Uncertainty and Certainty: The Psalms of Ascent (Part 3)

Psalms of Ascent (123-125)

If we read the Psalms of Ascent not as a random collection of pilgrimage psalms but as the journey of worship, leaving the land far away from the Lord, setting our eyes on Jesus, and arriving in His presence in light of the new covenant, how then do the other 13 songs function?

Each of the other songs represents the complexity of drawing near to the Lord in worship.

When we leave the “woe is me” for I dwell far away from the Lord (Psalm 120) and set our eyes on a personal God who “keeps our life” (Psalm 121), we bring all of those faith struggles and convictions with us into the presence of the Lord in one jumbled ball of mess. These songs are valuable to us for several reasons.

First, they give us freedom to be authentic in our worship. Yes, even doubt and uncertainty have a place in worship.

Second, they remind us that our fellow worshippers might not be on the same page even if they are on the same pew. We might be joyfully overflowing with thanksgiving, as in Psalm 126, but they might be in the valley of affliction, as in Psalm 129. Can we make space for each other in the same hour?

Finally, they remind worship leaders that the believers before them arrived in various heart conditions. Some are looking for mercy (Psalm 123), some for restoration (Psalm 126), some for deliverance (Psalm 129), some for forgiveness (Psalm 130), and others are drawing near to the Lord just to quiet their anxious souls (Psalm 131). Are we leading them in worship where they can experience their Keeper in all of His beauty and greatness?

To see the fullness of worship, let’s look more closely at each of the remaining Psalms of Ascent.

Have Mercy on Us (Psalm 123)

WE begin with Psalm 123, which echoes the upward gaze of Psalm 121. Here, the worshipper is looking to the One who is enthroned in the heavens (1). The analogy is of a servant looking to his master or a maidservant looking to her mistress for mercy (2). In the same way, the worshipper is drawing near to the Lord looking for mercy. Notice that the word “mercy” appears three times in this short song.

But we shouldn’t miss the reason why the worshipper is asking for mercy. The request is not motivated by confession of sin, like we find in Psalm 130. Instead, the heart of the worshipper resonates with the “leaving” song of Psalm 120. Hear the echo: we have had more than enough of contempt (3). Remember, leaving the land of those who hate peace and love war (Psalm 120.6-7), leaving the land of those who hate the ways of the Lord, even if that hate resides in our own hearts, is where worship begins. However, we don’t just leave all those emotions behind when we walk away. If we are honest, we bring them with us into the presence of God.

We have had enough! Enough of what?

We have had enough of those who are at ease, enough of the wicked who are prospering, enough of the contempt of those who mock the Lord and His worshippers. This scorn and contempt are not confined to the worshippers in Jerusalem centuries ago for Christians all over the world know this woe. Christian teenagers mocked because they didn’t go to certain parties. College age young men who share their convictions in a philosophy class. Businesswomen who refuse to use unethical means to climb the ladder. Not to mention the many believers around the world who face physical persecution.

Is there a place in worship for God’s people to come before Him and say, “I don’t know if I can take this anymore. My strength is gone. I am faint, weary. I need Your mercy and strength to continue to walk in Your ways and to claim Your name in the world in which I live.”

If not, there should be.

Our Help is in the Name of the Lord (Psalm 124)

The next song is almost an answer to the one that came before. Psalm 123 asks for mercy because they are at wit’s end dealing with the scorn of the proud. This song celebrates the mercy given by the Lord: the Lord is on our side (1).

To emphasize the importance, this question is repeated twice in short order: if the Lord had not been on our side (1 and 2). What would have happened if the Lord had not given mercy to those who had “had enough”?

If the Lord had not been on their side when enemies rose up against them, those enemies would have swallowed them whole (3). The worshipper uses the image of floodwaters (4-5), a threatening torrent that would have taken them away, but also the image of birds of prey (6) and the fowler’s snare (7). Floodwaters, birds of prey, hunter’s traps, all three represent what would have happened to them if God had not been on their side.

But the worshipper has come before the presence of the Lord to rejoice that God is on their side. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth (8). The frustration of Psalm 123 is balanced with the rejoicing of Psalm 124.

Here we find authentic worship: the honest frustration of those who have had enough combined with the reminder that God is on our side and won’t let us be overcome.

Trust and Not Be Moved (Psalm 125)

As the journey of worship continues, we see a movement from frustration (Psalm 123) to celebration (Psalm 124) to a call to continue to walk with the Lord in absolute trust.

This short song uses the image of the mountains surrounding Jerusalem (2), mountains that cannot be moved. In the same way, those who trust in the Lord cannot be moved (1).

But trusting the Lord is complex and requires faith. The complexity is demonstrated in three ways.

The worshipper asks God to do good to those who walk in His ways (4) and to lead away those who turn aside to crooked ways (5). In addition, the worshipper rejoices in the hope that the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous (3).

Bless the righteous, curse the wicked, and keep the wicked from gaining political power! Amen and Amen.

But…

Life is not always so, is it?

Even the biblical account bears testimony to wicked kings, when the scepter of wickedness rested on the land allotted to the righteous (3). How many stories do we know of the righteous suffering and the wicked prospering? How many believers today live in nations where evildoers hold the scepter?

This song reminds us that all of our prayers are ultimately answered and fulfilled by Christ. In the eternal kingdom of God, the land allotted to the righteous will be ruled by the One True and Holy King. God’s people will know goodness like never before, and His enemies will be cast away forever and ever.

But what about now? We trust the Lord, for those who trust the Lord shall not be moved.

This is our worship int eh now and the not yet: offered where wicked rulers rule, where the proud are full of contempt where the righteous dwell among those who hate peace. Our worship of the King of Kings is authentic.

(Part 4 will explore Psalms 126-128)