As we remember to bless one another in your name, we put our trust in your love and righteousness to protect us and lead us in all that we say and do. Amen.
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