Psalms 120 Summary & Study Guide

The hundred and twentieth psalm begins the "Songs of Ascent," the collection sung by pilgrims as they traveled to Jerusalem for the feasts. It opens with a cry of distress: "In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me." The setting is a world of hostile speech—the "lying lip" and the "deceitful tongue" are the primary weapons of the environment. The psalmist laments his exile in "Meshech" and "Kedar," places that represent a culture of violence and falsehood. It is a portrait of a soul who is "for peace," but who lives among those who are "for war."

The narrative movement focuses on the "arrows" of divine judgment that will be directed against the deceitful tongue—the "sharp arrows of a warrior" and the "glowing coals of the broom tree." The psalmist expresses the exhaustion of "dwelling too long" in a place that hates peace. The movement is an "ascent" of the spirit, turning away from the discord of the foreign land toward the "peace" of the sanctuary in Zion. It is a bracing start to the pilgrim's journey, acknowledging that the first step toward God is often the recognition that one no longer belongs in the land of lies.

The spirit of this psalm shows theology of "Alienation," where the desire for holiness creates a friction with the surrounding culture. It teaches that "Speech" is the frontline of the spiritual battle, and that the "tongue" can be a source of fundamental suffering. The "Answer" of the Lord is the only remedy for the "deceipt" of man. To be "for peace" is to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Shalom, even while in a temporary exile. True pilgrimage begins with a "turning away" from the noise of Meshech. Our rescue is His Truth.

Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace who dwelt among us in a "land of lies" yet spoke only the truth of the Father. He bore the "sharp arrows" of human accusation and the "glowing coals" of divine judgment so that we could be delivered from the lying lips of the enemy. This psalm reminds us that because we are in Christ, we are "sojourners" on our way to the New Jerusalem. We are invited to start our own "ascent" of faith, knowing that our King has already conquered the world of war. Our peace is His Presence.