Read Psalm 120.

The first three Pilgrim Psalms (120-122) deal with issues at the outset of the journey.  They help us recognize basic truths at the beginning which will help bring us to a successful conclusion.

This Psalm may at first sound like just a bunch of griping.  But it is not.  The writer refers to 2 groups of people in v5: Meshech and Kedar.  And what is the connection between these two?  It is not geography. The people of Meshech were descendants of Noah's son Japheth, the Mosques, who lived in the wild mountain region between the Caspian and Black Seas.  The tents of Kedar refers to descendants of Ishmael, wandering tribes, whose "hand is against every man, and every man's hand against them."  One was north of Palestine, the latter south.  So we should assume that the writer did not actually live in these two places at once.

Rather the connection is moral.  These were both warring tribes, fierce barbarians.  Thus, we understand the Psalmist to say that living where he lived was like living in Meshech and Kedar.  And what were those places like? They were places of ...

1.    Distress, v1.

2.    Deceit, v2.

3.    Destruction, v3-4.

4.    Disagreement, v5-7.

Which is not to say that it was not...

5.    Deserved.

It's not that the Psalmist was better than those around him.  By birth he was in fact no different.  But something had happened.  The relationships and situations that once were normal, enjoyable, or tolerable he now found to be reason to cry for deliverance (v1f).

The point here is so simple when you think of pilgrimage.  We will never set out on a journey to the place where God dwells if we do not desire to leave the place where we dwell.  It is what we call holy dissatisfaction. 

We will never go to the store for groceries if we don't sense that the situation in the fridge is intolerable.  We will not seek additional training for our work unless we conclude that the current situation cannot continue.  To go anywhere we must be willing to leave where we are.  Nothing could be more simple.  And so it is in a journey to God.  It begins with being wholly dissatisfied with Meshech, the place I now dwell.

If you are still enamored with where you are now with God, you will never draw closer to Him.  Do you have holy dissatisfaction?

Read Psalm 73:16-28.

The Psalmist was obsessed with the wicked. Call it self-pity or sin, he simply saw around him evil people who were actually living in ease and prosperity.  And this grated on him terribly. Until...

Until when?  What was the turning point?  It's in v17: "Until I went into the sanctuary of God."  At the "holy place" of God...

1.    His thinking was changed (v17-20).  He remembered that the wicked might yet get caught and pay for their wickedness.  And if not in this life, surely in the one to come.

2.    His heart was changed (v21-22).  He was humbled and repented of his foolish thinking.  He had been animal in his thoughts, like a beast that knows no better.

3.    His relationship with God was changed (v23-24).  He was again trusting God, dependent, realizing that God would always be for him, in this life and the one to come.

4.    His whole life attitude was changed (v25-28).  Though his strength fail God would be his strength.  No longer would he be preoccupied with those around him; rather he would draw near to God.  He was now totally satisfied with life because he was totally satisfied with God.

"Until I went into the sanctuary of God."  The sanctuary of God was, for the Psalmist, the temple in Jerusalem.  It was the most holy place where God had promised to come and dwell with Israel.  It was the place where the men of Israel were encouraged to come, not once, not twice, but even three times a year.  Coming to the temple is what the religious call pilgrimage, not simply a journey to a place but a journey to God.

In the New Testament we also see that God dwells in a temple.  There is the temple of the heart (1 Cor 6:19-20), and there is the temple of heaven (Rev. 21:22, heaven is a temple, where God dwells).  It is perhaps easy to see that this lifetime is a pilgrimage that will end at the temple of heaven where believers will certainly experience a glory beyond imagination.  But the believer is also called to the daily pilgrimage that results in a closer and deeper relationship with the eternal, personal God, Who has taken up residence in that believer's heart.  The result of that pilgrimage will be the same: he will come to find full and complete satisfaction in the One his soul desires (v25).  Psalms 120-134 will sustain the Pilgrim on his journey to heaven as well as on his daily journey into a closer walk with God.  Are you on pilgrimage today, seeking to know God (Phil. 3:10) and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18)?

Read Psalm 73:1-16.

The Psalmist had a problem, a big problem.  His problem was his envy of the wicked.  He saw people who did not seem to know or love God and saw that their lives seemed easier and more enjoyable than his.  Like many so-called Christians today he had this idea that the people of God should have the most money and the fewest problems.

The enormity of his problem is clear.  He realizes that his thoughts almost caused him to stumble in his life-walk (v2).  He thinks that he has wasted his time living a godly life (v13). 

The enormity is also seen in v14 in the way these ideas apparently had a tight grip on his conscious and unconscious thoughts.  All day long he is consumed with this.  When he awakens in the morning it's the first thing that comes to mind.

How does this happen?  Perhaps it follows some great act of self-sacrifice.  How often do we express some generous act of love towards others, congratulating ourselves for being such fine people, only to wake up the next day angry for letting someone walk all over us?  We complain, "Look what it cost me just to accommodate someone else's immaturity or schedule or need."

Perhaps it is the result of simply being a law-abiding citizen. Perhaps it was true that the guy who was willing to bend the rules, to lie, cheat, and steal, was in fact getting further ahead financially. The Psalmist was paying all his taxes, making all the required contributions to the work of the temple, being generous to the poor, and so forth and so on.  And what was it getting him?

Whatever the situation, the Psalmist was obsessed.  And dealing with it was too painful (v16).  Even though in some small corner of his brain he knew the truth (v1), and though he knew that speaking these ideas would hurt the people around him (v15), he simply could not resolve this.  Until...

Wait!  Before we get to the until let's think about the problem.  Have you had this experience of thinking that your choice to follow Christ was making life in this world harder?  Can you remember a time when you took your cue for life from observing the lives of people around you?  Ultimately the Psalmist felt God was holding out on him in some way.  This thought process is fundamental to what the Bible calls sin.  From the very beginning man's problem has been the belief that obedience to God leaves him diminished in some way (Gen. 3:4-6).  Think about this: How are the lives of the people around you affecting your thoughts and values?

Read Psalm 84, The Pilgrim Psalms

(We have posted on these Psalms, 120-134, previously.  What will follow the next few days are devotional thoughts on these Pilgrim Psalms, as they are commonly called.  Though most are quite short, we will usually spend two days on each one.  Today's post is an introduction to the collection.)

There is a collection of songs tucked away in the book of Psalms variously referred to as "Songs of Ascents", "Songs of Degrees" and “Pilgrim Songs.”  

Some believe these songs were meant to be read at each of 15 steps of the temple as worshipers ascended to worship.  Others say they were read by worshipers as they traveled from their homes to the temple for one of the annual feasts.  Still others believe they were songs to encourage the captives in their separation from Jerusalem, so that their longing for God and His dwelling place might not dwindle.  There are references to captivity, indicating the songs were not collected into one unit until after Israel's carrying away to Babylon.  Certainly a focus on Jerusalem and the sanctuary of God is common throughout.

Settling the question of the exact use is, in the end, not essential, because all the theories have the same issue at heart, which is "pilgrimage", drawing near to the temple, the place where God had His dwelling.  These are songs for the pilgrim, the one who desires to go to God in His sanctuary.
It is this "heart issue" that makes these songs so valuable to today's pilgrim (Heb. 11:13-16; 13:14; 1 Peter 2:11).  Christians are on a journey to the Heavenly Sanctuary.  Not only that: Christians are seeking to draw near to God every moment of every day (James 4:8).  The believer's life is one of "pilgrimage" and stands in need of the same encouragement that the Israelite needed living in Babylon or in some remote village of Israel.  

These songs provide that very encouragement.  They begin in the difficult place where the pilgrim lives his life (Ps. 120) and end at the temple, the place where God has His dwelling (Ps. 134).  Along the way the songs provide broad but specific help to the Pilgrim on his difficult journey.

There is a specific progression to these songs.  The opening Psalms have to do with the beginning of the pilgrimage (120-122).  The start of our pilgrimage is critical in that it determines our potential to finish the pilgrimage.  The bulk of the Psalms deal with issues that we will face along the path to God (123-131).  Finally the Psalms will see us to the goal of worshiping God in His holy place (132-134).
Let us begin with Psalm 73 which sets the stage for this idea of "pilgrimage" and shows the value of the journey.  Then we will travel to God's temple.

Psalm 119:73-80

1 Peter 4:19 says “Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”  That is what the Psalmist is doing in this stanza.

There are times when our response to affliction seems to question whether or not God knows what He is doing.  In fact, any time people ask, “How can a loving God do this or that”, they cast doubt that God is the Creator.  The Creator should know better than to allow wrongful treatment of those He has made (v78). 

Sometimes when people hear this charge made against God they defend God by denying He had anything to do with the affliction.  But that is not the case with the Psalmist.  He affirms, God’s judgments have been right as He has afflicted the believer (v75).

Some may think that this presents God as harsh or cruel, but such is not the case.  It is this faith in a faithful Creator that gives rise to the 5 requests prayed in vs. 76-80.

·        76: he prays that the Creator will be faithful to His word, and will thus be mercifully kind to His servant.  Unlike the gods men devise, the faithful Creator not only afflicts us; He can be counted on to comfort us so we are benefitted.

·        77: he prays that the tender mercies of the Creator will enable him to live.  He knows our need and thus afflicts us accordingly.  But He also knows our limitations and is the cause of comfort and mercy.  (1 Cor. 10:13 and 1 John 1:9 are 2 of many examples of the way God shows mercy in affliction.)

·        78: he prays that the proud, who are used by God in the affliction, will come to be ashamed of their actions.

·       79: he prays to be surrounded by those who fear God rather than by the proud.

·       80: he prays that in his trial he will not be ashamed by disobedience or failure to learn God’s statutes.

All these requests are based in the thought that God is our faithful Creator in time of trial.  In this way we are like our Lord Jesus Christ Who, when suffering on the cross, “committed Himself to Him who judged righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). 

 God made you.  He knows you.  He is faithful in your affliction!

Read Deuteronomy 32:28-43, Song of Moses Revisited (3)

Ø 32:28-33: Christians need to consider this passage in evaluating their own nations and societies.  Israel was “stupid.”  That’s what it means when it says they are a nation void of counsel, nor is there any understanding in them.  They do not understand that God has hidden His face from them.  He is no longer at work to bless them.  Instead, He is allowing them to get what they ask for.  Oh … that they would consider their latter end!  As a person who has spent a considerable amount of time in Israel and reading the Israeli media, I can say it is like this today.  For example, the remembrance of the Holocaust is “never again”.  We will build a nation and an army and a will so that this never happens again.  They do not say that God was in this, even though it perfectly fits the prophecy of Deut. 28:63-67.  During the Feast of Tabernacles there is very little said about the original purpose of the feast, which was to remember how they lived in booths in the wilderness for forty years.  The USA is not Israel, and these passages do not speak specifically of the USA.  But they express a universal truth, which is that we are stupid if we think we will be happy at the end of a path that is of our own choosing.  During this pandemic the primary lessons we seem to be picking up is whether or not the government is doing the right thing, whether or not our medical system is up to the task, whether or not we, a great nation, can weather this storm together. 

Ø 32:34-38: Vengeance is Mine, and recompense.  This is not complicated, and it is a very just thing for God to say.  He IS the Creator and Sustainer of all things and of all persons.  We are accountable to Him.  We ought not think that things just happen to us.  Rather, we ought to see every situation through the eyes of the Creator.  Our blessings are ultimately from His hand; we should thank Him.  If we don’t we should expect a response from Him.  Vengeance is rightfully His.

Ø 32:39-42: I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me.  We said at the beginning of the Song, in v3-4, that our attention is called to the Rock, the LORD who is just and righteous and true.  The Song throughout, and in its conclusion, continually calls attention to the Rock.  He begot Israel (v18).  Israel scornfully esteemed Him (v15).  He sold them to their enemies (v30).  He is a Rock like no other rock (v30). 

Ø 32:43: In the end, this amazing Rock, will do an amazing thing: He will provide atonement for His land and His people.  The word means He will “cover” their sin, as Noah covered the ark with pitch (Gen. 6:14, same word).  This atonement will require the blood of a perfect sacrifice.  There will be no one to do this, so God Himself will come to earth and take on true humanity and be that Sacrifice!  This will not only bless Israel; it will be the cause for rejoicing by people of every nation, language, people and tribe (Rev. 5:9; 7:9-10).

God is working today.  He is working in your life and circumstances.  Are you acknowledging this?  Are you in His word, the Bible, so you can hear what He desires of you?

Read Deuteronomy 32:15-27, Song of Moses Revisited (2)

Ø 32:5-7: Here we see Israel, in all her “apostatizing.”  She shamed her Father!

Ø Israel is called to remember.  If you are a believer in Christ, these are the kinds of things you must remember.  Remember how …

¨     32:7-9: The LORD’s portion/inheritance was Israel (Gen. 10:11).

¨     32:10-12: The LORD made Israel into a nation.

¨     32:13-14: The LORD gave Israel abundant blessing.

¨     32:15-18: Israel grew fat and forgot God her Father.

¨     32:19-20: The LORD hid His face from them.  God’s judgments are always deserved.  He hid His face; He left Israel on her own to deal with her enemies.  This was where Israel wanted to be, so God let her have her way.

Ø 32:20-27: There are many passages in Scripture where the LORD reveals His plans using a series of “I will” statements.  We have this here.  It is an amazing passage.

¨     32:20b: I will see what their end will be.  In other words, He leaves Israel on her own; we will see how well she is able to handle her affairs without God.

¨     32:21a: I will provoke her to jealousy by those who are not a nation.  Paul applies this prophecy to the Church and Israel in Rom. 10:19 and 11:11-14.  God poured out the Holy Spirit, fulfilling a promise to Israel; but it was primarily Gentiles who benefited from this, to this day.

¨     32:21b: I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.  Again, this speaks of the Church and the salvation of the Gentiles.  Jews in Jesus’/Paul’s day hated the ragtag Body of Christ (the unlearned ones who turned the world upside down.)  The initial persecution of Christians was by the Jews.

¨     32:23: I will heap disasters on them; I will spend My arrows on them.  This has been the case throughout the time between the first and second Advents.  32:24-25 give some of the specifics of these disasters.

¨     32:26: First we have the critical words, I would have said followed by words that God did not say: I will dash them in pieces, I will make the memory of them to cease from among men.  32:27 helps us to understand what this means.  God would have completely destroyed Israel had He not feared her adversaries would misunderstand and take credit for what they did to Israel.  God wants it to be known that all these disasters were His doing. 

Again, consider this in our own day.  Often people have a hellish freedom to be critical of God in times of major trial.  But REMEMBER: God does not retreat and beg people to understand that He really loves people and would never do such a thing.  God is involved.  God is so loving He is willing to bring about even a pandemic and the fears of many people, in hopes that they will humble themselves before Him.  It is the most reasonable thing, that we should glorify Him as God and give Him thanks for His abundant goodness (Rom. 1:21).