At Psalm 130 we find the psalmist in a desperate situation. 1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. 3 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. But from within that desperation, the God who surely has condemned all sin unto death, has provided the rescue from it. 5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more […]

At Psalm 129 we consider the normal truth that the world is set against us, but also the gift that the LORD God has redeemed us from this world. 1 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth,” Let Israel now say— 2 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth; Yet they have not prevailed against me. 3 The plowers plowed on my back; They made their furrows long.” 4 The Lord is righteous; He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked. This world is not about our sorrow, but God’s glory and how He redeems us from such sorrow. In this, […]

Psalm 127 has considered the blessings of a home and a family. For the Psalmist there, such blessings are from the LORD God. The Psalmist of Psalm 128 knows that such blessings begin with the fear of the LORD. 1 Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways. It is only after having understood that God’s honour, respect and reverence is deserving, that God’s blessings are more fully realized! 2 When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. 3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive […]

King Solomon is not a prolific contributor to the Psalms, as much as he is in the Proverbs. But as he ascends towards Jerusalem, he has his home and his family on his mind; he has his land and his people to consider. Firstly, his home and his land. 1 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep. Secondly, his family and his people. 3 Behold, children are a heritage […]

Verse 5 of Psalm 126, a Song of Ascents, gives us, 5 Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. This verse summarizes the psalm. This verse comforts the heart. This verse reminds us that our former tears of sorrow, shall be transformed into tears of joy. The Lord Jesus Christ knows your sorrow. He’s felt your pain. And according to His Father’s will, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, everything that is necessary for you to leave your sorrows and to know them no more, is done. When the Lord Jesus Christ is your King, you’re closer […]

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). These are the words of Jesus Christ, heard and captured (written down) for us to find peace. Such is the intent of the Author and the author of Psalm 125. Such is what the Christ fulfills. First of all, find peace in His strength. 1 Those who trust in the Lord Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever. Second […]

Beloved, from where does your help come from? David, at Psalm 124, as he ascends to Jerusalem to worship, has considered the answer. But first he considers all that would be fall him if the LORD God was not his defense. 1 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say— 2 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, When men rose up against us, 3 Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us; 4 Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul; 5 Then the […]

In Psalm 123’s Song of Ascent, we are told who to worship and then why. First, dear reader, who will you worship? 1 Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He has mercy on us. And now I’ll tell you why. 3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. 4 Our soul is exceedingly filled With the scorn of those […]

When you wake up on Sunday morning, are you excited to go to church? Have you ever stood outside of a box office (actually, these days, tickets are all bought online) but have you logged-in the moment tickets were available and upon entrance to that event were you excited to get there and to be there? The Psalmist of Psalm 122 wants you to feel this way when entering the presence of your Lord, in worship. 1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” 2 Our feet have been standing Within your gates, […]

In this second “Song of Ascent,” a foundation of thinking is given for every Christian to dwell upon. In other words, believer, before you go out into this world, read, and believe this psalm. It should be the foundation of all your thinking, searching always for the the glory of God in every decision you make. 1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither […]