Psalm 129 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 129 Short Summary:

The author of Psalm 129 recalls a time when God’s people were “greatly afflicted” by their enemies. He describes this affliction as having a field plow pulled over his back, cutting deep into the skin. Now that God had delivered them from those enemies and released their shackles, the psalmist prayed for their enemies to be exposed as evil people devoid of virtue and outside of God’s blessings.

Psalm 129 Summary

AUTHOR:

• The author of Psalm 129 is not known.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• No Known New Testament References.

THEMES:

• God will deliver His people from those who abuse them.

• A prayer for the enemies of God’s people to be exposed.

DEFINITIONS:

• Furrow (129:3) – A groove or small trench made in the ground by a farmer’s plow.

• Reaper (129:7) – A person that harvests crops.

• Sheaves (129:7) – A bundle of crops that is tied together by the reaper after harvesting.

OUTLINE:

• MAY GOD WITHER THE ENEMIES OF ISRAEL (129:1-8):

  • Psalm 129 records the thankfulness of the author, a thankfulness generated by all the things God had brought the nation of Israel through.

  • The psalmist was especially thankful for God delivering Israel from enemies.

  • These enemies had afflicted Israel since they were a young nation.

  • The author of the psalm describes the abuse in figurative language, writing that Israel’s oppressors had plowed long furrows into the backs of his people. This may refer to the whips of the Egyptians that tore the backs of the Israelites when they were slaves in Egypt.

  • But God had been good to Israel and He cut the cords with which they had been bound.

  • The psalmist prayed for those who oppressed Israel to be cursed by God. He asks God to make them like withering and worthless grass, too dry to grow and too thin to be harvested.

  • He wanted it to be clear to everyone who passed by them that God’s blessing was not on them.

APPLICATION:

• Let’s pray that people’s eyes are opened to see the enemies of God for what they are, people devoid of virtue and outside of His blessing.

• Satan is doing everything he can to make the enemies of God look appealing.

• Our culture’s obsession with celebrities is an example of Satan’s success. At the roots, many of these celebrities are wicked and debased people, but the Devil makes them look really good.

• He has gotten a lot of people to model their lives after their favorite celebrities instead of Jesus.

• As the psalmist shows us in Psalm 129, it isn’t wrong to pray for the Devil’s lies to be exposed. We want God to tear down the veil that Satan has put in front of these wicked people so that others see them as they truly are, far from purity, lacking in virtue, and promoting a life that will separate souls from God forever.

• This is a prayer that can be prayed to combat the Devil’s work, and out of love for those who would otherwise be duped by his tricks.