Psalms Of Ascent
Part 2: Psalms 128-134



Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD?
or who shall stand in His holy place? He that
has clean hands, and a pure heart; who
has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor
sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the
blessing from the LORD, and righteousness
from the God of his salvation. (Psalms 24:3-5)



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Psalm 128 reveals the joy of those who follow God’s ways. God withholds no real good from them that fear and obey him; in addition to spiritual blessings, He also blesses them with earthly comforts. While the previous psalm hinted at the Lord's manner of building up a house, this one draws a picture of that house now built, and a life blessed with not just children but grandchildren. Having numerous offspring is one of the many temporal blessings promised to the righteous in the Old Testament. A man careful to walk in faithful obedience to the Lord will enjoy domestic bliss because of the Lord's blessings. What is earned by the labor of his hands, will be enjoyed by him and his family. Blessings on the family come from the Lord, because the family is His plan for the preservation of a Godly race, to preserve worship of Him alone.

Psalms 128

Blessed is every one that fears the LORD; that
walks in His ways. For you shall eat the labor of
your hands: happy shall you be, and it shall be
well with you. Your wife shall be as a fruitful
vine by the sides of your house: your children
like olive plants round about your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that
fears the LORD. The LORD shall bless you
out of Zion: and you shall see the good of
Jerusalem all the days of your life. Yea,
you shall see your children's children, and
peace upon Israel.



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In Psalm 129, the psalmist cries out to the Lord for help. He acknowledges how the Lord has delivered Israel in the past, and has confidence that the Lord will again save them in the future, destroying all the enemies of Israel. Israel always suffered persecution and affliction from the enemies that surrounded them, but they are assured that the One who has been with them always will be with them still.

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth,
may Israel now say: Many a time have they afflicted
me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed
against me. The plowers plowed upon my back: they
made long theirfurrows. The LORD is righteous:
He has cut asunder the cords of the wicked.

Let them all be confounded and turned back
that hate Zion. Let them be as the grass upon
the housetops, which withers before it grows
up: With which the reaper fills not his hand; nor
he that binds sheaves his bosom. Neither do
they who go by say, The blessing of the LORD be
upon you: we bless you in the name of the LORD.



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The next Psalm of Ascent is a prayer of repentance: great distress and sorrow always leads to sincere and earnest prayer to God, and such prayer will always be heard and answered. It acknowledges the Lord as the only source of hope, forgiveness and redemption; notice the name of the Lord is repeated eight times in these few verses. Also called the greatest of the Pentinent Psalms, it begins with the psalmist's earnest plea, then continues with a humble confession of repentance and faith in God's great forgiveness, mercy, and redemption. It ends with the faithful assurance that God will indeed redeem Israel from all their iniquities.

Psalms 130

Out of the depths have I cried unto you, O LORD. Lord,
hear my voice: let Your ears be attentive to the voice of
my supplications. If you, LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with
You, that You may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my
soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waits
for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning:
I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let
Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is
mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He
shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.



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With only three verses, Psalm 131 is one of the shortest psalms in the Bible, along with Psalms 133 and 134; only Psalm 117 is shorter, with only two verses. Charles Spurgeon, known as the "Prince of Preachers", said of this psalm that it is "one of the shortest to read and hardest to learn." It is a reminder to Israel (and to all of us, still today) that they must come to the Lord humbly as a little child,and trusting in Him even as a little child trusts in their father. This requires total surrender of all pride and haughtiness, placing all hope and faith only in the Lord. The writer knows that this requires effort on his part; he must quiet his prideful human desires To be content in every condition God allows, and to simply rest in the Lord as a weaned child rests in it's mother's lap, shows the utmost humility, and trust in God.

Psalms 131

LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty: neither do
I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is
weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let
Israel hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.



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God’s promise to David, whom He considered a man after His own heart, detailed the sovereign plan God had for His people. This was known as the Davidic Covenant: God had chosen Zion, to be His own habitation forever. Then in II Samuel 7:8-16, God made an eternal, unconditional promise to David that one of his descendants would be a righteous King who will establish an eternal kingdom. This promise will ultimately be fulfilled when Jesus Christ, of David's lineage, will take His place as the Righteous King, and establish His kingdom forever.

The writer of this psalm , possibly Solomon, describes in the first few verses David's intense desire for God's house to be established and his desire for all to worship God properly therein. The psalm begins with David's vow to the Lord, and ends with the Lord's vow to David.

Psalm 132

LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions: How he swore
unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; Surely
I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into
my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids,
Until I find out a place for the LORD, a habitation for the mighty
God of Jacob. Lo, we heard of it at Ephrathah: we found it in the
fields of the woods. We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship
at his footstool. Arise, O LORD, into Your rest; You, and the ark of
Your strength. Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness; and
let Your saints shout for joy.

For your servant David's sake turn not away the face of Your anointed.
The LORD has sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it; Of the
fruit of your body will I set upon your throne. If your children will keep
My covenant and My testimony that I shall teach them, their children
shall also sit upon your throne forevermore. For the LORD has chosen
Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. This is My rest forever: here
will I dwell; for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision:
I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with
salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy. There will I make the
horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for My anointed. His
enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.



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This next Psalm Of Ascent is another short one, again consisting of only three verses. Psalm 133 expresses praise for harmonious and peaceful unity and fellowship and brotherly love among the family of believers. We have all seen families torn apart by strife among their members, and the family of God is no different. There are countless verses found within Scripture about the need for God's people to live in unity and the blessings of doing so.

Psalms 133

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head,
that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went
down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and
as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for
there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.



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A fitting epilogue to the psalms of pilgramage, Psalm 134 is the last Psalm of Ascent, also containing only three verses. In it, the first two verses call upon the priests to bless God, and the last verse calls for them to pronounce the Lord's blessings on His people.

They are to bless God by lifting up their hands in adoration while singing praises to Him in His holy temple. They would do this at night, the time of the evening sacrifice, after which the priests were to in turn bless the people. The priests are to bless men by their teaching, of course, but even more importantly, they must set the example of blessing Jehovah with their worship.


Psalms 134

Behold, bless you the LORD, all you servants of the LORD,
who by night stand in the house of the LORD. Lift up your
hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. The LORD
that made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.



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As we look back over the Songs of Ascent, we see how the focus was always on the Lord, recognizing all His blessings and protection, trusting in His promises, and praising Him. Take time to study these psalms, and let them speak their timeless message to you. These psalms serve as beautiful reminders to us still today to do the same: seek the Lord and recognize His sovereignty, His providence, and His blessings in our lives, and give Him all praise, honor and glory. Amen!


Psalms Of Ascent
Part 1: Psalms 120-127















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