Learning How to Worship: Psalms of Ascents

This week I am taking a different approach. I could have picked just one of these Psalms to highlight, but the fact is these specific psalms that I wanted to highlight were meant to be kept together.

Psalms 120-134 is a collection of Psalms that were used by Jewish pilgrims as they made their trek up to Jerusalem for festivals. These are psalms that were sung in preparation for worship at the Temple. They were designed to prepare the hearts and minds of the worshipers to be close to the presence of God. Jesus would have most likely sung these songs when he was twelve years old and walking to the temple in the caravan from Galilee (see Luke 2:41-52) He would have sung these with his disciples every time they came to Jerusalem. These psalms were memorized by the people. Something that was held so tightly by the Jewish people as they worshiped YaHWeH that Christians today still see the fruit of Scripture in is something we should definitely spend some time studying and perhaps memorizing and using in our own worship services.

So today I want to share five different pieces of wisdom I gleaned from these 15 Psalms:

The first Psalm of Ascents, Psalm 120 is a prayer to the LORD to deliver the people from those who speak ill against them as well as praying the LORD will save them from falling into the similar trap. The basic premise and piece of wisdom this psalm teaches us is one that the New Testament echoes, specifically James. Deceitful lips and lying tongues will not go unpunished. The LORD desires us to be at peace with all peoples, He desires for us to control or tame the tongue, that we will not say things that breed disunity and break apart harmony. This was probably a way for the people as they went up to Jerusalem to think about their speech, about how they have been living with their mouths. The image of Isaiah comes to mind when I think about that idea. These people were literally going up to where the presence of God was dwelling. When Isaiah saw the LORD in Is. 6, he cried out “Woe is me, a man of unclean lips.” It is a good practice among Christians today to be cognizant of our speech and how we address people, for it is the same mouth we will use to praise and worship our God.

I see a second teaching of life wisdom from the Psalms of Ascents, first in Psalm 121, but echoed throughout the Ascents (124, 125, 127, 129) is that God is our guard. He alone is all we need for protection and honestly, the only one who truly can protect His people from all harm. If God is for us, who can be against us? The wisdom here is remembering that. It is hard sometimes to remember that it is God who builds the house, it is God who watches over the city. It is God who ordains all things and allows all things. It is God, not me, who is strong and gifted in certain areas. It is God who has given us the ability, the opportunity, and the will to live. It is He who never sleeps on the job or ever has an “off-day”. God is sovereign over all and truly good to His people. Psalm 127 especially brings this home for me, a Psalm of Solomon, there is hint of the attitude of Ecclesiastes in it. Basically if God is not involved, it is all meaningless. Remember God, and don’t take pride in your own strength. Remember God, and don’t try to do things on your own. Remember God and worship Him for all that we do have, and not what we wish we had. The LORD is our portion, our inheritance, our only true need.

A third teaching of wisdom I gleaned from the Psalms of Ascents is one I saw in just about every single one of them. There is a necessity for true community in order to worship God the way He desires to be worshiped. Not only for that reason, but there is a sincere gladness by the Psalmists when they speak of doing things together. Psalm 133 is the cherry on top. Worship established community that was beneficial, encouraging, and joyous for the worshipers. We were made for community. The Christian life is not one that can be trail-blazed alone.

Theology is incomplete without community.

Fourth, the Psalms of Ascents teach us that preparing our hearts before God is just as important as the worship we give him in a corporate setting. I pull this concept more from the background and practice of these psalms more than the actual words of Scripture, but I think it definitely holds weight for us. If we are living lives of worship, every day of the week, it makes Sunday's corporate setting that much sweeter. What are you doing to cultivate an appreciation, reverence, and respect for God? What are you doing in your life to create space for God to impact you? Where are you serving so as to make your church's Sunday morning experience worshipful for everyone who attends?

Lastly, I see authentic devotion and faith of the people in these Psalms. It is hard to read these, even harder to sing these Psalms or speak of them without feeling the weight of the words.

Do we truly believe that God is our help?
Do we truly believe that God is our keeper, for now and forevermore?
Do we truly believe that God is sovereign, and that without Him nothing would be?
Do we truly believe that God will use our suffering for His purposes?

These words force us to practice certain disciplines, or else we find ourselves lying to ourselves when we say the words.

Do we wait for the LORD, and put our hope in His Word? (Ps. 130)
Do we practice the calming and quieting of our soul? (Ps. 131)
Do we resonate the desire to dwell together in unity? (Ps. 133)
Are we as devoted to God as the servants who worshiped in the Temple at night? (Ps. 134)

This isn't a call to be legalistic or do more things, just to go through the motions... it is a heart check. I can't read these 15 Psalms without asking myself if my faith is authentic and really desire more from my relationship with Jesus. On the other hand these Psalms are also a great reminder that I don't have to approach a Temple to be in the presence of God our Savior.

We are where His presence rests. That is a humbling, and yet glorious truth.



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Nathan Bryant

is a pastor at River Run Church in East Orlando, FL. As a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri he majored in Biblical Leadership, New Testament Studies, and Missiology.  In 2014 he attended the Leadership Institute in Phoenix, AZ where he continued his education from other pastors and educators at one of the fastest growing churches in the United States. He loves the outdoors, whether it is camping in the mountains or jumping through the waves at the beach, nothing is better than enjoying God’s creation. Nathan longs for unity and commitment to Jesus to be a defining element in the global church of his generation.

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our causes.

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our boundaries.

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