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New Song Community Church
Psalms of Ascent - Psalm 122
Join us this Lenten season on Sundays, 10am, for a deeper study of the Old Testament "Psalms of Ascent" (Psalms 120 to 134). "Ascent" in Hebrew is "ma'aloth", meaning "to go up". Throughout the centuries, the Psalms of Ascent were songs sung by God's people on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Three Great Feasts, during the 15 steps leading to their worship at the temple, and by the people of Israel returning to Jerusalem after Babylonian Exile. As we make our Lenten journey to Jerusalem, to Palm Sunday, to Good Friday, and to Easter Sunday, may we worship along our way with these Psalms!
Locations & Times
New Song Community Church
2858 Hafenrichter Rd, Aurora, IL 60503, USA
Sunday 10:00 AM
We go up them. We go down them. We do it every day, most likely multiple times. They are at home, at work, at school, and almost everywhere. Sometimes there are just a few. Sometimes there are many (The longest set is in Mount Niesen in the Swiss Alps.). Many people wear Fitbits to count them. The goal is to take 10,000 of them every day. That’s right. You guessed it right. They are steps!
Today, as we journey through Lent to Jerusalem, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, let’s continue our study of Psalms 120 to 134, the “Psalms of Ascent”, 15 psalms that are also known as the “Songs of Steps”. As God’s people would pilgrimage to Jerusalem for their annual festivals and draw near to worship at the temple, they would sing these. Today, let’s meditate on Psalm 122.
ESV and Lutheran Study Bible titles this third step, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”NLT Life Application Study Bible summarizes the theme, “Stepping into the presence of God. What Jerusalem was for the Israelites, the church is to the believer.”Beth Moore, in her study, Stepping Up, titles it, “Our own house, our own city.”NKJV Study Bible, titles it, “The joy of going to the house of the Lord.”
NKJV Study Bible says, “Psalm 122, a psalm of Zion, is the third song of ascent. This poem describes the joy of the pilgrim on arriving at Jerusalem to worship God. This is one of four songs of ascent attributed to David (also Ps. 124; 131; 133). The structure of the poem is as follows: (1) a description of the pilgrim’s joy in coming to Jerusalem (vv. 1, 2); (2) a description of the beauty of Jerusalem (vv. 3-5); (3) a prayer for the peace (shalom) of Jerusalem (vv. 6-9).”
As you ascend and takes steps in your faith journey, remember this, from The Lutheran Study Bible, “Like David, we are welcomed to the Lord’s house and can rejoice at the invitation. We are drawn to a heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22). At the throne of Christ, the eternal Son of David, we find a place of peace (Rom. 5:1; 8:1)." Now and always, may you find joy in this place of worship, the privilege of pilgrimage, and the peace of God, in Christ Jesus, which exceeds anything we can understand!
Let’s pray. Lord, in Luke 2:13-14 (NLT), when Jesus, “the good news that will bring great joy to all people”, arrived, a vast host of angels, the armies of heaven, joined the angel amongst the shepherds, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Lord, whether we are in the city of Jerusalem or Aurora, IL, and, whether we are in our own house or the house of the Lord, bring Your peace and prosperity to us, now and always! Amen
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” - Psalm 122:1 (NLT)