Woe to me, that I soujourn in Meschech: The prod that gets us going

What are the Songs of Ascents?

Psalm 120 -134, 15 psalms all labeled with the title “ascents”

Likely sung, possibly in sequence, by Hebrew pilgrims as they went up to Jerusalem to worship at the festivals.

Why did they ascend to Jerusalem? Highest city in Palestine.

Is this only speaking of a literal ascent? It had a spiritual aspect as well. It was meant to prepare the hearts of the Hebrew people to worship God.

These Psalms were sung in correlation with the annual worship feasts of the people.

Feast of the Passover in the Spring- They refreshed their memories of God’s saving ways.

Feast of Pentecost (weeks) in the early summer- The renewed their commitments as God’s covenanted people.

Feast of Tabernacles in the fall. They responded as a blessed community to the best that God had for them.

The first of the songs is Psalm 120. Many commentators are uncertain as to why this is the song that begins the collection. Let’s read and ask ourselves, “How would this song help an OT Hebrew family prepare their hearts for temple worship?”

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Psalm 120 ESV

A Song of Ascents. 1 In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. 2 Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. 3 What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? 4 A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree! 5 Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! 6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. 7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!

Initial thoughts: How does this Psalm prepare someone’s heart for worship? Why is this one placed first in the list of fifteen?

Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Discipleship in an Instant Society, Eugene H. Peterson

“This first of them is the prod that gets them going.” What do you think he means?

“A person has to be thoroughly disgusted with the way things are to find the motivation to set out on the Christian way. As long as we think the next election might eliminate crime and establish justice or another scientific breakthrough might save the environment or another pay raise might push us over the edge of anxiety into a life of tranquility, we are not likely to risk the arduous uncertainties of the life of faith. A person has to get fed up with the ways of the world before he, before she, acquires an appetite for the world of grace.”

Allen Ross, in his commentary on Psalm 120 summaries it this way, Psalm 120:

A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 3 (90–150): Commentary Composition and Context

expresses the tension of trying to live in peace when surrounded by enemies who only want conflict until they get what they want.

Summary

Hoping for peace among treacherous neighbors who are constantly for war, the psalmist can only pray to the LORD for deliverance, but he may do so in confidence because of past answers to prayers.

I. The psalmist finds confidence from answered prayer (1)

Psalm 120:1 ESV

1 In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.

What situation do we find the psalmist in? Distress. This word has the idea of a “strait, narrow place.” The idea was the psalmist was in a tight squeeze or a bind. Word order in the original: To the Lord, in my distress.

I called (past tense)

He answered (past tense)

Probably recalling to mind a time in the past when he was in trouble, without any possibility of saving himself. But he called to the Lord and the Lord answered.

Why does the Psalmist begin with this thought?

What are some prayers that God has answered for you in the past? When you recall those answers to your mind what does it do for your spirit? It builds confidence.

The Psalmist is in another low place as we will find out in the rest of the Psalm. So, in order to reaffirm his confidence in the Lord he recalls to mind previous times of answered prayer.

II. The psalmist prays for deliverance from deceitful neighbors and longs for their destruction (2–4)

A. The LORD should deliver him from people who are deceitful (2)

Psalm 120:2 ESV

2 Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.

Again the name of God comes first in the order of the original. Lord! Deliver me.

The word deliver is an imperative. He is using a command in this prayer. This promotes a sense of urgency.

What is the psalmist so urgently needing to be delivered from?

Lying lips, lit. false lip- meaning false speech.

Deceitful tongue, meaning deceitful speech.

These two phrases are in parallel. The repetition underscores the problem: What? The enemies of the psalmist are constantly using their words to attack him. And whatever they say is purposefully false and intended to deceive.

Later on in the Psalm we will see the strong desire for peace. I think the idea is that the psalmist has been enduring this false and deceptive speech for a long time. And he is very weary and he desperately wants peace.

In the context this is speaking of probably one of the kings of David who had literally nations as his enemy. He wanted nothing but to be left in peace, but his enemies would not stop planning for war. And it was to the point where all the psalmist could do was cry to the Lord, DELIVER ME!

Do Christians have enemies that constantly speaks lies and falsehoods? Explain?

How does this prepare your heart to worship?

B. The LORD should defeat his treacherous enemies (3-4)

Psalm 120:3 ESV

3 What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?

v. 3 is the longing of the psalmist. What does he long for?

What shall be given to you? What do rebellious unruly enemies of God deserve for lying tongues and false lips?

What MORE shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? Parallelism- escalation. How does the second line intensify the first? MORE!!

Ross,

A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 3 (90–150): Commentary B. They Long for the Defeat of Treacherous Enemies (3–4)

Since the psalmist is longing that something more will be done to the deceitful enemies to bring about peace, it could be translated, “O that something more will be done to you.”

V. 4 completes the desired punishment.

Psalm 120:4 ESV

4 A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!

What does the psalmist want to happen to his enemies? destroyed with sharp arrows.

A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 3 (90–150): Commentary B. They Long for the Defeat of Treacherous Enemies (3–4)

If literal, “arrows” would be a reference to war (metonymy of adjunct): if they want war, then they should die in war. But the psalmist is for peace and not war. If “arrows” can also be used figuratively for speech (an implied comparison; see Ps. 57:4; 64:3; Prov. 25:18), then the psalmist would be desiring that they be destroyed by retributive words, or their own deceptive words coming back on them.

What are glowing coals of the broom tree?

A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 3 (90–150): Commentary B. They Long for the Defeat of Treacherous Enemies (3–4)

The wood from the broom tree burns easily and retains heat; and then when the fire appears to go out it can quickly flame up with a bit of wind. Perhaps the psalmist envisions them in the desert under attack where the use of broom trees would be useful in making campfires. But his allusion to broom trees is fitting for it matches their deception: the deceiver would be deceived, thinking the fire was out, only to have it flare up and burn him.

Have you ever prayed this way? Should we pray this way?

A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 3 (90–150): Commentary Message and Application

New Testament believers are not as bold in their expressed desires for deliverance from enemies by divine judgment, even though they long for the same peace. This may be in part because Christians are not a nation living in one area that has to deal with deceitful, militant enemies all around them as Israel did—at least not Christians in the West. But in some areas of the world, and certainly down through history, many groups of Christians have been hated and persecuted by people around them. Jesus said that in this life we will have enemies who hate us. We certainly should pray for deliverance from such people, and for peace; but we are also now called to pray for them, that they might come to repentance

III. The psalmist laments his predicament and longs for peace (5–7)

A. He must dwell among people who hate peace (5–6)

Psalm 120:5 ESV

5 Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

What are the two verbs in this verse?

Sojourn- a temporary stay

Dwell- the dwelling is only a little more settled.

What do these verbs tell us about the way the psalmist thought of Himself? He was an alien!

Meshek- reference to the steppes of Russia

Kedar- is in the remote south wilderness of Arabia.

Probably using in a figurative sense, the psalmist dwelt among people who were like the hostile barbarians in the extreme north and far south.

The point is that the psalmist felt like his day to day living was comparable to living with hostile barbarians and because of that he never truly felt at home, he never felt at peace. He was a sojourner and temporary dweller in a hostile land.

Does that sound familiar?

Can you give some NT parallels?

1 Peter 1:17 ESV

17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,

1 Peter 2:11 ESV

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Hebrews 11:13 ESV

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Philippians 3:19–21 ESV

19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

How does meditating on this thought on your way to worship, prepare your heart to offer God acceptable worship with reverence and awe?

What happens to our hearts when we don’t think of ourselves as sojourners?

What happens when we don’t see this world the way the psalmist did? Full of enemies that want to lie, deceive, and destroy?

Would that reduce our need to come away from the world and gather together with fellow brothers and sisters, with fellow citizens of heaven, so that we can be encouraged and refreshed?

Would there be an urgency to come to church and to depend upon God in prayer to deliver us? Would that urgency add weight to your worship?

“This first of them is the prod that gets them going.”

Psalm 120:6 ESV

6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.

Lit. For too long I have had to dwell with terrorists.

Can you imagine the people of Israel, who for most of their history were oppressed by their enemies. Can you imagine them steadily climbing the ascent to the temple for the feast of worship. And their songs are the laments of those who long for peace. This truth driving them to come away for a while and refresh their weary souls, and also reaffirming their dependence upon the Lord who ultimately deliver them form all their foes.

How about you? How was your week? Was it long? Can you relate to the psalmist? Friends you have brought your weary souls to the right place. Look to the Lord, your strong deliverer. Be refreshed! Find rest.

B. He longs for peace but they are for war (7)

Psalm 120:7 ESV

7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!

Lit. “I peace”

A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 3 (90–150): Commentary B. They Long for Peace but Are Met with Hostility (7)

Here in contrast to war it would signify at the least an end to hostilities, but more than that, a condition in the land where they could live out their lives undisturbed. Apart from brief periods of respite, the land has never enjoyed such peace—the world has never seen it.

Lit. “but when I speak, they are for war”

A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 3 (90–150): Commentary B. They Long for Peace but Are Met with Hostility (7)

The godly long for this peace and pray for it; whereas the wicked sow discord.

This final verse is a statement that sums up the world we now live in. We long for peace, but because of sin that peace will never come. Until when? Until the Prince of Peace returns and fixes all that is broken. Until that time we live in a world that is not for peace. Don’t put your hope in it. Don’t put you faith in it. This world is under the control of the evil one. And he is not for peace, but war.

Recognize the truth, and use it to prod your heart to begin the journey to proper worship. Turn away from the world and turn toward God. Depend upon Him, pray, seek his deliverance. Let your heart be moved away from the earthly temporal things that are passing away, and toward the eternal heavenly things where in dwells peace.