Psalm 125:1, “Those who trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.”
[i]One need not be a scholar of the Psalms to know how often the writers describe the strength and security he finds in the LORD God being illustrated in those pictures of mountains, rocks, even bulwarks and fortresses. Here is a peculiar occasion where the writer describes not the LORD as the Mount; rather, he likens the one who trusts in the LORD as Mount Zion, specifically.
Like skipping a stone on the surface of still water, we are apt to skip over these first few verses before delving into principles and applications that lead us toward Godliness. Let us instead pause to reflect on that surface and consider first what is meant by “trust” and how that understanding helps us know how this makes one like Mount Zion.
Trust is related to belief; that is, who (or what) is the object or authority and who is in subjection to that person or thing? Trust is another way of describing dependence fueled by an attitude of faith. Two young girls were playing and one tells the other she has 10 pennies, and she held out her hand showing only 5. She explained, “I have 5 now and my father told me he would give me 5 tonight. So I have 10.” She understood that her father’s promise was good and he was trustworthy. This shows what trust is about. This also shows God’s demonstration of trustworthiness in the past and by reviewing those things in the record of scripture, we know He is trustworthy now.
Think of three Hebrew boys who are preparing to enter a fiery furnace. How would you handle the situation? “Furnace of fire, now, let’s see. What Bible verse applies here? Hmmmmm.” How did the Hebrew boys respond? “The God whom we serve is able to deliver us and will deliver us.” Would God have been glorified had they panicked?
[ii] Better yet, how did they show they trusted God but by throwing themselves on the trustworthiness of God?
If we do not trust God, then we are left with, well, mistrust of God which is directly related to unbelief. We are left with nothing but ourselves to trust in ourselves—and what is that? Martin Luther shows us what trust is, “I have had many things in my hands and lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I always possess.”
I get in my mind the picture of one climbing a mountain (which would be appropriate here, for this psalm was sung by pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem and probably sang this song as they climbed). The one who literally throws his entire being onto the LORD becomes unified with the LORD as one who drives his tent-pegs into a mountain, becoming unified with the rock. Certainly one does not “become” the rock, but has a relationship with that rock that gives him stability not found anywhere else.
Those who trust in the LORD become not just any mountain, but the very mountain associated with God Himself. Moreover, Mount Zion was considered to be the dwelling place of God. Mountains are many, but there is only one mountain called Zion. “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”
[iii]“Mount Zion is one of the promontories in the city of Jerusalem, and is sometimes used as a figure of speech for the city itself. Here it signifies the ultimate in stability and strength, a citadel that cannot be moved. The man of faith is like that. His life is built on the solid rock. When the rains fall, and the floods come, and the winds blow and beat upon his house, it does not fall, because it has been built on the rock (Matt. 7:25).”
[iv]One who trusts the LORD is made a citizen of the mountain of God. When later the entire earth is destroyed and the mountains melt, the one who trusts in the LORD will be a citizen of that city still. Talk about security! He cannot be moved but will abide forever! My youngest son challenged me not too long ago by telling me matter-of-factly that he could jump higher than a mountain. I was interested to see how an 8-year old could explain such a statement, so I gave him my full attention. He then smiled and proceeded to jump up and down, proclaiming, “mountains can’t jump!” And he bounced away. Mountains are a symbol of continuance and stability.
Mountains are not ordinary, but stand out from the rest of creation. A mountain does not make itself but is the result of outside influences. Orogeny (plate tectonics; or, great amount of rock reacting to force and lift) or isostany (the “floating” of lighter material in the mantel under the influence of gravity) are two ways mountains are made. Isolated mountains like Krakatow (which exploded in the 1800’s) or Tristan D’Achuna are the results of volcanic activity (orogeny). Block Mountains, such as the Rockies, are displacements of faults (isostany). Whatever the term, God uses cataclysmic means to create mountains. Mountain-building is not a gentle process.
When one places his trust in the LORD, his life is cataclysmically changed. He is upheaved and shifted. The sinner who faces the Holy one discovers his need to be delivered from death to life, from sin to salvation, from filth to cleanliness. The one who places his trust in the LORD experiences upheaval: being moved from this world and kingdom of darkness and death into the realm of God, the kingdom of life and light.
Consider further: Mountains are not easily accessible; that is, one does not merely find one’s way to the summit. Climbing requires time, dedication, devotion, effort, direction, energy, support, resources. In the same way being changed through the process of sanctification requires all these same things. Understand that the way is not easy. The Puritans made their priority, “To know God, to serve him, to enjoy him . . . Instead of catching occasional glimpses of the Deity through an obscuring veil, they aspired to gaze full on the intolerable brightness, and to commune with him face to face.”
[v]Jonathan Edwards mentions the difficulty, “The way to heaven is ascending; we must be content to travel uphill, though it be hard and tiresome, and contrary to the natural bias of our flesh.” Edwards had no self-interest, but spent thirteen hours each day balancing prayer, Bible Study and ministry for the purpose of being God-saturated; that is, he trusted in the LORD. He wrote, “God is the highest good of the reasonable creature; and the enjoyment of him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied.—To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops; but God is the ocean.—Therefore it becomes us to spend this life only as a journey towards heaven, as it becomes us to make the seeking of our highest end and proper good, the whole work of our lives; to which we should subordinate all other concerns of life. Why should we labour for, or set our hearts on, any thing else, but that which is our proper end, and true happiness?”
[vi]Consider what a mountain truly is: They have different climate conditions at their peaks than at their base. There is just something different about a mountain. In the same way, those who trust in the LORD are sanctified, different from the world. This is the very heart of the will of God (
1 Thess. 4:3) Sanctification is so mundane it is the “common business” of the religious. Brother Lawrence thought “
it was lamentable to see how many people mistook the means for the end, addicting themselves to certain works which they performed very imperfectly because of their human or selfish regard.”
[vii] Thomas A’Kempis puts man in his place reflecting a similar thought as if Jesus Himself were speaking, saying, “You have need of Me. I do not need you. You do not come to sanctify Me but I come to sanctify you and make you better. You come to be sanctified and united with Me, to receive new grace and to be aroused anew to amend. Do not neglect this grace, but prepare your heart with all care, and bring into it your Beloved.”
[viii]Mountains force the flow of water and air. Mountains are the source of water, from which snows melt and springs flow. In the same way the one who trusts in the LORD should be influential in his place. He should make significant contribution among those with whom he lives and works. Jesus spoke of those being salt and light.
Thinking ahead some, Isaiah 4:3 and Ezekiel 47 are only two passages that describe the flow of water from Zion, from the throne of God in Jerusalem and the final kingdom and the healing of the nations. “A stream of water flows up from underneath the temple (cf. Joel 3:18), going E to the Jordan, then curving S through the Dead Sea area (vv. 7,8). Zechariah 14:8 refers to this stream as flowing from Jerusalem to the W (Mediterranean Sea) as well as to the E (Dead Sea). Its origin coincides with Christ’s Second Advent arrival on the Mt. of Olives (cf. Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:11), which will trigger a massive earthquake, thus creating a vast E-W valley running through Jerusalem and allowing for the water flow.”
[ix]Mountains provide area for growth. Whereas the base of a mountain may only cover a small number of miles from north to south, the surface area is much greater, thus allowing for more vegetation and sundry other life that could not exist anywhere else. Looking unto those myriad examples of those heroes of the faith who have gone before us, we are able to see through their trust how those individuals not only grew in their Christian walk, but how they affected others. One example: a number of years ago a Christian pastor was arrested for preaching the gospel and was forced to be imprisoned in a compound so overflowing with criminals that his containment was within a drained swimming pool. The pool was jammed with beds and meager belongings of other prisoners while the guards stood overhead. What did the pastor do but pray and meditate on scripture he hid in his heart and it was not long until God showed him his new congregation: those with whom he was interred! He preached the gospel and hundreds more came to Christ! What fertile ground in the cataclysmic situation! What growth came from his upheaval!
Do some study and discover how mountains are the places of theophanies, smoking in judgment and rejoicing in redemption.
One who puts his or her trust in Him makes an investment that He is able to carry out the charge, commitment or condition of the relationship. In the same way one drives his tent pegs into the rock; he is placing his being in the capability of that rock to hold him and provide protection. The traveler becomes unified with the rock for his safety. The cast-away clings to the rock in the pounding surf because it is the rock that does not move. Clinging to the rock, the survivor places all his being on the rock in order that he would not be swept away again.
Understand that the one who places his trust in the LORD becomes the dwelling place of the LORD! Zion is more than a mountain, but a place of confidence! Is there any wonder now how it is that those who place their trust in Him are immovable? What a note of finality! When the storm blows over, Mount Zion never moves! When God shakes the earth, the mountains may quiver, but Mount Zion never moves, but remains in His hands!
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[i]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 125:1.
[ii] MacArthur, John. “How to Glorify God.”
[iii]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 132:13.
[iv]William MacDonald and Arthur Farstad,
Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments, electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995), Ps 125:1.
[v] Murray, Iain.
Jonathan Edwards, A New Biography. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2003
[vi] Edward, Jonathan.
The Works of Jonathan Edwards,
Volume Two. P. 621
[vii] Brother Lawrence.
The Practice of the Presence of God.
[viii] A’Kempis, Thomas. “The Communicant Should Prepare Himself for Christ with Great Care”
The Imitation of Christ.
[ix]John Jr MacArthur,
The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville: Word Pub., 1997, c1997), Eze 47:1.
