Psalm 124 is another Psalm about God delivering His people out of the hand of the wicked. Deliverance is from the LORD, not by the power of man. Verses one through three say, “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us. Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us…” Under different circumstances, Jeremiah also acknowledged God as Preserver, “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” (Lamentations 3:22) It is only of the LORD’s mercies that His people are not consumed by the enemy. It is only by God’s powerful hand that His people are not swallowed up by the wicked who come against them. It is only God’s mercy that stays the wrath of man.
What would have happened if God had not protected His people. The next two verses tell us, “Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.” (verses 4 and 5) God’s people would have been overwhelmed by the wicked, like a flood going over them. There would have been no escape.
The God who made heaven and earth is the God who used His great power to deliver His people. Here David blesses the Lord for His deliverance. “Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (verses 6-8) The God who delivered Israel is the same God who will deliver His people today. He will preserve their soul. This God who made heaven and earth by His great power is willing to use that power on behalf of His people, against the proud who rise up against them.
Consider the power, the mercy, and the compassion of this great God. If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, this great God is your God too. Look to Him. Raise your eyes to Him. Wait on Him for the mercies of deliverance. God is our Helper and our escape from the wicked who would destroy His people.