Psalm 124
Our fifth “Song of Ascents” and the last until December 1. The title also lists “of David”, but my Study Bible suggests that it only resembles a Davidic psalm and was probably written sometime after Israel returned from exile – escaped the snare, as it were (v. 7).
There are three deliverances mentioned by the writer: from water (vv. 4-5), from wild beasts (v. 6), and from a bird trap (v. 7), in addition to being …swallowed up alive… (v. 3) where the writer probably had Jonah in mind. I can imagine that the psalmist could have been referring to the escape from Egypt through the Red Sea (the waters), their victories over their many enemies during the Kingdom years (the “wild beasts” defeated by David and his descendants), and their release by their Babylonian captors (the trap).
For me these deliverances bring to mind my own “escapes”, especially as I look for those escapes, not necessarily life-threatening, but times when I was delivered from unfortunate circumstances. My most prominent escape was when the Lord delivered me from myself (my greatest enemy), when I was “born again” in May 1975. I had actively resisted that deliverance for more than three years – and how I wish I could have those three years back! It’s a good exercise, to think back on our “escapes”, a challenge that I offer the rest of you. What have been your greatest deliverances?