Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

Chapter 7: Psalms 119:33–130

223

Psalm 125 with Augustine – God’s Everlasting Inheritance

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forevermore (v. 2). He surrounds his people, and he has walled his people with a spiritual fortification, so they may never be shaken. If the mountains stand around Jerusalem, and the Lord stands around his people, the Lord binds his people into one bond of love and peace, so that they who trust in the Lord, like mount Zion, will never be shaken. The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil (v. 3). At present the righteous suffer, and at present the unrighteous sometimes dominate the righteous. In what ways? Sometimes the unrighteous achieve worldly honors. When they have achieved them, and have been made either judges or kings, the honor must be shown to them due to their power. For God has ordained that every worldly power may have honor, and sometimes from those who are better than those in power. But the ungodly will not always have power over the righteous. The rod of the ungodly is felt upon the righteous for a season but it will not be there forever. A time will come when Christ, appearing in his glory, will gather all nations before him (Matt 25:32–33). And there you will see many slaves among the sheep, and many masters among the goats; and again many masters among the sheep, many slaves among the goats. For not all slaves are good, nor are all masters evil. There are good masters who believe, and there are evil. There are good servants who believe, and there are evil. But as long as good servants serve evil masters, let them endure for a season, so the righteous may prepare themselves to possess their everlasting inheritance.