Psalm 125 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 125 Short Summary:

Psalm 125 is a short Psalm of unknown authorship. The writer discusses how God’s faithful people were surrounded by God’s protection, just as the city of Jerusalem was protected by the mountains that surrounded it.  He prayed for God to remove evil influences from the city so good people wouldn’t be tempted into sin.

Psalm 125 Summary

AUTHOR:

• The author of Psalm 125 is not named.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• No Known New Testament References.

THEMES:

• God’s faithful ones are surrounded by God’s protection, just as the city of Jerusalem was protected by the mountains that surrounded it.

DEFINITIONS:

• Song of Ascents (125:1) – The exact meaning of this term is debated, but many believe it was a label applied to psalms the people of Israel sang as they were travelling to Jerusalem for the holy days. Jerusalem was on the top of a hill, so the people would have physically ascended as they walked up to the city.

• Zion (125:1) - Zion refers to the hill/mountain where David’s palace was built in Jerusalem. This area was on the southeast side of the city. Zion is sometimes used to refer to the city of Jerusalem as a whole.

OUTLINE:

• THE LORD SURROUNDS HIS PEOPLE (125:1-5):

  • The psalmist wrote that God’s people were secure and unmovable like the mountain of Zion.

  • As the city of Jerusalem was surrounded by protective mountains and hills, so God surrounded His people to guard them.

  • The writer prayed for God to bless the righteous people in their land and to drive away the evildoers.

  • He didn’t want the influence of evil in their nation because he didn’t want wickedness to tempt godly people into sin.

APPLICATION:

• The best way to avoid being tricked by temptation is to remove it as far from us as possible. We shouldn’t want it anywhere near us, just as the psalmist wanted evil thrown out of his city.

• Now, avoiding temptation entirely is impossible, but we should all audit our lives to find areas where we are unnecessarily putting ourselves too close to temptation.

• We may have hobbies, forms of entertainment, places we frequent, or people we spend time with that lead us into tempting situations.

• If our main goal is to walk in the Lord’s way, we should evaluate everything we do and ask whether we are unnecessarily exposing ourselves to influences that lead us to sin.