the journey (arrival, step fifteen)

“the journey” has come to an end! 

Those who first sang the “Songs of Ascents” had been travelling, literally, the roads that led to Jerusalem. Now they had arrived and were at the temple to worship God in festival celebration. Some would have been on the road for days, some for weeks, in some instances perhaps for months. Now they were at the end of the road.

As we look back on our reflections over the previous months it's helpful to recognise that we have come a very long way from the first step we took on “the journey” of pilgrimage back in Psalm 120. Our first song was one in which we found ourselves at a crossroads. What was required of us was a radical “about turn.”

The Songs of Ascents, which started in the alien surroundings of Meshech and Kedar (Psalm 120), end fittingly on the note of serving God within his temple in Psalm 134.

The way of discipleship that began in an act of repentance concludes in a life of praise.

Each of the psalms that we have reflected on has described a part of what takes place along this pilgrim way among people who have turned to God and follow him in Christ.

For centuries Psalm 134 was sung on the road as throngs of people made the ascent to Jerusalem for festival worship. We have a sense of everyone sharing… 

a common purpose, 

   traveling a common path, 

      striving toward a common goal, 

         that path and purpose and goal being God.

And so the pilgrims sang:

“Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! 

Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord! 

May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!”

(Psalm 134:1-3)

When I pondered this psalm I sensed a greeting and response in its lines: the pilgrims addressing the priests and Levites in verses one and two, and receiving in reply the blessing of verse three.

Two thoughts came to my mind. Firstly,

➡️ The aspirations in the heart of God’s people for their leaders (verses 1-2)

In verses one and two the pilgrims speak to the servants of the Lord.

The pilgrims recognise the responsibilities that the priests and Levites carry in leading the worship of the temple. They are clearly one in spirit with them, encouraging them to keep going in their task and urging them in a Godward direction. 

In our day we do well to pray for those who are over us in the Lord (our ministers and elders) that they would remain faithful to him and that through their words and actions they would bless and honour the Lord.

And secondly,

➡️ The aspirations in the heart of leaders for the people of God (verse 3)

In verse three the servants of the Lord address the pilgrims. What they say reveals something of their desires for the God’s people as they will soon head back to their communities following the festivals in Jerusalem.   “May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!”

The Priests and Levites are acknowledging that the Lord alone is the generous giver. Though they pronounced the blessing, they could not grant it. This blessing echoes the priestly blessing of Numbers 6…

“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”

Paul informs us in Ephesians 1 that we have been wonderfully blessed in Christ. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” It would be impossible to count all the spiritual blessings which he has given us. However, they most definitely include:

Pardon (Luke 7:48)

Peace (John 14:27)

Love (John 15:9)

Eternal life (1 John 5:12)

John Calvin once said that “the blessing of God is the goodness of God in action, by which a supply of all good pours down to us from his favour…” The longings of the servants of God in Psalm 134 are centred on their desire that God’s people live in the orbit of God’s blessing.

I said at the start that the journey has come to an end for the pilgrims. However, in many ways it had only just started. As the pilgrims return to their homes and communities a new sense of expectation would accompany them about what the Lord could do through them to bless his people. And a fresh sense of motivation would fill them about all that it means to live a life that pleases the Lord.  They, and we, have all we need in Christ to “stay the course.”

(picture - All Saints Church, St Andrews)

Song Choice - 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)

"the journey" playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1r5rMcrNlmUMQqHyIBfCmg?si=YtwsF-OuT9-160jOeH26gQ&pi=iHT32HMRSleMD

 

the journey (step fourteen)

 We live in a fragmented and discordant world.

And often the occasions when people do unite around a common cause or ideal it turns out to be superficial, or worse can actually be destructive.

Against that background we turn from the clamour and bustle of our modern world to the sacred hush of God’s eternal Word. 

Today we focus on the penultimate psalm in the “songs of ascents” collection. Psalm 133.

We find that King David once again opens his heart and as he does we find him yearning for a quality of life and fellowship that many long for but few attain…

How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!

It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
    down on the collar of his robe.

It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
    even life for evermore.

As you read over David’s words celebrating the blessing of unity among God’s people, it is helpful to reflect on how we ought to live in community of faith.

I believe three words express David’s deep longing that the people of God would be one in heart and mind. They act as useful guides as we journey with our fellow pilgrims.

The first is…

➡️ Priceless (verse 1)

How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!

This sentence captures an Old Testament truth that all Israelites, including even debtors, slaves and offenders, were brothers in God’s sight (e.g. Deuteronomy 15:3, 12; 25:3).

From the perspective of the New Testament, Jesus taught that if God is my Father, then the church is my family (Matthew 6:9; John 17). Eugene Peterson said in this regard that “when we become Christians, we are among brothers and sisters in faith. No Christian is an only child.”

However, the fact that we are a family of faith does not mean we are one big happy family. The people we encounter as brothers and sisters in faith are not always nice people. It is therefore incumbent on us that we make a commitment to pursue unity in the church. To do that we need to let go of bitterness, pride and selfish ambition and make “every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). We are called to “bear with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

Priceless becomes…

➡️ Sacred (verse 2)

It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
    down on the collar of his robe.

Here is the first of two images in Psalm 133 that offer a great deal of insight into the task of fostering and shaping a good and pleasant life together in Christ.

The picture comes from Exodus 29, where instructions are given for the ordination of Aaron and other priests. This included anointing with oil. Oil, in Scripture, is a sign of God’s presence, a symbol of the Holy Spirit. But in this context oil was used to anoint an individual and mark him as a priest. And so living in the community of God’s people means that I see my brother or sister as a priest. When we see another believer as God’s anointed, our relationships are profoundly affected (1 Peter 2:9). The anointing oil points to unity as a sacred blessing from God.

And sacred becomes…

➡️ Miraculous (verse 3)

It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.

The second image is of Mount Hermon's dew. I use the word miraculous because Hermon was the main mountain in the north and Zion was the main mountain in the south. And here Hermon’s dew falls on Zion’s hill. That they should be unified in this way could only be an act of God. In a similar way, David recognised that the unity of the family of God’s people is a miraculous work of God. 

Of this priceless, sacred and miraculous community the Psalm ends, “For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life for evermore.” What a truly remarkable gift from God…his blessing. 

I conclude by quoting Eugene Peterson once again who said, “Living together in a way that evokes the glad song of Psalm 133 is one of the great and arduous tasks before Christ’s people.” It may not be easy but it honours our Lord Jesus and becomes a window through which a watching world can see the communal life that was part of God’s original intention for his creation (John 17:23). 

(Picture - Eaglesham Moor)

Song choice - The God We Love - CityAlight, Matt Redman)

"the journey" playlist -

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1r5rMcrNlmUMQqHyIBfCmg?si=YtwsF-OuT9-160jOeH26gQ&pi=iHT32HMRSleMD

the journey (step thirteen)

 ‘the journey’ is most definitely coming to an end with the pilgrims anticipating their arrival in the holy city. The final three psalms in the ‘songs of ascents’ are filled with thoughts about Jerusalem, its temple, worship, fellowship and all that this will mean to the ongoing life of faith for the people of God once they return to their own communities.

There’s a wonderful walk that starts behind the Stirlingshire town of Callendar. Beginning at the Bracklinn Falls it climbs up through a forest and eventually loops back round the car park where the walk began. What I most enjoyed about this walk was the moment that the path broke out of the forest and the magnificent vista of the surrounding hills came into view. 

Some parts of our pilgrimage are absorbed in the details of the journey, attending to the daily disciplines of Christian life. We press on but everything seems rather ordinary and routine. At other moments the sweep of God’s plan fills our horizon and we are captivated by his sovereignty, grace and goodness.

That big picture view of our walk with God comes into view in Psalm 132. It places the pilgrims in the far larger story of God’s covenant with his people.

As they travel the pilgrims recount…

   David’s commitment to God, and…

        The Lord’s covenant with David.

➡️ Verses 1-10 of the song outline David’s commitment to the Lord. 

He promised to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and to build a dwelling for the Lord (2 Samuel 7:1-17). 

David was motivated by a concern for the glory and honour of God. His desire was that the Lord would have his rightful place among his people. He wanted the Lord to be near them. 

What about you today? 

How does David’s example challenge you? 

What comes close to the kernel of your heart’s desire? 

There is, to my mind, a wonderful complimentary passage in Isaiah 26 that mirrors David commitment to the Lord and should inspire us. Isaiah says,

“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, 

we wait for you;

your name and renown

are the desire of our hearts” (verse 8).

The Message paraphrase of this verse captures it well -  

“We’re content to linger in the path sign-posted with your decisions.
Who you are and what you’ve done are all we’ll ever want.”

May those words be true of this generation of God’s people.

➡️ In verses 11-18 we are introduced the Lord’s covenant with David.

God promised that a descendent of David would bring God's presence into this world in a way David would not have been able to imagine (2 Samuel 7:11-16). Jesus, great David’s greater Son, has come and he has brought the presence of God into our lives - making us his dwelling (1 Peter 2:4-10). 

As we reflect on this ancient psalm (the longest in the "songs of ascents") from our vantage point in Jesus we know that we can draw near to God at any time and in any place. This is ultimately because of his work on the cross (Ephesians 2:13) and the gift of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (Romans 8:16).

(picture - near Sheildaig)

Song choice - King of Kings (Hillsong Worship)

'the journey' playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1r5rMcrNlmUMQqHyIBfCmg?si=YtwsF-OuT9-160jOeH26gQ&pi=iHT32HMRSleMD

the journey (step twelve)

 The greater part of my working life has been spent in pastoral ministry. A chief part of that vocation included the regular task of preaching. I grew to love the discipline of preparation and delivery of sermons. I recall sitting at my desk on many occasions with God’s Word open before me and delighting in the truths that came into view. I felt in those moments that if I had wings I could have flown! 

I was always at my most content when the song we sang before the preaching of God’s Word was “Speak, O Lord” by Keith and Kristyn Getty. This is what they called their “pastor’s hymn.” Some of the lyrics are noted below.

Several years ago I read Psalm 131 in midst of local church ministry and found myself drawn to a song that is a beautiful and vivid expression of a life yielded to God. I imagined this “song of ascent” as “a preacher’s psalm” and the following thoughts filled my horizons. 

The psalmist, David, is clearly a man who found confidence in the grace and goodness of God.

He was a man with:

➡️ A Clear View of Self (1a)

“My heart is not proud, O Lord,

   my eyes are not haughty.”

There is a profound sense of humility in David’s words. 

His life is free from pride and arrogance.

It’s no wonder that C.H. Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, said of the psalm, “This one of shortest psalms to read but one of the longest to learn.” Take time to read over this psalm as a whole and you will see why this statement is so accurate.

“Teach us, Lord, full obedience,

Holy reverence, true humility."

➡️ A Clear View of Scripture (1b)

“I do not concern myself with great matters

   or things too wonderful for me.”

Here is a heart that recognises its capacity.

It would be true to say that this sentence likely goes much further than the Holy Scriptures. However, it is equally true that a heart close to God recognises there are heights of truth in Scripture that we will never be able to reach. “The secret things belong to the Lord…” (Deuteronomy 29:29). And so we recognise our heart’s capacity for God and his truth while at the same time pressing on to know him (Hosea 6:3).

“Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds,

Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us.

Truths unchanged from the dawn of time,

That will echo down through eternity.”

➡️ A Clear View of the Spiritual Life (2)

“But I have stilled and quieted my soul;

   like a weaned child with its mother,

like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

Here is a soul that is at peace and is fully content.

“Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;

Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,”

➡️ A Clear View of Service (3)

“O Israel, put your hope in the Lord

   both now and for evermore.”

Here is a desire that others will be drawn into a relationship with God that will lead to the same realities that David discovered.

"Speak, O Lord, 'til Your church is built

And the earth is filled with Your glory."

The qualities noted above are a crucial prerequisite to a godly life and godly preaching. However, whatever our calling and gifting is before God the truths in this psalm will further direct the course of ‘the journey.”

"And by grace we'll stand on your promises;

and by faith we'll walk as you walk with us."

My final encouragement this week is to pray for those who carry the burden of a preaching ministry. Preaching has the potential to shape the collective life of a congregation in a godly manner and build up believers in their most holy faith. Pray that the truths that David expressed in Psalm 130 would characterise those who preach and so bring glory to God. 

(Picture - Rouken Glen, Glasgow)

Song choice - Speak, O Lord (Keith & Kirstyn Getty)

‘the journey’ playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1r5rMcrNlmUMQqHyIBfCmg?si=YtwsF-OuT9-160jOeH26gQ&p