Jerusalem, with its glorious throne and holy temple, was to be a magnet, pulling their hearts to the Lord.
Let’s take a deeper look at Psalm 125. As we’ve noted, the first two verses are about God’s presence and His protection. Then verse 3 is a promise: “For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.” It seems to be a simple equation, doesn’t it? God ordains government by determining that people get the rulers they deserve. If the people “reach out” their hands to eagerly grasp evil, then the hand that reaches out the scepter to them will be as evil as they are. God selected Saul, not because he was a man after God’s heart, but because he was after their heart—the kind of big (and blundering) man that they wanted. Verse 4 is a prayer: “Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.” This request simply underlines the previous principle, but says, “Let the opposite be true of us.” Then verse 5 holds a premonition: “As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity.” Now the psalm takes the matter a step further. It isn’t just that government leaders will oppose those who choose evil. In fact, God will be directly involved. Once people decide to go away from the Lord, He takes that decision so seriously that He aids their escape from the light into the darkness, from the place of blessing into the realm of their own foolish choices. Like the father giving the prodigal not only leave but resources for the journey, sometimes the best thing God can do is show them the bitter consequences of rejecting Him. The psalm ends with a plea: “Peace be upon Israel!” In spite of these grim warnings, the psalmist still hopes for the best, and prays for heavenly peace.