Sept. 7 2024 - Psalm 120

Up the Mountain

Psalm 120 NIV

A song of ascents. I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me. Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues. What will he do to you, and what more besides, you deceitful tongue? He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush. Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek, that I live among the tents of Kedar! Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

what are the Songs of Ascent or Songs of Degrees

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Job–Song of Solomon Psalm 120: Theme—Sharp Arrows

This psalm begins a group of fifteen (Pss. 120–134) that are called Songs of Ascents or Songs of Degrees (KJV). Tradition has held that the Songs of Ascents were comparable to the fifteen steps that led from the Court of the Women to the Court of the Israelites, and that they were chanted by Levites from these steps. Another popular theory has held that these psalms were chanted by pilgrims as they traveled toward Jerusalem.330

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Job–Song of Solomon I. An Agonizing Prayer (Ps. 120:1–2)

AN AGONIZING PRAYER (Ps. 120:1–2)

1 In my distress I cried unto Jehovah,

And he answered me.

2 Deliver my soul, O Jehovah, from lying lips,

And from a deceitful tongue.

The distress that afflicted the soul of the psalmist was the attack by others seeking his hurt. He begged God to deliver him from them, and He graciously answered.

II. A BARRAGE OF SHARP WORDS (Ps. 120:3–4)

3 What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee,

Thou deceitful tongue?

4 Sharp arrows of the mighty,

With coals of juniper.

His attackers were out to defame him by spreading many lies about him. His sense of justice was outraged and he sought by questions how to find a method of punishing the deceitful tongue. The viciousness of the tales peddled about him is graphically described by the phrases sharp arrows and coals of juniper. They cut deeply and burned painfully in his soul. This was the affliction for which he asked help from the Lord.

III. THE FRUSTRATION OF A PEACEFUL MAN (Ps. 120:5–7)

5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech,

That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

6 My soul hath long had her dwelling

With him that hateth peace.

7 I am for peace:

But when I speak, they are for war.

Relief did not come immediately, for the smart of the lies still pained him. Everyone seemed to be out to smear him. To illustrate the extent of his opposition, he cited the nation farthest to the north, Meshech, located near the Black Sea, and the wild, nomadic Kedar to the east. His life was like dwelling among those people who hated peace. Yet he was a man who was for peace, and whenever he spoke out he was in difficulty with the warmongers.

The psalmist did not leave us with a testimony stating how God answered his prayer.

Psalm 120:1–2 NIV

I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me. Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

The psalmist (psalm/song/poem writer) is being deeply hurt by the sharp words of others and cries out to God for help.

—> lying lips

—> deceitful tongues

—> notice how these words are plural it is not a single instance but it seems to be a constant in the Psalmists life.

—> How many times do we have to deal with lying lips and deceitful tongues?

—> And not just from specific people in our lives, not just from family or “freinds”, coworkers or classmates, but from the world that surrounds us.

—> Think about it when is the last time any mass media outlet gave you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

—> When is the last time an advertisment said you don’t really need this product, we are just here to make your life appear better.

—> The media, advertisers, politicians, who now seem to fall into both of those camps, are all spinning tales, stories, lies, threats, to make you feel certain ways and do certain things that benefit them.

Psalm 120:3–4 NIV

What will he do to you, and what more besides, you deceitful tongue? He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush.

—> The Psalmist is really struggling with this. He asks God how He will handle these people that have hurt him. And it comes back that the punishment will be swift and severe, long lasting.

—> First, the Psalmist realizes this is a problem bigger than himself, he calls and the Lord and it will be the Lord that provides the ultimate solution not him(the writer)

—> The arrow would quickly cut those that are hurting our psalmist but the coals burn for a long time. It is a lasting heat that won’t soon be put out or forgotten.

—> We need to think about this punishment before we are so quick to cheer. God’s endgame isn’t just to help the psalmist here but to turn theses lying lips and deceitful tongues toward Him as well.

—> The arrows are to make them stop, the coals are to make them think.

Psalm 120:5–7 NIV

Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek, that I live among the tents of Kedar! Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

—> Meshek and Kedar are two places and peoples outside of the Kingdom of God.

Meshek is far north of Jerusalem by some 1000 miles. They are are wild and strange people, not at all like the people of God.

Kedar speaks of a waring tribe of nomadic people that wander on Israel’s southern boarder. They act in violence and are constantly at war.

—> the Psalmist realizes that he is not where he is supposed to be.

—> That maybe the reason he has been fed these lies and has been hurt again again by the sharp words of of others isn’t just there fault but he maybe to blame to, “too long have I lived among those who hate peace.”

—> When we dwell in and around places and people that aren’t a part of God’s Kingdom there are real consequences. We will get hurt.

—> This Psalm doesn’t end in a happy way it ends with a realization.

—> For our lives to change for the better we have to do something, we have to make a move, but to do that we first have to realize something needs to change and take a first step.