Day 184, Psalms 120-133

Psalm 120
Deliver Me, O Lord

A SONG OF ASCENTS.

*A prayer for deliverance from false accusers. Verse 7 suggests that the speaker is a king, in which case the accusers seek either to discredit him before his people or, more likely, to awaken suspicion concerning him in foreign courts. But if “war” is understood metaphorically, the psalm could be used also by a private individual beset by slanderers.

In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
Deliver me, O Lord,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.
-120:1-2

Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
I am for peace,
but when I speak,
they are for war!
-120:6-7

Psalm 121
My Help Comes from the Lord

A SONG OF ASCENTS.

*A dialogue (perhaps liturgical) of confession and assurance. Its use as a pilgrimage song provides the key to its understanding. Whether the dialogue takes place in a single heart or between individuals in the caravan is of no great consequence since all would share the same convictions. The comforting assurance expressed (see Psalm 33) is equally appropriate for the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and for the pilgrimage of life to the “glory” into which the faithful will be received (see notes on Psalm 49:15; Psalm 73:24).

My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
-121:2-3

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out
and your coming in from this time forth
and forevermore.
-121:5-8

Psalm 122
Let Us Go to the House of the Lord

A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID.

*A hymn of joy over Jerusalem. Sung by a pilgrim in Jerusalem (very likely at one of the three annual festivals, Deuteronomy 16:16), it expresses his deep joy over the city and his prayer for its welfare.

Pray for peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
For my brothers and companions’ sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
-122:6-9

Psalm 123
Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God

A SONG OF ASCENTS.

*A prayer of God’s humble people for him to show mercy and so foil the contempt of the proud.

To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
-123:1

Have mercy upon us, O Lord,
have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
-123:3-4

Psalm 124
Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord

A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID.

*Israel’s praise of the Lord for deliverance from powerful enemies–an appropriate sequel to Psalm 123. Very likely a Levite speaks in verses 1-5, while the worshipers answer in verses 6-8.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
-124:8

Psalm 125
The Lord Surrounds His People

A SONG OF ASCENTS.

*Israel’s peace: in testimony, prayer and benediction. The psalm is most likely postexilic and was probably spoken in the temple liturgy by a Levite.

Those who trust in the Lord
are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
-125:1-2

Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!
-125:4

Psalm 126
Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord

A SONG OF ASCENTS.

*A song of joy for restoration to Zion. If not composed for those who returned from Babylonian exile (see Ezra and Nehemiah)–the place of exile is not named–it surely served to voice the joy of that restored community.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
-126:2-3

Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
-126:5-6

Psalm 127
Unless the Lord Builds the House

A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF SOLOMON.

*Godly wisdom concerning home and hearth. Its theme is timeless; it reminded the pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem that all of life’s securities and blessings are gifts from God rather than their own achievements (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14).

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
-127:3-5

Psalm 128
Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

A SONG OF ASCENTS.

*The blessedness of the godly man; another word of wisdom concerning hearth and home. The concluding benediction suggests that the psalm originally served as a Levitical (or priestly) word of instruction to those assembled from their homes to worship in Jerusalem. Its date may well be preexilic.

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor
of your hands;
you shall be blessed,
and it shall be well with you.
-128:1-2

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
-128:4

Psalm 129
They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

A SONG OF ASCENTS.

*Israel’s prayer for the continued withering of all her powerful enemies. The rescue celebrated in verse 4 is probably from Babylonian exile. Against the background of Psalm 124-128, this prayer for the withholding of God’s blessing is set in sharp relief.

The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
-129:4

“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
-129:8

Psalm 130
My Soul Waits for the Lord

A SONG OF ASCENTS.

*A testimony of trust in the Lord–by one who knows that even though he is a sinner, the Lord hears his cry out of the depths. The language of the psalm suggests a postexilic date. This is the sixth of seven penitential psalms (see introduction to Psalm 6).

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
-130:1-7

Psalm 131
I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul

A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID.

*A confession of humble trust in the Lord–appropriately placed next to Psalm 130.

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
-131:1-2

Psalm 132
The Lord Has Chosen Zion

A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID.

*A prayer for God’s favor on the son of David who reigns on David’s throne. Its language suggests a date early in the monarchy. The venerable belief that it was composed for the dedication of the temple may be correct (compare with 2 Chronicles 6:41-42), but the possibility cannot be ruled out that it was used in the coronation ritual (Psalm 2; Psalm 72; Psalm 110). The author of Chronicles places the prayer (or a portion of it) on the lips of the king himself. In the postexilic liturgy it had Messianic implications.

“I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
-132:3-5

Psalm 133
When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID.

*A song in praise of brotherly unity among the people of God. If David was the author, he may have been moved to write it by some such occasion as when, after many years of conflict, all Israel came to Hebron to make him king (2 Samuel 5:1-3).

Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
-133:1

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
-133:3