June 25, 2015
FULLY GOD AND FULLY GOOD
Psalms 120–127
Katie. Morris
Central Truth
When we understand God is good and in control, we can lean on Him as our foundation.
Key Verse | Psalm 127:1–2
Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones.
(Psalm 127:1-2)
Psalms 120–127
Deliver Me, O LORD
A Song of Ascents.
1
In my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.
2
Deliver me, O LORD,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.
3
What shall be given to you,
and what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4
A warrior's sharp arrows,
with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5
Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech,
that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6
Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
7
I am for peace,
but when I speak, they are for war!
My Help Comes from the LORD
A Song of Ascents.
1
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5
The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
6
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7
The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8
The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Let Us Go to the House of the LORD
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2
Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together,
4
to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for
1
122:4
Or as a testimony for
Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5
There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.
6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
7
Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
8
For my brothers and companions' sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your good.
Our Eyes Look to the LORD Our God
A Song of Ascents.
1
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2
Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he has mercy upon us.
3
Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4
Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
Our Help Is in the Name of the LORD
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1
If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—
let Israel now say—
2
if it had not been the LORD who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4
then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5
then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6
Blessed be the LORD,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7
We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
8
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
The LORD Surrounds His People
A Song of Ascents.
1
Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
3
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
4
Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!
5
But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
the LORD will lead away with evildoers!
Peace be upon Israel!
Restore Our Fortunes, O LORD
A Song of Ascents.
1
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
3
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad.
4
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negeb!
5
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
Unless the LORD Builds the House
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
1
Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
3
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children
2
127:4
Or sons
of one's youth.
5
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
3
127:5
Or They shall not be put to shame when they speak with their enemies in the gate
Dive Deeper | Psalms 120–127
Psalm 120 to 134 are known as the “Psalms of Ascent,” which were sung by God’s people as they made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate and worship in the temple where God resided.
Today, we will be in Psalm 127:1-2. This psalm is said to be of Solomon, an Israelite king known as the wisest and richest man that ever lived. He also constructed God’s temple in Jerusalem (where our Hebrew friends happen to be sojourning). Solomon, who was in charge of doing God’s work by building His temple, understood the meaning of rest in the Lord. Verses 1-2 remind the reader that God must be the foundation of all we do, no matter what. God doesn’t say that we should not build houses or protect cities, but that we must first entrust them to Him. Otherwise, our “anxious toil” from “early morning to late at night” is “useless” (127:2). God does not hate a hard work ethic. But He does hate anxious toil that doesn’t involve Him.
My anxiety and desire to control usually come out of a lie that God isn’t in control and that He somehow needs my help or from doubting His goodness and love for me. Sometimes, I just find my value in busyness and the affirmation from others when I do so. Either way, Solomon’s message is pretty clear: All our toil apart from God is meaningless. But guess what? Today, we can have access to God’s presence through putting our trust in Christ (Romans 5:1-2), and suddenly, instead of making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, our daily travel to work, or even just sitting in a carpool line, becomes a pilgrimage to our God. And if we give Him control of it all, we can rest easy, knowing that He is sovereign and trustworthy.
Discussion Questions
1. How are you entrusting God with your “house” or “city”? Are you going to Him first with your plans?
2. What is keeping you up day and night with anxious toil? Talk to God about these anxieties. Take them to your community group as well.
3. Read Isaiah 26:3-4, Exodus 20:8-11, and Matthew 11:28-30, and journal why these are important and relevant to your life. How does God feel about rest?
4. From your study, how would you title each of the psalms in Psalms 120-27? For example, Psalm 120 could be titled, “I Call You in My Hurts,” and Psalm 121, “You Are My Protection.” Title the rest of these psalms in a way that makes their contents memorable to you.