Towards the end of 2022, we started going through the Psalms of Ascent (or Psalms of Degrees) during our weekly Wednesday night Bible study and prayer service.
Psalms of Ascent (Psalms of Degrees)
These Psalms, 120-134, clearly form a unit. While their exact purpose is unclear, they share a common theme - the pilgrimages to Jerusalem/Zion/the temple - and seem to display some progression. They may have been sung at particular stages on the journey to the temple, or perhaps form a counter to the preceeding Psalm 119 (the law of God alongside the temple of God).
Whatever the case, these 15 songs showcase the centrality of God’s house and the worship of God in the life of the believer. That was visibly the case for ancient Israel, and remains vital for modern-day believers.
Let’s start with Psalm 120.
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.3What shall be given to you,
and what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4A warrior’s sharp arrows,
with glowing coals of the broom tree!5Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech,
that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
7I am for peace,
but when I speak, they are for war!
The text above (taken from the NASB version) indicates the three general sections of the psalm. Verses 1-2 cry out to God. The next two verses are an imprecation, or maybe even a curse, on a false and betraying tongue. And verses 5-7 are a straight-up lament.
A sense of depression, of being “down” emotionally and spiritually, pervades the entire psalm. Nearly every verse contains a negative sentiment, from the opening “distress” to the plaintive cry “woe is me”! Other psalms in this series move us upwards, but Psalm 120 begins low and far away.
Together, the whole psalm forms a plea, the weary cry of someone who isn’t in the right place: a Sojourner. Someone who, as Kipling says, “wandered on a foreign strand.”
Let’s take each section in order to explore it a bit further.
The Sojourner’s Psalm
120:1-2, Cry
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.
Distress! The psalmist begins in a dark place. He doesn’t wallow in distress; even there, he’s able to turn his eyes upward and cry to God. Note the quiet but firm reassurance at the end of verse one: “and he answered me.”
Confident that God will hear him, whatever his sad state, the psalmist makes a plea for deliverance. From what? From “lying lips” and a “deceitful tongue.” It’s an inward enemy that confronts him.
There are some questions even here. Is the psalmist lamenting the false witness of those around him? Later in the psalm, we see that he is dwelling outside the people of God, beyond the confines of the promised land. It could be that he is worn down by the oppression of their constant falsehoods.
On the other hand, a passage like Matthew 15:17-20 might be helpful here. When confronted with the question of eating with unwashed hands (an issue the Pharisees were condemning the disciples over), Jesus responded with:
Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and [i]slanderous statements. 20These are the things that defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person.”
Note also that in the same passage, Jesus quotes from Isaiah, condeming people who honour God with their mouths but do not follow Him inwardly.
120:3-4, Condemnation
The psalms spring from the psalmist’s heart, so applying the warning of 1-2 to our own tongues is appropriate. But the entirety of the psalm seems focused on the circumstances surrounding the psalmist. The “distress” or “trouble” of verse 1 seems to be primarily external.
3What shall be given to you,
and what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4A warrior’s sharp arrows,
with glowing coals of the broom tree!
In that light, the condemnation of vv. 3-4 is imprecatory. “What shall be done you, you deceitful tongue?” cries the psalmist.
Answer? Sharp arrows to pierce, and burning coals to scorch. Fire can be cleansing or destructive, and clearly here the emphasis is on the latter.
The deadliness and damage of the tongue is such that it takes arrows and burning coals to fight it. There’s a sharp lesson here for any of us prone to sins of the tongue; words can indeed hurt, and so much so that it can take a warrior to counteract them. Don’t excuse your own tongue!
120:5-6, Lament
The final verses of the psalm pack a punch.
5Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech,
that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
7I am for peace,
but when I speak, they are for war!
This is truly a man apart from his people. Meshech and Kedar seem to be references to locations well beyond the land of Israel to the north and south, respectively. The psalmist is dwelling far away from his own people, outside the land.
What’s more, notice the reference to peace and war. He longs for the peace, for the fellowship, of God’s people. But the place he dwells is intrinsically opposed to that peace. The construction in verse 7 is pointed and almost plaintive; it is only when “I speak,” that “they are for war.”
Application
Psalm 120 forms the perfect starting point for a series of psalms that moves the reader closer to God’s house and God’s people. Three applications to consider:
We are all sojourners - this world is not our home; we look for a different city, whose builder and maker is God.
Weariness is natural - “distress,” “woe,” and “war” come hand-in-hand with our sojourning state. We dwell in a world opposed to God and His people; soul-weariness comes with the territory.
We yearn for something better - there’s weariness, yes, but also a sense of longing. We are distressed with our current state because it doesn’t satisfy; only Zion, fellowship with God and His people, will truly satisfy.
May these thoughts be a blessing to your soul. We’ll continue to work through these psalms in sequence, so stay tuned!