Finding Yourself in the Psalms
Psalm 120
A Psalm For Those Who Cry Out to God
Psalm 113-118 The Hallel Psalms
Psalm 119 The SCRIPTURE Psalm
Psalms 120-134 The Songs of Ascent (degrees)
10 anonymous Psalms
4 of David
1 of Solomon
5 groups of 3 Psalms – 2 anonymous, 1 of another author
Possibilities:
1. An worship collection of King Hezekiah
a. 10 anonymous Psalms written by Hezekiah
b. (Isaiah 38:20) "The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord."
c. He added 5 Psalms to commemorate the Lord’s additional 15 years added to his life. 2 Kings 20:6, 8
d. The “degrees” represent the degrees that the son went back on the steps in the Temple (the stairway of Ahaz). 2 Kings 20:8-11 same word as the superscription of Psalms 120-134. (Isaiah 38:8) "I will make the shadow cast by the sun go
back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’” So the sunlight
went back the ten steps it had gone down."
2. Songs sung by degrees (antiphonally)
3. Songs sung on the journey of the Captives from Babylon back to Jerusalem
4. Songs for each of the Temple steps
5. Songs for the 3 pilgrimages to Jerusalem.
Psalm 120. Calling on the Lord in Time of Need
I. Problems for the Psalmist
A. Distress. Qara. “To cry – to call out – to call out someone’s name.”
(Genesis 4:26) "Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord."
B. Deceit. 120:2. People were saying untrue things about him. C. Difficulty. 120:5.
1. Meshach, Keder. Enemy territory.
2. He is living in hostile territory.
3. His enemies want war, not peace.
II. Problems for Us.
A. Distress
1. Psalm 34:4-6
2. Psalm 77:1-2
3. The Lord is THERE for us when we call out to him
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a. |
(Psalm 86:5) "You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in |
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love to all who call to you." |
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b. |
(Romans 10:12) "For there is no difference between Jew and |
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Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who |
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call on him," |
B. Deceit
1. What do you do when others speak against you?
2. (Matthew 5:11) "“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."
3. (1 Peter 2:12) "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."
C. Difficulty
1. We live in a sinful world. (Philippians 2:14-15) "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe"
D. What can we do? CALL on the Lord!
1. (Jeremiah 33:3) "‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’"
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