1 If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, let Israel now say,
2 if it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, when men rose up against us;
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;
4 then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul;
5 then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.
Free Grace note
Counting the Rescues That Almost Weren't If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side. The psalm invites a wise exercise: imagine honestly what would have happened without God, and the mercies you take for granted suddenly stand out sharply. Twice the phrase is repeated so we will not slide past it (verses 1 and 2). The flood and the devouring teeth were real dangers, and only the Lord held them back. A growing believer builds the habit of remembering, of naming the disasters God quietly prevented. Scripture urges this again and again, telling Israel to remember that they were slaves and the Lord brought them out (Deuteronomy 5:15). Gratitude grows sharpest when we reckon what we were spared. Look back and count the rescues, then bless the One who worked them.
6 Blessed be Yahweh, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare. The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in Yahweh’s name, who made heaven and earth.
Free Grace note
The Snare We Could Not Break Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler's snare; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. A trapped bird cannot free itself; the trap must be broken from outside. Deliverance came not because Israel was strong or clever but because the Lord shattered a trap they never could have broken. This is the exact shape of salvation. We were snared in sin with no way out, and Christ broke the trap. Some imagine that because they must trust and even repent, they somehow contribute to the rescue, but the bird adds nothing to the breaking of the snare. Our help is in the name of Yahweh (verse 8). Salvation is a deliverance we receive, not an achievement we accomplish, laid hold of by faith alone.
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