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They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth
A Song of Ascents.
129 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—
let Israel now say—
“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
The plowers plowed upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
The LORD is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward!
Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the LORD be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the LORD!”
(ESV)
Psalm 129 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
The enemies of God will not prevail.
Even though it seems like they are winning, God promises to make right what is wrong. In our country, we don’t really know what it is like to be subject to unrelenting, torturous oppression. There is a fine line between standing for injustice and “turning the other cheek” as Jesus commanded. We are called to do both. However, the constant in both scenarios is that the oppressor, outside of repentance, will be subject to the wrath of God.
Jesus Himself prayed for His enemies because He knew the power and strength of that wrath.
When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided His clothes and cast lots.
Luke 23:33-34 HCSB
He could have prayed or stated anything. He was God in the flesh. It would have made more sense to us for Him to condemn them to a life of eternal separation from God. This is what they earned and deserved. However, even in the midst of their horrific choices, Jesus prays they would be forgiven.
In this sense, we understand justice as a means to repentance. If our desire for others is that they face the wrath of God because we hate them and believe they deserve it, we have missed the power in Jesus’ sacrifice. Yes, we stand up for injustice. Yes, there are times when we will endure as Jesus did for the sake of the Gospel. But, in the end, it should be our prayer that God’s consequences drive the enemies of Him to a repentant heart.