Psalm 129 is the praise of the saint in his going up to Zion concerning the persecutors of Israel and the haters of Zion. Here Israel signifies the New Testament believers, and Zion signifies the overcomers in the church. The more we love the Lord Jesus, the more we will be hated. In some cases, parents have hated their children because the children loved the Lord Jesus so much.
Many times the persecutors have afflicted the believers since the beginning of their Christian life, but they have not prevailed against them. As the plowers, the persecutors plowed on the believers' back, making their furrows long, but Jehovah is righteous and has cut the cords of the wicked persecutors (vv. 1-4).
All the haters of Zion shall be put to shame and turned back like grass on the housetops, withering before growing up, having no multiplication of sheaves for the reapers (vv. 5-7). They will have no blessing from those who pass by saying, "The blessing of Jehovah be upon you!/We bless you in the name of Jehovah" (v. 8). This is the way God deals with the persecutors and the haters.
In Psalm 130 we see the way God deals with His chosen people. This psalm is the praise of the saint in his going up to Zion concerning God's forgiveness to Israel and His redeeming of Israel from all their iniquity. We are not better than the persecutors and the haters. We need God's forgiveness.
The psalmist cried out to Jehovah, praying that His ears would be attentive to the voice of his supplications (vv. 1-2). Then the psalmist said, "If You, O Jehovah, marked iniquities, / Who, O Lord, would stand?" (v. 3).
Nearly every morning I begin my prayer by saying, "Lord, thank You that You have forgiven me of all my transgressions, failures, and defeats. Lord, I also thank You that You have cleansed me of all my filthiness with Your cleansing blood." I have no other way to start my prayer, for I realize that every day my imperfections need God's forgiveness and my filthiness needs His cleansing.
"With You there is forgiveness,/That You would be feared" (v. 4). The more the Lord forgives us, the more we fear Him.
In verses 5 through 8 the psalmist speaks of waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning and hoping in Him and in His word for His abundant redemption that will redeem Israel from all their iniquity.
Psalm 131 is the praise of the saint in his going up to Zion concerning his humbled heart and quieted soul before Jehovah.
In verse 1 the psalmist says that his heart is not proud, nor are his eyes haughty. He also says that he does not go about in things too great or too wondrous for him. Certain things are too great and wondrous for us, and we should not go about in these things.
The psalmist continues by saying that he has calmed and quieted his soul within him, like a weaned child with its mother (v. 2). He had been weaned, or stripped, of everything except the Lord.
The psalmist then advises Israel, God's chosen people, to hope in Jehovah from now to eternity (v. 3). When we have become like the psalmist, humble, calm, quiet, and weaned, we can advise others to hope in God.