Psalms of Ascent Part 6

Psa 125:1 A Song of degrees. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
Psa 125:2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.
Psa 125:3 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
Psa 125:4 Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.
Psa 125:5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.

This Psalm contains the promises of preservation and warning against straying that are found throughout scripture in a very clear and yet concise manner.
Those that trust in the Lord will remain. They are as solid as the Rock that they stand on. They are the apple of His eye, and He surrounds them with His protection. Though He may allow the wicked to have rule over them for a short time, yet their rod will not rest upon them, lest they be discouraged. Man in his best is frail and the human spirit seeing the wicked prosper is liable to follow the way of the wicked. God allows the elevation of the wicked to try us but it will be but temporary. God’s concern is always for His people. In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the tares were not removed until harvest, not because they were desirable, but because none of the wheat should be removed by mistake. God would not have one blade of wheat mistakenly removed so greatly He loves His own.
To have a clear understanding of this promise, we must understand what it means by trust. This should be clear, but it has been muddied by men who wrest the scriptures to their own destruction. Trusting implies obedience. This is known even to the ungodly. How many times in a movie have you seen someone extending a hand to another person or making their way through a dangerous place and saying, “trust me.” What are they saying? They are saying believe that I have the power, skill, knowledge and ability to help you through this situation, and act upon it by relying on me. If we trust someone and they ask us to do something that we do not understand we will still do it. If we are walking in our own path and walking in disobedience to God, we are not trusting Him, no matter what we may say.
Committing your life to the Lord does not guarantee that you are trusting in the Lord now. Often when people walk their own way it is because of unbelief. They either do not believe that God knows best, or that He intends their good, or that He is able. Lack of belief in those three things is the root of much sin. Does God know best? Then His commands are better than what appears better to me. Does God intend my ultimate good? Then what He commands will result in happiness even if it causes pain in the short term. Is God able? Then what He promises as the result of obedience will take place no matter the circumstance. Jacob committed his sin of deceiving his father because he did not believe that God was able to overcome Isaac’s bias toward Esau and fulfill His promise. God showed him how it could have been different on his own deathbed as he blessed Joseph’s sons.
Those who turn aside are led away with the wicked. There is both goodness and severity with God (Rom. 11:22). A husband who loves his wife is hurt, made jealous and angry by unfaithfulness on her part. The greater the love for her the greater the anger manifest at her betrayal. If God’s love is infinite than His wrath must also be infinite.