Category: Psalms of Ascent

Psalms 120-134 are known as the “Psalms of Ascent” or “Pilgrim Songs.” Every year as the Jews traveled uphill towards the city of Jerusalem to participate in one of the three Jewish festivals, these are the songs they would sing. They became a staple of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem back then and now they serve as a helpful template for us as we worship today.

Psalm 134 is the last of the “songs of ascent.” Psalm 134, among the other songs of ascent, were traditionally sung on the road to the great city, Jerusalem. In this psalm, two words stand out because they are used more than once. “Lord” is used five times in the short three verses that make up this chapter. Twice the NIV version instructs us to praise God. The ESV translation uses the word “bless” (instead of praise) three times. But what does it mean to “bless” God, anyway? Can we really add anything to God? 

In Strong’s Concordance of the Bible, the definition for “bless” reads as follows: “to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit).” When we bless God, our choice to honor God blesses us in return. Every time! We can honor the “Maker of heaven and earth” by praising Him, loving Him, and knowing Him more.  

What type of person should bless and praise the Lord? Psalm 134:1 calls to all who are servants of the Lord. The world should be clear on whom we serve. To serve God is to praise Him. The psalm doesn’t stop clarifying there. Those who bless the Lord are those who “stand in the Lord’s house at night.” Often, we like to keep our “Jesus time” to the scheduled parts of our day such as morning Bible study, Life Group, or Sunday mornings. This psalm tells us that if we are servants of the one true God, we will be caught standing in front of Him, praising, even when it’s not penciled into our schedule.  

It is an honor to bless the Lord, to kneel and adore our King, each day. Charles Spurgeon says, “Bless him for permitting you to serve him, fitting you to serve him and accepting your service.” If we need reasons to think about why we should bless the Lord, we can remind ourselves of the gospel. We were slaves to sin headed directly towards eternal death when Christ’s death intervened to make a way for us to be called sons and daughters in His house for eternity. What else would we do but bless Him? And when we live to bless God, our lives are blessed along the way.

Psalms 120-134 are known as the “Psalms of Ascent” or “Pilgrim Songs.” Every year as the Jews traveled uphill towards the city of Jerusalem to participate in one of the three Jewish festivals, these are the songs they would sing. They became a staple of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem back then and now they serve as a helpful template for us as we worship today.

Unity seems to be in short supply these days. But God tells us that that unity among believers is not only good and pleasant, but holy (even when unity is not easy to reach). Notice David is describing relationships among believers who are dwelling together. We all know close quarters can test relationships. So, he is talking about believers that will inevitably have to sort out some differences to keep unified. These are the exact situations where we are commanded to each do our personal best to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18). 

When we strive for unity, what happens is an abundance of holy blessing. David describes it as oil running down the head, beard, and garment of Aaron. The Enduring Word commentary explains that it was common in these times to anoint one’s head when entering a home, both as a greeting and as a refreshment to the one receiving the oil. Aaron was the high priest and would have been anointed with holy oil so precious it was used only for consecrating his service to God. So, when David describes unity among God’s children as the precious oil that runs upon the head, beard, and garment of Aaron, he is describing a unity of holiness that is a rare and abundant blessing. This blessing is so abundant it is like oil that runs from the top of the head all the way to the ground. Unity is a never-ending source of refreshment—and well worth the work it might take to achieve. 

Don’t be duped. Satan tries to trick us into thinking our differences should divide us. But division is not inevitable! Jesus prayed in John 17 we would be unified and learn to get along. David knew and described believers dwelling together as good – something that points others to God. We have to recognize and remember, as much as it depends on us, we must pursue unity in order to defeat Satan’s plan of division. As Charles Spurgeon said, “What a sacred thing must brotherly love be when it can be likened to an oil which must never be poured on any man but on the Lord’s high-priest alone.” Unity is sacred, holy, and meant to bless us and point others to Jesus. Unity is worth the work.

Psalms 120-134 are known as the “Psalms of Ascent” or “Pilgrim Songs.” Every year as the Jews traveled uphill towards the city of Jerusalem to participate in one of the three Jewish festivals, these are the songs they would sing. They became a staple of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem back then and now they serve as a helpful template for us as we worship today.

In the Psalms, one might be tempted to assume they all just happen to repeat the same teaching or the same theme. While there are obviously repeated themes throughout the Psalms, each is unique, each was placed there by God for a specific reason, and He teaches us through His Spirit what each and every psalm is there for. 

In this specific psalm, we see the psalmist reflect back to David, keeping with the theme of reflective praise found throughout the psalms. Many psalms include a reflection back to David or Moses or Abraham, back to the Lord’s goodness in Israel’s past. While reflecting on that, and praising Him for it, the psalmists lift their own spirits as well as those of the readers, cementing them in the fact of God’s proven character throughout history. As we continue, let’s take this same strategy, rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord and believing He will do it again. 

This psalm is split into two halves, the first half (v. 1-10) talks about David’s oath sworn to the Lord. The second half of the psalm (v. 11-18) talks about the Lord swearing an oath to the Lord. In reading this psalm, two verses stick out for us to reflect on, verses 9 and 16. In verse 9, David asks for the Lord’s priests to be “clothed with your righteousness” and that the faithful people might “sing for joy.” The Lord responds to this specifically in verse 16, saying Zion’s priests will be “clothed with salvation” and her people will “ever sing with joy.” What’s so significant about this is that God didn’t just say this, He backed it up with His actions. 

In Christ, we are “clothed in salvation” and we have been given reason to “ever sing with joy.” In Romans Paul tells his readers to “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,” and in 1 Thessalonians we see Paul call his readers to “Rejoice always!” We see this reality that God promised in Psalm 132 coming to fruition here in the New Testament, and now in our lives, through Jesus Christ. He is the culmination of this oath God made with David! 

It is God’s consistency that we can see here in Psalm 132, and it is His faithfulness that we can reflect on and expect in the present and future. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

Psalms 120-134 are known as the “Psalms of Ascent” or “Pilgrim Songs.” Every year as the Jews traveled uphill towards the city of Jerusalem to participate in one of the three Jewish festivals, these are the songs they would sing. They became a staple of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem back then and now they serve as a helpful template for us as we worship today.

As another psalm of Ascent, Psalm 131 prepares us for worship. Before we approach coming into God’s presence, whether to seek out His voice in prayer, sing His praise, or study His Word, it is of utmost importance that we do some self-inspection of our own motives and mindset. Psalm 131 gives us an example of how to prepare our hearts when coming into the Lord’s presence. The author of the psalm is voicing that their mindset should be grounded in humility, which can be defined as a low view of one’s own importance (Oxford).

God’s Word consistently points to the posture of humility. “To the humble, He gives favor” (Proverbs 3:34). “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). With how often it is quoted in the Bible, it becomes clear that humility is a crucial part of our walk as a Christian, especially when we see it embedded in the character of Jesus. The word humility is nearly synonymous with our Savior as He took on the ultimate form of humility when “being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8). Adopting the mindset of our Savior will assist us in understanding His Word and allow Him to better speak into our lives. When we approach God with humility, we stand to gain so much more from our encounters with Him. 

Humility helps us recognize the wide chasm of sin and imperfection that separates us from our Lord, and it reminds us how desperately we need Him! From this perspective, our time with our Lord feels so much more precious, His truth appears much more life-giving and His promises are revealed to be so much more wonderful! 

Realizing “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and speaking the truth of Psalm 131 will help us with humility. It’s only after we have spoken these truths into our own souls that our pride and self-sufficiency can shrink so that there is a proper space for God. Only then can God speak into the void, like He did in the beginning of creation, with His clear message, “you are Mine” and “you are loved!”

Psalms 120-134 are known as the “Psalms of Ascent” or “Pilgrim Songs.” Every year as the Jews traveled uphill towards the city of Jerusalem to participate in one of the three Jewish festivals, these are the songs they would sing. They became a staple of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem back then and now they serve as a helpful template for us as we worship today.

We all can relate to crying out for mercy from God. Some cries are from the seemingly unrelenting troubles of this world and some are due to the consequences of our sin. This psalm refers to the latter. Believers in Christ have much to learn and grow from its truths.

Psalm 130 is known as one of the seven psalms of repentance, similar to David’s Psalms 6, 32 and 51. Though we are unclear the exact circumstances that prompted the writing of it, verse 8 points towards Israel waiting for redemption of their sins. We see repeatedly in the Old Testament that Israel’s lack of faith and trust in God lead them to turn from Him and seek their own answers to their problems. We are no different today. We seek earthly pleasure to hide from pain or control when our life is spinning out. This psalm shows us we serve a God who keeps no record of our sins (v. 3), forgives us (v. 4), and has unfailing love and full redemption for us (v. 7). Through Christ, we see the evidence of this truth fulfilled. Ephesians 1:7 says that in Christ we have redemption and forgiveness of our sins. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that we are saved by God’s grace alone. If believers in Christ simply confess our sin to God, He will forgive us and cleanse us (1 John 1:9). What a loving and forgiving God!

Another truth addressed in this psalm is found in verses 5 and 6: waiting. The word is repeated 5 times within these 2 verses. Here the Israelites are waiting for God to redeem their sins. Waiting is a reality we all face probably every day. Some waiting is more excruciating: a result from a biopsy, a successful pregnancy after many failed attempts, or a prodigal return to the faith. We cry out to God, waiting for His answer. In verse 5, we are instructed to put our hope in His word in our waiting. God has laid out promises to us throughout Scripture for us to trust in. Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us that if we lay our anxiety and requests before God, His peace will guard us. He sees us in our waiting. 

Put your trust in the God that has forgiven all of our sins and gives us hope through His Word while we wait. Cry out to Him with whatever you are walking through today.

Psalms 120-134 are known as the “Psalms of Ascent” or “Pilgrim Songs.” Every year as the Jews traveled uphill towards the city of Jerusalem to participate in one of the three Jewish festivals, these are the songs they would sing. They became a staple of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem back then and now they serve as a helpful template for us as we worship today.

Psalm 129 finds our psalmist crying out for help from the Lord, that He might grant His people strength and liberty from their oppressors. Another one of the Songs of Ascent, this is a psalm the Jewish people would sing when traveling to Jerusalem for festivals and sacrifices.

The plight of this unnamed psalmist might feel familiar. It is easy to look at the injustice around us, sitting in the midst of a sin-ridden world that appears increasingly averse to the Church and her mission. We can feel hopeless at even the best of times. Here, the psalmist models for us the fact that we have permission to cry out to God and ask Him to enact His righteous will in power, and to deliver the weak and the oppressed. 

It is also easy to read this psalm and to be confused. If there is a New Testament command to love our neighbor, even our enemy, as ourself, how can we pray that our enemies “be put to shame and turned back” (v. 5)? We sit in the midst of a great tension in this and other outcries of the oppressed in the Old Testament. Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and those who persecute us. What this psalm helps us see is that, while we are called to graciously pray for those who persecute us, we cannot sit idly by when we see oppression and injustice. 

We are to pray earnestly to the Lord that He would shatter oppression wherever it stands, and that in its place He would expand the ground of His kingdom here on the earth (Matthew 6:10). God is in ultimate, sovereign control of all things, but He also wants us, as the psalmist shows us here, to care about what breaks His heart, talk to Him about it, and ask Him to change things like a child would ask his Father. 

Psalms 120-134 are known as the “Psalms of Ascent” or “Pilgrim Songs.” Every year as the Jews traveled uphill towards the city of Jerusalem to participate in one of the three Jewish festivals, these are the songs they would sing. They became a staple of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem back then and now they serve as a helpful template for us as we worship today.

Psalm 128 gives us courage and promises what the Lord has in store for us if we walk in obedience. If you grew up in the faith, you have heard how obedience leads to blessing in this life. This psalm discusses in detail the blessing obedient, Christian servants will experience on earth before the ultimate blessing of eternity with Him.

The beginning of this psalm states those who fear the Lord and obey Him are blessed. Blessed means to be “endowed with divine favor and protection” (Oxford English Dictionary). As Christians, we know Jesus died for our sins and blessed us with the gift of eternal life. However, verse 1 explicitly says if we fear the Lord and walk obediently, we will see divine favor in our lives before we join Him in eternity. This favor can come in the form of successfully navigating daily challenges.

In these and other challenging situations, the Lord has high hopes we will respond in a way that is honoring and pleasing to the Lord. Fearing the Lord and being obedient can look like being a light to a coworker or asking for God’s wisdom when handling finances. By seeking His wisdom and obeying what He commands us to do, despite the difficulty, our efforts are rewarded in various ways. Verses 2-6 state what our main blessings would look like if we are obedient. The psalmist here knows that a growing, lively family is an example of a blessing the Lord provides a faithful servant. Throughout the rest of the psalm, we see emphasis on the Lord’s blessings as a promise to those who are obedient. 

As Christians, we are not perfect. In fact, we never will be (at least on this side of eternity). Only God is perfect. That is why we need Him, seek His wisdom and obey Him throughout our lives. We will mess up. But, by heeding the Lord and being obedient to Him, we will see our reward. As we head into today, ask the Lord how you can obey and fear Him best. Seek His wisdom in prayer and push yourself to obey Him always, even when it’s difficult. The path to all of the blessings God promises His children is obedience.  

Psalms 120-134 are known as the “Psalms of Ascent” or “Pilgrim Songs.” Every year as the Jews traveled uphill towards the city of Jerusalem to participate in one of the three Jewish festivals, these are the songs they would sing. They became a staple of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem back then and now they serve as a helpful template for us as we worship today.

The opening verses of this psalm are a theological statement. They tell us something about who God is: He is powerful, and He loves us. God can, and God cares. 

Solomon, the author of this psalm, is noted as the wisest man who ever lived. His words in this psalm are reminiscent of some of his writing from the book of Ecclesiastes: Labor without faith is meaningless. Working on our own leads to frustration and futility, while trusting God leads to rest. Work itself is good. We were created to work, and God is honored by our hard work when it is submitted to Him. But we have to remember who makes our work possible and profitable. Whether building a house or defending a city, we need God.

As we learn dependence on Him for every task, He cares for us and gives us rest. Dr. Thomas Constable, a scholar and retired professor, says this about Psalm 127:“The godly need to recognize that people are never self-made. We owe all that we possess to God’s providence ultimately. Consequently, we should avoid the trap of depending totally on ourselves for all we need in life. Instead, we should trust God as we work and acknowledge His good gifts.”

In the New Testament, Paul writes frequently about boasting in God’s power and not our own. Ephesians 2:4-10 paints a clear picture of our need, God’s power, and His great love for us:

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We were dead, and He made us alive! Because of God’s great love for us, He saved us and called us to a holy life. Everything we do flows from Him. He is powerful, and He loves us. God can, and God cares. 

Psalms 120-134 are known as the “Psalms of Ascent” or “Pilgrim Songs.” Every year as the Jews traveled uphill towards the city of Jerusalem to participate in one of the three Jewish festivals, these are the songs they would sing. They became a staple of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem back then and now they serve as a helpful template for us as we worship today.

The title given to this psalm—Zion’s Restoration, A Pilgrim Song/A Song of Ascents—provides the backdrop for the passage. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a pilgrim as “a person who travels to a holy place for religious reasons.” In this context, the sacred place was Jerusalem, often referred to as Zion, as Jews were most likely returning from Babylonian captivity. It seemed they were living in a dream after 70 years of exile; joy, laughter, and songs radiated from them as they journeyed back to their homeland, giving credit to the Lord who had done great things for them (v. 2-3). As the returning exiles caught sight of Mount Zion, they were filled with gratitude to be back in their own land. The surrounding nations were familiar with their captivity and took notice, and they looked in awe of God who had fulfilled His word and brought His people back.

The closer they drew to Jerusalem, the more apparent it became that their homeland was in desperate need of restoration. Think of returning to a childhood home after many years and finding a dilapidated house with overgrown landscape, but on a much larger scale. The Israelites looked upon their city and realized there was much work to be done. Life is often like a set of parallel railroad tracks, as joy and sadness can coexist. One does not negate the other. What a gamut of emotions the people must have experienced as described in verse 5: “Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.” The people acknowledged that God had done an amazing work in the past, and begged and trusted Him to do it again.  

One of God’s past works they surely recalled is found in Joshua 4. This speaks of the memorial stones the Jews took from the middle of the Jordan River after God parted the waters during the spring flood stage and commanded them to cross over, requiring great faith from the people. Joshua knew the importance of remembering: “When your children ask their fathers in the future—what is the meaning of these stones—tell your children Israel crossed over on dry ground. This is so all the people of the earth may know that the Lord’s hand is mighty, and that you may always fear the Lord your God” (Joshua 4:22, 24).