[Psalms
131-134 continue with the Psalms of Ascents. These are songs that the
people of Israel sang on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the annual
feasts and festivals days.]
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PSALM
131 - “Humility”
(A Song
of Ascents. Of David)
[As an
Ascent Psalm, this song was a call for the pilgrims to humble
themselves before God.]
“It
is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to
learn. It speaks of a young child, but it contains the experience of
a man in Christ.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Vs. 1 –
“Neither do I concern myself with great matters... things too
profound”: David denies
arrogance and selfish ambition. In Deuteronomy 29:29, Moses taught
the Israelites that “The
secret things belong to the Lord our God...”. Anyone
who demands to be given an understanding of God's
mysterious ways is demonstrating a prideful heart. When Job realized
this as his sin, he slapped his hand over his mouth and repented “in
dust and ashes” (Job
40:1-5; 42:1-6).
Vs. 2 –
“Like a weaned child with
his mother”: A weaned
child is no longer dependent on his mother's body for nourishment and
is able to draw near to her out of a desire for intimacy and
companionship.
“Weaned
from what? Self-sufficiency, self-will, self-seeking. From creatures
and the things of the world—not; indeed, as to their use, but as to
any dependence upon them for his happiness and portion...” (William
Jay)
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PSALM
132 – “Abundantly"
(Song of
Ascents)
This is
a Royal Psalm and may have been written in celebration of bringing
the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:12–19; Psalm
132:6–10)
VERSES
1-10: DAVID'S PROMISE
Vs. 2 –
“How he swore to the LORD”: A specific “oath” from
David to God to build a temple is not actually recorded in 2 Samuel
7, but the prophet Nathan speaks of it being in David's heart.
Vs. 5 –
This verse is referred to by Stephen in Acts 7:46.
“And
we find that he would have acted in all things according to his oath
and vow, had God permitted him. But even after the Lord told him that
Solomon, not he, should build the house he still continued to show
his good will by collecting treasure and materials for the building,
all the rest of his life.” (Clarke)
Vs. 6-9
–The coming of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem is referred to
in Chronicles 15-16.
Vs.
6 – "Behold we heard of it in Ephrathah; We found it in the fields of Jaar.": Ephrathah is near Bethlehem
(Genesis 35:19; Micah 5:2) and Jaar is believed to be another name
for Kirjath-Jaerim. The Ark of the Covenant was taken by the
Philistines after defeating the Israelites in battle but was
eventually returned to Kirjath-Jaerim, where it stayed for 20 years
(1 Samuel 4-7). Apparently, the ark was found by David's people and
eventually moved to the tabernacle in Jerusalem.
Vs. 7 –
“Let us worship at His
footstool”: See 1
Chronicles 28:2.
Vs. 10 –
“Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed”: This is
ultimately a prayer of blessing on the Anointed Son of David – the
Messiah. This passage is alluded to by Peter in Acts 2:30.
VERSES
11-18: GOD'S PROMISE
Vs. 11 –
“The LORD has sworn in
truth to David”: This is
recorded in 2 Samuel 7:5-16. In verse 2, David promised to build a
house (temple) for God. Although God politely declined, He promised
to build David a house (dynasty), instead.
Vs. 12 –
“Forevermore...”: Thank God that His promise was not
conditionally based on the righteousness of David's sons because we
would never have had Jesus. David's “sons” could and would
forfeit their promised blessings and were eventually driven from the
throne. But the promise of a Savior was unconditional. Jesus is on
the throne.
Vs. 15 –
“I will ABUNDANTLY bless...”
“The
people had asked God to come to his resting place as the ark was
brought to Jerusalem; God says that he will sit enthroned there ‘for
ever and ever.’ They asked righteousness for the priests; God
promises to clothe the priests with salvation, which is a greater
concept. The people asked that the saints might sing for joy; God
promises that they will sing for joy forever.” (Boice)
Vs.
16-17a – These verses answer the prayers in verses 9-10.
Abundantly.
Vs. 17b
– “I will prepare a lamp
for My Anointed”: This
was part of God's promise, to preserve a dynasty for the
sake of David, not based on the morality or character of his
descendants. (1 Kings 11:36;15:4).
💛NUGGET:
Ultimately, God's “Anointed” was more than a lamp. He was the
Light of the world. (John 8:12)
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PSALM
133 – "Unity"
(Song of
Ascents. Of David)
This is
a Wisdom Psalm that many believe was composed when David was crowned
in Hebron, during a time of national unity. (2 Samuel 5:1; 1
Chronicles 12:38-40)
Vs. 1 –
“Behold, how good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
This sentiment was especially appropriate for an Ascent Song, as
pilgrims from different regions and tribes marched together as one to
worship the Lord in Jerusalem.
Vs. 2 –
“It is like the precious oil upon the head running down... the
beard of Aaron”: Aaron was the first High Priest of Israel, who
was anointed with a special holy oil set aside for priestly
consecration.
💛NUGGET:
“In verse 2 the threefold repetition ‘running down,’ ‘running
down,’ and ‘down’ – the Hebrew uses the same verb each time –
emphasizes that the blessing of Aaron’s anointing was from above
himself, that is, from God.” (Boice)
Vs. 3 –
The Lord commanded a blessing of unity... FOREVERMORE.
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PSALM
134 - "Holy Hands"
(Song of
Ascents)
This is
the last of the Song of Ascents psalms. This group of psalms opened
with “I call on the LORD in my distress” (Psalm 120) and
ends with “Praise the LORD”.
Vs. 1 –
“Who by night stand in the house of the LORD!”: The
Levites were assigned special duties at the temple, including night
watchmen. (Exodus 27:21; 1 Samuel 3:3; Leviticus 8:35)
Vs. 2 –
“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord”:
Or as the Apostle Paul said, “Lift up holy hands in
prayer...” (I Timothy 2:8)
💛NUGGET: Praising is us speaking well of God. Blessing is God speaking well of us.
Vs. 3 –
“Bless you from Zion!”: After God's people converged in
Zion to bless and worship Him, they left carrying His blessing back
home with them. What a beautiful way to end the Psalms of Ascents.
The blessings flowed uphill and downhill.
💛NUGGET:
Our life should be a pilgrimage toward God, blessing Him all the way
to heaven.
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PSALM
135 - "Praise"
[This
psalm is a collection of quotes and passages from all over the OT:
Psalms, Deuteronomy, Jeremiah and Exodus. Though every verse is
basically an echo of another, it is a new message of praise.]
Vs. 1 –
The psalm begins and ends with "Hallelujah!" (“Praise the Lord”).
Vs. 4 –
“His special treasure”: This is in fulfillment of God's
declaration in Deuteronomy 7:6.
Vs. 8-12
– The psalmists are mighty proud of their Exodus heritage, would you agree? Remembering God's supernatural deliverance in the past brought them
courage for the present and and hope for the future.
“Egypt
was the theatre of the grand contest between the God of Israel and
the gods of the heathen.” (Horne)
Vs. 11 –
These victories given by God are recorded in Numbers 21:21-33;
Deuteronomy 3:11.
Vs. 12 –
“And gave their land as a heritage”: God promised the land
of Canaan to the Israelites and gave it to them as their heritage...
from generation to generation.
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PSALM
136 - "The Great Hallel"
[In
Jewish tradition Psalm 135 is called the “Great Hallel” (Great
Psalm of Praise) and it was especially sung at the Passover.]
This
Thanksgiving Psalm has 26 verses with “His mercy endures forever”
repeated after each verse. It is referred to as an “antiphonal
hymn”. Think of it as a responsive singing, with the congregation
answering the choirmaster.
“And
they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For
He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” (Ezra
3:11)
MERCY is derived from that now familiar Hebrew covenant word, “hesed”, which refers to God's unending
grace... His loyal love. This is His unbreakable covenant with His
people... His eternal commitment.
VERSES
1-3: GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD
- He is good.
- He is the God of gods. (Elohim)
- He is the Lord of lords. (Adonai)
💛NUGGET:
God is the Original Good. All goodness flows from Him.
VERSES
4-25: WHY WE GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD
Vs. 4-9
– Give thanks for God's power in CREATION.
Vs.
10-22 – Give thanks for God’s power in SALVATION.
Vs.
23-25 – Give thanks for God's power in PROVISION.
💛NUGGET:
Giving thanks during trials requires submission to God's sovereignty
over your life. (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28)
VERSE
26: GIVE THANKS TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN
The
psalm ends as it begins, with a reminder that everything we receive from
God is from His grace.
Charles
Spurgeon observed the following lessons we learn from this psalm:
·The
past, present, or future will not end His mercy.
·The
storms of life will not end His mercy.
·Distance
from loved ones will not end His mercy.
·Death
itself will not end His mercy.
·God’s
never-ending mercy should make us merciful to others.·God’s never-ending mercy should make us hopeful for others.
·God’s never-ending mercy should make us hopeful for ourselves.
VIDEO: "Antiphonal Psalm 136"
READING FOR TOMORROW: Chapters 137-140
LINK TO READING PLAN:
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