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Tuesday, September 14, 2004
You remember the practical nature of the Psalms of Ascent, right? It was the hymnal the Israelites used primarily for worship as they traveled (usually as entire families) from wherever they lived to Jerusalem for the festivals. Usually, the family would go three times per year as the nation came together for hearty celebrations and reunions.
I don't think it's coincidence, by the way, that these particular Psalms are arranged in the order they are. However, even if it was by coincidence, there's certainly a case that could be made for the idea that they are in many ways a guide for spiritual renewal.
And Psalm 120, the first one, sets forth the idea that we've been buying into the ways of the world. You know, living in tents in Kedar. Dwelling in Meshech. If you don't know what those terms mean, feel free to check the archives for a longer discussion of this psalm.
So, look how 121 starts: "I will lift my eyes..." Why would he have to lift his eyes? I don't think it's too much of a stretch that, if you've just been confessing your "woes" to God...that you've been thinking the way the world thinks instead of how God thinks...well, a position of humility would be bowing before the Person you're confessing to. So, he will now lift his eyes.
He sees mountains in the distance. Now, you need to know that I've never been to Israel. It's on my "to-do" list. But others have written that from pretty much any area you were coming from to go to the festivals, you could see mountains in the distance.
There are at least two ways to interpret the question the author asks. First, he could be asking if the mountains could actually help him. Something like, "Do these mountains give me help?" Obviously, rhetorically, the answer is no.
Or, it could be that in many of those mountain tops, worship of false gods took place there. If this were the case, the question might sound like, "Do the gods who people think live in those mountains give me help?" Again, the answer is no.
Either way you choose to interpret it (I tend to lean towards the first one, but I like the 2nd one...I'm a sucker for good stories), the answer is still no.
Well, where is his help going to come from?
Verse 2: My help comes from the Lord. The Lord that made heaven and earth. I guess if you make "it," then you're more powerful than whatever "it" might be. That's it. He just knows where his strength, his help, comes from. THE Lord. Maker of Heaven and earth.
So, today's mind vitamin: What are some things you tend ot look for "help" from before you seek the Lord?
And, today's journal prompt: A time in the past I tried to fix a problem using my own abilities or resources was ___________. The results of this were ____________.
Brent 4:05 AM
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