While most of the Bible speaks to us about God and about God’s ways, the Psalms help us to speak to God.
Rev Dr Botros Botrosdief
“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
(Psalms 115:1 & 34:18)
But to Your name give glory… The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”.
The Pilgrim’s Songs
The Ascent to Jerusalem
Christmas 2026
“I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” .
(Ps 121:1-2)
Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. Psalm 120: Praying in Times of Trouble.
2. Psalm 121: My Help Comes from the Lord.
3. Psalm 122: Joy of Going to the House of the Lord.
4. Psalm 123: Our Eyes Look to the Lord.
5. Psalm 124: Our Help is in the Name of the Lord.
6. Psalm 125: The Lord Surrounded His People.
7. Psalm 126: Restore our Fortunes O Lord.
8. Psalm 127: Unless the Lord Build the House.
9. Psalm 128: Blessed are Those who Fear the Lord.
10. Psalm 129: They have Afflicted Me.
11. Psalm 130: My Soul Waits for the Lord.
12. Psalm 131: I Have Calmed my Quieted Soul.
13. Psalm 132: The Lord Has Chosen Zion.
14. Psalm 133: When Brothers Dwell in Unity.
15. Psalm 134: Come, Bless the Lord.
Preface
For hundreds of years millions of people all over the world have used the Psalms in the Bible to express their praise and prayers to God. And while most of the Bible speaks to us about God and about God’s ways, the Psalms help us to speak to God. They are given to teach us of God’s greatness, truth, power and love. They help us to praise God and to pray to him. This is precisely the aim behind the writing of this book, to have better understanding and use of the psalms in both private and public worship.
To this end, I would like to thank Marian Reale for editing this book and dedicate this book to all members and adherents of Whittlesea and Mernda Presbyterian Church. May God be praised and His name highly exalted for all good things that come from Him.
Soli Deo Gloria- To God Be the Glory
Botros Botrosdief
Christmas 2026
Introduction
The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 Hebrew poems, songs, and prayers that reflect many of the different circumstances we face in our lives: joy and sorrow, difficulty and danger, failure and sin, sickness and fear of death, but also deliverance and victory, as well as wonder at God’s goodness, love and saving power.
According to the Bible, the book of Psalms is organized into five distinct books. The first four books include book 1 (Psalms 1–41), book 2 (Psalms 42–72), book 3 (Psalms 73–89), book 4 (Psalms 90–106), ending with a doxology, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen”. Book 5 (Psalm 107–150) concludes with five poems of praise to the God of Israel (Ps. 146-150), each beginning and ending with the word “hallelujah”, which is a command to “Praise Yahweh,” the divine name of the Lord God Almighty, creator of the heavens and the earth.
The Psalms may be also divided to the following 7 different kinds of themes to make it easy to understand:
Praises, thanksgiving and Hallelujah psalms that extol God’s greatness, faithfulness, salvation, like (8, 18, 27, 30, 34, 65-68, 81, 84, 89, 92, 93, 95-100, 103, 107,113-118, 136, and 145 to 150).
- Psalms of Repentance, which are prayers with confession of sin and request for God’s mercy and forgiveness like (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143).
- Psalms of Flee, which are prayers of David seeking God to deliver him while fleeing from his enemies, like psalms (3, 7, 11, 34, 54, 56, 57, 59, 68 and 142).
- Psalms of Pilgrim or “Psalms of Ascents” that were sung by the pilgrim Jews on their way up to the house of the Lord like (120 to 134).
- Wisdom Psalms that offer instruction on living a righteous life, contrasting the fate of the wicked with the blessedness of the just, meditating on God’s Word, with lessons from history to rely on God, like psalms, (1, 15, 36, 37, 49, 73, 78, 105, 106, 112, 119, 127, 128, and 133).
- Messianic Psalms, that speaks of Jesus as the Christ, the anointed King, his life, his suffering and the glory of his reign. There are 15 psalms like psalms (2, 8,16,22,24, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, and 89,110,118).
- Revenge Psalms that invoke divine judgment, upon enemies, asking God for vengeance, with examples in Psalms (35, 58, 69, 109, 94, and 137).
In the light of the New Testament, we do not pray those kinds of prayers. Instead, we ask God to bless them and open their eyes that they come to God and be saved. Our Lord Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5: 43-45)
In essence, Psalms teach us to neither ignore our pain nor let it determine our lives. It is all about the lament, praise, faith, and hope that points to God as the ultimate source of comfort, strength, and hope for his people.
In this book, our focus is on the psalms of the ascents. In each psalm we will look at the main features and the most important things to be learnt from them.
The Psalms of the Ascents
In the book of Psalms, there are fifteen Psalms from 120 to 134, which share the common inscription: “A song of ascents.” The word “ascent” means “steps” or “going up”. They are Psalms of Ascents because these psalms were sung by the pilgrim Jews on their way up to Jerusalem as David sang in Psalm 122, “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’” We may call these 15 songs, “A Traveler’s Hymn Book”. The Lord said to the people of Israel to go to Jerusalem and celebrate three feasts, “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tabernacles” (Ex. 23:14-17; 34:23; Deut 16:16).
At the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which also is called (Passover), they praise and thank God who delivered them from the bondage in Egypt. At the Feast of the Weeks which is also called (Shavuot or Pentecost), they praise God for the harvest, and his provision of food. At the Feast of Tabernacles which is called (Tents or Sukkoth), they give thanks to God for the rest in the Promised Land after their 40 years wandering in the wilderness.
But these 15 Psalms are also called Psalms of Ascent because the psalms themselves have an upward motion. They begin with the believer crying out to God in trouble far away from Jerusalem, and they end with believers offering up praise to God in His temple courts. And so, these are travel songs full of beautiful imagery, meaningful expression and divine wisdom for the journey. In the time of their captivity, they were scattered in the Babylonian empire away from their land, being forced to live in this strange land, and remember those days as the psalmist said in Psalm 42:4, “I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast”.
Psalms of Ascents are short, easy to memorize, and meant to be sung in praise and worship to God. The Psalms of Ascents hold great meaning for Christians; we also are on a journey, not on a literal journey to Jerusalem, of course, but rather a spiritual journey, a pilgrimage of the heart. We read in Psalm 84:1-2, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” This is what we were made for. This is what we have been looking for all our lives. This is what we truly desire in our heart; to meet with God and to know the beauty of His presence. And so, we don’t just want to study these psalms but rather learn them and then pray them back to God as He intended.
Psalm 120
“In my distress I called to Yahweh, the LORD and He answered me.O LORD, deliver my soul from a lying lip, from a deceitful tongue.What shall He give to you, and what shall He add to you, O deceitful tongue? Sharp arrows of the warrior, with the burning coals of the broom tree.Woe is me, for I dwell in Meshek, for I live among the tents of Kedar!Too long has my soul had its dwelling with those who hate peace.I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war”.
Psalm 120 is the first of the Psalms of Ascent. It is about remembering to pray in times of trouble and distress in exile. It speaks about the experience of the believer Jews who are far, far away from home and in great distress. They long to be home and to be in the house of the Lord.
The Psalmist was calling the Lord in his distress, “Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue”. Also, in a moment of self-pity, he laments his enforced stay among the Pagans in this strange land and says, “Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshek (north of the Babylonian empire), that I dwell among the tents of Kedar (south of the Babylonian empire)! Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace (70 years exile- 606 to 536) I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!”
Psalm 120, is calling us to do three things as the psalmist did when we are like him experiencing distress and disappointment. First, we are called to heed God’s call to pray in the time of trouble (vv. 1-2). Second, we are called to trust in the Lord’s justice in the time of our trials (vv. 3-4). And third, we are called to patiently endure our sojourn in a foreign land (verses 5-7).
First, we are called to pray like the psalmist in midst of distress and trouble. We can count on the Lord that He is hearing us when we cry out to Him for help, as the psalmist gives testimony to, “In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me” v.1. So, what was the psalmist distress? What was the cause of his trouble?
He cried to the Lord “O Lord, deliver me, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue” v.2. His trouble was that people were lying about him and slandering his name. He is surrounded by liars, and he asks God to deliver him. One of the bitter experiences of a believer’s life is to be the victim of lies and slander. He can easily become a twisted in humiliation and frustration. It hurts. It’s very painful. He cannot do anything to defend himself, because as someone said, “a lie can go around the world while the truth is putting its boots on”.
When they lie with their deceitful tongues about him, it’s meant to hurt him and to drag him down. Deceit implies intent, and so these lies are not innocent mistakes, but they are meant to hurt. The trial that the psalmist is facing is not being physically persecuted by those who surround him, but it is a trial of the tongue and what is being said about him. That is why he cries out “O Lord, deliver me, from lying lips and the deceitful tongue.” Thank God, the Lord answered him and saved him. Praise the Lord.
Let us fix our eyes on Lord Jesus, our Saviour, He too was slandered by false accusation and slanderous tongues. But he was vindicated by the Father who raised him from the dead, and by His resurrection proved that He was right in all that he said and promised. The Bible said in Hebrews 5:7, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the Father, the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission”.
Yes, we are called to pray like the psalmist in the midst of our distress and trouble and know the Lord will answer our cry for help. Remember always, that our hope is not in our activity, but in the Lord’s sovereignty. Our hope is not in our doing, but in His doing because the Lord has promised us saying in psalm 50:15, Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
Secondly, like the psalmist, we are called to trust in the Lord’s justice in our trials.
In verses 3-4, the Psalmist said, “What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!” In these two verses, the psalmist is not addressing his enemies, but this is the message God gave him in answer to his cry to God to save him from lying tongues. He did not need to defend himself again, because the Lord would do it for him.
These two verses can be said in this way, “What will He do to you O men who speak deceitfully? He’ll punish you with arrows sharp, hot coals from the broom tree.” The enemy’s tongues may shoot arrows that hurt, but God’s arrows of judgment are going to be much, much sharper than their arrows. The psalmist was confident that God would punish the enemy with their own weapons, but consequences would be far worse.
The psalmist, as he’s thinking about this trial, starts meditating on God’s sovereignty and he starts meditating on God’s justice and he reminds us that the judgment of the liar, the deceiver, and the slanderer will be greater than the pain that that liar or deceiver or slanderer causes by his wicked words. And so, the psalmist meets this trial not only with prayer, but also with an appeal to God’s sovereign providence and judgment. When we are slandered and lied about, we must leave the matter with the Lord and trust Him to work as it said in Psalm 64: 3-4 & 7-8, “They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear. But God will shoot them with his arrows, they will suddenly be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn. For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face”. Praise the Lord.
Third, like the psalmist, we are called to patiently endure our sojourn in a foreign land (vv. 5-7).
The psalmist meditates on sojourning, dwelling in a strange land and said, “Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshek, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!” He laments his long stay in exile (70 years from 606 to 536). He mentioned two places; Meshek, in Turkey, in the northern part of the Babylonian Empire and Kedar in Arabia, in the southern part of the Babylonian Empire. Both represent the miserable places where its people were at war with the Israelites in captivity among them away from home.
The psalmist represents the Jews who were scattered far away from home as the two places were symbols of trouble and misery to Israel. The psalmist wants to live in peace with the people who live among them but they want war. His efforts to bring about peaceful co-existence had been failed by their repeated act of war again and again. In his distress he cries, “Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshek, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!”
Psalm 120 would remind the pilgrims that they were privileged to be able to go to Jerusalem and that others would have liked to go with them. Like the psalmist, we may well find ourselves in the same situation with those who are looking only to trouble and slander us. So, we must be patient and keep praying for them that the Lord change their hearts, as Philippians 3:20 says, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus the Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body”.
Psalm 121
“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord Yahweh, who made heaven and earth.He will not allow your foot to stumble; He who keeps you will not slumber.Behold, He who keeps Israel will not slumber and will not sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from now until forever”.
Psalm 121 is the second of the 15 songs of Ascent. It offers truth we can cling to, even when the worries and realities of life threaten us as it says in verses 7-8, “The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul… The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore”. It speaks of God’s protection over His people Israel who used to travel long distances to Jerusalem, from their homes in the countryside. Day and night they travelled to Jerusalem to worship Him in His Holy Temple. The city of Jerusalem is built on one of the highest hills, and is surrounded by mountains, so the way to go there on foot and on animals in the ancient time was not easy at all. That is why they sang that psalm seeking the Lord’s help and protection to bring them safely to His presence.
The message of psalm 121, “God watches over His People” still applies to us today even though we do not literally travel to Jerusalem on the mountains by foot or by animals for many days. We are, however, spiritual pilgrims going up by our spirits to the presence of the Lord in His house to worship Him in spirit and in truth. He gives us the assurance to keep our souls safe as we journey in this life.
In summary, Psalm 121, tells us three things about our God, the Sovereign Lord, over all things in heaven and in earth: In verses 1-2, He helps us. In verses 3-3, He keeps and protects us. And in verses 7-8, He preserves us.
The Sovereign Lord Helps Us (vv. 1-2)
Verses 1-2, tell the pilgrims to look up to the mountains: God’s creation is before you; remember the Lord is your helper. When the pilgrim travellers caught sight of the mountains surrounding Jerusalem, their leader says, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from. My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth”.
Mountains stand for strength, stability, and power. The leader reminded the pilgrims that their God is Yahweh the Almighty, creator of heaven and the earth. This gives them comfort and peace taking away any fear, because the mountains are His and His dominion is over all His creation as Psalm 125:2 says, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever”. To lift up our eyes to the mountains is to be reassured that God its Creator is sovereign over all as Psalm 125: 1 says, “Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever”.
The Sovereign Lord Keeps and Protects Us (vv.3-6)
Verses 3-6 tell the pilgrims’ answer to their leader that says, yes, God’s eyes are upon us, He will keep and protect us, “He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel, shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night”.
The word “keeps” (watches over) is used in this psalm six times. It means “to guard and protect”. Even while we sleep, God watches over us because He does not go to sleep. As psalm 34:15 and 1 Peter 3:12 state, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous (in Christ), and His ears are open to their cry”, and in Psalm 32:9 God said, “I will counsel you with my eye upon you”.
In the olden times, travel through mountains not only was difficult, but dangerous. There were few paths and lots of hiding places for wild animals and would-be robbers. In the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, the Jewish pilgrim from Jericho, was attacked by robbers, stripped of his clothes, beaten and robbed being left half dead.
The pilgrim travellers to and from Jerusalem travelled risky roads wondering, if they would get home safely. “Where does my help come from?” The answer comes through a dialogue between the believer and his soul, and the dialogue between the pilgrims and their spiritual leader, a Levi or a Priest. They anticipate Divine help and they are assured of His presence with them. They look up to the Sovereign Lord as their Helper and their Keeper. “I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth”. He will not allow your foot slip … The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord will watch over your coming and going now and forever”.
Unlike false pagan’s gods, the God of Israel “will neither slumber nor sleep.” Our God watches over us at all times. He doesn’t grow tired or weary as we do. He’s not busy and unaware of what we need. Idol worshippers believed their gods became tired and needed sleep. The prophet Elijah taunted the worshippers of Baal when they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. They danced around the altar they had made and at noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely, he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or travelling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So, they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention” (1 Kings 18).
Elijah confirmed the faith of the true Israelites who say, “Our God is in heaven… But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them and so will all who trust in them. All you Israelites trust in the Lord, He is our help and shield” (Ps. 115:3-9).
The Lord said about idols worship, in Isaiah 44:14-21, “He cut down cedars, or took a cypress or oak… It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal; he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!” They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?” Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?” “Remember these things, Jacob, for you, Israel, are my servant. I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you”.
The Lord God Yahweh, creator of heaven and earth is the living God, fully in control and fully attentive. He is not only our helper, and our protector, but also is the Sovereign Lord who preserves our soul from all harm as verses 7-8 say, “The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore”.
The God of Israel, the God of Jacob said to him, “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” (Gen 28:15). Here in psalm 121 is a sense of God’s watchfulness and his protection, a promise that no matter what happens; Yahweh stands guard over us day and night, in the present and in the future. From our human perspective, things may appear completely out of control, yet the God of Jacob who keeps Israel, will keep us forevermore (v. 8).
Now, we have to ask, “Does God really keep us from all evil?” And what does it mean that He will? The hand of evil touches everything. God keeping us doesn’t mean that we will never have problems or difficulties and heartache. But it does mean that evil will not have the final word in our lives and will not be able to destroy our faith or our soul. Notes here what the Psalm says in verses 7-8, “The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and forever”.
The Bible says in 1 Cor 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.“ Our God will not allow the trials to be more than we can stand. This is what the Lord Jesus said to Simon Peter in Luke 22:31-32,“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren”.
In the Book of Jeremiah 45:1-5, we read about a man named Baruch, a man of wealth, full of dreams of having a better and peaceful future. On many occasions, Baruch helped Jeremiah to write the prophetic message that the Lord God gave Jeremiah and Baruch boldly read it at the Temple without fear from the opposition of the leaders who were against Jeremiah. Baruch lost everything in the time of Babylonians war against Judah and the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet to tell Baruch this, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: You said, ‘Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.’ But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow Israel, what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the land. Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For I will bring disaster on Israel, declares the Lord, But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go”.
The apostle Paul in Romans 8:38-39, assures us again that the sovereign God is the One who keeps our souls, as he said, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, no things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ, Jesus our Lord”. We are all traveling along life’s journey. Let us then lift our eyes to Yahweh, the LORD GOD Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, who is Our Helper, Our Keeper, Our Protector and Our Preserver, today, tomorrow and forever. Stand on His promises and enjoy life now until He comes. Praise Him.
Psalm 122
“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together, where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, to the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the Lord. For thrones are set there for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.” For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.” Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good”.
Psalm 122 is the third of the 15 “Songs of the Ascents”, (120-134). These Songs were sang all the way up to the House of the Lord in Jerusalem. Three times a year God’s people were to leave their work and homes behind and gather in the Temple, for worship, sacrifice and fellowship. Psalm 122 is a psalm of joy for being in the Temple, where God’s people rejoice in His Presence (vv. 1-2), in Jerusalem, God’s city (vv. 3-4), and in unity pray for the peace of Jerusalem (vv. 6-9). It was time for the pilgrims to leave behind the normal hardships and gather with the people of God. To rejoice with the feasts, to sing, to pray and to remember once again what it meant to belong to God’s people.
Joy in God’s Presence (vv. 1-2)
“I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem.” Getting to Jerusalem was a challenge. Threats awaited at every turn. There was a real possibility of being robbed or assaulted on the journey and also risked injury on the rugged to Jerusalem. The Jewish pilgrim understood what he was risking by going to Jerusalem. But that doesn’t stop them from saying, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” They were glad and rejoiced to worship in the Temple enjoying God’s presence. Psalm 122 is a way of calling us back to see the church for what it really is. It teaches us to look forward to gathered worship in the Lord’s Day, each week, to rejoice in His Presence. Our place of worship has replaced the Temple worship.
Where is God’s presence now?
Lord Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “a time is coming and has come now when you will worship the Father neither on the mountain of Gerizim nor in Jerusalem, when the true worshipers worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:19-24). In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, the apostle Paul said to the Church of Christ, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”. It almost sounds impossible. How could a simple church building with a congregation that meets every Sunday, rival the glory of the Jewish temple? Christ has done it. Praise Him, by his death for our sins, He brought a permanent change to the worship of the people of God. God’s presence is no longer the rare experience for the high priests of Israel in the Holy of Holies of the Temple. Being in God’s presence continually is what it means to be a Christian. And when we gather in the name of Christ, even a gathering with only two or three, He will be present among us as He said, and is magnified as we sing and glorify His name for what He has done for us.
Gathering in unity in God’s City (vv. 3-4)
“Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together, where the tribes of the Lord, go up to give thanks to the name of the Lord.”
Coming together in unity and with joyful songs to praise the Lord in His Temple, inspires the pilgrim to praise also Jerusalem, the city that God has chosen to set His name to be glorified and be praised. Not only that but also the pilgrim Jew there in Jerusalem, remembered the faithfulness of God in saving his people Israel as he said, “where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, to the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord”.
But what does Jerusalem mean to Christians now in the light of the New Testament? 2 Chronicles 12:13 states the old literal “Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there.” Apostle Paul in his Letter to the Galatians, chapter 4, said the earthly Jerusalem, represents the people of the Old Testament, bondage under the old Covenant of the Law, who want to be justified by doing the Law. They cannot be justified by doing the Law of the Ten Commandments, because under the law no one can be free from the condemnation of sin.
The apostle Paul uses Abraham’s sons: Ishmael, Hagar’ son and Isaac, Sarah’ son to contrast two Jerusalems: Hagar’s son represents Old Jerusalem, those under the law (slavery). But Sarah’s son represents the New Jerusalem, those under grace (freedom), who are in Christ free from condemnation, justified by His Redeeming Cross and by faith in Him and the giving of the grace of justification and forgiveness of sins.
Paul said, to the Galatians believers, “Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.
These things are being taken figuratively:
The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present the old city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the new Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. Now you, like Isaac, are children of promise. Therefore, brethren, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman”.
(Galatians 4:21-31)
“So, we have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. So, in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith… For in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile… for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”
(Gal 2:16 & 3:26-29)
So, all believers in Christ from all backgrounds, Jews or Gentiles are the people of the New Covenant, the New Jerusalem, the heavenly mother above, who belong to the heavenly citizens as the apostle Paul said in Hebrews 12:18-24, “You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast … The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
But you have come to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly (who rejoiced in seeing our salvation), to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. … to the spirits of the righteous made perfect (all believers who have gone before us), You have come to God to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood of Jesus that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel”
(Hebrews 12:18-24)
The apostle John said in Revelation 21:1-11, that the New Jerusalem is the Bride of Christ “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And the angel said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the bride of the Lamb.” And he showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God.
As Christians we are citizens of “the heavenly Jerusalem.” That’s the important one. In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul states, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21).
We long for “new Jerusalem,” when it comes down from heaven and there’s a “new heaven and a new earth.” Then we will dwell forever with the Lord in the new creation. That’s our longing! As we are waiting for that day, we have responsibility today to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for its people as the verses 6-9 in this psalm said, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem… Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good”.
Three times he speaks of the “peace of Jerusalem and its people”, saying we should pray for it. Peace is “more than the absence of war…it the well-being of the body, spirit and soul”. And in 1 Timothy 2, the Bible tells us as Christians we should pray for the physical Jerusalem as well as for the spiritual Jerusalem. “Prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people… This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people”.
We pray for their salvation that God will open their eyes that they may know Jesus their Messiah who came to save them. We pray also for all people of the world, as our Lord Jesus said in John10:16, “And I have other sheep that are not of the Jewish fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd”. And in Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19-20 He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned”.
Psalm 122 is telling us of the joy of our coming to a church gathering in the very presence of God. It is the gathering of citizens of the new Jerusalem — even when we are distracted by many cares and worries as physical citizens on earth. Yet, we spiritually come each Lord’s Day, to feast, to rejoice in the Lord, to cast our burden on Him, and hear His Word of life, that reminds us of the faithfulness of God. Yes, this is as the believer said in psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”. And with confidence we join the palmist and say as psalm 23:6 states, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life”. Praise Him. Amen.
Psalm 123
“I lift up my eyes to you, whose throne is in heave. As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt. We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant, and contempt from the proud”.
Psalm 123 is the fourth of the 15 “Songs of the Ascents”, (120-134). These Songs were sang all the way up to the House of the Lord in Jerusalem, three times a year when God’s people were to leave their work and homes behind and gather in the Temple, for worship, sacrifice and fellowship remembering once again what it meant to belong to God’s people. God said to the people of Israel to go to Jerusalem and celebrate the feasts, “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tabernacles” (Ex. 23:14; 34:23; Deut 16:16).
Psalm 123 highlights the essence of looking to a higher power during times of distress. It is a Prayer for Relief from Contempt.
When we find ourselves troubled by slander, ridicule, and persecution, where do we turn for help?
Psalm 123 gives three answers to that question. First, we look by faith to God’s Throne as verse 1 says, “I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven”. Second, we look by faith to God’s Hand as verse 2 says, “As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy”. And third, we wait patiently for the Lord’s grace and mercy as verses 3-4 say, “Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt. We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant, of contempt from the proud”.
When we find ourselves being slandered, ridiculed, and persecuted, we turn to God and look by faith to His Throne as Psalm 123 :1 says, “I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven”.
The throne of God is not as we imagine like a big chair, He sits upon, but it refers to His Sovereignty over everything in heaven and on earth, as Psalm 103:19 said, “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all”. Of course, with our human’s eyes, we cannot see God on His throne, but with the eyes of faith we see Him as the psalmist said, “My eyes are toward the Lord” (Psalm. 25:15).
To look toward the Lord means to trust Him and turn our problems over to Him by faith, as Hebrews 12:2-3 said, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God… Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls”.
To Christians today, God’s Throne is the throne of Grace and Hebrews 4:14-16 encourage us to come before Him, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”.
Our life of faith begins by looking to the Lord and trusting Him for His Salvation, as He call all people saying, in Isaiah 45:22, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other”. And in John 10:7 and 14:6 He says, “I Am the Gate, whoever enters through me will be saved”. “I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me”. Our life of faith continues as we keep our eyes of faith on Jesus and heed His calling in our trouble as He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). Our life of faith will climax with faith becoming sight and we will see Him in glory at His Second Coming as the apostle John said in 1 John 3:1-2, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”.
Secondly, when we find ourselves in troubles; ridiculed, and persecuted, we turn to God and look by faith to His Hand to help us
As Psalm 123:2 says, “As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy”.
God’s Hand is not as we imagine a literal big Hand, but it refers to His protection, guidance and provision. In eastern countries, masters often commanded their servants by means of hand signals, and this gave them direction for their work. But the master’s hand was also the source of their provision, and the master’s hand protected them in the time of danger. So, it is with God’s people today: our direction, provision, and protection all come from our Master’s Hand and His Hand never fails as it is written in Proverbs 21:1, “Even the heart of a king is in the Hands of the Lord”.
In psalm of 123, God’s people look to God and trust in His hand that takes away their fear from those who trouble, ridicule, and persecute them. So, the psalmist can say, “I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely” (Psalm 63:8). God said to His people, “I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13) “I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” Psalm 32:8. “You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel” (Ps. 73:23-24).
Thirdly, when we find ourselves in troubles, ridiculed and persecuted, we turn to the Lord and wait patiently for His Mercy and Grace
As Psalm 123:3-4 says, “Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt. We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant, of contempt from the proud”. The Jews who returned from their exile in Babylon, were trying to rebuild their Temple, homes and the wall of Jerusalem. This was not an easy task and the nations around them did not wany Isreal back alive and prosper.
In the book of Nehemiah, we read that opposition to the Jews who tried to restore the city of Jerusalem was strong. Led by Sanballat, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab who heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed the Jews, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king of Persia? They became very angry, and threatened the workers and intended to stop the work”
Nehemiah said, “When Samaritans, the Ammonites, the Arabs, and the people of Ashdod the remnant of the Philistines heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. Sanballat ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it”. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders. So, we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart” (Nehemiah 4:1-23).
The Sovereign Lord gave the Jews the grace they needed to finish the wall, the Temple and their homes and the best of all was restoring the worship. All the people rejoiced greatly for God’s grace and mercy was upon them. The priests with trumpets, and the Levites with their music, took their places to praise the Lord. With praise and thanksgiving, they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord; they shouted for joy. And the sound was heard far away (Ezra 3).
Yes, if you find yourself persecuted because you belong to Christ, like God’s people of old, there is grace and mercy available at the throne of grace. The God of all grace gave them and will likewise give us the grace we need, so let us lift our eyes of faith to Him. Praise Him.
Psalm 124
Psalm 124, is the fifth of the 15 “Songs of the Ascent” (120-134). It is a song of thanks. It includes four images or pictures that show how close God’s people came to disaster; images of an angry crowd; raging flood; brutal beast and hidden traps. But the Lord God did not let them be destroyed. He was their shield and helper. Without God’s help, Israel would have been gone forever. But with God on their side, they were saved. This psalm is a reminder for us, as the God’s people of the New Covenant, that our God is the same, yesterday, today and forever; we do not face struggles alone.
The first image is a picture of an angry crowd closing in around God’s people, and about to swallow them up, but it failed, the Lord helped His people. Verses 1-3 state, “If the Lord had not been on our side, let Israel say, if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us”. The psalmist admits from the very beginning that it is only because of the Lord’s help “If the Lord had not been on our side,” then all sorts of bad things would have happened. Trusting the Lord brings safety. Remembering how God saved them in the past, helps them to keep trusting Him and staying faithful in hard times.
The second image is a raging flood. “The flood would have engulfed us, the flood would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away”. It is like the person caught in a raging flood, being swept along with a strong current, helplessly, desperately grasping for things, trying to find something to cling to. During the rainy season in Israel and other countries, the water coming down from the mountains can create flash floods threatening houses and people. Here is a situation where we stand helpless as the problems of life increase. The prophet Jermiah compared the Babylonian invasion to sudden floods that swallowed the nation (Je 51:34,44). But if the Lord is on our side, He will provide a way of salvation and we are saved. The psalmist, filled with joy, said, “Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be swept away”.
The third Image in psalm 124 is one of angry brutal beasts; “Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth”. A sudden attack by a wild beast is a biblical picture of persecution as Psalm 7:1-2 says, “Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me”. Jeremiah the prophet, compared the Babylonian invasion to a lion and said, “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us, he has thrown us into confusion, he has made us an empty jar. Like a serpent he has swallowed us. The Babylonian people roar like young lions, they growl like lion cubs” (Jer 51:34,38). And the apostle Peter compared Satan to a prowling lion who wants to devour us (1 Peter 5). But thanks be to God, the Lord is on our side, and His grace gives us strength, and we can overcome the hardship of life.
The fourth image of trouble in psalm 124 is the hidden snare or trap. “Praise be to the Lord, we have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped”. Yet, alongside the four images of being attacked by an angry nation; caught in a raging flood; attacked by a brutal beast and caught in hidden trap, there is an image of release. The psalmist speaks about the people of God being caught like a bird in a hidden snare, and then being released as the trap breaks and the bird finds its freedom once more. Israel escaped in the same way, as the Lord delivered his people again and again from the snares and traps which had been set for them over the years.
Yes, God’s people in the Old Testament had repeatedly found themselves in great, great danger. And yet, just as truly, they had also found themselves to be guarded and protected by a God who was more than faithful. Many had tried to wipe them off the face of the earth, but all these enemies had failed. The first nation was Egypt; Pharoah and His army went after them and tried to destroy them, and Israel was trapped before the Red Sea, with no escape.
But the Lord, “with His mighty hand divided the Red Sea and it dried up; and brought Israel through the midst of it, He saved them from the hand of the enemy, He redeemed them. But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived” (Exodus 12, Psalm 106: 9-11 & 136:13-15). The Assyrians conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel and exiled its people, and the Babylonians conquered Judah, destroyed the Temple, and exiled many.
But the Lord used the Persian king to bring them back to their land, and as they returned they rejoiced in God’s salvation and sang, “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126).
Today persecuted Christians can sing Psalm 124 as a contemporary song, because God will not allow his people to be consumed. We can live confidently in the knowledge that God is our great defender. If we are in a comfort zone, we can sing with the persecuted Christians Psalm 124, “If the Lord had not been on our side”. We with them too can sing, “Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.” We too with them can sing, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
We are not immune to the hardships of life, but the Lord promise that He will sustain us through them all. The testimony of Scripture and the affirmation of history is that God is able to preserve and protect and guide his people, no matter what, no matter where. Praise be to the Lord Jesus, the maker of heaven and earth. He is standing for His Church; she will be guarded. The Church, as God’s people in the world, will not perish. The Church will not be overwhelmed; God’s church will always stand as the Lord promises to her, “That the gates of hell will never prevail against her”. God’s people will come out victorious from any tribulation or persecution, because “the Lord had been and will be on our side”.
Psalm 125
“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so, the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore”. The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil. Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. But those who turn to crooked ways the Lord will banish with the evildoers. Peace be on Israel”.
Psalm 125 is the sixth of the 15 “Songs of the Ascent”. It states three profound truths which are the benefits that faith in the Lord bring to God’s people. First, trusting in the Lord keeps us standing, safe and secure (vv. 1-2). Second, trusting in the Lord keeps our inheritance secure (v. 3). Third, in vv.4-5, trusting in the Lord keeps us praying and hoping.
Verses 1-2 say, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so, the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore”. These two verses tell us two things. They tell us what we are like when we trust in the Lord. And they tell us what the Lord is like to as when we trust in Him. When we trust in the Lord, we are like Mount Zion which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. The Bible uses Mount Zion symbolically for Jerusalem as the place where God dwells with his people. And the place where God dwells is clearly a place of safety and security. When we trust in the Lord, He is not simply at our side, but He surrounds us on every side. You can’t get much safer than that!
In the light of the New Testament, God’s people, are built upon the sold Rock, Christ Jesus, the cornerstone. He dwells within us and He surrounds us with His protection and mercy as the Father said of Him, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame”, so, when we trust in Him, you and I will never be put to shame (1 Peter 2:6).
In Christ, we have a marvellous standing, for we stand in God’s grace as Romans 5:1-2 said, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Christ Jesus, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand”. It is God who makes us stand firm in Christ as Paul states in 2 Corinthians 1:21. He also said to the believers in the church of Philippians, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). When we begin to trust ourselves or other people to get saved from sin or any troubles, we bypass the Lord; we then begin to waver, stumble, and fall. But when we put our trust in the Lord, we will never be put to shame and we will stay safe and secure in Him as psalm 125 says, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so, the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore”. Yes, the Bible says in Psalm 34:7, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and He delivers them.”
Secondly, those who trust in the Lord have a secure inheritance (v. 3). “The sceptre of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, for then the righteous might use their hands to do evil”. The allotting of the land is inheritance language in the Bible. God had promised the people of Israel the land of Canaan as their inheritance. As king David said in Psalm 16:5, “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.”
Psalm 125:3 teaches us that the power of the wicked will be broken. The inheritance of God’s people is kept safe from the wicked. As long as they trust in the Lord, their inheritance will be secure. However, because of the sin of Israel, their land was taken by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, and so on, but v.3 states, “The sceptre of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous”. Yes. the Lord brought back Zion from captivity as He promised (Psalm 126).
In the light of the New Testament, our spiritual inheritance is kept safe in spite of our sin and our shortcomings or failures. And that’s a great comfort to us, because we do sin, don’t we. And perhaps this makes us insecure. We may think, ‘Am I going to lose my salvation?’ And the answer is no. Not only is our inheritance kept safe but we also kept safe to receive it as the apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 1:3-5, “Praise be to the God… In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time- at the coming of the Lord.”
Thirdly, trusting in the Lord keeps us praying and hoping, “Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart” (v. 4).
Our Lord Jesus taught us to keep praying and hoping and not become discouraged as He said in Luke 18:1-8, “Pray always and not give up… will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? He will see that they get justice, and quickly”. If our faith is in Christ, then our future is secure. We have been made good in Christ. So don’t worry. Don’t be afraid. No matter how depressing the times may be, people of faith in Christ pray in hope in Him alone and receive good things from the hand of the Father. Psalm 37:37-38 say, “Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked”.
The life of faith in Christ is not easy, but the life of unbelief is much harder- in this life and in the life to come. If your faith is in Christ, you are like Mount Zion which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds you on every side. Let us make sure that we are in Christ. You and I need to put our trust in Christ.
He is the God who came from heaven and died on the cross to pay the full payment for our sins to give us the secure inheritance of eternal life. He pledges His full protection for us. He promises that He will keep us safe to receive this great inheritance and to be always in His presence in the new heaven and in the new earth. So, let us keep trusting in Him.
Psalm 126
Psalm 126 is the seventh of the 15 “Songs of the Ascent” It reminds Isreal of how the Lord freed their nation from their captivity and brought them back with great joy to their land. Also, this Psalm gives them hope that the Lord will carry on that work of restoration into the future. Psalm 126 has two clear sections: The first one –vv. 1-3, tells of the pilgrim remembrance and celebration of how God has brought them back to their land. The second section- vv. 4-6 encourages them to trust God to help them again! And to long and pray for what God will yet do. It says,
“When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them”.
The first part of this psalm speaks of the Joy of Freedom –vv. 1-3 – Praising God for what He did “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy”.
We hear the cry of sufferings of the captive Jews in Babylon as they said,“By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!” Psalm 137
But when Cyrus, the Persian king, had decreed that the Jews could return to their homeland, it seemed like dream, the impossible happened. During the long 70 years in exile, many of the Jews had wondered if they would ever see Jerusalem again. But now at last the good news had come, they were marching on to Jerusalem, they had been set free. The Lord in His grace, had forgiven their sins, and moved the heart of the Persian king to let them go.
The Lord brought back the captives of Zion, and the Jews who had lost their song in their captivity, now shouting, laughing, and singing to the Lord saying, “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy”. The surrounding nations, some of them hated them, were utterly astonished at this event and openly confessed that the God of Israel had done great things for them as the psalmist said, “Then it was said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy”.
When we are drowning in tears and sorrow like the Jewish exile, we sometimes wonder if we will ever laugh again. Psalm 126 says we will! In God’s time, our sorrow will be lifted, and God will fill our mouth with laughter and songs of joy. Yes, the Lord can do that for us. Think of Abraham’s wife, Sarah, in the book of Genesis. Sarah knew the bitterness of being barren. She shed many tears over the years praying to God to give her a child; just like Hannah in the book of first Samuel.
But when God’s perfect time for both Sarah and Hannah came, God gave Sarah the gift of Isaac in her old age and gave Hannah the gift of Samuel. And Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” Yes. God is the Promise Keeper. He is Faithful as He did what he said, “Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; He who scattered Israel will gather them. For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice, they will sorrow no more. Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. And my people will be filled with my bounty, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:10-14).
Yes, our God is the faithful God, He is the promise maker, and He is the promise keeper as Jeremiah praised Him, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I hope in Him!” Yes, the faithfulness of God is our source for successfully enduring trials, temptations, and tribulations. God is faithful, and He is our safe landing place and shelter in the storm.
It is him who gives a way out in every trial and hard temptation as the apostle Paul says in1 Corinthians 10:13, “No trials or temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”.
The second section of Psalm 126 vv. 4-6 encourages the Jews to trust God to help them again. They long and pray for what God will yet do. As these pilgrims ponder their past and as they think about their deliverance, they also lift their voices up in prayer, “Restore our captivity, Lord”. They pray that just as the spring rains fill the southern streams with floods of water, God will also deliver others from their captivity and restore them to their homeland. They have a burden to see others delivered as they have been and they call on the Lord to see others are set free as well. They want the remaining captives to enjoy the deliverance they have experienced.
There is a word here for the believers in Christ today. Those who have been delivered from their sins should carry a burden for those still lost in sin. We need to pray for them and for the Lord to touch their hearts, show them their condition and to point them to Christ Jesus as the Saviour Redeemer so that they too might be saved.
Psalm 126 closes with a great promise in verses 5-6, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them”
When the Jews returned to their homeland, they found fields were unplanted and there was no harvest and little food to eat. They involved themselves in the back- breaking work of sowing the fields that held the promise of a future harvest. They took those few seeds, and with tears, they sow those seeds into the earth. With faith and patience, they wait, and in a few weeks, there is life in the fields! When harvest time comes, those few seeds have been transformed into a great harvest, and the workers return from the fields this time with great rejoicing, carrying their sheaves in their arms.
We too, water with tears of prayers, the seed of the Word of God we sow and share with others. We pray with tears for things to get better with family and others. We must keep sowing the good work and leave the result in God’s hand, for He is faithful and the promise keeper. Psalm 126 tells us that the Lord may send his blessing suddenly, and bring back our fortunes, “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dreamed”.
It also, tells us that some blessings come as we patiently sow with tears, but God’s promise is secure. “Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them”. The Word of God encourages us saying, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your Labour in the Lord is not in vain” (Gal 6:9-10 & 1 Cor 15:58)
If we are going through a challenging time, the Word of God in psalm 126 is strong medicine for our soul. It carries a powerful message of hope. It tells us that times of trouble and sorrow do not last. It tells us that God will turn our sorrow to joy and our tears to laughter. It seems hard to believe, but it was hard to believe for the Jews returning to Jerusalem, too.
Let us keep trusting in the Lord and keep praying like the believing Jews did, “Restore O Lord our captivity”. And this is always the mission of our Lord Jesus for those who seek and trust Him, as Isaiah 61:1-3 say, “I will bring the good news to the poor; I will heal the broken-hearted, I am here to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. To comfort all who mourn … To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Take God’s promise in Joel 2:21-27 & Psalm 126:4-6 “Do not be afraid… rejoice in the Lord your God … I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten … never again will my people be shamed…Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them”. Praise the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Psalm 127
The eighth of the fifteen “Songs of the Ascents”, Psalm 127 emphasizes that no amount of human toil can accomplish much, unless God’s blessing is upon their work. This psalm was written by king Solomen to encourage his people of Isreal to rely on the Lord not on their work. It says,
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat, for he grants sleep to those he loves.
To illustrate the futility of human effort without God, this psalm introduces two parallel images: the building of a house and the guarding of a city. When you leave the Lord out of your life, all that you do is in vain. The word “vain” shows up three times in this psalm. In a way this psalm is the flipside of the book of Ecclesiastes which is all about the emptiness or vanity of living life without God at the centre.
The book of Ecclesiastes is written also by King Solomon, and it teaches us that, without God, work and life and home lose their meaning. Psalm 127 emphasizes that any work and toil without relying on God is in vain, however, God, there will be provision for our needs. The first image in this psalm is the building a house. Verse 1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain”.
This verse talks specifically about building a house, but it really applies to anything we build in our lives, whether we are building a business, a church or a family life. Hebrews 3:4 says, “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.” Solomon said in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” And the Lord said to His disciples, “For without me you can do nothing” John 15:5. Yes, if God is not in whatever we attempt to do in life, then, our work is in vain.
The second image in this psalm involves civil defence or the guarding of a city, “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain”. This does not mean we should not have protective agencies such as the police force or army. Rather it means that our security lies in the Lord, and unless we are really depending on Him, our ordinary precautions are not enough to keep us safe. The two images, building a house and guarding a city, warns against overconfidence as some people say, “We can do it without God’s help”.
But the next verse in this Psalm “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat”, warns against overwork and anxious toil as some may say in their hearts, “I have to do it all right now”. This verse does not say it is wrong for people to get up early and work hard. It is only telling us working harder is not always the answer. Trusting God is. It tells us, “Work like a child of God. Trust God to meet your needs”, for it is God who gives you the power to do it and rest to sleep as the verse says, “For God grants sleep to those he loves”.
We need to learn to pray like Moses did in Psalm 90: “May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.” There is no value in overworking yourself or staying up late at night worrying. God wants you to rest in his blessing. The child of God says in Psalm 3:5 “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.” Psalm 4:8 says, “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Work becomes toil and burden when God’s blessing is not upon it.
When you trust God’s providence and care, you can rest in his blessing while you work. And you can rest in his blessing while you sleep. Yes, With God in charge, you can rest. You can sleep. Psalm 127 makes it really simple. Do your best, finish your day in trusting God, and go to sleep, “For God grants sleep to those he loves”. The prophet Haggai describes how work and toil without relying on God is in vain. He said to the returned exiles who tried very hard to rebuild their lives, “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:6).
The application of Psalm 127 in the light of the New Testament is very clear in the words of our Lord Jesus when he said, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field… will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:25-34).
Psalm 127 teaches us four powerful principles for life:
- Commit all that you begin to the Lord.
- Submit all that you have to the Lord
- Recognize all that you have comes from God’s hand.
- Trust God to meet all your needs.
So, whatever your task, whatever you do, put God at the centre and you will find fulfillment in what you do, for without God, your work is in vain.
The apostle Paul said to the church in Corinth: “Each one should build with care. If anyone builds on the foundation of Christ, his work will be like a gold, silver, and costly stones. If anyone builds on his own foundation, his work will be like wood, hay or straw… the quality of each person’s work will be revealed at the Day of the coming of the Lord. The builder will receive a reward or will suffer loss” (1 Cor 3:10-15). Also, the apostle Paul said also to the church in Colosse: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col 3:17-24).
Psalm 127 is a tremendous unfolding of the word of the Lord to Zechariah, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord” (Zech 4:6). So, trust in the Lord as you start any work, until you finish your day, then go to sleep, “For God grants sleep to those he loves”.
Psalm 128
This is the ninth of the fifteen “Songs of the Ascents”, which is a beautiful psalm that speaks of God’s blessing on all those who fear the Lord, and it describes this blessing in terms of the ideal family.
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
2 When you eat the labour of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your children like olive plants
All around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.
5 The Lord bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.
6 Yes, may you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!
This psalm points beyond our broken, sinful families here on earth to the beauty and perfection of God’s family in heaven. None of us have a perfect family here on earth, but we will all experience the blessing of an ideal family in heaven. God may or may not bless you with marriage or children in this life. But either way the promise of this psalm remains.
Blessed are all who fear the Lord God who has promised to bless all those who fear Him and walk in his ways. When you long for the same things God longs for, you will see you desires fulfilled. Psalm 128 teaches us that there is a direct relationship between your attitudes and actions and God’s blessing in your life. God’s blessing is available to everyone. You can choose to either welcome God’s blessing in your life or you can chase it away. It all comes down to fearing the Lord and walking in his ways.
Psalm 128 teaches us that the influence of the godly person is great, that God’s blessing flows outward from the individual to your family, to your church, to the whole people of God. The Bible tells us in Galatians 3:13-14, that Jesus Christ became a curse for us, so that we might receive the blessing of God. Our Lord Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He took the penalty that was due to us. He took the curse of God for sin upon his own flesh. He paid it in full so that we could come and know God’s blessing. So don’t miss out on God’s blessing! Fear God and walk in his ways that you may know the fullness of God’s blessing in your life. Blessed are all who fear the Lord and walk in His ways.
Psalm 129
The tenth of the fifteen “Songs of the Ascents”, Psalm 129, is also one of the seven psalms of Revenge.
It says, “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,” let Israel say; “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me. Plowmen have plowed my back and made their narrow trench long But the Lord is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.” May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame. May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow; a reaper cannot fill his hands with it, nor one who gathers fill his arms. May those who pass by not say to them, “The blessing of the Lord be on you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Psalm 129 revises and recalls Israel past sufferings at the hands of her many foes, then they ask the Lord to bring justice and curse upon their cruel aggressors. Verses 1-2 say, “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,” let Israel say; “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me”.
From the early days of nationhood, Israel had been deeply afflicted. Their oppression in Egypt, for example, was told in the book of Exodus, where the Lord said to Moses, to go to Pharoah, the king of Egypt, saying “let my people go”.
The Lord appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” Then the Lord said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Then the Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:1-10).
In spite of that great suffering in Egypt and in Babylon, the enemy of Israel never succeeded in exterminating them. Israel testified saying in verse 2 of this psalm, “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me”. Later, Israel testified also saying, “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy”.
Israel’s sufferings, in particular under the Babylonian kingdom which destroyed Jerusalem and the temple was deep and prolonged. Their taskmasters rode over them like a farmer ploughing a field. Verse three states, “Ploughmen have ploughed my back and made their narrow trench long.”
But in verse 4, God’s people acknowledged the hand of the Lord and said, “But the Lord is righteous; He has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.” The psalm says to God’s people, that no matter how severe the tribulations, nothing can destroy the church of God. God promises his church in Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you”. And this is what our Lord Jesus promises too in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will never prevail against it”. Praise Him.
The second part of the psalm said, “May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame. May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow; a reaper cannot fill his hands with it, nor one who gathers fill his arms. May those who pass by not say to them, “The blessing of the Lord be on you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.”
God’s people in these verses ask the Lord to bring justice upon these cruel aggressors and have them reap what they have sown. In the light of the New Testament in the gospel of Matthew 5:43-45 however, we instructed to “Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us that we may be children of our Father in heaven”.
In the light of God’s love that is revealed to all people on the Cross of our Lord Jesus, this psalm gives three instructions that we should follow when we find ourselves suffering for Christ our great Redeemer who died for our sins and rose again for our justification. First, we must accept God’s will when we suffer any kind of troubles, secondly, we do in fact benefit from it, and thirdly, we must commit all to the Lord.
Why me Lord? I believe that most of us have cried out to God with that question. I would also guess that in many situations we are asking God why some trial has come our way that we feel is undeserved. Persecution and tribulation of many kinds are not something “strange” in the life of God’s people. It has occurred in every generation and will continue until the coming of the Lord.
The apostle Peter said, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” (1 Peter 4:1-7).
Every suffering believer in Christ can identify with the apostle Paul’s testimony in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 14-18 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed … Because Christ in us, therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”.
When it comes to suffering for belonging to Christ and for the sake of the Lord, we must first of all accept it. God’s Word encourages us to accept God’s permissive will that allows us to go through turbulations, but also, it tells us that we can benefit from it as we commit all our life to the Lord. The apostle Peter said, “Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (1 Peter 4:19).
And this what the apostle Paul said too in Romans 8:18,28,37-39, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us… And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose…Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, let us “Commit our way to the Lord. Trust in him and he will make your righteousness reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37:3-6).
Psalm 130
The eleventh of the fifteen “Songs of the Ascents”, Psalm 130, is also one of the seven “Psalms of Repentance”.
“Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word, I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins”
This psalm emphasizes what God does for helpless people who cry out to Him for mercy. The Psalm opened in the depths of gloom. It closes with a call to trust in the God for whom no problem is too big, and no dilemma too complex. It introduces four images; the sea, courtroom, city wall and the slave market, to illustrate that No matter what our need, when we call upon the Lord in faith, he hears us and makes the changes needed in our lives.
The first image in verses 1-2, is the depth of the sea. “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy”. This picture is of a person drowning and unable to stand on the bottom or swim to safety. He keeps crying to the Lord, “hear my voice, let your ears be attentive to my cry”, because without God’s merciful intervention, he would die. We too we can cry out to the Lord from the depth of disappointment and defeat, and from the depth of fear and perplexity. Like a heavy weight, sin drags its victims to the depths, but God in His mercy made us for the heights. Yes, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint” (Isiah 40:31).
The second image in psalm 130 is a courtroom. Verses 3-4 state, “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.” This picture is of a person who could not stand before the judge because of his guilt. The only way to get rid of the sin record is to look at God for His gracious forgiveness as he said, “But with you O Lord, there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you”.
Believers in the Old Testament, did not depend on offering sacrifices, but they looked to God’s gracious mercy as in Psalms 51 and 103 which state, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us… For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it… the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a remorseful heart, these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 103:10-12 & Psalm 51:16-17).
Believers in the New Testament, also look to God’s gracious mercy revealed in Christ who came to the world and took away our sins. And God’s gracious forgiveness is available to anyone, even the greatest sinner, when He comes to God through the work of the Cross of Christ Jesus, our Great God and Saviour. Our loving merciful God is ready to forgive and with faith in Him through Christ our Saviour. This brings forgiveness to the soul.
Yes, as the Bible says, God casts our sins behind His back and blots them out from His book, He carries them away, as far as the east is from the west, and casts then into the sea holding them against us no more. Praise Him. The prophet Micah praises God and said, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression? You delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tramp our sins underfoot and cast all our iniquities into the depths of the sea”(Mic 7:19; see also, Isa 38:7; 43:25; 44:22, Psalm 103:10-12; Jer31:34 & Heb10:7).
The third image in psalm 130 is a city wall as verses 3-4 state, “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word, I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.” This is a picture of the watchmen on the city wall who are alert as they peer through the darkness to detect the approach of any danger. Nothing they do can make the sun come up any sooner, but when the day dawns, the guards rejoice that the city has been safe another night.
When we fall into sin, the enemy of our souls discourages us as we sit in the darkness of his trap with no light. But when we think of the Lord’s mercy with His promise to hold our sin against us no more, we say, “Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness. Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame, he who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will see her downfall; even now she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets” (Maich 7:8-10).
Forgiveness of sins is like the dawning of a new day as we move from darkness into God’s marvellous light as Peter said to the believers, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
If we fall into the devil’s trap of his accusation and he whispers in our ears that the Lord will never accept us again, let us wait on the Lord and trust His Word, and surely the Lord will comfort us as Isaiah said, “Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God … Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you” (Isaiah 50:10 & 60:1-2)
The fourth image in psalm 130 is the slave market as verses 5-6 state, “Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins”. The psalmist moved from the sea to the courtroom, then to city wall, and ends now at the slave market. Here there is the beautiful picture illustrating our Redemption as he said, “With the Lord is full abundant redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins”
The word “Redemption” means “setting a prisoner or a slave free by paying a price- a ransom”. Israel always remembers God’s redemption for their ancestors. From their slavery in Egypt, God’s power was displayed upon Egypt and setting the Israelites them free from Egyptian bondage (Exodus. 12-15). Israel in Egypt for 400 years, had no hope and could not free themselves, but the Lord did it for them. The Lord gave them “full abundant redemption” as the Psalmist said here in this psalm. This redemption included not only freedom from slavery, but also victory over their enemies, and a Promised Land for their home.
The psalmist, as well as many prophets in the Old Testament, saw by faith a future redemption for Israel, and the whole world in the Seed of the woman, Christ, the Promised Saviour who would come. And thank God, Christ had come and by His cross paid our ransom and offered salvation and redemption to all who put their trust in Him. The apostle Paul praises God for our redemption and said, “Giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”(Colossians 1:12-14).
For the believers in Christ, there will be the final redemption in full, when the Lord Jesus comes again, as the apostle Paul says to the believers in Rome in Romans 13:11-12, “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light”.
And to the Philippians believers he said, “For our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21).
Yes, “With the Lord is full redemption” He himself will come from heaven to bring us to the glorious new heaven and to the new earth. Praise his wonderful name. Amen.
Psalm 131
Psalm 131 is the 12th of the 15 “Songs of the Ascents”. It says, “O Lord, my heart is not exalted, and my eyes are not raised high; and I do not involve myself in great matters, or in matters too difficult for me to understand. I have soothed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. Israel, hope in the Lord now and for ever!”
The context of this Psalm is about a separation of David from His family and his tribe, due to king Saul’s persecution. King Saul pursued Daivd for four years, and then David lived in exile outside Israel for another three years until Saul’s death. In this psalm, David became like weaned child and tells us four lessons he learned: Practising humility, avoiding prideful ambitions, contentment like a weaned child, and being encouraged to Hope in the Lord.
Weaning of child symbolizes a lifelong process of our spiritual weaning of letting go of comforts that keep us emotionally and spiritually immature. Spiritual weaning in this psalm is a transition from spiritual infancy being “infants in Christ” needing milk, to maturity with eating of solid food like meat which represents humility, independence, trust, and contentment in one’s faith. It marks a move from relying on basic sustenance-milk- to spiritual “solid food,” paralleling a soul that has quieted its restless demands to rely deeply on God alone.
The apostle Paul spoke to the believers in Corinth telling them of their need for spiritual maturity as he said, “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly, mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not acting like mere humans, who walk only according to the desire of the flesh not of the Spirit?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)
Also, the apostle Paul said that “Christ gave his church, first the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, so that His body- the church may be built up and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:11-16).
The first lesson in the process of our spiritual maturity or weaning our souls that God does in our lives, in Psalm 131 is to Embrace Humility. Daivd says in Verse 1, “My heart is not exalted, Lord, my eyes are not raised high, and I do not involve myself in great matters, or in matters too marvellous for me to understand.” Some specific situations of humility in David’s life are: As the youngest son, David was left in the fields tending sheep while his brothers were presented to the prophet Samuel for him to choose one of them as king.
He was disregarded by his family but chosen by God, to be the next king after Saul (1 Samuel 16). David gave God the credit for his past victories over wild animals, while he was tending the sheep, acknowledging it was God’s strength, not his own, that would win the battle against Goliath, who despised Isreal and mocked the God of Israel.
Daivd said to King Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him. Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine; you are only a young man… David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this pagan Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you. You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. And the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17).
Another lesson in humility in David’s life is when he was confronted by Nathan the prophet regarding his sin of adultery with Oriah’s wife and murdered him to cover up his sins. David did not make excuses, he immediately humbled himself, admitting, “I have sinned against the Lord,” showing a broken and repentant heart (2 Sam 12 & Ps 50)
The second lesson in our spiritual maturity or the weaning our souls that God does in our lives, in Psalm 131, is to avoid prideful ambitions like what David said, “O Lord, my heart is not exalted, and my eyes are not raised high; and I do not involve myself in great matters, or in matters too marvellous for me” Psalm 131:1. Despite God’s anointing of him by prophet Samuel to be king over Israel instead of Saul, David was fleeing from Saul, and had opportunities to kill him, and take the throne, but he refused to harm Saul as “the Lord’s anointed.”
This act highlighted his respect for God’s authority, choosing to wait for God’s timing to take the throne (1 Samuel 24 & 26) It happened that king Saul took 3000 men and set out to look for David to kill him. Way up in the mountain, he came to a cave and went in to take some rest. David and his few men were far back in the cave. David’s men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
1 Samuel 26 tells us of another opportunity David had to do away with Saul and take the throne of Israel. Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his 3000 men to search there for David. Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah. Then David went near to the place where Saul had camped. At night, David and one of his men Abishai, went there and seeing Saul asleep with his spear stuck in the ground near his head.
With the soldiers sleeping deeply, they could have killed him. Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one strike of the spear”. But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? “The Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.” So, David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or woke up as the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.
Also, in 2 Samuel 7, we see how David humbly submitted to God’s directive that he was not to build the temple. David has desired to build a temple for the Lord’s people so they could worship God there. Instead of reacting with anger or bitterness, David responded with profound gratitude and praised God for His plans. That is how David expressed humility and how he avoided prideful ambition as he trusted in God’s timing in psalm 131:1 and said, “My heart is not exalted, Lord, my eyes are not raised high and I do not involve myself in great matters, or in matters too marvellous for me”.
The third lesson in the process of our spiritual maturity or weaning our souls that God does in our lives, is to learn contentment, submit to God’s judgment like a weaned child and as David said in verse 2, “I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.”
In 2 Samuel 15, Daivd was fleeing from his son Absalom who wanted to kill him and take the throne, David cried to the Lord and said in Psalm 3, “Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain… I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! From You O Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people”.
David accepted those difficult circumstances, refusing to fight back his son, using worldly tactics as his son did. David placed his life entirely in God’s hands and God saved him. This attitude of trust in the wisdom of the Sovereign God, brought peace and quietness to David’s soul like “a weaned child in his mother’s arms”. When things become too difficult to deal with, we are perplexed and do not know what to do.
Here we can do as David did in this psalm, to quieten our soul like “a weaned child accepting his mother decision to wean him”. If we submit to God’s sovereign wisdom which may allow hard circumstances on our way, then we too will have peace in our souls.
“Weaning time” is hard transition time for a child and his mother. The child loses his primary source of comfort from his mother. The child doesn’t understand this, and it can break the mother’s heart, as he cries, screams, although the mother can give many cuddles, pats and back rubs. It is a difficult time to encourage the child to eat solid food and to be content. So, in this psalm, we learn, like David, to go through spiritual weaning times. In this time, we are restless and impatient, trying to understand why God has not answered our prayer. However, as soon as we accept that difficult time, our souls are gradually loosed from this tension, and we learn to live one day at the time gaining peace that supersedes our understanding.
Lesson 4 that David learned in his spiritual weaning in this psalm, and he recommends God’s people to does is to hope in the Lord alone as verse 3 says, “Israel, trust in the Lord now and for ever!”. Psalm 37:5 states, “Commit your way to the Lord, Trust in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light the justice of your cause as the noonday”.
It is great medicine for our souls, when we learn to trust and put our hope in the Lord, as 2 Chronicles 20:12 says, “O Lord, Our God, we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you”. We may pray “Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I trust in your unfailing love; let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield” (Psalm. 16:1 & 5:11-12).
Our Lord Jesus, in his earthly life, was the great example of humility and submission to God’s Will, as he said to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane facing the cup of suffering, “not as I will, but as you will”.
In Matthew 11:29, our Lord Jesus invites us saying, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Throughout His earthly ministry, our Lord consistently displayed humility toward those who were aggressive and did unjust things against him as the Bible states in 1 Peter 2:21-24, “Since Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps, who did no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; When they threw their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed”.
Psalm 131 invites us to accept the process of spiritual weaning that God does in our lives, He not only weans us from the world, but he also weans us from our wrong tendencies, our own inclinations. And this spiritual maturity of our souls, like a “weaned child with his mother,” indicates the soul has learned to stop go- go-getting and trust God to sustain us day by day through all the hardship we face.
So, let us fix our eyes on our blessed Lord Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith who has been tempted in every way, just as we are. He is our great high priest who is able to empathize with our weaknesses, because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” Hebrews 2:17-18. Let us “approach the throne of His grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find His sufficient grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb 4:16). He is always our rock in him we hide and find shelter in time of storm.
Psalm 132
“Lord, remember David… He swore an oath to the Lord.I will allow no sleep to my eyes till I find a dwelling place for the Lord… May your priests be clothed with your righteousness; may your faithful people sing for joy… The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne.For the Lord has chosen Zion, for his dwelling place for ever and ever…I will bless her and clothe her priests with salvation, and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.“Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one”.
Psalm 132 is the 13th of the 15 “Songs of the Ascents”, to the House of the Lord that remind Israel that they belong to the one true God, their Redeemer and the Creator of Heaven and earth. Psalm 132 is a prayer to God to fulfil His covenant with David and God is answering that prayer with his blessing.
The covenant with Daivd in this psalm is one of Seven Divine Covenants recorded in the Bible. These seven covenants include: The Covenant with Adam – Gen 1-2; the Covenant with Noah – Gen 8-9; the Covenant with Abraham – Gen 12: 15-17; the Covenant with Israel- the Law – Ex 19-24; the Covenant with the Priests – Num 25:11-13; the Covenant with David – 2 Samuel 7, and the New Covenant – Jeremiah 31:31; Luke 22:20; the Covenant of Grace and Redemption. These seven Covenants are the structural backbone of Scripture, shaping the relationship between God the Creator and His creation, and spanning all of human history. It offers profound insight into God’s love and His consistent Great Plan to redeemed humanity through Christ of the Covenants, the Covenant of Consummation.
In the Garden of Eden, God made a covenant with man.
God outlined man’s responsibility towards creation and also His command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God blessed Adam and Eve and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it…You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
The Covenant included two things (1) A Curse pronounced against the serpent who tempted man and caused him to sin; and curse on man for breaking God’s commandment. (2) A blessing of God’s redemptive plan for the sin of man as he said toman, “Because you ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it, cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
To the devil, the serpent God said, “Cursed are you … I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” Gen 3:15 Adam transgressed the covenant as it was written in Hosea 6:7, but thanks be to God, Christ, the Seed of the woman on the Cross, crushed Satan’s head and redeemed man and blessed humanity in Christ with the eternal life.
The second covenant God made with man was with Noah as we read in Genesis 8-9.
After the global flood at the time of Noah, due to the evil deeds of all men, God established a covenant with Noah and every living creature. He promised He would never again destroy all life on earth with a global Flood, giving Noah a sign in sky; the rainbow- a promise of preservation that the entire earth would never again be flooded. God said, “I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth” Genesis 9:13. When we go through any stormy day and dark cloud covers our soul, look at the Rainbow of God shining in the sky. Thank our Faithful God, the Promise Keeper, who keeps us safe in the fiery furnace and shut themouth of the roaring lions.
The third covenant God made with man was with Abraham as we read in Genesis 12-15.
God’s covenant with Abraham promising three main things: land, descendants of a great nation, and a universal blessing to all nations of the earth in His Seed. Joshua said to the people of Israel in the Promised Land which they had already taken, “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed” (Joshua 23:14).
Thanks be to God, the blessing to all the nations of the earth found its ultimate and eternal fulfilment in Christ, Jesus, the Son of God who came in the flesh, the Seed of woman, the son of David, the son of Abraham, as the Bible said in Galatians 3:16, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his Seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your Seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. In Your Seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed”.
The fourth covenant God made with man was with the people of Israel, the covenant of the Law as we read in Exodus 19-24.
This Covenant introduced the Law, which guided Israel’s worship, morality, and daily life. The terms were clear: the reward for their obedience was the enjoyment of life in the promised land of Canaan. If they failed to live up to their end of the covenant, God would remove them from the land, which eventually led to their exile (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).
The heart of the Law was the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, and no one was or is able to keep the Law as the Bible says in Romans 3:10-12, “There is no one righteous, not even one;all have sinned and turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Thanks be to God, the Bible states, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a Cross.”He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to all nations through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the spiritual promises of God”.
The fifth covenant God made with man was with the priests as we read in Numbers 25:11-13.
This priestly covenant centres on the continuation of the Levitical priesthood through Aaron’s line, as God said “Behold, I hereby give to him My covenant of peace” Num 25:12. But the Levitical priesthood failed to bring perfection to man, so God promised by oath to send Christ, to be our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, as the Bible said in Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:11-28; 10:14
“If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood, why did God said by oath that another priest was to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? And because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant, because He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Unlike the other high priests, Jesus does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He offered himself once for all. For by one sacrifice, he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy in him” (Hebrews 7: 11; 10:1)
The sixth covenant God made with man was with David as we read in 2 Samuel 7.
David desired to build a temple for God, but God responded by promising to build a dynasty for David and one of his descendants would be king who would last forever, as we read in Psalm 132:11-12, “The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne, He will sit on your throne for ever and ever.” This covenant found its ultimate and eternal fulfilment in Christ Jesus, the “Son of David” according to the flesh, and the Son of God, whose spiritual kingdom will never end.
The angel of the Lord said to the blessed Mary in Luke 1:32-33, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
The seventh and the last covenant God made with man was the New Covenant, the Covenant of Grace of Redemption as we read in Jeremiah 31:31; Luke 22:20; and Hebrews 8.
It was foretold by the prophet Jeremiah and inaugurated by the Lord Jesus at the Last Supper and fulfilled on the Cross. This New covenant is the fulfilment of God’s ultimate plan and promise of redemption that include grace for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all who have faith in Christ Jesus. At the Last Supper, our blessed Lord Jesus declared, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20), and on the Cross our Lord Jesus said, “It is finished” It is fulfilled.
The Bible states in Hebrews chapters 7-9, that “Christ by the new covenant, has made the first one (the covenant of the Law) obsolete, for Christ came as the high priest, forever, in the order of Melchizedek, not offering the blood of animals, but rather He offered His own blood, the sacrifice of Himself, once for all to do away with sin, thus securing eternal redemption”.
The prayer of Psalm 132 to God to fulfil His covenant with David has been fulfilled in Christ, the son of David and also the Lord of David; Lord Jesus, the king and the high priest forever. In Him we are a kingdom of priests resting forever on His faithful Everlasting Covenant of Grace. And to all who are in Christ, we are blessed with His eternal Redemption on the Cross, and blessed with His presence that surrounds us at all times. He is our Great Immanuel God, the Great I AM, who said I AM with you always to the end of age.
Psalm 133
Psalm 133 is the 14th of the 15 “Songs of the Ascents”, Israel’s road to the House of the Lord as they take that journey to Jerusalem in family groups, and at the gate of Jerusalem, they meet relatives and friends. With great joy seeing each other after a long time, they sing together this psalm with the choir of priests welcoming them. “Look! How good and how pleasant it is when brothers truly live in unity. It is like fine oil … It is like the dew flowing down upon the hills of Zion, where the Lord has decreed blessing will be available, eternal life”.
Psalm 133 tells us that unity among God’s people is good, pleasant and blessed. During the pilgrimages, the Jews experienced the joy of unity on their way to and in Jerusalem. The pilgrims came from many different walks of life, regions, and tribes, as they gathered for one purpose; the worship of the Lord in Jerusalem
Unity among God’s people is good because it reflects God’s heart and purpose of unity among His people. This is described in the prayer of Lord Jesus for his church to be one, that the world may believe in him (John 17:20-23)
Unity among the believers in Christ is pleasant because it makes life together as God’s people so much more enjoyable than times when power struggle and conflict dominate. But unity does not require that we see eye to eye on everything. On matters of fundamental important teaching of our faith in Christ, we must agree. On subordinate matters there is liberty for different viewpoints. For example, we must agree on the Gospel of Christ, that He came in the flesh, that he died for our sins, that he rose again physically from the dead, and that in His name we preach that all can enjoy the forgiveness of sin, and that Christ ascended to heaven and from there will come again to take us into the glory of the New Heaven and the New earth.
On subordinate matters, not essential to our Christian faith, there is liberty for different viewpoints. For example, Christians have different view regarding details of the Second Coming of Christ, but all agree that Christ is coming again and that is really what matters. All the members of our human body are different, but they function in obedience to the head, there is a glorious unity. So, likewise too as Christians should work together in the Spirit of love as the body of Christ and in obedience to Him as our Head.
Unity is like the fragrant oil used to anoint Aaron, “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers truly live in unity. It is like fine oil poured on the head, which flows down the beard Aaron’s beard, and then flows down his garments.” The pleasing perfume was enjoyed by the priest and by everyone worshiping with him. This fine oil pictures the ministry of the Holy Spirit, descending as sweet-smelling perfume on God’s people as we worship together. Unity makes a pleasant atmosphere for all.
Unity among God’s people is “like the dew of Hermon, which flows down upon the hills of Zion.” Like the dew of Mount Hermon in Jerusalem, unity brings life-giving, refreshing moisture, nourishing spiritual lives just as dew refreshes the land. This dew refers to the blessing of the Holy Spirit of God who brings it to God’s people as we live together in unity as the last verse in this psalm states, “Indeed, that is where the Lord has decreed blessing will be available, eternal life”. From the glory of His exaltation the Lord Jesus drops the dew of the Holy Spirit as blessing upon the lowlands of our life; that blessing which is life forevermore.
Unity is not just a pleasant experience, but a position where God “commands the blessing,” including life forevermore. A united body of Christ acts as a powerful witness of God’s love to the world as experienced on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2)
On the Day of Pentecost, the disciples of Christ, as well as other believers, were living together in harmony, united in prayer and obeying Jesus’ command to wait for the Promise of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly the Spirit of God descended upon them in all its fullness, and they went forth with the fragrance and refreshment of His power and preached the Gospel to the people of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the far part of the Roman world.
Psalm 133 encourages believers to prioritize togetherness, which brings joy and spiritual refreshing and power to witness of Christ to the world. The “dwelling together” requires intentional effort, patience, and love, as it involves overcoming differences to maintain peace as the apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:1-6 to the Church in Ephesus, ““Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all”.
Oh, we long for this real unity in love! Not the love which comes and goes, but that which dwells; not that spirit which separates and isolates, but that which dwells together; not that mind, which is all for debate and difference, but that which dwells together in unity. And, the Day of Christ’s Return is coming, when division among all believers in Christ shall cease, and enmity will be done away with. Then when the tribes of the spiritual Israel shall be united in a bond of eternal blessing, under Christ, the Son of David, the Son of God, when He brings all the spirits of all believers with Him from Jerusalem above; and we who are still alive, shall be clothed with glorified bodies and with them we will live together forever in the New heaven and in the New earth and all God’s people shall sing this lovely Psalm together!
Since we, as God’s people will have life forevermore, we should work hard to enjoy unity with them now as the apostle Paul in Romans 12:4-16 said to the believers in Christ, “In Christ we, though we are many members but form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us, so, love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another”. And we are to keep waiting, anticipate and hasten the coming of the Lord saying together, “Amen Come Lord Jesus”.
Psalm 134
Psalm 134, is the last song of the 15 songs of the Ascents, it states, “Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth”.
This final psalm is a blessing or a benediction to the whole Psalms of Ascents. With Psalm 134, the people of Israel who came to celebrate the three annual feasts in Jerusalem are now about to go home. In the last evening service at the Temple, they sing and say to the priests, “Bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord”. Then the priests send them home with a blessing. “May the Lord bless you from Zion, He who is the Maker of heaven and earth”.
This psalm is all about blessing God, and being blessed by God. So, what does it mean to bless the Lord and who is this God who blesses us? The word “bless” literally means “to kneel or bow down.” So how does that work when we talk about us blessing God and especially God blessing us? Obviously, God doesn’t kneel or bow down to us. Here’s the difference. When we bless God, we kneel or bow down before him in worship. When God blesses us, he reaches down to take care of us and our needs. We bless God by praising him for who he is and what he has done. And God our Creator, blesses us with His love that keeps providing for our spiritual and physical needs.
The servants of the Lord here in the psalm who bless and praise the Lord are the priests and the Levites who ministered in the temple. 1 Chronicles 9:33 & 23:30, tell us of their duties, “Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the workday and night… They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening”. But these particular servants in this psalm are those who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Although this instruction was initially given to those ministering in the temple, in the light of the New Testament it is really an instruction to all of us.
As believers in Christ of the New Covenant, we are all servants of the Lord as 1 Peter 2:9 states, “But you are a royal priesthood … a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” As believers in Christ, we are all priests in God’s kingdom, and we are all called to declare his praises. All God’s people should praise him at all times, day and night.
Sometimes we may weep during the day, as Psalm 126:5 says, “Those who sow in tears” and we may also weep at night as Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may remain for a night”. Thanks be to God; however, He comes to us both at night and during the day turning our sorrow into joy. “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning”. And with God’s sufficient Grace, “we will reap with songs of joy.” We lift up our hands in worship to pray and praise Him as verse 2 says, “Lift up your hands and praise the Lord”.
Worship engages both the heart and the body, when our heart is lifted before God and we rightly get caught up in the emotion as psalm 84:2 says, “My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God”. But there are times when we don’t feel like praising, and we cannot lift up our hands to praise the Lord, and our hearts are burdened and heavily leaden. This is the very time to seek God’s mercy, confessing our need for him and our dependence upon Him. James 5:13 says, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise”.
Psalm 134 completes the Psalms of Ascents by teaching us that the life that blesses God is a life that is blessed by God. In the second part of this psalm, as it says, May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.” So, what would the blessing of God our creator to us looks like? The Blessed person of God experiences these four things: – (1) their sins are forgiven, (2) they endure hardship, (3) they meditate on God’s Word and apply it in their lives and (4) they are those whose God is the God of Jacob.
We read in Psalm 32:1-2, “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”And Romans 4:5-6 states, “the one who trusts God who justifies the ungodly and places his faith in God and in Christ’ work on the cross is credited as righteous”.
The Blessed person is the one who endures hardship, as it is written in James1:12, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial”. The Blessed person is the one who meditates on God’s Word and applies it in his life as it is written in Psalm 1 “Blessed is the man, who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And on His law, he meditates day and night”. The true and lasting blessing can be found in a relationship with our Creator and our Redeemer God despite any problem of life. The Bible states, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God” (Plasm 146:5)
So, the life that is blessed by God, is the life that praises and blesses Him, for what He has done for us as we lift our hands to thanks him for His mercy and His grace that help us in our times of need. Psalm 134 assures us that God is present in His holy place in Zion among his holy people. And the new Zion is His church, that is now above and here in Hebrews 12:22-23, we read “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven”.
The God who blessed the Old Testament’ believers from Zion, is our Redeemer Lord, who will create the new Jerusalem, the new Zion, that will one day come down to be in the new heaven and the new earth where our Lord Jesus will be united with all redeemed people from all the history of mankind and rule forever as the King of Kings. And God’s dwelling place with His Church in the new Jerusalem will be the new Eden, the new holy of holies, the new heaven and the new earth as His cosmic temple.
God’s people will forever be a kingdom of priests, and they will bless Him, enjoying in turn His blessings. And being forever blessed by God, we will bless and praise Him as Revelation 22:3-5 says, “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve and praise Him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever”.
This great end is the fulfilment of Psalm 134, the benediction to the psalms of the ascents, “Blessing God, and being Blessed by Him forever”. To God be the glory.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. Psalm 120: Praying in Times of Trouble.
2. Psalm 121: My Help Comes from the Lord.
3. Psalm 122: Joy of Going to the House of the Lord.
4. Psalm 123: Our Eyes Look to the Lord.
5. Psalm 124: Our Help is in the Name of the Lord.
6. Psalm 125: The Lord Surrounded His People.
7. Psalm 126: Restore our Captivity O Lord.
8. Psalm 127: Unless the Lord Build the House.
9. Psalm 128: Blessed are Those who Fears the Lord.
10. Psalm 129: They have Afflicted Me.
11. Psalm 130: My Soul Waits for the Lord.
12. Psalm 131: I Have Calmed my Quieted Soul.
13. Psalm 132: The Lord Has Chosen Zion.
14. Psalm 133: When Brothers Dwell in Unity.
15. Psalm 134: Come, Bless the Lord.
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“The Pilgrim’s Song Book”
Rev. Dr. Botros Botrosdief
The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 Hebrew songs, and prayers, primarily about worshiping God, expressing the full range of human emotions; joy, lament, anger, gratitude to the Lord, and reflecting on life’s trials and triumphs. It teaches about God’s character, faithfulness, and justice, guiding believers in honest communication with God, acknowledging pain while holding onto hope and faith in His promises including prophesies about the coming Messiah, a hope that fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection and glory. In this book, the author explains only the 15 Pilgrim’s Songs.
Dr. Botros is the minister of Mernda and Whittlesea Presbyterian Church
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- 9:15 am @ Mernda, 1345 Plenty Rd
- 10:30 am @ Whittlesea, 4 Lime St