Click here to read PSALM 120 in poetic form.
Background
Psalm 120 is in the Deuteronomy Book of the Psalms (Psalms 107-150). These 44 Psalms, like the Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament, show God’s Word as the source of salvation, deliverance, and healing. This would be fully carried out in the life of the coming Messiah, the living Word, Jesus Christ. Whereas Psalm 119 showed that God would raise the Messiah from the dead to eternal life, Psalm 120 begins the 15 “songs of the degrees” (Psalms 120-134) regarding God keeping Hezekiah alive.
These “degrees” refer to when the Lord “brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz” (II Kings 20:8). When King Hezekiah learned from the Prophet Isaiah that he was terminally ill, he prayed to the Lord, and God sent Isaiah back to let the king know that he would live another 15 years. The proof was that the sun would miraculously travel backwards on the sundial for ten degrees. This occurred, and Hezekiah lived an additional 15 years—in which time his son, Manasseh, was born. This allowed the lineage of David to continue on to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:6-10).
Ten of the songs of the degrees were written by Hezekiah (corresponding to the number of degrees that the shadow went back on the sun dial), four were written by David, and one by Solomon. Their structure by authorship is as follows:
(Psalms 120,121) Hezekiah
(Psalm 122) David
(Psalm 123) Hezekiah
(Psalm 124) David
(Psalms 125,126) Hezekiah
(Psalm 127) Solomon
(Psalms 128-130) Hezekiah
(Psalm 131) David
(Psalm 132) Hezekiah
(Psalm 133) David
(Psalm 134) Hezekiah
All 15 are arranged in five groups of three Psalms, with each triplet having the same order: 1) Messiah’s suffering and need; 2) Messiah’s trust in the Lord; and 3) God bringing blessings and peace through the Messiah’s accomplishments.
Psalm 120—Messiah’s suffering: “my distress”; “sharp arrows”; “they are for war”
Psalm 121—Messiah’s trust in the Lord: “My help cometh from the Lord”
Psalm 122—God’s blessing and peace through the Messiah: “I will now say, ‘Peace be within thee.’”
Psalm 123—Messiah’s suffering: “we are exceedingly filled with contempt…scorning”
Psalm 124—Messiah’s trust in the Lord: “Our help is in the name of the Lord”
Psalm 125—God’s blessing and peace through the Messiah: “But peace shall be upon Israel”
Psalm 126—Messiah’s suffering: “our captivity”; “sow in tears”
Psalm 127—Messiah’s trust in the Lord: “Except the Lord build the house…keep the city”
Psalm 128—God’s blessing and peace through the Messiah: “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord”; “thus shall the man be blessed”; “The Lord shall bless thee”; “Peace upon Israel”
Psalm 129—Messiah’s suffering: “many a time have they afflicted me”; “The plowers plowed upon my back”
Psalm 130—Messiah’s trust in the Lord: “I wait for the Lord…And in His word do I hope”
Psalm 131—God’s blessing and peace through the Messiah: “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself”
Psalm 132—Messiah’s suffering: “all his afflictions”
Psalm 133—Messiah’s trust in the Lord: “there the Lord commanded the blessing”
Psalm 134—God’s blessing and peace through the Messiah: “The Lord…Bless thee out of Zion”
Psalm 120 shows God delivering the Messiah in his suffering from the deceitful who hate him.
Structure
(Messiah’s suffering)
(Verses 1,2) Prayer for the Lord’s deliverance from those with a deceitful tongue
(Verses 3,4) God’s just recompense to those with a deceitful tongue
(Verses 5,6) Distress at being with those who hate peace
(Verse 7) I am for peace, but they are for war
Key Scriptures
Verse 4—“Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.” Jesus Christ withstood lying lips and deceitful tongues (as in verse 2). But the Messiah would bring God’s just recompense with his sharp arrows as the mighty one of the Lord. And with coals of juniper. The juniper is also known as Spanish broom, and this shrub is found in many parts of Palestine. It is large and offers good shade, as when the Prophet Elijah lay down and slept beneath one (I Kings 19:4,5). It was burned in Bible times as a fuel, thus the “coals” of juniper. Even today, the Bedouin in Sinai use the juniper for charcoal that produces great heat.
Verse 7—“I am for peace.” True peace comes through Jesus Christ. His peace becomes our peace. John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Ephesians 2:14: “For he is our peace, who hath made both [Judean and Gentile] one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.”
All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!
The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.
