Today we come to a new section of 15 exciting psalms,
Psalms 120-134. Each of these psalms is called "A Song of Ascents."
The Hebrew word translated "ascents” or "degrees" comes from a
root that means "to go up," as ascending a stairway. Ten of the
psalms are anonymous, four are attributed to David (Pss. 122, 124, 131, 133)
and one to Solomon (Ps. 127). These psalms were selected to form a
"hymnal" to be used by the people who went to Jerusalem for the three
annual feasts (Ex. 23:14-19); Passover in spring, Pentecost in early summer,
and Tabernacles in the autumn. The pilgrims sang these songs together as they
journeyed in family groups to Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-52), and this helped to
focus their minds on what the Lord had done for their nation.
Three special themes are repeated: (1) the afflictions that Israel
experienced at the hands of the other nations, (2) the gracious way God cared
for and protected His chosen people, and (3) the blessing of being in
Jerusalem. Israel had suffered contempt and scorn (123:3-4), near extinction
(124:1-5; 130:1), traps (124:6-7), bondage (126:1, 4), and affliction
(129:1-3), yet she is still here!
Under the leadership of Moses, the Israelites were a
nomadic people for forty years. But after they settled in Canaan, the Lord
required them to go to Jerusalem three times a year. This reminded them that,
spiritually speaking, they were still a pilgrim people and needed to depend on
the Lord. "For we are aliens and pilgrims before you," said
David in 1 Chronicles 29:15.
Too many believers today want to be "settlers,"
not pilgrims and strangers (Heb. 11:8-10, 13-16; 1 Peter 1:1; 2:11). We are
happy to settle down in our comfort zones and live as though Jesus never died,
Jesus is not coming again, and our lives will never end. We are guilty of what
Eugene Peterson calls "the tourist mindset," content to make
occasional brief visits with the Lord that are leisurely and entertaining, all
the while conforming to this world and enjoying it.
In Psalm 120, we are looking at the pilgrim and where he
lives. The pilgrim in this psalm said he lived "in Meshech and in
Kedar." Who was Meshech? He was one of the sons of Japheth. Genesis 10:2
tells us of "the sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan,
and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras." From the sons of Japheth came the
gentile nations, and Israel today is scattered among the Gentiles throughout
the world. They dwell in "Meshech" located in Asia Minor. "Kedar" was the son of Ishmael. It
was located south of Israel in Arabia. Does that tell you anything? The pilgrim
was living among the Arabs. How interesting is that?
Notice that in verse 2 he cries, "Deliver my soul,
O LORD, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue." He was
surrounded by people with mean tongues. The man who sojourned in Meshech had
been maligned and lied about. I do believe that no people have been lied about,
maligned, and persecuted as much as the Jews. We hear much about minority
groups today, and the interesting thing is that the Jew has been able to make
his way among all nations and peoples, but he has been criticized the entire
time. Anti-Semitism has been real down through the ages; yet the Jew has been
able to survive all of it. The Jews are a minority group among the Gentiles and
among the people of the world; and they have lived in the place of gossip,
quarrels, tensions, problems, and burdens. Also, this can be said of you and
"My soul has dwelt too long with
one who hates peace. I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war.” This
certainly describes the Jews' current situation.
Today, like the pilgrim, we need to pray (vv. 1-2). We must
trust the LORD (vv. 3-4), as the lost world lies about us. And we must
patiently endure their hatred for us (vv. 5-7). And we need to remember that our
citizenship is in heaven (Luke 10:20; Phil. 3:20; Heb. 12:22-24), and that
should make a difference in our lives on earth.
