Introduction: 1. At the end of Psalm 124 the writer concluded by making a statement on behalf of his fellow Israelites. a. He indicated that "the Lord helps His people." b. He also identified the Lord as the Maker of "heaven and earth." 2. The Psalms state many times that the Lord helps His people (121:1-2). 3. The Psalms show how the Lord's people are able to rejoice and be happy because of His help (146:5-6). 4. In our lesson we are examining: a. the information in Psalm 124:1-7 that led the writer to say: "Our help is in the name of the Lord" b. 3 occasions when the Lord's people rejoiced after He helped them.
Discussion:
I. PSALM 124:1-7
A. (vs.1-5) The Lord's people would have perished if He had not been on their side. 1. The writer is reflecting upon an occasion when the enemies of the Israelites: a. had risen up against them (vs.2b) b. had kindled their wrath against them (vs.3b). 2. If the Lord had not been on the side of His people,: a. their enemies would have swallowed them up quickly (vs.3a) b. they would have been destroyed as if they drowned (vs.4-5). B. (vs.7) The escape of the Lord's people from their enemies is compared to a bird escaping from a trap. C. (vs.6) God is praised for not allowing His people to be a prey to their enemies. D. (vs.8) The writer concluded by saying: "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." E. With the message of this Psalm before us, let us turn our attention to . . .
II. 3 OCCASIONS WHEN THE LORD'S PEOPLE REJOICED AFTER HE HELPED THEM
A. The Lord helped His people by saving them from the Egyptians. 1. (Exodus 14:10-14) The Israelites were afraid when the Egyptians approached them. 2. (Exodus 14:26-31) The Egyptians were destroyed in the Red Sea. 3. Moses and the Israelites sang a song after God saved them (Exodus 15:1-2). B. The Lord helped His people by saving them from the captivity in Babylon. 1. (2 Chronicles 36:18-20) The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and took the Israelites into captivity. 2. (Ezra 1:1-3) God sent Cyrus, the king of Persia, to conquer Babylon, and he allowed the Israelites to return to their homeland. 3. (Psalm 126:1-3) The Israelites were very happy after God saved them. C. The Lord helped His people by saving them from Haman. 1. Haman devised a plan for destroying the Jews (Esther 3:5-6, 13). 2. God had allowed Esther, a young Jewish woman, to become queen of Persia, and she identified Haman as the enemy of her people. 3. Haman was hanged (Esther 7:10). 4. (Esther 8-9) The Jews were allowed to defend themselves against their enemies. 5. The Jews rejoiced with a feast after God saved them (Esther 9:17-19).
Conclusion:
1. Let us always remember: "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 124:8). 2. Let us approach the Lord for help with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). 3. Let us make a practice of reflecting upon the Lord's help, and let us allow His help to cause us to rejoice (Psalm 118:24).
