Psa 126:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

PSS 126-128: The miraculous prolonging of Hezekiah’s days, so that he could have a family to fulfill the promises.

Psalms 126–128 are the central songs of the Songs of Degrees, the high point in expression of the spiritual types of Hezekiah’s life. Christ is seen in every verse, in every image. What is most wonderful in the contemplation of them is the magnificent way in which the commonplace becomes profound, and the natural becomes spiritual. When the image of Christ is stamped thereupon, the base currency of everyday life becomes the finest gold. The simplest sights and actions glow forth with the most sublime meaning. Sowing and reaping, sleeping and waking, are transformed into rich parables of faith — every detail of these ordinary actions now alive with significance. The house and the city and the gate are places never again to be inhabited or visited in the heedless manner of earlier days; now each is enlisted to the service of Christ: his “Father’s house”, the “city of the great king”, the “gate of his enemy” now possessed by the Eternal Conqueror.

We seat ourselves at the family table for our evening meal, and suddenly we find that the Master is there. The bread is his body, precious seed cast into the ground to die and bring forth much fruit; we are that fruit! The wine is his blood, the blood of the True Vine, and we are his branches! The oil is the light of that perfect Life; in the darkest of all nights he knelt among the gnarled olive trees of Gethsemane while we slept heedlessly — he is the tree of life, and we are like him: little olive plants round his table!

“So shall no part of day or night From sacredness be free; But all our life in every step Be fellowship with thee.”

Step by step, “degree” by “degree”, we ascend into the presence of God. Our daily routine is transformed into life on a higher level — a life lived to the fullest even now, because lived in joyful contemplation of eternity with Christ.

BROUGHT BACK THE CAPTIVES: Though the AV implies a return from captivity (and of course there was such a return), the Hebrew seems to allow for a more spiritual application: ie, “restored the fortunes”. The same phrase has the general sense of restoring of fortunes (and/or healing of diseases) in Job 42:10, where the blessings include, incidentally, long life and many children (cp Psa 127:3; 128:3,6)!

WE WERE LIKE MEN WHO DREAMED: We just couldn’t believe it’, or, ‘It was like coming out of a nightmare.’

Psa 126:2

SONGS OF JOY: The songs of Isa 38:10-20 and Psa 120-134. And even among the Gentiles are the mighty deeds of Yahweh magnified and glorified (see 2Ch 32:23).

It is conceivable, to go a step further, that the returning captives of Assyria (Psa 120:5) bring with them a “mixed multitude”: “We will go with you,” they seem to say, “for we perceive that God is with you [Immanuel!]” (Zec 8:23; cp Psa 122:1,2).

Psa 126:4

STREAMS: “Aphikim” = channels or gorges. Job compared his three companions to such deceitful brooks of the south country, which in the spring are filled with water, but in the heat of summer are dried up to the dismay of thirsty travelers (Job 6:15-20). This annual phenomenon eloquently describes the vacillating fortunes of Israel throughout her history.

Perhaps more to the point, this vivid figure of speech may refer to the 200,000 returning captives: picture a wadi in the Negeb without a sign of moisture in it (not a difficult task in Texas! or Australia? but in England?!). Then, as a result of a thunderstorm in the hills, there comes a mighty rush of floodwaters. So also with the road back to Zion — first it is empty of travelers, and then suddenly it is inundated with an eager continuous stream of rejoicing former captives intent on getting back home as fast as their legs can carry them!

Psa 126:5

Sowing: what to sow (Luk 8:11), what not to sow (Deu 22:9), how to sow (Psa 126:5,6), when to sow (Ecc 11:6), reward of sowing (1Co 15:58).

REAP WITH SONGS OF JOY: The literal reference is surely to the amazing prosperity which the God-blessed Year of Jubilee brought after the preceding year of devastating invasion (2Ki 19:29; Isa 37:30; v 31 there describes the return of the captives, according to Lev 25:10). But the anticipation of such extraordinary fertility would require the faith of the farmer, to sacrifice perhaps his last stores of seed in hope of the wonderful harvest. Cp also the “kingdom” picture of Amos 9:13,14: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them [Psa 127:1]; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof [Psa 128:3]; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.”

“There is something very touching about the courage and faith and self-sacrifice of the small farmer who, when sowing time comes, must take of his little store of seed and give it up, sacrificing it beyond recall when he places it in its bed of earth. The loss may mean less food for many days; but to hold it back would mean permanent loss, for if it is saved to be eaten there will be no harvest, and no seed for further sowings. Such experiences of the conflict of present need and future good would be known to almost every generation of Israelites with their recurring periods of drought and bad harvests. On occasions the seed was sown with tears in the acuteness of a felt hunger. But the Psalmist says, ‘They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him’ ” (CJo 137).

Psa 126:6

(NT) The resurrection of Christ: the grain of wheat falling into the ground and dying, so as to bring forth much fruit (Joh 12:24). First sorrow, then joy, that a child has been born (Joh 16:21,22).

SEED TO SOW: Or “precious (meshek) seed” (AV). From rt “to draw out”, as from a bag or container (sw Amo 9:13; Job 28:18).

SHEAVES: Cp Lev 23:11, the symbolism of the “wave sheaf”.

“Blessed are they that mourn (now), for they shall be comforted” (Mat 5:4). No one but the Master can so touch the heart and spirit of man, and convince us that our consolation shall be infinitely sweeter than any bitter affliction. Our thoughts are transported from the days of the Psalmist to those of the Roman occupation, when God’s people wept in the long night of Zion’s captivity. In their bondage they cried to God for a deliverer, and He heard them. But God’s timetable again called for a sowing in tears before there could be a reaping in joy: “Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24).

From the hill of death, as the shadows lengthened, a little group trudged their forlorn way to a new tomb carved out of a hillside. There they deposited their precious burden; the hungry earth reclaimed its own. The “seed” was planted and watered with their tears, and they returned in sorrow to their homes. Daylight came, and night, and day again, and behold… a stirring! The annual miracle of sowing and reaping found its counterpart in a “harvest” of the highest order. God gave the increase, the “seed” sprouted and grew, though man knew not how.

“A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. Ye now therefore have sorrow,” he had told them. “But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you” (John 16:21,22).

Into the city they ran, with a song of joy on their lips and in their hearts. It is a “harvest song” of thanksgiving which has never ceased from that day to this, no, nor ever shall. It is a song passed from one to another, sung by each new generation with a wonder that is always fresh. It is a song of joy to gladden the heart of the weariest disciple with the prospect of a day when all tears shall cease (Rev 21:4), and the sorrowful sowing of the “night” will be only a memory.

Psa 128:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

Psa 128:2

THE FRUIT OF YOUR LABOR: Hezekiah’s writing his own copy of the Law (Deu 17:18-20).

Psa 128:3

YOUR WIFE… A FRUITFUL VINE: Hephzibah (2Ki 21:1) lost her husband through his disease, and then was “married” to him again (Isa 62:4) after his recovery, and then shortly gave birth to the prayed-for child. (NT) The ecclesia, or church: Eph 5:22-32.

OLIVE SHOOTS: Rich fruitfulness. Sym light, prosperity, peace, joy (Psa 52:8; Jer 11:16). Often an aged and decaying olive tree will be found surrounded by young shoots, sprung from the root of the elder. These have sprung from the root of the older tree; they seem to uphold, protect and embrace the parent. They offer promise to carry on in the production of fruit even after their parent has died. They contribute materially now, and offer hope for the future. In like manner must many a righteous man have viewed the bright young faces of his children round his table. The olive is proverbial for light, prosperity, peace and joy (Psa 52:8; Jer 11:16). Olive orchards were among the most valuable of all possessions to the Israelite.

(NT) Shoots of wild olive, grafted into the other (Rom 11:24).

Psa 128:5

MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU FROM ZION: The closing psalm of the 3-cycle speaks of peace and blessing out of Zion (Psa 122:6-9; 125:5).

Everlasting life to be bestowed at Jerusalem: see Lesson, Judgment seat at Jerusalem.

THE PROSPERITY OF JERUSALEM: True of Hezekiah’s reign (2Ch 32:27-30), but never really true thereafter.

Psa 128:6

MAY YOU LIVE TO SEE YOUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN: As did Job (Job 42:16) and Joseph (Gen 50:23).

(NT) The numerous conversions in Jerusalem were really the work of Jesus, not Peter, etc (Act 2:41; 5:14; etc.)

PEACE BE UPON ISRAEL: Isa 39:8.

Psa 131:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID”: Or “degrees” (AV).

Psa 131: It requires little imagination to see in this short and touching psalm a cameo of our Savior’s life. From an out-of-the-way stable in Bethlehem to a criminal’s cross outside the walls of Jerusalem, his every moment was a living testament to meekness and humility. The child born to kingship obediently submitted himself to poor parents and grew to maturity in the most lowly of surroundings. The tools of a common tradesman were his, this young man who listened to the voice of God. And afterward, when God in His own good time called His Son to service, his ears like the Father’s were attuned to the cries of the weak and the suffering: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Mat 11:28,29).

Childlike faith was his sure possession; he often found pleasant respite in the eager enthusiasm and simple trust of children (Mat 18:1-4). They came to him and he taught them; his word was simple and pure. The lilies of the field, the beasts and fowls, the seed and the sower, the fishermen at their toil, were all arrayed as exhortations to childlike faith and dependence upon the Heavenly Father, and the “children” (whether six or sixty) understood. They gathered round him and found a new purpose in life. Surely the words of Jeremiah were written for this man: “The Lord is my portion… therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth” (Lam 3:24-27).

MY HEART IS NOT PROUD: Once pride enters the heart, and is cherished there, it eventually finds expression in proud looks, which the Lord hates (Pro 6:17; 21:4; Psa 18:27; 101:5). This humility was the quality of character exhibited by David when the ark was brought to Zion. The king of all Israel cast off his royal outer garments and danced joyfully before the procession, as a slave would dance in the presence of his master. This provoked contempt from the haughty Michal, daughter of a king (Saul) as well as wife of another king. Born to power and position, she at least knew how a king should act; this spectacle was abominable in her sight, and she told David so. His reply was quick and uncompromising to her pride: “I have danced before the Lord, not before men. The Lord chose me above your father and all his house for this very attitude. And I will continue to make myself contemptible, and I will be abased in mine own eyes” (2Sa 6:21,22). David’s humility exhibited when the ark was brought to Zion (2Sa 6; esp vv 21,22).

(HEZEKIAH) Confronted with the taunts of Rabshakeh… Isa 37:1.

(NT) “Come unto me… I am meek and lowly in heart” (Mat 11:28,29). “Not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Mat 26:39).

I DO NOT CONCERN MYSELF WITH GREAT MATTERS: The early life of David illustrates this peaceful acceptance of God’s will time after time. While his brothers sought the excitement and possible glory of battle, David remained behind to tend his father’s sheep. The dangers from wild beasts were just as great (1Sa 17:34-36), but the temporal rewards were non-existent. Anointed by Samuel as king of Israel, David spent years as a fugitive, declining several opportunities to slay Saul and grasp the kingdom that was rightfully his, for he knew that God would elevate him at the proper time. Even as an aged king, burdened by the effect of his sins, he did not abandon his trust in God. When cursed by Shimei he “turned the other cheek” (2Sa 16:11,12).

(NT) Christ’s refusal to become a political Messiah (Joh 6:15; 18:36).

Psa 131:2

Calmness and faith in the protection of God. RSV: “Like a child quieted at its mother’s breast…” The nursing child: who has found his heart’s desire, who can comprehend no greater joy than the nourishment at hand, and need look no further for complete satisfaction.

Psa 131:3

The experiences of the individual are, by God’s revelation, used to enlighten the multitude. “God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble” (Pro 3:34; Jam 4:6,7,10; cp 1Pe 5:5,6).

Psa 132:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

Suggested outline: Vv 1,2: “Lord, remember David”; vv 3-9: David’s psalm — the ark in Zion; v 10: For David’s sake; vv 11-18: Commentary on David’s psalm.

Psa 132:2

HE SWORE AN OATH: Implied in 2Sa 7:2.

THE MIGHTY ONE OF JACOB: Quoting Gen 49:24, where “stone” ref the great stone (“sela”), on Ornan’s threshingfloor, on which the altar of burnt offering was built.

Add “saying” at the end of this verse (see Psa 9:12n).

Psa 132:3

Vv 3-5: How can David rest until he has prepared a permanent dwelling place for the Ark of God? (2Sa 7:2). Cp sentiment of Haggai (Hag 1:4,5).

Psa 132:5

PLACE: Heb “maqom”: commonly meaning a holy place, an altar, or sanctuary (Gen 22:3,4,9,14; 28:11-19; Deu 12:11-21; Psa 24:3; 26:8; Isa 60:13; 66:1).

Psa 132:6

WE HEARD ABOUT IT: The ark of God was the center of David’s hopes. Even as a youth, growing up in Bethlehem-Ephrathah (Gen 35:19; 48:7; Rth 4:11; Mic 5:2), he had heard of it in Shiloh (1Sa 1:3). He had known of its being carried away by the Philistines (1Sa 4:17), and its coming at last to Kirjath-jearim, where it abode 20 years (1Sa 6:21; 7:1,2).

EPHRATHAH: Bethlehem-Ephrathah.

WE CAME UPON IT…or FOUND IT: Suggests Saul allowed the Tabernacle to remain in obscurity and neglect.

JAAR: Kirjath-jearim.

Psa 132:7

FOOTSTOOL: // to “ark” in v 8 (cp Psa 99:5; Lam 2:1; 1Ch 28:2; Isa 60:13; 66:1).

Psa 132:8

ARISE, O LORD: The ancient battle-cry of Israel, uttered by Moses in the wilderness (Num 10:35,36). As David brought the ark to Zion, he sang, “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered” (2Sa 6:1). Similarly, Solomon at the Temple dedication (2Ch 6:41,42).

(NT) “Arise” = the resurrection (sw Mar 5:41), to a new priesthood!

Psa 132:9

MAY YOUR PRIESTS BE CLOTHED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS: Saints to be kings and priests: Rev 5:10; cp Rev 19:8.

Psa 132:10

FOR THE SAKE OF DAVID YOUR SERVANT: Here starts Hezekiah’s psalm, modeled on David’s earlier one (vv 1-8). “For David’s sake” God had spared the kings of Judah and the nation itself (1Ki 11:12,13; 15:4; 2Ki 8:19,24-26), and Hezekiah was firmly convinced He would do it again.

Psa 132:11

Vv 11,12: Thus, Hezekiah remembers the great Davidic promise: 2Sa 7:8-17; 1Ch 17:7-17. Since at this time Hezekiah had no child (2Ki 20:8; Isa 39:7), the phrase “IF your sons…” (v 12) would have special significance for him!

ONE OF YOUR DESCENDANTS: “Of the fruit of thy body” (AV). The Heb is “belly” (AV mg), or more precisely “womb” (sw 2Sa 7:12). In other places, the standard promise is “out of thy loins”, emphasizing the male element in procreation. But here, although spoken to a man, the emphasis is on the female — hence the Virgin Birth! “Blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luk 1:42).

Psa 132:13

ZION: The city of David, the city of the great king (Mat 5:35): Chosen above all others (Psa 48:1,2; 68:16).

A NT doctrine also: Heb 12:22; Rev 14:1-3.

Psa 132:15

Vv 15-18: 6 allusions to the Sanctuary: the shewbread (v 15), the priests (16), choir (16), the horn of the altar (17), lampstand (17), and the high-priestly crown (18).

ABUNDANT PROVISIONS: Hezekiah’s “great store” (2Ch 31:10), by which Jerusalem was sustained during the Assyrian siege (cp Isa 33:16,20).

HER POOR WILL I SATISFY: Hezekiah’s jubilee? Isa 37:30,31.

WITH FOOD: Or “bread” (AV). The breaking of bread.

Psa 132:16

I WILL CLOTHE HER PRIESTS WITH SALVATION: …While Israel’s enemies are “clothed” with shame (v 18; Isa 37:36,37)!

Psa 132:17

HORN: Sym strength (Psa 18:2; 75:4,5,10; 89:17,24; 92:10; 112:9), and the strength of a man is revealed in his children (Gen 49:3; Jdg 8:21).

GROW: Or “sprout” or “bud”, suggesting the great “Branch” prophecies: Jer 23:5,6; Zec 3:8; 6:12 — applied to Christ: Luk 1:69.

A LAMP FOR MY ANOINTED ONE: Lamp = dignity, joy, prosperity (Psa 18:28; 2Sa 21:17). The continuation of the Davidic line: 1Ki 15:4; 2Ch 21:7; Isa 62:1.

(NT) Christ is the “light” of the world: Joh 8:12; likewise, his followers: Mat 5:14-16.

Psa 123:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

PSS 123-125: Israel in the Land faces the Assyrian siege.

(HEZEKIAH) The waves of Assyrian aggression have reached their zenith; Judah lies smoldering and desolate, and the expeditionary force moves within range of Jerusalem’s walls. At their head rides Rabshakeh, the chief officer of King Sennacherib. His blasphemous speech is a classic of intrigue and insult (Isa 36:4; 2Ki 18:19-35). Hezekiah unerringly strikes the proper chord of faith. Entering the house of the Lord in sackcloth, he laments: “This is a day of… blasphemy” (Isa 37:1,3). The profane Rabshakeh has not just threatened a city — he has rashly reproached the living God! Will not God now reprove the words He has heard? Will He not take action against the one who has rashly lifted up his eyes against the God of Israel (2Ki 19:22; ct Psa 123:1,2)?

(NT) The LD deliverance of Israel, overrun by enemies, will come only when there is repentance in Israel (Psa 81:13,14; Lev 26:40-42; Deu 30:1-3; 1Ki 8:44-53; Jer 4:1,2,14-18; Act 3:19,20). Also see Eze 35:5,10,12; Rev 11:10; Mal 4:5,6.

Psa 123:2

The loyal slave’s attitude of watchfulness toward his/her master (Pro 27:18). (A wonderful example is the nameless maiden of Naaman’s wife: 2Ki 5:2,3.) Sitting quietly but observantly, the servant is ready to respond immediately at the slightest hand or eye movement of the master or mistress. To do otherwise, to be lazy or inattentive, is to court disfavor or punishment, perhaps even death. But to fulfill the slave’s duty is to win honor and promotion (Pro 27:18).

The servant also looks to the master for help in time of distress (vv 3,4; Psa 33:20; 25:15; 69:3; 130:5,6).

Psa 123:3

CONTEMPT: The scorn of Rabshakeh (Isa 36:13-20).

Psa 124:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID”: Or “degrees” (AV).

CONTEXT: (DAVID) Escape from the bird-catcher’s snare: cp 1Sa 23:24-29; 24:14,15; 25:29.

Psa 124:3

(HEZEKIAH) The armies of Sennacherib were so large, and their advance so devastating, and their rounding up of captives so comprehensive, that it was as though the earth had opened up and swallowed its victims alive (Psa 56:1,2; 57:3). But just as with the intimidating band of Korah who rose up before Moses and Aaron (Num 16:2,3), the fate with which they threatened the righteous became their fate instead (vv 32,33).

Psa 124:4

FLOOD… TORRENT… RAGING WATERS: The advancing Assyrian army as a raging river, overflowing its banks (Isa 8:7,8).

Psa 124:7

(HEZEKIAH) This figure (also found in Psa 10:9; 91:3; Pro 6:5) stresses the relative weakness of Israel and the cunning of her enemy. But Israel’s eyes are ever toward the Lord: He is the One who plucks her feet out of the net (cp Psa 25:15 with Psa 123:2).

Though this psalm may have been written by David, relating to his wilderness escapes from Saul, it is amazingly fitting to Hezekiah’s circumstances. We see this especially in this verse, for which there is a striking parallel in Assyria’s own archives. The cylinder, or prism, of Sennacherib (housed today in the British Museum) has the following statement: “Hezekiah himself like a caged bird, within Jerusalem, his royal city, I shut in.”

It is to be expected that a boastful monarch would insist that only his successes be recorded; and so the prism has nothing to say of the mighty stroke against Sennacherib’s confederacy, nor of his final retreat from Judah and Jerusalem. However, these setbacks for the northern colossus are substantiated from other secular histories. By God’s hand, the “cage” was “opened” and the “bird” Hezekiah set free!

Psa 124:8

OUR HELP IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, THE MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH: The natural man, like Ahaz, looks inward for the cleverness to deliver himself from danger; and when this fails he looks outward to other men, other political combinations, stronger armaments and higher walls. The spiritual man, like Hezekiah, looks upward, to the God who created all things.

Psa 127:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF SOLOMON”: Or “degrees” (AV).

OUTLINE: V 1: “Of Solomon”: reads like one of his proverbs (cp Pro 8:15; 16:9; 21:30,31). Cp “the Lord’s house” in 1Ki 8:27. Vv 2-5: Poss added by Hezekiah.

THE HOUSE: The natural house (beth) is the pattern of the spiritual. The one is built up of natural stones (eben), the other of spiritual sons (ben) and daughters (bath).

The root word “banah” (to build) has begotten a whole family of Hebrew words: “ben” (son), “eben” (stone), “bat” (daughter), “beth” (house). Sons and daughters build up the spiritual “house” as surely as stones and timbers build up a physical building. In Scripture, the physical house or temple is the symbol of the spiritual, which consists of “living stones”, or sons and daughters (1Pe 2:4-6; Rev 3:12; Heb 3:6).

RR (in Ways of Providence 70,71) — after citing various passages that describe God’s saving hand, without the help of man (ie, 1Sa 17:45-47; Psa 20:7; 33:16; 127:1; etc) — says: “There might be a tendency to conclude that, in such a view of matters, human agency is superfluous, and indeed displaced: and that the only thing left for a man to do is just to do nothing, but stand still and see what God will do. Such a view has, in fact, been acted on in many instances. it is a mistaken view altogether, as we have seen in previous chapters [actually, I would say the whole of RR’s “Ways of Providence” is the perfect working primer for discussions on the Holy Spirit and man’s faith and agency, and how they interact… in short, what God does and what man does!: GB}. It seems to result from one aspect of the matter; but we must not limit our view of any subject to one aspect of the matter. We must take all sides into account. The other side in this case is the revelation that in working with a man, God wills that that man should do his part humbly, faithfully, and diligently, and that God’s part should come in as a supplement or addition to what man does. We might pause with profit to consider the admirable wisdom of a principle of action which, while making effectual results depend upon God, admits man to the pleasure of co-operation in the process by which they are worked out, and compels him to perform this advantage-yielding part. Our aim, however, is not so much to discuss the philosophy of God’s ways as to exhibit what they are.”

Then RR launches immediately into the next illustration of this principle by making the observation: “Israel were made very distinctly to recognize that while they could do nothing if God were not with them, yet God could not, in a sense, do His part unless they did theirs.”

Psa 127:2

IN VAIN YOU RISE EARLY: Not to discourage industry or labor, but rather anxious worry (Mat 6:25,34). While the “Gentiles” fret and worry and “burn the midnight oil”, juggling accounts to find the funds to build “bigger barns”, and to protect the ones they already own, the believer may lay himself down in peace, and sleep. “He that keepeth thee will not slumber” (Psa 121:3-5).

FOOD TO EAT: AV has “the bread of sorrows”. This phrase harks back to Gen 3:16,17 — where the same and similar words are translated “sorrow”. A part of the curse upon our first parents was the difficulty with which bread would thenceforth be wrested from the thorny soil. But this labor was a burden to be shouldered, if not joyfully, then at least from a sense of duty: “If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2Th 3:10,12).

And yet, though honorable, though commanded by God, this labor for daily bread is nevertheless in the highest sense “vain”. It can at best postpone the day when the “grinders” are finally silenced and the frame of dust shall return to the ground (Ecc 12:3,4,7).

THOSE HE LOVES: Echoes the name “Jedidiah” (2Sa 12:25).

Psa 127:3

Hezekiah’s joy at the birth of a son and heir, Manasseh, born after the lengthening of days.

Hezekiah’s joy at the birth of a son and heir was very real to him. But this joy is but the faintest echo when compared to that which Christ will experience when he receives his inheritance of “children” (Isa 8:18; 53:10; Psa 22:30,31), born from “wombs” of stone and earth in the great resurrection day.

Psa 127:4

Naturally speaking, as arrows exceed a man’s own reach, so children exceed the span of his life — projecting into the future the father’s influence either for good or ill, long after his death. At the same time, they are both a reassurance of a sort of “immortality” and a responsibility to the future.

Children of a man’s youth are even more a blessing than those of old age, in that the father may reasonably expect to have more years to influence their development. Though Hezekiah was not particularly young when his son Manasseh was born, he must have felt some of the joys of youth in his miraculous deliverance from death. Consequently he must have also valued his remaining years more than most, having had such a close escape; thus he would see those years as a wonderful opportunity to bring up his child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (But why then does his work seem to have been so fruitless? Or was it?)

(NT) Symbolically, Christ is the gibbor, the mighty man or warrior (RSV), who holds his “seed” as arrows in his hand (cp Zec 9:13,14; Rev 6:2; 19:11-15). They will be his lieutenants by which his judgments (both of sword and word) are executed in the earth, the extensions of his own will. They will be “children of his youth”, for Christ will be eternally “young” (as will they).

ARROWS: The righteous are “arrows” in the hand of Jesus: Zec 9:13,14; Rev 6:2; 19:11-15.

Psa 127:5

BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE QUIVER IS FULL OF THEM: When the haughty Rabshakeh stood before the walls of Jerusalem and uttered his blasphemous boasts, “they held their peace and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, ‘Answer him not’ ” (2Ki 18:36; Isa 36:21). Significantly, Hezekiah had no children at this time to rebuke the enemies in the gate, and he himself was beset by a fatal disease; so at that time, no such challenge could be offered. But the king and the prophet cast themselves upon the Lord, and the threat was answered by His Angel. And Hezekiah survived his illness and begat a son to continue the Davidic line through him.

It is possible that a more figurative reading of these verses may explain the references to “children” who would “speak with the enemies in the gate”: Here “children” is really sons, which can be taken metaphorically as “officers” or “disciples”, ie, those emulating the faith of their master (as in Isa 8:18; Heb 2:13). The helpers of Hezekiah, who spoke with the enemies in the gate, are specified in Isa 37:2 and Psa 45:5 (in v 4 “teach” is closely connected in Hebrew with to fire arrows). If this reading is correct, then the “quiver” is the king’s cabinet. But if the passage is read with reference only to a natural family, it is difficult to assign any specific meaning to “quiver” here.

“But it is manifest such cannot mean ‘full of’ children who are indifferent or non-responsive to the instruction of their parents. Children are, indeed, a blessing when they are Timothy-like (2Ti 1:5). Were all children of that character, parents might regret being childless… So cheer up, ye childless ones who may yearn for offspring. Read Rom 8:28, and emulate Paul as pictured in Phi 4:11” (FGJ).

IN THE GATE: (NT) Christ in the “gate” (of judicial proceedings: Deu 21:19; 25:7; Rth 4:1,2), before the Sanhedrin (Mat 26:62,63). Abraham’s seed to possess the “gate” of his enemies (Gen 22:17; Rev 1:18; 1Co 15:55,57,58).

His body broken and ready for the cross, Christ stood before his enemies in the “gate” (the traditional place of judicial proceedings: Deu 21:19; 25:7; Rth 4:1,2). “Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee?” But Jesus held his peace (Mat 26:62,63). His disciples had fled; there remained none to speak on his behalf (cp Job’s plight in Job 5:4). He stood alone and cast himself upon the Father. The Father spoke for him in thunder and earthquake, and the stone was rolled away. His “children”, born again through the power of his own resurrection — men such as Peter — brought the answer to his adversaries: “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses… Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:32,36).

Christ had overcome the greatest enemy, Death. As God had promised Abraham, his seed had possessed the gate of his enemies (Gen 22:17). The gate which no man can open, the gate of death, was opened by Christ: “I am he that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of Hades and of death” (Rev 1:18).

So now his “children” are no longer ashamed; they may stand face to face with “the enemy in the gate”, and repeat the words of Paul: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1Co 15:55,57,58).

Psa 122:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID”: Or “degrees” (AV).

CONTEXT: David, and Hezekiah, and Christ’s kingdom.

V 1: (DAVID) All tribes joined together for first time in worship at Jerusalem: 2Sa 6.

(HEZEKIAH) The house of God was Hezekiah’s constant care. His first official act was the reopening of its doors, which his father had allowed to fall into disrepair (2Ch 28:24; 29:3; Isa 22:22). His life’s ambition was that all Israel (ie all 12 tribes) be joined together in its service; thus the great Passover (2Ch 30:1). Hezekiah was subject of a miraculous healing, so that he might “go up” to the Temple (2Ki 20:5,8).

(NT) In the Kingdom all nations — Gentiles along with Jews — will eagerly make their pilgrimages to Jerusalem (Isa 2:2,3; Zec 14:16). Joyfully and gratefully will they go up to “the city of the great king” (Mat 5:35) to experience the greatest pleasure of the Kingdom Age: the spiritual peace of God’s own city and house.

Psa 122:2

(DAVID) In David’s day, for the first time ever… (2Sa 5:6).

(HEZEKIAH) The exiles returning from Assyria.. retracing the steps of their father Jacob (cp Psa 121).

The returning pilgrims stop still in their tracks, spell-bound by the sight of Jerusalem the Golden City. The grandeur of the scene kindles their admiration into glowing enthusiasm. Jerusalem was a city of palaces, royally enthroned as no other. The deep valleys on all sides but one gave the appearance of an immense natural fortress. As a great tawny lion — the “Lion of Judah” — the city crouched on the rocks. High above the city, the temple itself stood out a mass of snowy marble and of gold, glittering in the sunlight against the half-encircling green background of Olivet.

In his wanderings, even to such places as Babylon or Nineveh, the Jew had never seen a city like his own Jerusalem. (See Temple 26-32.)

Here in Jerusalem is the Lord’s “foundation”, His “mountains of holiness”. He has said that He loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob (Psa 87:1,2). The exiles from Syria and Mesopotamia retrace the steps of their father Jacob (cp Psa 121). Their former dwellings are but a dream that is past. The pilgrims upon the earth have found a home: enrolled in God’s register they are henceforth counted as having been born in Jerusalem (Psa 87:6). The word “stand” suggests permanence, a remaining or standing fast in contrast to the “sojourn” of Psa 120:4. “They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed” (Psa 125:1).

Psa 122:3

(DAVID) David first built up “Millo”, the landfill or land bridge, as a fortification between Jebus and Moriah (2Sa 5:9; 1Ch 11:8) — thus “compacting (Jerusalem) together”. The compactness of the city is seen as an evident figure of the solid unanimity of the tribes centering their worship there.

(HEZEKIAH) Hezekiah further strengthened David’s city (2Ch 32:5).

A CITY THAT IS CLOSELY COMPACTED TOGETHER: How many wonderful thoughts this suggests. Jerusalem is now not just physically joined together and strengthened, but it is also spiritually “compacted together”: No more two cities, part Jewish and part Gentile — but one city! No more the Moslem mosque and the Catholic shrine, nor even the Jewish synagogue shrouded in Talmudic darkness — but the glorious Temple of the Almighty God radiating light and truth upon all men! No more the Jerusalem as it has been, torn apart by Jewish rivalries and Arab threats, but a city living at peace within itself and with other cities! And no more the disorderly array of “Christians” professing to be the “New Jerusalem” — but a unity of single-minded, loving men and women, without jealousy and bitterness and strife, at peace with themselves and with their Father in heaven, with one Husband and Master, even Christ!

Psa 122:4

WHERE THE TRIBES GO UP: A technical term to describe any pilgrimage to Jerusalem to keep a feast of the Lord (Mat 20:17; Luk 2:42; 18:31; 19:28; Joh 2:13; 5:1; 7:8; 11:55).

TO PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD: The AV has: “In Old Testament times, the most holy place of the tabernacle, where God inhabited the cherubim, was called the “testimony” (Exo 16:34). The ark which rested there, the central and visible hope of the nation, was called the “ark of the testimony” (Exo 26:33,34). It was there that God most emphatically manifested Himself, drawing near to Israel, giving “testimony” or witness to His existence and His covenant with them.

Christ is the antitypical “ark of the testimony”, the rod that budded (signifying his resurrection to newness of life), the pot of manna (the “bread of life”), and the tables of stone (the law of God being perfectly engraved on his heart). After suffering affliction and death, he attained through the Father to immortality (symbolically passing through the vail of “flesh” — Heb 10:20 — into the most holy, or the “testimony”). Christ’s brethren are called in Scripture the “one body” of Christ (Rom 12:4,5; 1Co 12:12-27). Together, this multitudinous body, with Christ the head, constitutes the ark of the cherubim resting upon the “testimony of Israel”. The millennial temple which Ezekiel saw in vision contains a most holy place, the center of God’s presence among men. Here, upon the verdant slopes of the elevated mount Zion, the “ark” of the Lord rests. From this sanctified place His ministers go forth, clothed in Spirit-fire, bearing the divine law to all peoples.

ACCORDING TO THE STATUTE: Or, “unto the testimony” (AV): another name for the “most holy” (Exo 16:34). Thus, the ark there = “the ark of the testimony” (Exo 26:33,34). Christ = the “ark” of the testimony, having passed through the veil of the flesh (Heb 10:20) into the most holy place.

Psa 122:5

THRONES: (DAVID) If lit, ref to David and Solomon (1Ki 1).

THRONES OF JUDGMENT: If this plural thrones is to be taken literally, it must refer to the time when David had Solomon crowned as regent (1Ki 1), when he was old and infirm. But those circumstances were very different from what this psalm describes. More likely, the word thrones is to be taken as an intensive plural, meaning ‘a great or magnificent throne’. Or, this plural could express the glory of David’s kingdom which expanded into an empire in record time (2Sa 8; Psa 60).

(NT) Jeremiah speaks of Jerusalem as “the throne of the Lord” (Jer 3:17). The thrones of judgment in Jerusalem are first of all for the resurrectional judgment of the responsible ones (see Lesson, Judgment seat at Jerusalem), and then for the administration of justice by Christ and the saints over the mortal peoples of the earth. Jerusalem will be the site of the twelve thrones of the apostles, to whom is reserved the rulership of the twelve tribes “in the regeneration” (Mat 19:28). Similarly the other saints will occupy “thrones”; that is, they will have political authority, some over one, some over five or ten cities (Rev 3:21; Mat 25:21; Luke 19:17,19). Their authority will be derived from Christ, the prince of the house of David — through whom they are also related to the same dynasty (2Sa 17:14-16; Psa 89:29-36; Luk 1:30-33).

The word for “judgment” is also used of the breastplate of judgment worn by the high priest (Exo 28:29,30). The idea of judgment is related to the Urim (‘lights’) and Thummim (‘fullness’) of the breastplate, as symbol of divine authority and inspired and infallible judgment (Deu 33:8), which authority is now vested in Christ.

THE HOUSE OF DAVID: (DAVID) At this time, David had no “house” (in sense of dynasty). Thus expressing faith in the great promise made to David about a future “house” (2Sa 7:11-13).

Psa 122:6

Vv 6-9: In these vv the city is addressed, in formal Eastern fashion, as a person! “Peace be within thee” (v 8) was the greeting of a glorified Savior to the frightened remnant of disciples (Joh 20:19,21) as he stood in their midst. “Peace be within thee” is the saints’ prayer for God’s city even to this day. And “Peace be within thee” will be a wonderful reality when the Lord of hosts stands in that day upon the mount of Olives (Zec 14:4) and calls forth to a beleaguered city: “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in” (Psa 24:7,9).

The bliss of Hezekiah’s days — with the renewal of his wedding vows — will then be revived on a far grander scale, when the greater-than-Hezekiah finds his delight in an immortal bride, and the marriage of the Lamb is celebrated in the city of peace (Rev 19:7-9; 21:2,10).

PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM: Not peace in the sense of freedom from war, but peace with God. This is much the more common use of the word. David himself prayed for the peace of Jerusalem (2Sa 24:17; 1Ch 21:16,17). And when the sanctuary was erected, and altar and worship inaugurated, then the peace of Jerusalem would mean yet more: the blessing of “Peace!” which God’s new High Priest (see on Psa 133 again) would pronounce on its people. This is suggested by vv 8,9: “Peace be within thee, because of the house of the Lord our God.”

(HEZEKIAH) When Jerusalem was threatened by Sennacherib, the righteous king retired to God’s house to pray for the peace of his beloved city. The king and his prophet, Isaiah, were enriched spiritually by this very psalm of David. Its echoes are quite evident in the prophet’s words: “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day and night: Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isa 62:6,7).

With the divine victory Jerusalem became once more a city of peace; and Hezekiah and the faithful remnant rejoiced in the land of promise, called by Isaiah “Hephzibah” (My delight is in her) (Isa 62:4). The real Hephzibah was the bride of Hezekiah (2Ki 21:1). After the twin threats of disease and invasion were averted, the king found his delight in her and she conceived a child to perpetuate the royal line (see Psa 45; 127; 128).

THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM: (DAVID) See 2Sa 24:17; 1Ch 21:16,17.

MAY THOSE WHO LOVE YOU BE SECURE: “Love of God. That is the ultimate. That is life. That is peace. That is power. That is everything. That is the pearl of great price for which a man gives away all he has — and is thereby infinitely enriched. The ‘of’ is significantly ambiguous. It is not just love for God or love from God. It is the inseparable unity of both — necessarily puny from the human side, a transforming flood from the divine side: but necessarily total for both. The mutual totality is the essence. Love is a total giving without reserve. ‘Love’ has many meanings, but its supreme meaning is a perfect two-way union of heart and mind. How do we achieve the exquisite, absolute peace of its perfection? Principally — almost entirely — it is simply a yielding and a self-emptying. All good and perfect gifts come from God and must come from God; and love is the ultimate, crowning good. Man cannot create it. Man cannot create anything. He must seek it from above, as a flower seeks life from the sun. Man’s contribution is the yearning and the desire: the rigorous self-emptying of everything else: of every other love. That is, every other love that could mar, or obscure, or dilute the perfection of this love. The ‘love’ that pours forth to all creation is the result and flower and fruit of this love: the second commandment, whose fulfillment follows inevitably upon the achievement of the first commandment. The love of God, and it alone, has the power to change fleshliness to spirituality, filth to cleanliness, ugliness to beauty — if we will only have the wisdom to choose beauty — and faith and courage to yield ourselves wholly to it without reserve” (GVG).

Peace is not simply the absence of warfare and turmoil (though, plainly, Jerusalem needs that too!), but more especially a complete and perfect spiritual well-being. The city of Jerusalem, which Jesus addressed with the sad words of Luke 19:42, did not know such peace: “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes.” And to this very day, the means of achieving peace is hidden from the eyes of the people of Jerusalem.

But the city which he WILL address upon his return will know such matters! It will know a growing in grace and knowledge for all who turn to Jerusalem and the protection offered by the King who dwells there. Psalm 48 depicts the renewed city and temple: “The joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, the city of the great king. God is known in her palaces for a refuge… Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following” (Psa 48:2,3,12,13).

For the God of this place — Jerusalem, and particularly its Temple Mount — will then have brought to our suffering world a spiritual peace and prosperity such as we have never known, and He (through His Son, and the glorified saints) will then dwell in THIS city!

Psa 122:7

MAY THERE BE PEACE…: Not simply the absence of warfare and turmoil, but a complete and perfect spiritual well-being. The city which Jesus addressed with the sad words of Luke 19:42 did not, and could not, know such peace. But the city which he will address upon his return will know such matters! It will know a growing in grace and knowledge for all who turn to Jerusalem and the protection offered there. Psa 48 depicts the renewed city and temple: “The joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, the city of the great king. God is known in her palaces for a refuge… Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following” (Psa 48:2,3,12,13).

For the God of this place has brought to our suffering world a peace and prosperity such as we have never known, and He dwells in THIS city!

Psa 122:8

BROTHERS… FRIENDS: Tribe of Judah… other tribes of Israel.

(HEZEKIAH) Hezekiah’s ambition was to join together the 12 tribes again, as they had been in David’s day.

PEACE BE WITHIN YOU: A formal address to a city. Cp Christ’s greeting of his disciples in Joh 20:19,21.

Psa 120:1

CONTEXT OF SONGS OF DEGREES: The prayer of Hezekiah for healing (2Ki 20:6; Isa 38:5), by which he received 15 extra years of life. The shadow of the sundial moved backward ten “degrees” (sw: 2Ki 20:8-11; Isa 38:8). Part of Hezekiah’s “songs to the stringed instruments” (Isa 38:2). Of 15 songs, 4 are by David, one by Solomon, and 10 by an unnamed author.

The 15 Songs of Degrees may be divided into 5 groups of 3 each: (a) National Israel in exile (Psa 120-122); (b) servant Israel under siege (Psa 123-125); (c) the family in Israel (Psa 126-128); (d) the individual in Israel (Psa 129-131); (e) the ecclesia in Israel (Psa 132-134).

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

MY DISTRESS: Hezekiah’s sickness, and the Assyrian threat — both of which happened at approx the same time (Isa 38:5,6).

HE ANSWERS ME: (NT) Jesus in Gethsemane: Mat 26:37-39; Mar 14:32-36; Luk 22:41-44.

(LD) It is when Israel in true and abject repentance turns to their God, and only then, that He will send His Son to deliver them.

Psa 120:2

Lies and taunts and false promises were the tools of the Assyrian emissary Rabshakeh (Isa 36:4-20; 37:8-13).

(NT) The false witnesses against Christ (Mar 14:55-59). And Judas.

LD: the Arab confederacy, who propose to annihilate Israel (Psa 83:2-5).

Psa 120:3

Or, “what will be given in tribute?”

DECEITFUL TONGUE: An apt description of Rabshakeh.

Psa 120:4

SHARP ARROWS: Compared to false tongue in Psa 57:4; Jer 9:8.

BURNING COALS OF THE BROOM TREE: The false tongue is “a fire, a world of iniquity”; in fitting retribution it is destined to be consumed by fire in “Gehenna” (Jam 3:6). The divine fire of judgment is here termed coals of “broom” (RSV, NIV). Travelers in the Middle East have found the Bedouin of Sinai producing from the roots of these tall shrubs charcoal of the highest quality (LB 611).

(LD) The fate of Israel’s enemies was already appointed for them, in such Scriptures as Psa 55:13-15,23; 69:22-28; 109:7-19. Their false tongue (Psa 64:1-4) and their cruel threats will be rewarded in like kind, and worse, at the hand of Gibbor, the Mighty One (a title of Christ: Isa 9:6; cp Psa 127:4). His arrows will be sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies (Psa 45:5; Isa 49:1,2; Deu 32:42).

Psa 120:5

Israel laments its wandering condition, in contrast to the stability and permanence of mount Zion, where it longs to abide (Psa 122:2; 125:1).

MESHECH: Son of Japheth (Gen 10:2; 1Ch 1:5), his descendants inhabited Armenia, on the border of Turkey and Russia. Traders with Tyre (Eze 27:13). Ally of Gog and Magog (Eze 38:2,3; 39:1).

A part of the captives from the Northern Kingdom were resettled in Halah and Habor by the river Gozan (2Ki 17:6; 18:11). This region is well on the way toward Armenia, so that the exiles of Israel might with some justification lament their “sojourn in Mesech”. Disruptions of government, slackening of authority, and superstitious fear of the God of Israel would follow the great destruction of 185,000 Assyrian and allied troops in Judah. The eager remnant among the exiles would seize the opportunity to return to their homeland and thence to Jerusalem, as indicated in Psa 121:8; 122:1,4.

KEDAR: Son of Ishmael (Gen 25:13), his descendants were an Arab tribe, dwelling in black tents (Song 1:5) and possessing flocks (Isa 60:7; Jer 49:28,29). Lived in desert east of Gilead.

Just as those Israelites carried away by the Assyrians sojourned in Mesech, so those who were left in the land must have shared their erstwhile inheritance with the opportunistic tribesmen of Kedar, who would promptly lead their flocks into the newly-opened areas of Israel. Other Jews would flee their land at the first approach of the Assyrian army, to dwell among the Arab tribes to the south and east.

(NT) The ref to Kedar, an Arab, is appropriate to Herod too.

(LD) The modern-day counterpart must of course be the millions of Arabs, massed on Israel’s borders, living for the day when all of Palestine will be theirs. The many Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank continue to present a special problem to the peace of Israel.

Psa 120:6

THOSE WHO HATE PEACE: Sennacherib (2Ki 18:14,19; 2Ch 32:1-3; Isa 36:3,5; 38:17).

Possibly, Hezekiah sent emissaries to negotiate with the brutal overlord Sennacherib, but all in vain: war could not be avoided.

(LD) Never has the world seen a more restless, warlike, barbarous people than the sons of Ishmael. Their long history of internal warfare illustrates the description of their father: “a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him” (Gen 16:12). Mutual hatred of other peoples, especially now Israel, has been the only unifying factor in the Arab people’s bloody history. It is the same hatred of Israel which has drawn them into the Russian sphere.

Psa 120:7

I AM A MAN OF PEACE: (NT) The sufferings of Christ are the means by which all the faithful in him will at last experience the true peace of God (Eph 2:14,15,17).

And the Messiah, a man of peace (Zec 9:10), who stills the troubled waters (Mar 4:39; Isa 57:20,21), when the Assyrian comes into the Land (Mic 5:5-7).

Psa 121:1

SUPERSCRIPTION: “A SONG OF ASCENTS”: Or “degrees” (AV).

THEME: Jacob’s “going out and coming in” (Gen 28 — esp vv 13,15; Gen 31; 32; etc). // to return of captives after defeat of Sennacherib’s army.

HILLS: These are the “hills” or “mountains” of Israel, made sacred by God’s promises. An exile on the Mesopotamian plain, looking toward the southwest, would dimly see the Holy Land as a range of mountains. As Daniel in captivity prayed toward Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10) in a later day, so the exiles in Assyria turn their eyes and hearts toward the mountains of Israel. They look for help, not superstitiously to the actual mountains, but to the Lord who made the heavens and earth (v. 2), and who chose Zion for His resting place (Psa. 122:4; 125:2; 132:13; 134:3).

(NT) If this is an intensive plural for the great mountain, Zion, then here is a picture of Christ in Gethsemane. No help, but only hatred, would come to him from that source. From that source would only come those who would arrest him. So in Gethsemane his help came from the Lord which made heaven and earth (v 2; Melchizedek’s phrase: Gen 14:19).

“Isaiah refers to the practices associated with the prevalent idolatry, and hints at wooden or stone images in the thickets, votive offerings on trees, brick altars, stones for libations, tables for feasting, broth of abominable things, obscene practices, human sacrifices, and spiritualism” (FSDS 108). There are many “mountains” of idolatry — more in our modern world than we usually remember — but only one true mountain of hope — Zion, around which cluster in faith the one true church of the firstborn (Psa 122:1-4; Heb 12:22,23).

Psa 121:2

There is, for Hezekiah, no reliance on other gods or even on the treaty with Egypt, but only on Jehovah: “With him [Sennacherib] is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help and to fight our battles” (2Ch 32:6-8).

THE LORD, THE MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH: “Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psa 127:1). “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psa 118:6; Heb 13:6). Man builds “hills” and towers and mighty cathedrals; he carves images of wood and stone; but the Lord made heaven and earth, a vastly superior work. “The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands… Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord. Hath not my hand made all these things?” (Act 7:48-50).

Psa 121:3

HE WILL NOT LET YOUR FOOT SLIP: Cp Psa 66:9. In Palestine, with rough mountains and rocky passes, a traveler may easily lose his footing. Thus, God’s people are compared to roes, harts, hinds: surefooted upon mountains (Song 2:17; 8:14; Hab 3:19).

(NT) He who moved the earth on its foundations (Mat 27:51), as a token of His indignation at the despite done to His Son, cares for his nailed feet and will not suffer them to be moved!

HE WHO WATCHES OVER YOU WILL NOT SLUMBER: Ct 1Ki 18:27: “Peradventure your god is asleep and cannot hear you.”

Psa 121:4

SLUMBER… SLEEP: Contrast the Assyrian army in Psa 76:5,6. In the famous scene enacted upon mount Carmel, Elijah chides the priests of Baal: “Peradventure your god is asleep and cannot hear you” (1Ki 18:27). But the one Creator of heaven and hearth fainteth not, neither is He ever weary (Isa 40:28). In this is the hope of His people.

(NT) Intermittent drowsiness… deeper sleep. Ct the disciples in Gethsemane.

Psa 121:5

THE LORD WATCHES OVER YOU: As shepherd over flock (Psa 23:1; Eze 34:11). Cp God’s promise to Jacob in Gen 28:15,20.

SHADE: Allusion to the sun-dial of Hezekiah, the original “degrees”?

YOUR RIGHT HAND: Psa 16:8; 109:31; 110:5.

Psa 121:6

THE SUN WILL NOT HARM YOU BY DAY: The sun is often a fiery trial in the lands of the Bible (Jon 4:8; 2Ki 4:19), and thus a vivid symbol of oppression (Rev 7:16). But to the righteous their God is a shelter from the cruel rays of persecution. He is “a great rock in a weary land” (Isa 32:1,2), and a “shield” (Gen 15:1). Though His people sojourn among barbarians, yet by faith they dwell in the secret places of the Most High, and they abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psa 91:1; cp Psa 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7). And as they began their pilgrimage home, these words would be a special comfort to them (Isa 49:10).

(NT) The unnatural darkness at the crucifixion (Luk 23:44).

NOR THE MOON BY NIGHT: It was a common fear in ancient times that prolonged exposure to the moon might be harmful mentally. But this may simply refer to the bitter and injurious cold of the eastern nights. In his role as a shepherd for Laban, Jacob was “consumed” by the frost of night (Gen 31:40; cp Jer 36:30).

The Assyrian destruction (Isa 37:36) happened under a Passover full moon (Isa 26:20,21; 30:29; 31:5), as did the Egyptian destruction (Exo 13; 14).

(NT) Jesus was not smitten under the moon, because he was dead by sunset!

Psa 121:7

THE LORD… WILL WATCH OVER YOUR LIFE: It was at this same time as the destruction of Sennacherib’s army, that the king was given his life back again (Isa 38:5,6).

Psa 121:8

COMING AND GOING: “Thy going out and thy coming in” (AV) might be: (a) the frequent crossings, during the last week, of the Kedron; (b) his death and resurrection; (c) the first and second advents; and/or (d) his ascension and second coming.

BOTH NOW AND FOREVER MORE: Such is magnificently true concerning both Jacob (the promises) and Hezekiah (his faith), but it is especially true of Messiah, the Lord of Life.