(Through the Bible) Psalms 120-135 — Chuck Smith

This time let's turn in our Bibles to Psalm 120. Begin our Bible study this evening. Now you'll notice these Psalms have a heading, the Psalm, a Song of Degrees. The word literally is ascents, A-S-C-E-N-T-S.

And these are sort of the marching songs for the people of Israel as they would come thrice annually to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. There's a lot of things about the nation Israel that excite me. There are a lot of things that I wish that somehow we could incorporate in our worship of the Lord.

This business of all of them gathering together three days out of the, well actually the feast days were seven days, but three times out of the year. At the Feast of Passover, at the Feast of Pentecost, and at the Feast of Sukkot.

This business of everybody gathering together and just having a great worship service and a great feasting time and a time of worshiping the Lord. This to me would be exciting when the nation, the whole nation is gathering to acknowledge that God reigns over the nation and just the worshiping of the Lord together.

How exciting that must have been. Now Jerusalem is situated in a sense in what is known as the Jerusalem Mountains. So no matter where you are coming from, you are ascending towards Jerusalem. Whether you come from the Galilee region or the Jordan region, and usually coming from Galilee they would come down the Jordan River and then from Jericho make their way up the 20 miles to Jerusalem.

Or whether you're coming from the Sharon Valley, the coastal plains, the area of Jaffa or whatever, you're always coming up when you come to Jerusalem. You're coming from Beersheba, coming from Samaria, you're always ascending up to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is sort of on the mountain and yet it is surrounded by mountains. Mount Zion, Mount of Olives, Mount Scopus and the mountains that surround the city itself. But yet from anywhere in the country coming to worship you are ascending to the city and so these were called the Songs of the Ascends.

These were sung by the pilgrims as they were coming to Jerusalem on these glorious feast days. Coming to worship the Lord. And so the songs that they were singing as they were coming. Now in the marching and so forth there are certain cadences that they get into when they're marching.

And sometimes they sing songs in cadence to go along with their marching. You know, the count off, one, two, three, four, you know. And it's always sort of fun, you know. First they hire me, then they fire me, then by golly I left, I left, I left, right, left, you know.

And you're going along in cadence, you know. And so these were those kind of songs that they would sing in sort of a cadence as they were coming to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. Remembering many times the alien areas where they were living.

Those who were alien towards God and alien towards those who worship God. So remembering the enemies and the areas from which they have come. But that anticipation, and in these next fifteen psalms there is underneath that anticipation, I'm soon going to be standing there in the assembly worshiping God.

And that glorious anticipation of standing there in Jerusalem, within the gates of Jerusalem, worshiping the Lord with the assembled multitudes. According to Josephus, there were many times well over a million people who would gather for these feasts to worship the Lord together.

Psalm 120: Distress in an Antagonistic World

So, the first of these psalms of a sense, the psalmist is looking forward to that time. In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from the deceitful tongue.

What shall be given unto thee, O what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty with coals of juniper. Woe is me that I sojourn in Meshach, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar.

In other words, he is coming now from these antagonistic areas. Meshach, Kedar. People who hate God, people who have been against those who worship the Lord. I've been dwelling there, O God, I've cried unto thee in my distress.

My soul hath long dwelt with him that hates peace. I am for peace, but when I speak they are for war. So, the first psalm expresses that turmoil of living in a world that is antagonistic towards God. Much the kind of a world that you live in.

And so many times, living in the world, living amongst the ungodly, we can identify with the soul that is longing for that fellowship with God, the soul that is longing for that peace of God, and yet all of the turmoil, all of the confusion, all of the lying and conniving and all that is going on in the world around him.

And so, the soul longing for God. And as he is coming towards Jerusalem, because you're always ascending upwards, I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. For there is Jerusalem. Oh, there in the mountains of Jerusalem.

There in the hills. There is that city. There is where I'm going to stand before God. From whence cometh my help? Now, this psalm is often misquoted. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.

As though my help was coming from the hills. You know, from whence cometh my help. I will lift up my eyes, and the idea of my help is coming from the hills can't help you. From whence cometh my help is actually a question.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills towards Jerusalem, the place where I'll stand before God. From whence cometh my help? And it is answered in the next verse. My help cometh from Yahweh, which made the heaven and the earth.

The Creator as the Source of Help

It is many times important that we classify God with this kind of a classification. First of all, so that we'll identify the God that we're talking about. As Francis Schaeffer said, that we should not as Christians just refer to God.

Because nobody knows who you're talking about. There are so many gods that people worship and serve. So we need to define when we say God, we need to say the only true and the living God, the creator of the heaven and the earth.

Now you're defining Him. That's the God that we worship. There are many who worship the God of pleasure, the God of power, the God of, you know, different things, the intellect. But the God that we worship is the only true eternal God who has created the heaven and the earth, the living God.

So from whence cometh my help? My help comes from Yahweh, which made the heaven and the earth. Now, in the declaring of God as the creator of the heaven and the earth, it's not only valuable to identify when we're talking with people, but it's valuable for us to remember the power of the God that we serve.

There are so many times that we become so overpowered by our problems that we neglect to realize the great power of God. I'm so overwhelmed. This problem is so big. What am I going to do? And I just get overwhelmed by my difficulties until I realize the greatness of the power of the God I serve.

In the New Testament, when the disciples had been beaten and told not to witness anymore in the name of Jesus, it said they came to their own company and they told them all of the things that happened when they were standing before the council, how they were beaten and warned not to preach or teach anymore in the name of Jesus.

And so they prayed and they said, O Lord, Thou art God. Thou hast created the heavens and the earth and everything that is in them. Now, it's good to start your prayer that way, because many times if you'll just start your prayer that way and really think of what you're praying, all of a sudden your problem comes into the true perspective.

I am seeing now my difficulty in the light of God's greatness and my difficulty suddenly isn't so difficult. I'm seeing it no longer in my own strength or my own ability. I'm calling upon the one who has created the heaven and the earth and everything that is in them.

God said to Jeremiah, Behold, I am God. Is there anything too hard for me? And in his next prayer, Jeremiah picked that up and he said, O Lord, you're God. There's nothing too hard for you. The Lord who made the heaven and the earth, that's where my help comes from.

And if God before me, who can be against me? He will not allow your foot to be moved. Now you're walking up a rocky, slippery path. The rockiest place in the world, I think, is Israel. And rocks and gravel on the path can be very slippery.

But he will not allow your foot to be moved. He that keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. God is my help. My help comes from the Lord who made the heaven and the earth.

And he's always on duty. He'll never slumber. He'll never sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. Of course, coming from the Jordan Valley, extremely hot in that burning sun, the Lord becomes the shade.

The sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. What a glorious promise. If you are looking to the Lord for your help, he will preserve you from all evil.

The Lord will preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out, thy coming in, from this time forth, even forevermore. Isn't that a glorious promise to us? God will not allow my foot to be moved.

He's watching over me night and day. He will preserve me. Psalm 122 continues. The idea is I'm traveling now towards Jerusalem. I'm with probably a company of 50, 100 people. They always got together for these trips to Jerusalem.

That is why actually when Jesus was 12 years old, when his parents left Jerusalem, they left with a big company of people going back up towards Nazareth. And that's why they could get out a whole day's journey without missing him.

You know, he's probably with his cousins or, you know, with part of the crowd. And it wasn't until dinner time that they began to look around and couldn't find him. And then is when they had to retrace their steps back to Jerusalem because they would always travel with a big company.

Psalm 122: Anticipation of Worship in Jerusalem

And how glorious that must have been. Coming towards Jerusalem with a large company of people. Of course, let us say that we here, say it was, the big conclave was going to be in San Bernardino. And we all decided, you know, well let's go and let's worship the Lord in San Bernardino or up to the conference center so we get the idea of going up.

But we didn't have cars. We're going to have to walk. So we all have our provisions. We start out together. We're singing as we're going down the road. The children are throwing rocks and taking sticks and beating trees and this kind of stuff, you know.

And it's a big kind of an occasion. Going to worship the Lord. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Someone suggested, well let's go up this year. Come on, let's go up to the house of the Lord.

Alright, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. For our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. The anticipation. Now, there's something about Jerusalem. Once your feet have stood within the gates, you always want to go back and stand again.

There's something magnetic about that place. Once having stood there, there's always a yearning to go back. Every year, after our visit to Israel, Kay and I come home and we're trying to get over jet lag and we say, well, this is our last year.

You know, this will be it. It's just, you know. My, as the time approaches to leave again, we get so excited. We're all, you know, planning and getting things all set and ready to go. And we're eager and raring to go again.

There's just something about the place. You just love to go back again and again. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Glorious anticipation. For Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together.

Whether the tribes go up, and that is the people, all the word compact together means that all the people gather together within it. In a compact type of a group. Whether the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

So all of the people gathering together to give thanks to the Lord. For there are set thrones of judgment. The thrones of the house of David. Jerusalem is the capital. Jerusalem is the center. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

They shall prosper that love thee. We had a fellow come in this past week. Who God has given the gift of giving. And he said, I like to give. Where I know that God is going to bless me. And so while back he gave money.

Designated to be distributed to the poor. Because the scripture said, he who lends to the poor lends to the Lord. He said, I like to just lend some money to the Lord. So he said, just distribute this to the poor.

He said, because I know God's interested in the poor and God's going to bless me. Well, he came back and he said, well, God has blessed me. Because I distributed to the poor. He said, now I want to give again, where I know that God will bless.

And God said that he would bless those that bless Israel. And so he said, I want to give a gift just for the nation of Israel. Let it come from the church. And I want you to take it over with you when you go.

So we'll be taking a gift to Israel. When we go over in January. We're going to give it to Prime Minister Begin. And just tell him it's from the Christians at Calvary Chapel. Because we're praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

And we love them. For preserving the Bible for us. And for bringing us our Savior. And we're just going to give it in the name of the Lord to the nation. And if you'd like to contribute to that fund. You can just designate it.

They shall prosper, it says, that love thee. He said, God has so blessed me for giving to the poor. Loaning to him for the poor. Now I want to give into something else that God has declared himself for.

So he gave me a check for $450 ,000 that I'll be taking over. He says, my accountant said this is what I need to write off for the end of the year. So loaning to the poor. Pays pretty good interest. Peace be within thy walls.

And prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions sake I will now say, peace be within thee. He tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And then he offers sort of a prayer. Peace be within thy walls.

Psalm 123: Fixing Our Eyes on the Lord

For the companions sake I will now say, peace be within thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good. Still in the anticipation of gathering in Jerusalem to worship the Lord. Psalm 123, unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

Behold as the eyes of a servant look unto the hand of their masters. And as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress. So our eyes wait upon the Lord our God. Until that he have mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us O Lord, have mercy upon us. For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. That is the people around that are just contemptuous towards us. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease.

And with the contempt of the proud. So Lord we are going to lift up our eyes to you who dwell in heaven. Our eyes are going to be fixed on thee. Not upon those around us that are giving us such a hard time.

How important it is when we are going through trials to fix our eyes upon the Lord. So many times we get our eyes upon people and we get in these interpersonal conflicts with people. And we're watching to see what he's going to do next.

Just waiting. Best to just get your eyes fixed on the Lord. And so he said as a servant watches his master's hand. Now the servant was constantly watching. Especially at a dinner or whatever when the guests were there.

The servant the whole time would watch his master's hand. For the master would give certain signals with his hand. Expecting the servant to pick up on those signals. It was the duty of the servant. If things are getting out of order.

If the wine is getting low or something. The master just you know give a signal with his hand. And the servant knew exactly what he was saying. And thus the whole time the servant's eyes would be glued upon the master's hands.

Waiting for a signal. Because if the master should signal. And the servant is you know off some place else. In his mind some place else. And he's not on his toes. Then he's really in trouble. Constantly watching.

And the same with the maid servants watching the mistress. Watching the hand continually. Because it was with the hand that they gave their beckons, their signals. Not wanting to speak to their servant.

Their directions were given to them by hand movements. And so even as a servant keeps his eye on his master's hand. Lord I'm going to keep my eyes glued on you. That's a good policy. Just keep your eyes glued on the Lord.

Psalm 124: Deliverance Through the Lord’s Help

The junk that you don't see is not going to hurt you. Psalm 124. If it had not been the Lord who is on our side. And of course I think we could all write our own psalm from this point on. If God hadn't been with me.

Let me tell you you know. If it had not been that the Lord was on our side. Now may Israel say. If it had not been that the Lord who was on our side. When men rose up against us. Then they would have swallowed us up quickly.

When their wrath was kindled against us. Then the waters had overwhelmed us. And the stream had gone over our soul. And the proud waters would have gone over our soul. Oh if it hadn't been for God's help.

If it hadn't been for God's strength. If it hadn't been for God's sustaining power. How many times we would have gone under. We would have never made it this far. If it had not been. Paul the Apostle said.

Who hath delivered us from so great a death. Who doth now deliver us. And I am confident he shall yet deliver us. You see the past. Help of God is a prophecy of the future. The fact that God has helped me.

The fact that God is helping me. Is my assurance that he's going to help me. And if it had not been that God was helping me. I wouldn't be here now. And so he breaks forth into the blessing. Blessed be the Lord.

Who hath not given us as a prey. To their teeth. Our soul is escaped. As a bird out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken. We're escaped. Our help is in the name of Yahweh. Who made heaven and earth.

Again the idea God has made the heaven and the earth. The name of Yahweh. The name of our God. Yahweh. The maker of heaven and earth. And our help. Is in the name of the Lord. There's tremendous power.

In the name of Jesus. Peter was walking into the temple. The hour of prayer. And there was a man who was lame and begging. And you go to Israel today and you'll find out that. Severely handicapped people.

Blind, lame and all. The lepers. They still. Are around the gates begging. A lot of beggars. And here was a man. Born lame. Begging. And Peter said hey fella look. Over here. And he turned held out his hand expecting to receive something.

Peter said I don't have any silver and gold but. I'll be glad to share what I do have. In the name. Of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Stand up and walk. Power in the name of Jesus. And the man stood. He walked.

He leaped. He ran through the temple. Walking. Leaping. Praising God. Because of the power of the name of Jesus. There is a proverb that says. The name of Yahweh is a strong tower. The righteous runneth into it and is safe.

How many times I have retreated into the safety of the name of Jesus. When threatened. When in danger. Just the breathing out oh Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Jesus said henceforth you've asked nothing in my name.

Ask that you might receive. That your joy might be full. You shall ask anything in my name. I will do it that the father might be glorified in the son. The power of the name of Jesus. The maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 125: God Surrounds His People

Jesus of course you know is Yahweh. Yeshua. Or Yahshua. It is that name of God. Compounded with the Hebrew word salvation. And thus you get. Jehovah or Yahweh is salvation. Psalm 125 we're still ascending towards Jerusalem.

They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion. The mount upon which Jerusalem was built. Which cannot be removed. But abideth forever. Now the Mount of Olives won't abide forever. Zion will. But the Mount of Olives.

Is soon going to be split by a tremendous earthquake. Right in the middle. A new valley will be formed out of Jerusalem. Now you have the Valley of Hinnom. In which the Valley of Kidron. And the Tyropean.

And the Hinnom Valley merge in the Valley of Hinnom. Goes on out of Jerusalem. But there's going to be a new valley going out of Jerusalem. When the Mount of Olives splits right in the middle. And a new valley formed out of the city.

This of course will take place when Jesus returns. And puts his foot upon the top of the Mount of Olives. The geologists. Have discovered a major earth fault. Right through the center of the Mount of Olives.

Doesn't really mean anything to me. The Lord can split it without an earth fault. It shall be split. Actually it will open up a hole. It will open up an underground river. And a new river will come gushing forth.

Out of Jerusalem flowing into this valley. And going clear on down to the Dead Sea. And the fresh waters of this new river that is formed. Will actually heal the waters of the Dead Sea. So that they'll be able to have fish living in the Dead Sea.

And it will become a center of the fishing industry. The Mount of Zion abides. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem. So the Lord is round about his people. So you stand there in Jerusalem. You look and you see the Mount Zion on the south.

You see Scopus over towards the north. You see the Mount of Olives on towards the east. Golgotha Calvary towards the west. As the mountains surround the little city of Jerusalem. So the Lord surrounds his people from henceforth even forever.

Surrounded by God. Paul the Apostle when he was talking to the Epicurean philosophers. There at the Areopagus on Mars Hill in Greece in Athens. He said I perceive you men are very spiritual. He said as I've been going through your city.

I've observed the number of idols that you have. Your places of worship. All of the different gods. For the Greeks had deified everything they could think of. You know the sun, the moon, the planets. They were all deities.

And then having run out of stars and planets and constellations to deify. They began to deify even emotions. So they had the God of love. The God of hate. The God of fear. The God of joy. The God of sorrow.

The God of grief. And the various gods. They had deified just about anything you could think of. Now one fellow got an idea. Maybe we're missing a God. Maybe we haven't thought of him. So he built an altar.

And he put the inscription over to the unknown God. Whoever you may be and wherever you might be. We don't want you to feel offended. And that you've been slighted. So here we've got an altar to worship the unknown God.

So Paul said, I perceive you're very religious. I've seen all of your altars as I've walked through your city. He said, and one caught my attention. For it was inscribed to the unknown God. He said, I'd like to tell you about this God.

He's the one who made the heaven and the earth and everything that is in them. And in Him we live and move and have our being. In other words, I am surrounded by Him. I am living in His midst. I live, I move, I have my being in Him.

When Daniel was brought before Belshazzar at this feast. After the writing appeared on the walls. He said, Belshazzar. God gave to your grandfather this glorious kingdom of Babylon. But he was lifted up with pride.

And so God allowed him a period of madness. Until he realized that it was God who ruled and reigned. And he said, but this God. The very God in whose hand your breath is. You have not glorified. Surrounded by God.

My very breath depended upon Him. So as the mountains are around about Jerusalem. So God is around about His people. You're surrounded by God. He encompasses us. As the 139th Psalm said. Oh Lord, Thou has searched me and known me.

You know every time I sit down. Every time I stand up. He said, you have gone before me. You're behind me. And your hand is upon me. Thou has beset me before and behind. And Thine hand is upon me. I'm surrounded by God.

I never come to any place in my life. But God has not preceded me there. I can look back and see the hand of God. As He was on my life even in the past. Even when I wasn't interested. Surrounded by God.

Your life is encompassed by Him. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous. Lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. Do good, oh Lord, unto those that be good.

And to them that are upright in their hearts. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways. The Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. But peace shall be upon Israel. So again, the remembrance of the troubles.

Psalm 126: Reaping in Joy

From the cities from whence they were coming. Looking forward again. To that time of coming into the consciousness of God's presence. Psalm 126, when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion. Or when the Lord actually freed Zion from her captivity.

We were like those who dream. How many times when we see the glorious work of God. It's just like a dream. It's just hard to comprehend. As the children were singing tonight. I was like one who was dreaming.

I pastored little churches for so many years. When you dreamed of having a children's choir. And all of the efforts and time and all that we've put in. In trying to develop something. And then to just see God do it.

You're just sitting there, you're like one who's dreaming. I look at what God has done here. And it's like a dream. There's something that the reality has not yet sunk in. It's funny how that so often in my dreams.

I dream that I'm back pastoring one of the churches that I pastored in years gone by. And still struggling. And that whole struggle. And I dream. Man, when I wake up. Oh no, this is the dream. This can't be real.

God's glorious work that we see. And so the psalmist, when God worked. Delivered Zion. We were just like those that dream. So excited in what God was doing. The reality of it just hardly seemed to register.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter. And our tongue with singing. Then said they among the heathen. The Lord has done great things for them. Oh, how sweet it is to just have that kind of joy. And freedom.

To just be able to laugh over the good things that God does. The Lord has done great things for us. Whereof we are glad. Then the prayer. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.

For 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. I think that herein is speaking of.

Really the ministry in a sense. Jesus, when he spoke of this sower going forth. Planting the seed. Some fell on the wayside. Some among the rocks. And some among the thorns. Others on good ground. Jesus likened the field that was being sown as the world.

The seed was the word of God. And I think that the reference here is. Much the same as similitude. As the seed being the word of God. And they that go forth. Weeping. Bearing the precious seed. Shall doubtless come again.

Those that sow. In tears. Shall reap in joy. I think that the attitude. With which we go forth. Is so important. Paul the apostle said. For we have this treasure. In earthen vessels. That the glory may be to God.

And not of us. The glorious treasure of the gospel. Of Jesus Christ. The glorious treasure of the word of God. It's in this earthen vessel. Jesus Christ dwelling in me. The most valuable thing in the universe.

In this cheap. Common. Clay pot. Earthen vessel is a clay pot. It's a pot made out of earth. Out of clay. So God has taken the glorious treasure. And he's put it in this common old clay pot. Now anytime I think that this pot is important.

Then I'm a crack pot. God did the ridiculous. In order. That we would not glory in the pot. In the vessel. But that we would glory in the contents. Now. God wants me to pour forth. His love. To the needy world around me.

In such a way. That they are captivated by him. Not by me. That they're drawn to him. Not to me. So my attitude in going forth. Is so important. For if I go forth in a haughty attitude. Well here you.

Here I am you lucky people. You know. And you go forth with this. Haughty air. God will put you down. He that. Humbleth himself shall be exalted. But he that exalted himself shall be abased. And God has.

Interesting ways of abasing a person. Just really. Letting you fall right on your face. In front of everybody. You know. Just when you're trying to show how graceful. And you know marvelous you are. Right on your nose.

In going forth. It should always be with that sense of awe. Oh God I am nothing. But what a glorious treasure I have to share with the world. What a privilege. To be a servant of God. And to be the instrument through which God works.

Never. Oh God I understand why you chose me. You've made a good deal when you got me Lord. You know. I heard of this church that had just called a. New minister fresh out of seminary. And he had graduated magna cum laude.

And he really thought that he had it all together. And so his first Sunday morning he came in. Dressed impeccably. Cuff at the right length and. His sermon was just. Homiletically. Perfect and you know just everything was just.

I mean he was the epitome. Of perfection. Came in with that folks. I've got it together kind of an attitude you know. And how fortunate you are that you've called me to be the pastor of your church. But as he tried to deliver his message.

He got confused. He got mixed up. He lost his place. He couldn't get it together. The thing just fell apart. And was in shambles. And finally he just stood there. And he was just so confused he couldn't say anything.

And he just broke down and he started to weep. And he turned and left. Just broken. When a dear little saint down towards the front. Turned to her friend and said. If he had come in like he went out. He would have gone out like he came in.

That's pretty much what this psalm says. He who sows in tears. Will reap in joy. Going forth. Weeping bearing the precious fruit. You'll doubtless come again. Bringing the harvest the sheaves with you.

Psalm 127: The Lord Builds the House

Our attitudes. So important. Psalm 127 is a psalm that is important for all of us to really get implanted deep in our hearts. Except the Lord build the house. They labor in vain that build it. I spent far too many years laboring in vain.