Songs of Ascent

Psalm 120-134.

Going up to Jerusalem for the 3 pilgrim festivals. Return from exile.

Jesus sang these Psalms at least 3 times a year. Our text in John 7.

What are the ways we understand Christ to be in the Psalms? Three ways. One way further divided. Where does Augustine get these ideas? Where does he get the license to read Scripture this way? 2CF 1.9?

Marked by Praise, struggle, longing, hope.

Structure

Ps 127. Is the center with 7 on each side. 24 references to YHWH on each side. Completeness. Beauty. Order.

House is the Lords house. New Temple.

City is Jerusalem. Heavenly Jerusalem

Sons are Sons of David. Ps 132:11-12. Israel of God.

The success of both dwelling place and Davidic dynasty are credited to the Lord. He has been and will be faithful.

Themes

Numbers 6:24–26

YHWH blesses, YHWH is your Keeper, YHWH is the bestower of grace and peace. It assures them of all of these things as the Lords covenant people. Note the NT picking up on these. Taking on for us greater significance.

24 “The Lord bless you Ps 128:5, 134:3, 133:3

and keep you; Ps 121 is essentially an exposition of this phrase. 3,4,5, 7(2x), 8

25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you; Ps 123:2, 3. Ps 130:2.(please for mercy)

26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.” ’” Ps 120. The Psalmist is longing for peace. Ps 122:6-8. Ps 125:5. Ps 128:6.

12/15 Songs of Ascent have reference to one of these Aaronic blessings

Use this as you consider how you might incorporate singing these at home. Sat evening , Lords day am, evening, Monday am.

In Psalm 120 the worshiper is away in a hostile land longing for Jerusalem.

In Psalm 121 the worshiper looks to Mount Zion and makes his approach.

In Psalm 122 the worshiper rejoices to stand within the gates of the temple.

In Psalm 123 the worshiper is in the temple looking to God in prayer.

In Psalm 124 the worshiper offers praise for God's past protection.

In Psalm 125 the worshiper expresses the blessedness of living under God's protection.

In Psalm 126 the worshiper rejoices in God's past deliverances and prays for further restoration, comparing it to the time of harvest.

In Psalm 127 the worshiper rejoices in God's enablement to build

"the house" —evidently an intended pun referring to the family, the Davidic dynasty, and the temple itself.

In Psalm 128 the worshiper expresses the blessedness of God'scare.

In Psalm 129 the worshiper prays for the thwarting of the enemy.

In Psalm 130 the worshiper praises the Lord for his forgiveness and steadfast love.

In Psalm 131 the worshiper is admonished to hope in the Lord.

In Psalm 132 the worshiper rejoices at his entrance to the temple and in God's promise to David.

In Psalm 133 the worshiper rejoices in the blessed unity of the

nation.

In Psalm 134 the worshiper departs from the temple and petitions for continued blessing from Zion.

Application

Israel sang for praise, in difficulty, with hope.

Christ sings them as his own words about his own mission. Consider above principles.

We sing them in the Spirit of Christ as Christs own words about his accomplished mission for us. We also sing them as pilgrims in hope of what Christ is doing and will do until his second coming.

Augustine so simply and wonderfully puts it: Whither are we traveling? To Christ. How shall we reach him? Through Christ.

To him as the one in whom these festivals find there substance, and the promises find there yes and amen. As Paul tells us in Philippians, Christ and more of Christ is our goal. Him and the power of his resurrection.

We are going to the one who has finished the race set before him. And we go to him with the blessing, his power to keep, and grace and peace help. The Author and finisher of our faith.

Ash:

So we ascend with Christ our leader and to Christ our goal. This framework affects how we read the mixture of singulars and plurals in the Songs of Ascents. When a psalmist speaks in the singular, he speaks for himself and for any future believing pilgrim. And yet he may also speak as a leader of the pilgrim band, and if we understand Jesus to be the paradigmatic pilgrim, he speaks especially with the voice of Jesus in his life on earth. The plurals express the faith of the whole pilgrim band—and therefore the whole church-as Jesus leads us in our prayers and praises. I watched a video lately about how we hear Jesus. What is he saying to you in this Psalm. Yes, also, what does it say about him………

That’s the lens through which we sing, read, and pray these pilgrim songs.

Godfrey: For Christians in the New Testament, there is still a journey. We are still pilgrims on the way to the heavenly Jerusalem. This psalm is as much for us as it was for them.

They are Psalms that should reorder our loves and set our affections on heavenly things. Augustine: The soul travels by its affections. If you are in love with the earth, your journey is taking you far from God. If you are in love with God, you are climbing toward him.

And the wonderful truth is that the place we are going is a reality that “we” already possess.

Philip Eveson: The Zion we, as pilgrims, are marching towards, is the Zion to which we already belong by God's grace. When Christians gather as a church for communal worship it should be a small-scale view of this spiritual city to which we belong.

“Your life is hid with Christ in God.” Where is Christ? Our citizenship in in heaven. At present.

Yet, because the consummation is not yet, these Songs are marked by suffering and difficulty. The reality of remaining sin, the hostile world and the devil are our struggles and ought to find comfort and help in singing these Psalms. Corporately and privately. I think they are especially fitting for Lords day worship. Before, during, and after.

Psalm 120 A Song of Ascents. The Pilgrim longing for God’s presence.

1 In my distress I cried to the Lord, And He heard me.

2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips And from a deceitful tongue.

3 What shall be given to you, Or what shall be done to you, You false tongue?

4 Sharp arrows of the warrior, With coals of the broom tree!

5 Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

6 My soul has dwelt too long With one who hates peace.

7 I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war.”

Longing for a taste of the life to come. Longing for the Sabbath.

Meshech and Kedar - Hostile toward Israel.

Think of Jesus singing this. This is where he is at in John 7. On his way up to Feast of Booths. He has been rejected by his people and even his own brothers.