I will lift my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of Heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 (Psalms 69, 120, 121, 9)
The songs of ascent are a set of Psalms with a specific use and we know when and how they were employed. People gathered at the Temple, an important place of common ground where knowledge, strength and encouragement was gained. The Temple brought unity and life for the nation of Israel, as it was the essence of God’s presence among His people.
Jerusalem was set on a hill. It was a fortress, the capitol city of the strongest nation on earth at the time. The Temple set on a precipice within the hilltop megapolis. Whether people were climbing the stairs to enter its portals, or walking along the road from afar, meeting other sojourners on their way to celebrate and worship, eyes were lifted in the hope of Creator God, maker of all.
The primitive, ancient people did not understand that the moon’s light was reflective rather than radiant. They knew the effects of overexposure to the sun, and so they suspected the moon had a danger too, just less obvious. They were cautious and sought shade from its rays too. They were wrong, but the greater significance is their foundational knowledge that the weaver of night and day, of a cycle of life that needed sleep for productive wakefulness, never slept, never set aside His watchfulness over His creation. We are loved and care for without ceasing.
Happy New Year!
Gretchen