Imagine a five-year old playing basketball in the driveway against his ten-year old brother. It’s not hard to predict the outcome, is it? When one player is so much smaller, weaker, and less skilled than the other, we would expect him to be “swallowed up” or “swept away” in the contest. But suppose dad mercifully steps in to form a team with the younger brother. Suddenly, the win probabilities are reversed, and the former underdog is destined to prevail! After the game, he will be grateful for the help he received, knowing full well that if dad had not been on his side, he would have had no chance. Similarly in Psalm 124, David reflects on the help Israel had received from the Heavenly Father when overmatched against a superior nation. “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,” David begins. Then for emphasis, he invites the congregation to join him in a thunderous repetition: “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us…” (v 1-2). What a difference it makes if the LORD is on your side! Four times in the psalm, God is called by His covenant name, Yahweh. By His grace, the LORD promised to show faithful love to Israel, and now the church has received this same divine favor. In Christ, God is “for us” with an unending commitment to stand by our side. Praise God, our sins will not bring us into condemnation, and no trouble or danger will separate us from His love! In the early days of David’s reign, the Philistines posed a threat that was seemingly insurmountable. They had defeated King Saul and his armies, killing both Saul and his son Jonathan. Then they set out to capture David. This was no mere raid to gain territory; it was meant to put an end to David’s life and to extinguish the hope of Israel. David had no confidence in his own ability to survive the ordeal, but he immediately sought the LORD’s guidance. This psalm is an expression of thanksgiving for God’s protective care in the face of what could have been a grave national calamity. A series of graphic images highlight the total disaster that had loomed so near. The first is of a large monster who swallows its prey with one gulp (v 3). The second is of a raging flood submerging its victims and sweeping away everything in its path (v 4-5). The third is of a fierce animal with powerful jaws that grind and tear its prey (v 6). And the fourth is of a bird entangled in a trap (v 7). But this bird has escaped! “Blessed be the LORD!” The prey has not been devoured, and the flood has not overwhelmed! The lesson is plain: win probabilities don’t really matter if your help comes from the One who made heaven and earth (v 8). For further meditation: