Join the Journey

It's the beginning of summer. Things are stagnant. A "plateau" as they say. So what do I do? Start a new series on Sundays. Maybe nobody new will come, so can I dump on you? There is a lot I can't say on Sundays, and more I can't put into the separate study sheets. So here is some of the rest; the behind the scenes stuff that provides both inspiration and information to the series.

THE PSALMS

I have always loved the Psalms. One of the things that amazes me is all the books within this book. First, there are the five books of Psalms, with parallels to each of the five books of Moses (maybe more on that another day). Then there is Psalm 119, one acrostic Psalm in 22 alphabetic parts. Whoa! But right after that there are the Songs of Degrees called the Psalms of Ascent. Here are fifteen Psalms as one part (Psalms 120-134).

THE SERIES

These Psalms are amazing me, because they were sung by the tribes as they trekked to the temple.

You missed that. Israel was originally intended as a pilgrim people, only sojourning on life's journey (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all dwelt in tents). Even after they exited Egypt at the Exodus and came into Canaan to possess the land, God still needed to give them a reminder of their pilgrim nature. So three times a year they were to come to the temple to worship the Lord at the major religious feasts (Deut 16:16).

Now you have to understand, Jerusalem is geographical. Okay, I used to be slow, too, so let me rewind. Today, construction (and trash) fill-in and obscure the craggy lay of the land surrounding Mt. Zion (the political capital) and Mt. Moriah (the religious center). As a matter of fact, a major valley in between them has almost been entirely obliterated over the millennia. And of course, navigating the Kidron Valley and Gehenna (the Hinnom Valley) is not difficult now. But back in the day (David's), it was a dangerous deal to scale the heights and reach holy land. You were literally going up to where heaven touched earth and changed it, and the will of God was done on earth like it is in heaven.

HISTORICALLY

It's not just that Mt. Moriah was so high. But the temple was surrounded by valleys that were so low. You descended at least 600 feet, only to have to ascend that much more again. So the Temple Mount was an impressive sight—surrounded by sorrow, sadness and suffering.

Don't miss the metaphor. The temple is made of massively magnificent white marble. All wooden structures are overlaid with gold. When the sun rises and sets, it hits God's house, and the glint and gleam is reflected like a beacon. It is truly a light to the nations and a city set on a hill.

You could see it from afar. It was almost too resplendent to gaze on directly. But to get there from here required descending through the shadow of the valley, and winding around craggy cliffs on the road to the top. Foes without and fears within. What would give you the momentum and motivation to get there? Praise!

DOCTRINALLY

Ready to go deeper? These fifteen Psalms are organized in five triplets (groups of three). The theme in each triplet is (1) trouble, (2) trust, and (3) triumph. So in each group there is an ascent. You start off in trouble, and rise through trust to triumph.

PSALMIC SURVEY

Psalm 121 is the second Psalm in the first triplet, so its keynote is trust. In verses 1-2 the Messiah speaks and states his determination to gain deliverance from the trouble described in Psalm 120. What he will not do is described in verses 3-4. What he will do is stated in verse 5. What he will not allow is listed in verse 6, and what he will accomplish concludes the psalm in verses 7-8.

TEXTUALLY AND EXEGETICALLY

Keeper, keepeth, and preserve (6x in this Psalm) are all the same Hebrew word, referring to the actions of one who is protector and guardian. It is what the shepherd does in tending and watching over the flock.
The word behold (appearing at verse 4) is a word with a purpose. It always points to a fact that should be amazing you.

INSPIRATIONALLY

This is a far-reaching word of teaching. Too many Christians today want to be settlers and not sojourners. Life is short; we still want to be settlers. We get robbed of our goods; still settlers. Even in our amusements; settlers and satisfied. Our society is disintegrating; we are settled and secure. We are tourists with the Lord and settled in the land, instead of being visitors down here and living for the life ahead. We are "leisure suit" Christians, sedated and settled. We need to feel the urgency of the temporary instead of being blinded by the contemporary.

Gradually ascending in spirals, these Psalms reminds you to be "homeward bound."