Psalms of Ascent: Psalm 120/Repentance

August 07, 2022

Pastor Nate Roschen

Psalms of Ascent: Psalm 120 Repentance What are the psalms of ascent? They are the fifteen psalms that the Hebrew people would read or sing as they ascended on their thrice-a-year pilgrimages to Jerusalem for their great worship festivals. The ascent to Jerusalem was both literal and metaphorical. Topographically, Jerusalem was the highest city in Palestine, and so all who visited spent much of their time ascending. But the trip also acted out a life lived upward toward God, developing in maturity – what Paul described as, “…The goal, where God is beckoning us onward – to Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). In his book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Tim Keller writes, “The Hebrews were a people whose salvation had been accomplished in the exodus, whose identity had been defined at Sinai, and whose preservation had been assured in the forty years of wilderness wandering.” Again and again, they ascended up the mountain to remember and to renew their relationship with the God who had chosen them. Jesus Himself traveled this same path from a very early age (Luke 2:41-42). These psalms of ascent provide for us a way to remember just who we are, and where we’re going. They are guideposts on the journey, reminders that many of the best things in life, and much good Christian character, cannot be achieved immediately, but require a long obedience in the same direction. Join us for this journey! – Pastor Nate Roschen