Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Psalm 124 Devotional

The Net Is Torn

“We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the net is torn, and we have slipped away.”Psalm 124:7 (BSB)

Israel is invited to say together what would have happened if the LORD had not been on their side (124:1-2). The psalm describes it plainly. Enemies would have swallowed them alive, and floodwaters would have swept them away (124:3-5). Gratitude here starts by facing honestly how close disaster came.

Then comes the picture at the heart of the psalm. God's people have escaped like a bird from a hunter's trap. The net is torn, and they have slipped away (124:7). The bird does not tear the net. It simply flies out once the net is broken. The rescue belongs entirely to God, so the psalm places their help in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth (124:8). Paul draws the same conclusion: with God on our side, no opponent can finally prevail (Romans 8:31). Thanks can look backward as well as forward. It is worth asking which nets God tore open before you knew you were caught, and thanking him for disasters that never happened.

To think about: Looking back, where can you see God rescuing you from something you did not see coming at the time?

About Psalm 124: Rescued Because the LORD Was for Us

David leads Israel in confessing that without the LORD on their side, their attackers would have destroyed them like a devouring beast or a raging flood. They praise God for their escape, like a bird slipping out of a broken trap, and rest their help in the Creator's name.

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