Useful Bible Studies > Songs of Ascent Commentary

Psalm 122

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The poet was pleased that he could go to *worship God in Jerusalem. And he was especially pleased that he was not alone. There were other people who wanted to go with him.

Those people came from the poet’s own town. So they were his friends and, especially, his relatives. People in Israel lived near to their families. People who lived in the same town were usually relatives. God told Moses and Joshua to arrange the possession of land in Israel in that way (Numbers chapter 34; Joshua chapters 13 to 21).

So it gave the poet great joy that people in his own family wanted to *worship God. But it was an even greater joy to stand inside the gates of Jerusalem. The poet had arrived in this special city. It was the city where God had chosen to live among his people. Here was the place for prayer for all nations. Here was the place for *sacrifice. Here was the sacred building called the temple, which was the house of God. And in the temple was the sacred box, which was evidence of God’s promises to Israel.

Even when he prayed at home, the poet probably looked towards Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10). When the poet prayed, he was praying to God at his temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:35-40; 1 Kings 8:44-51). But at his home, the poet could not offer *sacrifices to God. He had to do that at the place that God had chosen. That is, at the temple in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12:5-7).

When the poet entered Jerusalem, he saw a small city with a wall round it. But the city did not disappoint him. That wall was for the city’s protection. Because of the wall, the houses had to be very close together. They leaned against each other, and they supported each other. That was like Israel’s people. They had come together to *worship God. And all the different families supported each other. Alone, they would be weak. But together, with God’s help, they made up a strong nation.

Next part: The Jerusalem that David described

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