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Psalms of Ascension

Psalms 120-134

When the Hebrew slaves were gathered at Mount Sinai, one of the covenant ordinances they agreed to was to celebrate three annual feasts: "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year" (Exodus 23:14). The three feasts were the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 24:14-17). For four decades while the Hebrews were in the wilderness, the feasts were logistically "easy" since the Tabernacle was always with them.

When the nation moved into the Promised Land, keeping the feasts became more complicated since the nation was spread out geographically—the movable Tabernacle was replaced by the permanent Temple in Jerusalem. Therefore, three times each year the Jews had to journey to Jerusalem to "keep the feasts." Because Jerusalem was located on a mountain, the phrase "up to Jerusalem" became common (it occurs 28 times in Scripture). Therefore, "ascending to Jerusalem" was part of the life of every Jew (Acts 2:5 ff.)

A set of 15 psalms is curiously labeled (in the superscription of each psalm) a "song of ascents" (Psalm 120-134). They are obviously grouped together in the psalter intentionally, but they are not defined as to their purpose. The traditional view has long been that these were psalms designated by the Levites to be sung or recited by Jewish pilgrims as they "ascended" to Jerusalem three times each year for the feasts. Others have suggested that "ascents" refers to the stairs leading up to the temple—these songs would have been sung in connection with temple worship services. (They could have been used for both.)

Several phrases from the Ascension Psalms suggest pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem: "I will lift up my eyes to the hills" (Psalm 121:1); "I was glad when they said to me, "Let us to [to] the house of the Lord" (Psalm 122:1); "Unto You, I lift up my eyes" (Psalm 123:1).

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