Psalm 129
A song of ascents.
1 “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,”
let Israel say;
2 “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained the victory over me.
- A song of ascents
- We know these songs were sang by the Jews when they returned to Jerusalem three times per year during the three feasts
o Pesach (Passover) means to pass over (they retell the story of how God killed the 1st born of the Egyptians but pass over every door that had the blood of the lamb painted on the doorposts (a picture of Jesus Christ on the cross)
o Shavout (weeks of Pentecost)
§ Celebration of the anniversary of the giving of the Torah (ten commandments which was 50-days after they were set free from bondage in Egypt).
§ The Holy Spirit was first poured out on Christians in the upper room 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
o Sukkot (tabernacles or booths)
§ Temporary dwelling places celebrating God’s protection and provision for the entire nation of Israel in the desert for 40 years
§ It takes place 5 days after Yom Kippur
· Yom Kippur is confession & repentance of sin
· 5 is the number for grace (given to all who ask for it)
- They have greatly oppressed me from my youth
o This looks back on all those who oppressed Israel from its youth
- Let Israel say; they have greatly oppressed me from my youth
o Let Israel say (this is a reference to the nation of Israel)
o It’s their story
§ The Egyptians
§ The Canaanites
§ The Philistines
§ The Syrians
§ The Assyrians
§ The Babylonians
§ The Greeks
§ The Romans
§ The Roman Catholics
§ The Kings of Europe
§ The Muslims
§ The Czars
§ The Nazis
o The phrase is repeated because its important to remember this
o When you look at all the challenges God has already delivered you from you gain strength and perspective to handle the present challenge of the day
- But they have not gained victory over me
o Israel still stands today in spite of its many enemies
o God formed the church upon the rock and said the gates of hell will not prevail against it; no matter how great the oppositive, God will always bring victory to His chosen children
3 Plowmen have plowed my back
and made their furrows long.
- This is a picture of your adversaries running over your back with a plow
- It would make deep lines in it
- A picture of the stripes Jesus took upon His back from the cat of nine tails
o Yet by Jesus Christ’s stripes we were healed
- This speaks of the painful reality of oppositive against God’s people
o It is brutal, painful and leaves scars
o Yet Jesus gained the victory for against all working against us
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