Psalms of Ascent Part 1

Psa 120:1 A Song of degrees. In my trouble I cried to Jehovah, and He heard me.
Psa 120:2 Deliver my soul, O Jehovah, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.
Psa 120:3 What shall be given to you? Or what shall be done to you, O false tongue?
Psa 120:4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of broom.
Psa 120:5 Woe is me, that I live in Mesech; I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
Psa 120:6 My soul has long dwelt with a hater of peace.
Psa 120:7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

The Psalms of degrees or ascent were pilgrim songs that were sung as the journey was made toward Jerusalem for the feasts. In a sense these are road maps showing certain things that we will encounter on our own path to Zion, God’s ultimate for our lives.

The first Psalm begins with an appeal to God, because of slander and falsehood. A mere perusal of these psalms will show that it is only in the midst of intense opposition that this journey can be accomplished. Those who go on with God will face fiendish opposition from people who hate peace. We have an implacable enemy of our souls who stirs up men against us. His greatest weapon is words, words like sharp arrows that wound and fester.

From the onset this journey on with God is laid out as being difficult, we will face people who are willing to say any sort of slander, and believe the worst.

In the natural this Psalm lays out the history of Israel, dwelling among Mesech and Kedar (Mesech was a northern barbarous group living around the Black Sea, and groups from that area periodically invaded the Middle East, Kedar was the descendant of Ishmael that Mohammed claimed descent from and thus refers to the muslim nations in general). Natural Israel is surrounded by these nations and as we see even today is not even acknowledged as a nation by them. This will be the state of affairs until Christ returns, with much talk of peace, but no true peace.