[Note:  This post is part of a series of posts [1].]

Having discussed why Christians should care about the Songs of Ascent in light of the importance of “going up to Jerusalem” and having introduced the songs themselves and some basic questions about their essential unity and their largely unknown authorship, it would be worthwhile to examine these psalms to look at what we learn about the festivals of God, as they were observed in the Second Temple period, from the psalms themselves and their overall narrative arc.  Can we see a narrative within the psalms as they are collected together that is apparent when they are taken as a larger unit, rather than from examining them in a verse-by-verse fashion?  Is there a flow where themes are connected and where there is a sense of movement along the set of psalms from beginning to end, and does it help us better understand our own experiences traveling to the festivals of God as contemporary believers?  Let us at least to attempt to answer such questions briefly today.

Since we have already quoted the fifteen psalms of this collection, let us briefly summarize what the psalms say to see if there is a narrative they form when placed together.  As we noted previously, there are clearly some aspects of the psalms that combine with each other concerning the particular recapitulation of the beginning and also certain expressions being repeated throughout several of the psalms.  Let us, for now, content ourselves with seeking to summarize the place the psalms are coming from to see if it takes the believer on a particular journey.  Psalm 120 begins with the psalmist in a state of distress from people who have lying lips and who hate peace.  This is a place that many of us can relate to.  I know I can.  Psalm 121 has the psalmist looking towards the hills, where Jerusalem was located, from where God promises to keep us and deliver us and preserve us from evil in our coming and going.  Psalm 122 expresses gladness at going up to the house of God, and then focuses on the city of Jerusalem itself, its place as the location of judgment, expressing the desires of the psalmist for the peace and well-being of that city.  Psalm 123 shows the psalmist in distress, lifting up the eyes again to God, seeking to follow the example of God and asking for God’s mercy.  Psalm 124 reflects on the historical blessings that God has provided, preventing us from being overwhelmed with our sorrows and difficulties as was Heman in Psalm 88 [2].  Psalm 125 points to Mount Zion, another well-known Jerusalem landmark, pointing out the blessings that God gives to those who remain in righteousness.  Psalm 126 looks at the return of the captives to Jerusalem and the fact that even Gentiles are able to recognize what God has done for his people.  Psalm 127, perhaps the most ironic psalm that could have been penned by Solomon, reflects on the vanity of human attempts at splendor and security apart from righteousness and the continuing of blessings from God, and praises having a lot of children.  Psalm 128 seeks for believers happiness and fruitfulness and the peace and well-being of Jerusalem.  Psalm 129 reflects on a lifetime of sorrows that nevertheless have not spelled defeat or destruction, seeking blessings for the godly and ignominy and shame for those who hate God’s people.  Psalm 130 points out that believers cry out to God in sorrow and depths of grief, but that God is full of mercy and redemption.  Psalm 131 points our attention to being calm and quiet in spirit, rather than being troubled and anxious over matters beyond our comprehension.  Psalm 132 looks to the promise of salvation and joy that God gave to David, promises including the Messiah, as well as for God’s headquarters being Jerusalem, millennial promises that have yet to be fully fulfilled.  Psalm 133 praises the unity of brethren with a vision of a priest being anointed with oil that hints at the royal priesthood of believers, and Psalm 134 closes the Songs of Ascents with a blessing given to God from the servants who stand by night in God’s house, a perfect song to sing from the temple itself on the opening night of a Holy Day.

Looking at the psalms together, it is clear that there is a larger structure that begins from where believers start, living among the heathen who live lives contrary to God’s truth, and that ends with the believers praising God from within His house.  The songs look back to God’s workings through history as well as his promises yet to come.  The emotional content of the psalms when put together is one of great nuance and complexity.  There is praise, there is gratitude, there is hope and expectation, and there is sorrow and grief.  While individual psalms within the collection may focus on different aspects, when put together there is a larger picture that puts everything in its proper context, with God in control but with our own lives presenting us with a great deal of material to reflect on and to grow from.  There are a lot of references to children, from our being the children of God and to our being fruitful with many children of our own.  It is a collection of songs that focuses on Jerusalem as a destination of the faithful, and of believers as being a part of human and spiritual families.

If we compare and contrast the Songs of Ascents with our own worship practices and with what we know of the way that Jews in the Second Temple period traveled to the festivals, we can further insights.  For one, we do not see from the psalms any felt need to hide the complexity of our emotional state.  Whether the feeling was praise of God’s workings in life, grief over the troubles we face, or anxiety over the vanity of our attempts to find security and glory apart from God, that feeling is expressed honestly, but without losing sight of the larger picture.  Indeed, the songs as a whole, even as focused as they are on Mount Zion, the city of Jerusalem, and the temple of God, have a cosmic scope, looking not only at Israelites but at Gentiles as well, and looking at God as the creator of the universe, Jesus Christ as the savior and redeemer of humanity, and look at history as well as prophecy.  This sort of grand scope is often lacking from our own lives and from our own approach.  We would do well to recapture that approach for ourselves.

After all, the themes of these songs relate strongly to the larger themes of the plan of God as expressed in the Holy Days.  We see themes of salvation, of God’s working through believers in history, in the unity of believers and their preparation for positions of honor in judgment and in priestly service, and we see a look at the millennial blessings that God has promised.  In looking at the psalms as a whole, we begin in our departure from a world in darkness, and the collection ends in nighttime as believers praise the light of God triumphing over the darkness of the world.  And so it is in our lives as well as believers.  Indeed, should we focus a great deal of attention on the Song of Ascent, we will have little surprise that people have been inspired to write and reflect upon these psalms individually even if they have seldom been examined as a large body.  As we prepare for the Feast of Tabernacles, let us study and examine these songs so that we may better understand the mindset of those who came before us, whose writings and reflections were collected in scripture for our edification and growth.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/07/15/an-introduction-to-the-songs-of-ascents-part-one/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/an-introduction-to-the-songs-of-ascent-part-two/

[2] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/personal-profile-heman-the-ezrahite/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/heman-profile-of-a-godly-man/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/psalm-88-for-my-soul-is-full-of-troubles/