THE
PSALMS OF ASCENTS
Psalms
120-134 comprise the Songs of Ascents. This is a special songbook
made to be sung by the Jews during their pilgrimages to Jerusalem three times a year for the national
festivals of Passover, Pentecost and the Day of Atonement.
“Three
times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the
place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the
Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles.” (Deuteronomy
16:16)
The
Hebrew word for “ascent” is ma'alah which means "to go up”.
The Bible often talks about going “up” to Jerusalem, since it was literally uphill from the surrounding regions. As the pilgrims made their journey,
they worshiped God in song all along the way. Joseph and Mary would
probably have sung these psalms as they went up to Jerusalem with their son, Jesus. Jesus and His disciples would have sung them as they traveled up from Galilee for the feasts.
Jewish
historians claim these songs were also sung by the priests in the
days of Solomon as they ascended the fifteen steps leading to the
Temple in Jerusalem.
SIDE
NOTE: One of the most significant and meaningful memories from my
trip to Israel was visiting the Southern Steps leading to the temple.
Our group stood together on the steps and read the Psalms of Ascents. It
humbled my soul to think that I might be standing in the very place
were Jesus stood while teaching parables. If I closed
my eyes I could almost hear the beautiful voices of the ancient
worshipers as they joyfully made their ascent up the temple...
💛💛💛
PSALM
120 – "No Peace"
(A Song
of Ascents)
This
Lament Psalm was written by a homesick Israelite forced to live among
warmongers in a strange land (probably in exile).
Vs. 1 –
“In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He heard me”:
Even through his despair, the focus is on God.
Vs. 2 –
The reason for the psalmist's distress turns out to be people with “lying lips”
and “deceitful tongues” who have spoken evil against him.
Vs.
5 – “Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, that I dwell
among the tents of Kedar!”:
Meshech and Kedar were enemy tribes of Israel. The psalmist had
likely been dispersed to lands far beyond Israel against his will.
💛NUGGET:
The people of Meshech were descendants of Japheth, son of Noah (Genesis 10:2) and the people of Kedar originated from Ishmael, son of Abraham (Genesis 25:13). Both were known to be cruel,
uncivilized warlike tribes.
Vs. 6 –
“My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace.”
The peaceful palmist complained that
he had to live among ungodly people so far away from Israel. He
longed for peace (shalom).
💛NUGGET: The name "Jerusalem" in Hebrew means “City of Peace”.
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PSALM
121 – “God is a Keeper”
(A Song
of Ascents)
This
psalm is actually a blessing for a journey with the emphasis on God
“keeping” us in His unending care.
Vs. 1 –
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my
help?”: This song begins with
a simple question. The “hills” likely refer to Jerusalem,
seen in the distance as the psalmist makes his pilgrimage towards the
city. Since the people of Israel looked to Zion (Jerusalem) as God's
dwelling place, it would be fitting for them to look towards the hills of Jerusalem.
Vs.
2 – “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and
earth.”: He immediately
answers his own question with a confession of faith.
[VERSES
3-8 are to be sang or prayed as a blessing. Notice that the psalmist switched from first person (“my” and “I”) to
“you” and “your.”
Vs. 4 – “He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”: The word “keep” (shamar) also means "to preserve" and is used six times in this poem to emphasize the fact that God is watching over Israel. God is a Keeper.
Vs. 5 –
“The Lord shall preserve (keep) your going out and your coming
in from this time forth, and even forevermore.”:
God watches over us continually and eternally.
Vs.
5b - “The Lord is your shade”:
“Shade” is from the same Hebrew word as “shadow” which calls
to mind Psalm 91:1: “He who dwells in the secret place
of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
💛NUGGET:
It is a Jewish tradition to place a copy of Psalm 121 in the
delivery room and/or baby carriage of a newborn as a blessing of protection from
God.
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PSALM
122 – "Let Us Go into to the House of the Lord"
(A Song
of Ascents. Of David.)
This
psalm is one of four of the Songs of Ascents attributed to David. It is a song about arriving into the city gates of Jerusalem.
Vs. 1 –
“Let us go into the house of the LORD”: The temple had
not yet been built during the reign of David. At that time, the tabernacle was set
up in the City of David and contained the Ark of the Covenant.
Vs.
2 – “Our feet have been
standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!”:
They've arrived! After a long and dusty journey, the pilgrim's
happy feet are now standing in the City of God. They are home.
Vs.
3-5 – Three
descriptions of Jerusalem are given:
1) It
is compactly built. In the time of David, Jerusalem was about one-half mile wide. But
“compact” in this context actually refers to the closeness of the
Israelites in the sense of their unification.
2) It
is where the tribes go up. All
the males of Israel were commanded to go “up” to Jerusalem 3
times a year for their religious feasts and festivals.
3) It
is where the thrones are set for judgment. The
throne of David in Jerusalem and his monarchy served as the
centralized seat of justice for Israel.
Vs. 4b – “To the Testimony of Israel”: The “testimony” was another name given to the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:22; Exodus 27:21).
“Note
that Israel was one people, but yet it was in a sense divided by the
mere surface distinction of tribes; and this may be a lesson to us
that all Christendom is essentially one, though from various causes
we are divided into tribes. Let us as much as possible sink the
tribal individuality in the national unity, so that the church may be
many waves, but one sea; many branches, but one tree; many members,
but one body.” (Spurgeon)
Vs. 6-9
– “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem”:
Peace is not a word that comes to mind when we think of Jerusalem.
All throughout history, it has been a center of conflict. “Pray
for peace” speaks as much to prophecy as to history. The ancient
Jews who sang these words wanted peace in Jerusalem because that is
where "the house of the LORD our God” dwelled. For them, God's
presence was connected to a place. Looking from the other side of the cross,
we know that we are never separated from Him (Romans 8:31-39). When
we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are seeking God’s ultimate
fulfillment for His city.
“The
goal of the pilgrim is not Jerusalem, as important as that city was,
or even the temple in Jerusalem, as important as it was, but God
himself, whose true throne is not anywhere on earth but in heaven.”
(Boice)
💛NUGGET:
The presence of God is what made the tabernacle special. His Spirit does the same within you (Matthew 23:16-22).
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PSALM
123 – "Looking for Mercy"
(A Song
of Ascents)
This is
a Community Lament for Israel who found themselves in a familiar
place of scorn and contempt from those around them. Their response was to look towards God for mercy.
Vs. 2a –
“Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their
masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our
eyes look to the Lord our God”:
The eyes of the psalmist are not on anything but the Lord, not
necessarily like a servant waiting for orders... but patiently
waiting on His Master for answers.
Vs.
2b - “Until He has mercy on us”:
The psalmist is dug in. As long as it takes, he will persevere in
looking to the Lord for His mercy.
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PSALM
124 - “IF...”
(A Song
of Ascents. Of David.)
This ascent song is a Community
Thanksgiving Psalm in praise for God's rescue from destruction and expressing confidence that He will continue to help His people.
Vs. 1-2
– “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side”:
Israel remembers how God saved them from sure death.
💛NUGGET: God is the Difference between Deliverance and Disaster.
Vs. 3-5
– David described the overwhelming troubles Israel faced as “men
rose up against us”. He leaves no doubt that God, alone, has been
their Deliverer.
Vs. 7 –
“As a bird from the snare of the fowlers”: Fowlers are
people who catch birds by using traps.
“Fowlers
have many methods of taking small birds, and Satan has many methods
of entrapping souls. Some are decoyed by evil companions, others are
enticed by the love of dainties; hunger drives many into the trap,
and fright impels numbers to fly into the net.” (Spurgeon)
Vs. 8 –
“Our help is in the name of the LORD”:
The “name of the LORD” alludes to His presence. This is
a humble confession made by Israel. Their help came from the same
Source that we are blessed to call upon, today.
“The
great lesson of this Psalm, from the beginning to the end…is that
for every deliverance, whether of a temporal or spiritual nature, we
should, in imitation of the saints above, ascribe ‘Salvation to God
and the Lamb.’” (Horne)
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PSALM
125 – “Trust in the Lord”
(A Song
of Ascents)
God's followers are immovable. He has us surrounded.
Vs. 1 –
“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot
be moved, but abides forever.” As
we have the advantage of looking backwards on the history of Israel,
it is clear to see how big a role “trust” played in the security
of Jerusalem.
Vs. 2a –
“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His
people”: The city of
Jerusalem sits on a hill that is surrounded by a range of taller hills.
Vs.
2b – “From this time forth and forever”:
God forms a
protective ring around us “forever”. Satan spoke of this as a "hedge" in Job 1:10. Nothing can get to us
without God's permission. Implicit in this, however, is trusting in the Lord (verse 1).
Vs. 3 –
So long as Israel trusted and obeyed the Lord, they were divinely
protected from the “scepter of wickedness” (wicked kings).
Vs. 4 –
“Do good, O LORD, to those who are good”: This statement again reminds us of the promised “blessings and curses” of the
OT covenant in which judgment was based on the obedience and
disobedience of the people. Those “upright in their
hearts” lived a life of obedience to God.
Vs. 5 –
“Peace be upon Israel”: This song ends with a blessing
for Israel. The formula for peace was given in verse 1: Trust in the
LORD.
Shalom!
VIDEO: "Surround Us, Lord" https://youtu.be/dtyVNbXecnI
READING FOR TOMORROW: Chapters 126-130
LINK TO READING PLAN:
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