A Song for Ascending to Worship

Psalms 120:1-7
A Song of Ascents.

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.

These few psalms sung as ascents by their titles were sung on pilgrimages to the temple at Jerusalem for worship.  As they walked uphill to the city on a hill for the three main festivals, these songs allowed them to talk to the LORD God as they approached for celebration and worship, and some believe that the priests would also sing them as they ascended the temple steps.  They are Psalms 120-134, and this first one is a cry to God for relief from bitter enemies, asking for God’s presence in their distress.  Their prayerful cry was answered as the psalmist wrote and the people of God sang out with faithful expectations.  They asked for deliverance from wicked men who slandered them with their lies and deceit.  The song calls the accusers to account before God for their false tongues wagging against His chosen people, with hope of divine intervention.  This was as they made their way on long journeys uphill to the over 2,700 foot high plateau where the temple stood in the city of the Great King, so they had plenty of time to sing with prayerful hope for deliverance.  The burning accusations were like arrows shot at them for no reason, just because of where they lived and who was living around them (descendants of Ishmael), those opposed to God and His people.  The psalmist acknowledged that it was too long to live with those only wanting to pick a fight, with those who actually hated peace itself.  Such contentious foes (Psalm 35:20-21) wanted only war, while God’s people prayed for peace (Psalm 109:3-5) in the midst of the volley of harsh and hateful words, much as we find today from those denying and hating God and those in Christ.  We seek peace, but those opposed to Christ only seek to fight and oppose God through us.  We dwell too long among those who hate peace, it often appears, so our response should be to pray for them in our sanctification’s ascent to the New Jerusalem to come.  We pray for them to either find peace with God in Christ (Romans 5:1), or to be defeated and exposed (Ephesians 5:13) for their deceitful words and deeds.  We can sing as we ascend to worship in these temples, individually and collectively (1 Peter 2:4-5), with songs of praise and hope of deliverance.  Amen!