Psalm 120: 1, 3-6 (NIV)
I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me. 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.
Psalms 120-134 all have the same title: A song of ascents. They were songs sung by the Jews as they travelled up (ascent) to Jerusalem for the three main feasts each year: Passover in the Spring, Pentecost in the Summer, and Tabernacles in the Fall. Jerusalem is located at about 2800 feet above sea level, and so no matter what direction you approach the city from, you are always going “up” to Jerusalem. But they are also called songs of ascent because of their spiritual trajectory—from the low points of life to the joy of God’s presence. Have you ever gone on a road trip and put together a play list or mix of songs for the journey? That is how we should use Psalms 120-134…not on a literal journey to modern-day Jerusalem, but on our spiritual pilgrimage as we ascend towards our ultimate destination.
There are three main points to consider in this psalm as we make our way up: Calling on the Lord in times of trouble, knowing that God will judge the wicked, and knowing that you no longer belong to this world.
Notice the emphasis in verse one: “I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me.” The author didn’t think, “Maybe he will answer me,” or “I hope he will answer me.” Rather, by experience and by faith, the author knew with confidence that God WOULD answer his prayers. Sadly, for many of us, we throw our prayers up to God and “hope for the best,” not sure what he will do or if he is even listening and/or cares. Our prayer life may be more like a trip to the wishing well than a formal visitation with the King in his Throne Room. James 5:13 tells us plainly: “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.” But what James 5:13 tells us by way of instruction, Psalm 120 tells us by way of testimony. “I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.” God hears you when you pray, and He always answers in one way or another.
Does it bring you any comfort to know that God will eventually judge every wicked action and every wicked person? This is not something that a Christian should delight in, but rather, something to take comfort in. God’s judgment is appropriate and just. It is also certain and severe. We learn from Psalm 120 that the appropriate judgment for sin is very severe, as pictured by a warrior’s sharp arrows and the burning coals of the broom tree (v. 4). For the atheist, there is no ultimate justice. Every wicked person gets away with their crimes, be it Ghengis Kahn, Adolf Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, or a child molester. Not so with the God of the Universe. Regarding this fiery judgment, Spurgeon noted that, “The shafts of calumny (deceit) will miss the mark, but not so the arrows of God: the coals of malice will cool, but not the fire of justice.” Be assured that there will be a full reckoning of every evil deed ever done.
Finally, every Christian needs a firm grasp of the reality that they simply do not fit this current world system. As a Christian you are called to be different from the world. The world has no place for God or Christ, and therefore as a follower of Christ you are going to feel out of place in this world.
Meshech and Kedar in Psalm 120 refer to peoples rather than places. The people of Meshech lived to the north by the Black Sea. The people of Kedar lived to the south in the Arabian Desert. And so, the psalmist is surrounded by people who do not care about God or God’s ways. And this causes him distress and discomfort. “Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!” (v. 5). Jesus said in John 15:19: “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” And even though we may not feel comfortable living in the world, this is exactly the place where God has chosen for us to live out our Christian faith in obedience to him and as a witness to others…so let us all resolve to live it well.
Amen.
