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by Gary Sims
09/02/03
Not For Sale
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The Psalms
Psalm 125 – Crooked Ways
Key Verses: (NRSV)

1: “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” – Our faith provides us with stability and a solid foundation.
2: “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time on and forevermore.” – God’s loving arms wrap around us to comfort and protect.
3: “For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous.” – Though evil may touch our lives, as long as we remain faithful and focused on God’s will, it will not remain there.
3b: “so that the righteous might not stretch out their hands to do wrong.” – God will help us to resist temptation and we will not be called to respond to evil in sinful ways.
4: “Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.” – A prayer for God to take care of His people.
5: “But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways the Lord will lead away with evildoers.” – Turning away from God’s righteousness into self-righteousness puts us into the same category as “evildoers.”

Points to Contemplate:

Are you solid in your faith? Does your trust in God help you to withstand the clouds of doubt and storms of persecution that come your way? Do you ever waver in your faith? Do you ever feel that you are outside God’s loving embrace? If so, what causes this? With His reliable faithfulness towards us, how is it that there are times when we feel we have drifted and have become separated from Him? Do you draw strength from knowing that God is always there with His love? Could reading this psalm during those storms of doubt help keep you firm in your faith?

Is your life ever touched by the “scepter of wickedness?” Does this psalm seem to indicate that if you are righteous, aligned with God’s will, that your life will be free of evil and wickedness? That you are in some way protected by a Holy veil or umbrella of faith? If this is true, why do bad things happen to good people? Or, is this referring more to an internal struggle? That as long as we are focused on God and are following His path, then He will help us with issues of the heart; changing, transforming and protecting us from our own tendencies towards sin and self-righteousness?

How often do you “turn aside to (your) own crooked ways?” Think about those instances and see if you can determine how they happen. Are there times when your life is filled with dissension? Do you sometimes lack patience with others? Do you become angry? Does hatred and animosity sneak into your heart? Do you quarrel and emit phrases that begin with “I think…” or “I want…”? Do you recognize these emotions as indications that you may have left God’s loving guidance and, instead, have “turn aside to (your) own crooked ways?” Is it possible that even in times when we think we are standing for God’s righteousness, we could actually be purporting evil? Is the fruit of the Spirit a good measuring stick for helping us to stay on God’s course and in God’s loving arms? (See Galatians 5:19-22 (MSG))

Promise of the Gospel:

God protects those who love Him. Our faith, because of His faithfulness, can be rock solid and firm. It is through our faith that we can learn to trust and rely that God’s loving embrace not only protects but it also leads us in His path of righteousness. When evil touches our lives, either from external forces or from our own tendency at self-righteousness, God will “do good” by us and through us. As we focus on His love we can be made aware of those times that we have turned to our own “crooked ways.” The fruit of the Spirit can become our guide posts as we travel the path in which He leads.

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