Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19990404.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm One Hundred And Twenty-Nine - Using God's Record Of Righteous Aid To Face Current Oppressors
(Psalm 129:1-8)
  1. Introduction
    1. Though we may experience it repeatedly, it is never easy to experience unjust oppression. It always hurts, always confuses and always tempts one to give up and run away or dig in and fight back unjustly.
    2. Psalm 129 is a study in facing unjust oppressors in the present that takes advantage of recalling God's past and righteous deliverances for hope and direction for now (as follows):
  2. Using God's Record Of Righteous Aid To Face Current Oppressors, Psalm 129:1-8.
    1. This pilgrim psalm starts its focus on recalling how God has rightly delivered Israel from past oppressors:
      1. The psalmist called upon Israel NOW to consider something, Psalm 129:1b.
      2. The fact he wished Israel to consider was the fact that She had faced (a) great oppression (b) for a long time, ever since her days of national origin, Ps. 129:1. The greatness of the oppression is emphasized in the repetition of the phrase, "They have greatly oppressed me from my youth", Ps. 129:1 with 2a.
      3. The reason the author asked Israel to use that past oppression so Israel could NOW appreciate the that Her oppressors never quite succeeded in ruining the nation, Ps. 129:2b.
      4. The reason Israel was never quite trounced by her oppressors who for a long time treated her with enormous troubles (being plowed on the back with whips that raise plowed welts, v. 3) was that Jahweh in RIGHTEOUSNESS released Israel from the oppressors, Ps. 129:4.
    2. Thus, building on this precedent of divine deliverance, the psalmist calls for divine intervention for current oppressions that Israel might be facing, Ps. 129:5-8:
      1. Since Israel's Righteous Jahweh had so faithfully intervened in Israel's history to rescue her from great oppressors, the Psalmist confidently called for all who hate Israel now to be turned back in shame, 5.
      2. Since Israel's Righteous Jahweh had so faithfully intervened in Israel's history to rescue her from great oppressors, the Psalmist called for Israel's current oppressors to have a relatively short-lived tenure of oppressing Israel like rooftop grass that quickly dries out and dies after spring rains, Ps. 129:6.
      3. Since Israel's Righteous Jahweh had so faithfully intervened in Israel's history to rescue her from great oppressors, the Psalmist called for Israel's current oppressors to have their efforts become fruitless, 7.
        1. The initial figure of oppressive volunteer grass growing on a dirt-encrusted Palestine home's roof that quickly dies when the spring rains stop is used by the Psalmist to provide hope for a poor harvest of gain in the efforts of the oppressors to ruin Israel, Ps. 129:6 with 129:7.
        2. Thus, the Psalmist wishes the oppressor's oppressions to be fruitless, Ps. 129:7.
      4. Since Israel's Righteous Jahweh had so faithfully intervened in Israel's history to rescue her from great oppressors, the Psalmist called for Israel's current oppressors not to be honored in their oppression as would a hay farmer in his efforts to achieve success through his efforts of personal gain, Ps. 129:8.
        1. Staying with the figure of the rooftop's oppressive volunteer grass, the psalmist likens this short-lived grass to his hope of the futile loss of gain that Israel's oppressors would experience, 6-8.
        2. Thus, as bothersome rooftop grass wilts and produces no crop, the Psalmist hopes that the efforts of Israel's oppressors would be as fruitless as though a farmer were raising a field of such rooftop hay, Ps. 129:8! In other words, he wants their oppression to backfire and cause dishonor!
Lesson: Using the figure of the REPEATED seasonal problem of grass growing on the dirt-encrusted flat rooftops in Palestine that dies out with the seasonal changes, the Psalmist recalls that God has similarly OFTEN checked the great oppressions of Israel's oppressors since the nation's origin. Accordingly, he hopes in God's righteous SUSTAINED future and present deliverances like he would hope in the demise of CURRENT bothersome rooftop grasses that might be growing on his rooftop!

Application: God is (1) RIGHTEOUS, (2) FAITHFUL and (3) ABLE to rescue His people from great, repeated, unjust oppressors since He has OFTEN REPEATED such deliverances in the PAST. Thus, we must USE our RECOLLECTIONS of such deliverances for hope in oppressions TODAY!