JUNE 25 PSALMS 120-127

BLOG June 25, 2014

I don’t know if he follows my BLOG, but I want to wish my little brother a blessed 59th birthday, today!

Psalms 120-127

There are 15 psalms in the heart of BOOK FIVE that bear the label: “Song of Ascents.” Today, we will look at the first eight of them. What are “songs of ascents?” They were pilgrim songs, traveling psalms for people to sing as they left worldly troubles and made their way to the presence of God at the Temple in Jerusalem for one of the feasts. As you read them, put yourself in the place of a pilgrim, and make your way to the welcoming presence of God!

LEAVE THE WORLD’S STRESS. Psalm 120 begins in the distress of separation from God. We travel from the places where people lie and fuss and fight. Even before we set out, we recognize our need for the Lord’s presence.

SET OUT IN FAITH. In Psalm 121, our eyes are opened to the place we need to go: I lift up my eyes to the hills! Mt. Zion is a hill in in the highlands of central Israel. From almost anywhere, it takes an “ascent” to get there. But the psalmist recognizes that it’s not so much the place as it is the presence of the Lord that draws us. This beautiful and memorize-able psalm promises that the Lord will keep the pilgrim all along the way. Count the times he uses the word “keep.”

PAUSE TO PRAY. Psalm 122 begins famously, “I was glad when they said to me: Let us go to the house of the Lord!” This begins a series of songs that I imagine were song when Jerusalem came into view, or when the travelers entered the outskirts. Pause, David directs, and “pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” (Psalm 122:6)

CRY FOR MERCY. In Psalm 123, we are made to understand that, though we are in the holy city, Zion, Jerusalem, the city of David, it’s to the Lord, “enthroned in the heavens,” that we look for strength. With eyes of faith, we see Him and count upon His mercy.

FIND HIS HELP. Here in Psalm 124, I hear a truth I’ve heard from many of you. “If it wasn’t for the Lord, where would we be?” Those who’ve arrived in the holy city have “escaped” for a time the distresses of Psalm 120.

KNOW HIS ENCIRCLING LOVE. Psalm 125 gives us a picture of Jerusalem that is especially helpful for those of us who’ve never been there. “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forevermore.” (v. 2)

PREPARE FOR JOY. Psalm 126 remembers the revivals and restorations of the past in order to ask for a fresh experience of joy today. Restore us like streams in the desert, the psalmist says. “Wadis,” or desert streams, only run with water at certain times of year. The song-writer is praying: may the time of dryness be over; may our tears bring a joyful harvest!

REJOICE IN FAMILY. Psalm 127, especially in vv. 3-6, celebrates the gift of family! “Children are a heritage from the Lord!” (v. 3) But this psalm begins with Solomon’s solemn warning: Don’t try to build your house or guard your city without the Lord! We remember from Psalm 68:6, “God sets the lonely in families.” Thus we celebrate, not just our individual families, but the family of God, as well!

Tomorrow, we complete the Songs of Ascents.

Your fellow traveler through the Word,
Pastor Gary