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Home , Psalm 1, Psalm 119, Psalm 120, Psalm 123, Psalm 76, Song of Ascents

Refine Women’s Ministry – 134: Songs of Ascent Part 1 March 24, 2021 by Kim Peelen We must take our whole heart to the house of God, and worship like those who listen to the reading of a will. J.C. Ryle There is nothing more unchristian than a solitary Christian. John Wesley

Psalms 120 – 134 are a group of 15 poems that share the same subtitle and are in the last division of that focuses on praise and adoration of Almighty God. , the spectacular pinnacle of praise for the Word of God, just precedes these poems. The exact meaning for the subtitle, translated ‘a song of Ascent’, ‘the great Ascent”, or “a song of Degrees”, has been debated for centuries. The explanations range from: one song being sung by the priest for each step going to the Temple, the ‘degrees’ referring to a musical crescendo as the singer progresses through the fifteen songs or even singing in a higher key, or to King Hezekiah selecting these songs to reflect the fifteen degrees that the sun reversed as well as the fifteen years added to his life. However, most scholars conclude these psalms form a songbook that pilgrims sang on the journey to for the annual religious festivals. The sacred city sits high on a hill, so from any direction a traveler must ‘go up’ to Jerusalem (blueletterbible.org: ”The Songs of Degrees as a Whole Psalm” by C. H. Spurgeon).

These journeys to Jerusalem coincide with three annual feasts for the Hebrew people and are often called ‘pilgrim feasts’ because all adult males in were required to travel to the sanctuary to participate. "Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.” Deuteronomy 16:16, 17. An interesting note, Book 5 of Psalms corresponds to the fifth book of the Deuteronomy, in which Moses gives further instruction and explanation of the laws of God, including the God-ordained festivals.

Passover is the first of the annual feasts, celebrated in Abib, the first month of the Hebrew calendar (March-April), and marks the night when the death angel ‘passed over’ the Israelite households in Egypt (Exodus 12, Leviticus 23:5, Numbers 28:16-25). Closely related to is Feast of Unleavened Bread which commemorates the first seven days of the Exodus from Egypt when there was no time for the bread to rise before their departure. These two celebrations merge into one because leaven is removed from the household before the Passover lamb is slaughtered and unleavened bread is part of the Passover meal (Tim Dowley, p. 27). This year Passover/ Feast of Unleavened Bread is observed from sundown Saturday March 27 through sundown Sunday April 4, 2021.

"Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. "You shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to establish His name. "You shall not eat leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), so that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.

1 "For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory, and none of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning. “You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your towns which the LORD your God is giving you; but at the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt. “And you shall cook and eat it in the place which the LORD your God chooses. And in the morning you are to return to your tents. Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD your God; you shall do no work. Deuteronomy 16: 1-8

The Passover meal reminds the Israelites of God’s salvation: the lamb’s blood represents the cleansing of , the bitter herbs of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt, and the unleavened bread, purity (leaven symbolizes ). The first and seventh days are kept as Sabbaths with no work and the people gathering for a holy convocation. The second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread a priest waves a sheaf of the first ripe bar y to consecrate the harvest to come. (Leviticus 23:10-14). This is the Feast of First Fruits. le The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost is observed fifty days (pente means fifty) after the offering of the ‘first fruits’ bar sheaf (Lev. 23:15-23). It signifies the end of the harvest, the offering of the first fruits, and the commemoration of the giving of the Law. It is a one- day festival that is observed as leya Sabbath where the people gather at the tabernacle to thank God for the harvest. It is also an opportunity for the people to remember those in need, as do all the pilgrim feasts (Tim Dowley, p. 28).

The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths is the third required pilgrimage and memorializes Israel’s wandering in the wilderness when they lived in tents, or shelters, and comes at the end of the harvest season. Also known as Ingathering, it is a seven-day feast where the priest gives daily burnt offering and sin offering (Lev. 23: 33-43; Num. 29:12-40; Deut. 16:13-15). However, just before the Feast of Booths is the solemn The Day of Atonement or , which is the only fast required by the Law. Held on the tenth day of Tishri (September-October) it focuses on the cleansing of sins (Ex. 30:10; Lev. 16; 23:26-32; 25:9; Num. 29:7-11) There is no work, no eating, and a holy gathering of the entire congregation. The high priest, dressed in simple linen garment and not his special high priestly robes, offers a sin offering for all the people. He symbolically transfers the sins of the people onto a goat, known as the scapegoat, and then releases it to the east in the desert (Dowley, p.28).

The Law requires all adult Jewish males to attend these three feasts in the place where the LORD chooses to establish His name, which at the time of Moses was the Tabernacle, during King was Mt. Zion where the ark of the covenant rested, and later, ’s Temple. The BibleProject: Theme – Temple video.

The Temple of Jerusalem is the focal point of the Hebrew nation because it represents God dwelling among His People. As pilgrims journey for the annual festivals towards God’s city, Solomon’s magnificent Temple is visible from many miles away, being on the highest point of Jerusalem. One imagines the anticipation as the gleaming gold of the Temple comes into view after the pilgrims’ long journey, encouraging them for the last steep climb to the gates of the Temple grounds where the celebration, feasting, and holy gathering of God’s people will commence.

2 We will read all 15 psalms the next two weeks. Alec Motyer (p. 365) describes the organization of Psalms 120 – 134: “the fifteen psalms fall into five groups of three: the first song stating a situation of difficulty; the second focusing on God’s power; the third on security in Zion.”

Discussion: GROUP 1: Psalm 120, 121, and 122

Psalm 120 (ESV) A .

1 In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. 2 Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. 3 What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? 4 A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree! 5 Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! 6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. 7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!

Explanation of coals of broom tree/juniper. “At this time we spoke four "ships of the desert," bound for Cairo, and loaded with "coals of juniper," or, in other words, with charcoal made from the roots or branches of the ratam, or white broom of the desert, the identical bush referred to by the sacred writer.” John Wilson, in The Lands of the visited and described, 1847. It ignites quickly, burns hotly for a long time.

Q. 1 Underline words of difficulty. What are some trials the psalmist faces?

Explanation of Meshech and Kedar: “Meshech was a son of Japheth [Gen.10: 2;Ez.38:2]; and the name here signifies his descendants, the Mosques, who occupied that wild mountain region which lies between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Kedar, again, was a son of Ishmael [Gen. 25:13]; and the name here signifies his descendants, the wandering tribes, whose "hand is against every man, and every man's hand against them." There is no geographical connection between those two nations: the former being upon the north of Palestine, and the latter upon the south. The connection is a moral one. They are mentioned together, because they were fierce and warlike barbarians.” N. McMichael (blueletterbible.org)

Q. 2 Underline words that describe where the poet lives – what challenges arise because of his situation as an alien?

Q. 3. Assuming he is on his way to celebrate a Jewish feast, what can he expect to find once he arrives in Jerusalem?

3 (ESV) A Song of Ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Q. 4 Underline all the ‘keep’ words. What is the poet’s focus in this song?

Q. 5. Circle and discuss the metaphors/images that describe the security God provides.

Psalm 122 A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!" 2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem--built as a city that is bound firmly together, 4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. 5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! "May they be secure who love you! 7 Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!" 8 For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, "Peace be within you!" 9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.

Q. 6 The culmination of the pilgrim journey is here! Underline the descriptions of Jerusalem and summarize its importance to David.

Q. 7 Discuss how the three poems work together to describe the pilgrims journey. Note how the psalmists use ‘peace’ in this poem and in Psalm 120:6, 7.

4 Second Set: ESV A Song of Ascents.

1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us. 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. 4 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.

Q. 8 Underline the difficulties of the people. Where do they turn for help?

Psalm 124 (ESV) A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side-- let Israel now say-- 2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us, 3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; 4 then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; 5 then over us would have gone the raging waters. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! 7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Q. 9. Circle the ‘Ifs’ and ‘thens’. What does David want the reader to understand? Note the plural pronouns (we, us, our, etc.) and how these pronouns impact the psalm compared to the previous.

Q. 10 Mark and discuss the metaphors/images of the LORD’s power. One gets caught up with the fervor and jubilation of David!

5 (ESV) A Song of Ascents.

1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore. 3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong. 4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts! 5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers! Peace be upon Israel!

Q. 11. Describe the security that the pilgrim describes in this poem. How long will it last?

Q. 12. What is the closing thought of the song?

Summary:

Group 1 - Psalms 120 – 122: The difficulty of lying lips, a deceitful tongue plagues the pilgrim as he expresses his turmoil to God in Psalm 120. He imagines a fitting end to these liars – the wood of juniper (broom tree) that ignites quickly and burns hotly for a long time is a just punishment for lying lips! Adding to his trouble is the alienation from dwelling among those who hate peace. His soul is near the breaking point as he prays to God, I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war! The poet needs to be with like-minded followers of Yahweh.

The opening of Psalm 121 restates a cry for help - 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? How can security be guaranteed? The answer is verse 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Alec Motyer explains the beauty of verse 2 – “Behind this seemingly simple statement lies the ’s rounded, fourfold doctrine of God the Creator as the One, who begins, maintains, controls, and directs everything in his creation. Nothing can happen outside his direction; every situation we face, every danger which threatens, is within his created realm. Nothing can ‘pluck us out of his hand’ (John 10: 28 – 30). Motyer continues his notes for the remainder of the verses: He who keeps Israel – the God of the Exodus, the God who overthrows his enemies and redeems his people. . .he has not secured our eternal home only to lose us in earth’s troubles. The eternal significance of the work of redemption is part of our present security. He gives ‘round the clock’ preservation –6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night - from dangers real (sun-stroke) and imaginary (moon-stroke). 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore – protection for

6 every threat, the whole person, in every activity, for all time (starting now). Motyer, p. 370. The unmatched power of God guarantees comprehensive preservation for His people.

The third song celebrates the pilgrims’ arrival in Jerusalem. The long journey finally ends when they gather in the magnificent holy city. Scripture uses several synonyms for Jerusalem: Yahweh’s house, Zion, God’s city, God’s hill, God’s mountain, Temple, holy city, Gates (Lawson, p. 243). Throughout this poem David expresses his intimate knowledge and affection for the city in which God chose to place his ‘house of the LORD’ (before the Temple completed, but where the ark of the covenant rested). Alec Motyer insights are helpful: 3 Jerusalem--built as a city that is bound firmly together - the very appearance and plan of the city speaks of unity. First is ‘churchly unity’ with the coming together of the twelve tribes of the redeemed – out of their dispersed location into united thanksgiving, obedient to what Yahweh had ‘testified’ was his requirement 4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. Secondly is a monarchial unity, held together and maintained by the Davidic throne. The very architecture and town planning enhance an idea and an ideal: the one city of one people. Thus unity is the unchangeable, ‘given’ reality at the end of the pilgrim road, the chosen locus of the twelve-tribe confederation, waiting for them to enter and enjoy. In Zion the tribes are not an aggregation but a congregation, bound together by the given unity of the one city, the one revealed truth (testimony), and the one throne. (p. 368).

Psalm 122 concludes with the call to 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! David exhorts all the faithful of God to dutifully pray for Jerusalem, as it holds a unique and holy place where God Himself dwells, where the faithful can find security and hope.

Group 2: Psalm 123 – 125. The psalmist expresses more difficulty in Psalm 123, this time for the entire nation of Israel (use of the plural us and we), 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. As a group, they experience mockery and the contempt of the proud, but they wisely seek help from the LORD, 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us. They are more that full from the constant ridicule and beg God to give them grace.

Psalm 124 opens with a series of ‘if – then’ statements describing danger and escape, all of which the author David experienced in his life. 2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us, 3 then they would have swallowed us up alive. His words of contrasts teach us that whatever source a danger arises, and with whatever certainty it exists – whether occasional or permanent – Yahweh is sufficient (Motyer, p. 372). David repeats the beautiful meditation on Yahweh as Creator - 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. God’s Power is strong and sure to meet any difficulty we may face.

Psalm 125 uses comparisons between the physical characteristics of Mount Zion (Jerusalem) and God’s people. Motyer explains, 1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever, the immoveable mountains of Mount Zion compared to its living counterpart, the immoveable people of God, illustrates eternal security experienced by faith. In verse 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore - the surrounding hills and their

7 spiritual counterpart, the surrounding Yahweh, will never end His protective power. The LORD is a sure and steady anchor that will never be moved.

The closing verses of Psalm 125 contrast the righteous with the wicked, requesting God to bless those who do good but cut off those who do evil: 3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong. 4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts! 5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers! This is the theme introduced in that continues throughout the - those who trust in Yahweh, obey His commands, and live righteously will enjoy the security of God in this world and for all eternity. The psalmist closes his poem by repeating the faithful pilgrim’s duty to pray, Peace be upon Israel!

Conclusion: What a treasure of encouragement and hope! Each group of three progresses from a pilgrim expressing difficulty and need, to searching for help in the LORD, to finding steadfast assurance and security where God Himself dwells. Whoever arranged this songbook for pilgrims, masterfully places the songs to move quickly from problem to solution by inserting the vivid imagery of their destination of Jerusalem and comparing it to their spiritual journey as a follower of Yahweh.

Are you in difficulty and looking for help? God, who is rich in mercy, has provided all you need through His son Jesus Christ through His perfect life, agonizing death for your sins, and His miraculous resurrection from the dead. Believe in Him and be saved. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1: 3- 5.

HOMEWORK

For further study: Note and discuss the how Psalms 120 - 125 communicate the idea of ‘peace’ to unify these 6 psalms. Is Jerusalem a city of peace?

Watch BibleProject: Themes: Temple Read for next week: Psalms 120 - 134 Practice praying the Psalms

RESOURCES BibleProject.com –videos, study guides, and blogs The Psalms by the Day: A New Devotional Translation, by Alec Motyer, 2016 Preaching the Psalms: Unlocking the Unsearchable Riches of David’s Treasury, by Steven J. Lawson, 2012 Holman Old Testament Commentary: -150, by Steven J. Lawson Matthew Henry’s concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, by Matthew Henry, 1997 The Kregel Pictorial Guide to the Tabernacle by Tim Dowley, 2002 Blueletterbible.org

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