Psalm 120

Pray for the farmers in their fields. Root seeds are in the ground. Plants are really small. We don't want them underwater for too long. So if you can remember to pray, please pray for the farmers with the rain. We're supposed to get a lot more rain this week and not so great to have that much rain when it is planting season or the seeds are in the ground pretty small. So, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. Thanks so much for joining us this morning. I'm so glad you're here with us. This is where we get together and we get into God's Word. We grow in our love for the Lord together. In this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature.
Well, an update as I've been trying to wrestle through how to make sure this is consistent for you. And I was looking at my pattern and realized it's mainly on Saturdays and Sundays that this is difficult. Sundays, It's a busy day for me and so I apologize for that as well as Saturdays. That's my evangelism day to be down in different towns and meeting with people and doing evangelistic Bible study.
So I think what we're going to do is we're going to switch this to being on the weekdays. So Monday through Friday. So that's a big update. I know for the past year we've done it every single day. I'm going to pare it down to being five days a week. So every weekday at 9 a.m.
You and I, we get together, we get into God's word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. Well, let's go ahead and have some coffee. We'll pray and we'll get into God's word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that when things are going well, we can praise you. And when things are going bad, we can praise you. Please let us hear your words now and teach us. In Jesus' name, amen. Okay, here we go. We are at Psalm 120. We are really close to being done with the Psalms. So we will finish up by the end of June. So we're getting really close.
So Psalm 120, this begins the section called the Songs of Ascent. So, or some translations might say, Psalms of, or songs, of a pilgrimage, right? So going up to Jerusalem. These are the songs that people would sing as they were thinking and going up to Jerusalem for the different feasts. So Psalm 120.
In my distress, I cried to the Lord, and he heard me. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given to you, or what shall be done to you, you false tongue? sharp arrows of the warrior with coals of the broom tree. Woe is me that I dwell in Messach, that I dwell in the tents of Qadar. My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates me. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war." Well, we need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to these words? So A, what is this about?
Well, this is a psalm where it's a lament. crying out to God, a song crying out to God, calling upon the divine name of the Lord here. In my distress, I cried out to the, and if you're using an English Bible here, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital T. In Hebrew, that would be Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh-Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, the one who revealed himself to Moses. I am who I am. He calls out to God. And God heard him.
And what does he ask? God, deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue. We're not told what the lying lips are saying. We're not told how they're slandering the psalmist, but they are. And so he asked, Lord, what are you going to do? And verses three and four is some graphic imagery. What shall be given to you?
Or what shall be done to you, you false tongue, sharp arrows of the warriors with coals of the broom tree? You false tongue, sharp arrows of the warrior. These were, at this time, arrows that would often be shot, fired with fiery ends, darts on the end of them, coals that were shaped into arrows, but could also be lit on fire. Sharp arrows with coals of the broom tree. So these are arrowheads that are made out of charcoal, essentially. They're lit on fire and shot at. And the psalmist is saying, that's what's going to happen to you. The Lord's gonna answer and deliver.
And then in verse five and six, woe is me that I dwell in Mesech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar. These are opposite places. Mesech is that place up in the northwest of Canaan. And the tents of Kedar are down in the southeast of Canaan, this nomadic tribe that would set up their tents and go around.
And so he says, woe is me. It's not good for me if I'm dwelling in the tents of those people way up there, far away from the Lord's Mountain. If I'm dwelling way down south in the tents of Kadar, I'm far away from the people of God and from the place of God's worship in Jerusalem.
I think that this is what it's talking about. Those poles are meant to show us that it's supposed to be in the center where Jerusalem is. he could go to God's people, where he was, remember the song is a song of ascents, going up to the holy mountain. That's what the psalmist looks forward to is joining together with God's people to worship at his holy mountain, to go there and to bow at his feet and to hear from him.
And so in your distress, well first before I go to seek calling, would you underline as the best verse to summarize in this passage? What would you underline as the best verse to summarize in this passage? I think I might underline verse six and seven. My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace for I am for peace but when I speak they are for war. I might underline that. What would you underline? Maybe you would underline Maybe you would underline verse two. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips. What would you do?
C. Calling. What are we called to do in response to this?
Well, when people speak bad against you, when things are falling apart in your life, do you long to go to the Lord? Do you long to go to God in prayer? Do you approach his throne of grace? Do you long to get together with God's people? We're going to see that in Psalm 122 in two days, right, when we get there. But do you long? When things are going wrong, do you look to God and say, God, deliver me?
God, you do justice. You do vengeance. You, Father, take care of this. As for me, I'm for peace. Deliver me, Lord. Keep my tongue from lying words. Let's pray. Father, we thank you that you have delivered us in Jesus Christ, that you have shot your firing darts against our enemy, Satan, the devil, the father of lies. Lord, our hearts long to go to your holy city, to see you face to face, to bask in your glory. Thank you for giving us access to your throne of grace through Jesus Christ. Please care for us and watch over us this day. Guard us and protect us. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, may the Lord bless you today as you look to Jesus Christ for your deliverance. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.