We’re going through the Psalms of Ascent (120 – 134) letting Eugene Peterson, author of The Message Bible, guide us with his book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. I’ll tell you in advance, I’m the learner here, not the teacher.

Today, before we get into Psalm 120, let’s pull a couple of principles from the introductory chapter. I’m long familiar with “the world, the flesh, and the devil,” but I’d never heard the concept broken down like this:

An old tradition sorts the difficulties we face in the life of faith into the categories of world, flesh and devil. We are, for the most part, well warned of the perils of the flesh and the wiles of the devil. Their temptations have a definable shape and maintain a historical continuity. That doesn’t make them any easier to resist; it does make them easier to recognize.

The world, though, is protean [tending or able to change frequently or easily – I had to look it up!]: each generation has the world to deal with in a new form. World is an atmosphere, a mood. It is nearly as hard for a sinner to recognize the world’s temptations as it is for a fish to discover impurities in the water. There is a sense, a feeling, that things aren’t right, that the environment is not whole, but just what it is eludes analysis. We know that the spiritual atmosphere in which we live erodes faith, dissipates hope and corrupts love, but it is hard to put our finger on what is wrong.

One aspect of world that I have been able to identify as harmful to Christians is the assumption that anything worthwhile can be acquired at once. We assume that if something can be done at all, it can be done quickly and efficiently. Our attention spans have been conditioned by thirty-second commercials…

Thus we start our pilgrimage, leaving “Meshech and Kedar.” Here is Psalm 120:

I’m in trouble. I cry to GOD, desperate for an answer: “Deliver me from the liars, GOD! They smile so sweetly but lie through their teeth.”

Do you know what’s next, can you see what’s coming, all you barefaced liars? Pointed arrows and burning coals will be your reward.

I’m doomed to live in Meshech, cursed with a home in Kedar, My whole life lived camping among quarreling neighbors. I’m all for peace, but the minute I tell them so, they go to war! (MSG)

Peterson writes about this psalm which starts with “I’m in trouble” and ends with “war.”

The dissatisfaction, coupled with a longing for peace and truth, can set us on a pilgrim path of wholeness in God. A person has to be thoroughly disgusted with the way things are to find the motivation to set out on the Christian way. As long as we think the next election might eliminate crime and establish justice or another scientific breakthrough might save the environment or another pay raise might push us over the edge of anxiety into a life of tranquility, we are not likely to risk the arduous uncertainties of the life of faith. A person has to get fed up with the ways of the world before he, before she, acquires an appetite for the world of grace.

“A person has to get fed up with the ways of the world…” not trusting in the next election, the next scientific breakthrough, or the next pay raise. He continues:

Christian consciousness begins in the painful realization that what we had assumed was the truth is in fact a lie. Prayer is immediate: “Deliver me from the liars, God! They smile so sweetly but lie through their teeth.” Rescue me…

• from the lies of advertisers who claim to know what I need and what I desire,
• from the lies of entertainers who promise a cheap way to joy,
• from the lies of politicians who pretend to instruct me in power and morality,
• from the lies of psychologists who offer to shape my behavior and my morals so that I will live long, happily and successfully,
• from the lies of religionists who “heal the wounds of this people lightly,”
• from the lies of moralists who pretend to promote me to the office of captain of my fate,
• from the lies of pastors who “get rid of God’s command so you won’t be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions!” (Mark 7:8). (Bulleted for clarity)

“I’m doomed to live in Meschech, cursed with a home in Kedar.” Peterson explains:

Paraphrased, the cry is, “I live in the midst of hoodlums and wild savages; this world is not my home and I want out.” The usual biblical word describing the no we say to the world’s lies and the yes we say to God’s truth is repentance. It is always and everywhere the first word in the Christian life. John the Baptist’s preaching was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3.2 RSV). Jesus’ first preaching was the same: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4.17 RSV). Peter concluded his first sermon with “Repent, and be baptized” (Acts 2.38 RSV). In the last book of the Bible the message to the seventh church is “be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3.19 RSV).

So the word for Psalm 120 is repent. Peterson clarifies:

Repentance is not an emotion. It is not feeling sorry for your sins. It is a decision.

It’s a decision to say no to the world and yes to God.

“I’m doomed to live in Meshech, cursed with a home in Kedar! My whole life lived camping among quarreling neighbors.” But we don’t have to live there any longer. Repentance, the first word in Christian immigration, sets us on the way to traveling in the light. It is a rejection that is also an acceptance, a leaving that develops into an arriving, a no to the world that is a yes to God.

With respect to repentance, Paul wrote:

…yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7.9, 10, NIV)

Our reading plan has completed Psalm 119 (a non-trivial 176 verses!), and we move immediately into “The Psalms of Ascent.” These are 15 short psalms sung by Jewish people as they went to Jerusalem three times a year. Since Jerusalem is located on a mountain, one always “goes up to Jerusalem” from any direction.

The article Psalms of Ascent: Footprints Along the Spiritual Path by Eugene Peterson is actually the preface of his book: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, which is a collection of meditations on Psalms 120 – 134. I commend the article in its entirety and the book. I will be using the book in my own devotions as I go through these psalms, and I’ll share highlights in the Ewellogy.

Here are some snippets from the article/preface:

In the pastoral work of training people in discipleship and accompanying them in pilgrimage, I have found, tucked away in the Hebrew Psalter, an old dog-eared songbook. I have used it to provide continuity in guiding others in the Christian way and directing people of faith in the conscious and continuous effort that develops into maturity in Christ.

The old songbook is called, in Hebrew, shiray hammaloth—Songs of Ascents. The songs are the psalms numbered 120 through 134 in the book of Psalms. These fifteen psalms were likely sung, possibly in sequence, by Hebrew pilgrims as they went up to Jerusalem to the great worship festivals. Topographically Jerusalem was the highest city in Palestine, and so all who traveled there spent much of their time ascending.

But the ascent was not only literal, it was also a metaphor: the trip to Jerusalem acted out a life lived upward toward God, an existence that advanced from one level to another in developing maturity—what Paul described as “the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus” (Philippians 3.12 – 14)

…

Christians will recognize how appropriately these psalms may be sung between the times: between the time we leave the world’s environment and arrive at the Spirit’s assembly; between the time we leave sin and arrive at holiness; between the time we leave home on Sunday morning and arrive in church with the company of God’s people; between the time we leave the works of the law and arrive at justification by faith. They are songs of transition, brief hymns that provide courage, support and inner direction for getting us to where God is leading us in Jesus Christ.

…

Everyone who travels the road of faith requires assistance from time to time. We need cheering up when spirits flag; we need direction when the way is unclear…For those who choose to live no longer as tourists but as pilgrims, the Songs of Ascents combine all the cheerfulness of a travel song with the practicality of a guidebook and map.

It’s a pilgrimage. Christian discipleship is a long obedience in the same direction. There are no instant solutions even though we live in a world that’s powered by promises of quick fixes. Microwave ovens are way more popular than crockpots!

Join me on the journey. We’ll start with Psalm 120 tomorrow.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage…They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. (Psalm 84.5, 7, NIV)

We come to the end of our journey through Psalm 119. It has 176 verses, 170 of which are explicitly about the word. Here are the other six, and it might be instructive to look at them all in one place:

• 84: How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me?
• 90: Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
• 121: I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.
• 122: Give your servant a pledge of good; let not the insolent oppress me.
• 132: Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.
• 149: Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O LORD, according to your justice give me life.

Six verses with no mention of the Word. All are prayers, of course, but…

• Three of the prayers are specifically about deliverance from oppressors: 84, 121, 122.
• Two are more general requests for God’s blessing: 132, 149.
• One is praise for God’s permanence: 90.

And how does this magnificent psalm end? Prayers for God’s help, tied to the psalmist’s response to his word: chosen, delighted in, remembered: TAU, verses 169 – 176.

• Let Your hand become my help, For I have chosen Your precepts.
• I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.
• Let my soul live, and it shall praise You; And let Your judgments help me.
• I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments. (173 – 176)

We opened our journey with the suggestion that if you’re having trouble being motivated to spend time with God in the Word and prayer, Psalm 119 might be cure. Was it? I know it has renewed my appreciation for the Word!

Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold! (127)

Back to Psalm 119 – we’re nearly done! Stanza PE, verses 129 – 136. contains a well-known verse:

The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. (130)

“The entrance of your words gives light” reminds us of Psalm 119.105 – a light for our path.

“It gives understanding to the simple” sounds remarkably like:

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. (Psalm 19.7, NIV)

“Making wise the simple” is from, not Psalm 119, but Psalm 19, which, interestingly, also contains praise for God’s Word. (Psalm 19.7 – 11)

PE also contains our 5th non-word verse. We’ll talk about that and the other five tomorrow.

It’s Veteran’s Day and useful to remember what I first wrote 4 years ago that God values warriors. Consider:

• God is referred to in scripture as a warrior: But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior… (Jeremiah 20.11, NIV)
• One of the last pictures we have of Jesus is as a warrior.

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. (Revelation 19.11 – 14, ESV)

• Many of God’s key men were warriors:
  • Abraham led his men on an armed mission to rescue Lot. (Genesis 14.11 – 16)
  • Joshua was a general who led a series of campaigns to capture the promised land.
  • Gideon (and most of the judges) led the Israelites to conquer their oppressors.
  • David, of course, was a warrior demonstrated first in his defeat of Goliath. (1 Samuel 17.31 – 49)
  • A significant chunk of scripture is devoted to Davd’s mighty men. (1 Chronicles 11:10 – 12:22)
  • The first recorded Gentile convert was Cornelius, a Roman centurion. (Acts 10)

I’ve been challenged in adult Sunday School classes about being “too military.” But I don’t write this stuff…I just report it! If God didn’t value warriors both for what they do and for the fact that warriors remind us of spiritual warfare, God wouldn’t have devoted so much space to honoring warriors. Here are some snippets from 1 Chronicles 11:

• He wielded his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time.
• He took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and killed the Philistines. And the Lord saved them by a great victory.
• He wielded his spear against 300 men and killed them.
• He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.

Those were some tough men!

This is a day to honor all the men and women who have served and are serving in our armed forces. God bless them.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6.10 – 13, ESV)

Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. (Psalm 144.1, 2, ESV)

PS My oldest son, Mark, sent his daughter Kesley to school on Veteran’s Day three years ago with this picture of her two grandfathers. My picture was made in early 1971. Her other grandfather, Mac, was an Army helicopter pilot in Viet Nam. Mac was a warrior. I was not, or at least not the same kind of warrior as he was. But up until his death, Mac would call me every year to wish me a happy Veteran’s Day. “We were soldiers once…and young.”

Back to Psalm 119, let’s look at Ayin, verses 121 – 128.

The stanza opens with two “non-Word” verses, numbers three and four of the six:

I have done justice and righteousness; Do not leave me to my oppressors. Be surety for Your servant for good; Do not let the proud oppress me. (121, 122)

Like verse 84, the first non-Word verse, they are in the context of oppression. A prayer for deliverance and protection.

The stanza closes with a commentary on our age:

It is time for You to act, O LORD, For they have regarded Your law as void. Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold! Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way. (126 – 128)

“They have regarded your law as void.” People no longer pay attention to the warnings in God’s word. A better attitude is to love his word more than money. (That would be an antidote to the rampant gambling in our society.) “I consider your precepts right and hate every false way.” Gambling is certainly a false way, beginning with the advertising. “Look how much you can win!” doesn’t remind you that for you to win someone else has to lose.

I wrote on February 26, 2024:

The real message here is that just because society’s standards are changing doesn’t mean that something that used to be considered wrong or unwise is now OK. We need to be careful not to get sucked in, especially when we are fighting not only our own weaknesses but also a Satanically-inspired industry that preys on those weaknesses. These are NOT nice people! [They could even be considered the modern day oppressors verses 121 and 122 are talking about.]

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6.12, ESV)

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5.15 – 17, ESV)

And back to Psalm 119:

Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way. (128)

About this time last year I wrote about what a moving experience it was to visit the Wright Brothers Memorial and see where the first flight took place, December 17, 1903. It still moves me to think about “ordinary men with no special training:”

With courage and perseverance, these self-taught engineers relied on teamwork and application of the scientific process. What they achieved changed our world forever. – From a brochure at the Memorial

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. (Acts 4.13, emphasis mine)

I shocked last week to learn that a mere nine weeks before the Wright Brothers flew, an editorial in the esteemed (I don’t know why!) New York Times opined in an article entitled “Flying Machines Which Do Not Fly”:

[It] might be assumed that the flying machine which will really fly might be evolved by the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanicians in from one million to ten million years… No doubt the problem has attractions for those it interests, but to the ordinary man it would seem as if effort might be employed more profitably.

Where to start? The same day the editorial was published, Orville Wright wrote in his diary, “We started assembly today.”

• Just because it’s never been done doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
• Just because “experts” have tried and failed doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
• Sahil Bloom, who put me on to this story, uses it as a metaphor for self-limiting beliefs.

Within 40 years of when the Wright brothers first flew, aircraft from both sides were a major factor in World War 2. A mere 66 years after the Wright brothers flew, we landed a man on the moon. The Wright brothers first flight was 112 feet; their fourth of the day was 852 feet. In 1986 Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager flew an aircraft NONSTOP around the world (“they” probably said that couldn’t be done either).

Not one promise from God is empty of power, for nothing is impossible with God! (The Angel Gabriel to Mary as recorded in Luke 1.37, Passion Translation)

A little one shall become a thousand, And a small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time. (Isaiah 60.22, NKJV)

Psalm 119.105 – 112, Nun, opens with a well-known verse:

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. (105)

Light is important. The light went out in my dog leash, and I forgot where I put my headlamp after the move so nighttime dog walking was difficult. The light in the leash is not all that powerful, but it does illumine the next step. It’s a “lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” It’s especially useful for finding and bagging the dog’s “business.”

Back to the lightless leash. I tried to charge it without success. I wrote to the leash manufacturer (in China), and they sent me a new one. Nice of them, but the problem turned out to be in my charging cable. The leash comes with a cable with a USB connection to plug into the source and a USB-C connection to plug into the leash. I had been using my iPhone charging cable with a USB-C connection at both ends, and it didn’t work. I don’t know why.

God’s Word doesn’t need to be recharged! In fact, if I change the metaphor, God’s Word is the power source. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” I need to be recharged! But I must connect to the Word with the right cable. Not the cable of knowledge but the cable of listening and obeying.

I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, to the very end. (112, emphasis mine)

Back to the light for my path. It’s the daily step by step that counts.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. (Psalm 37.23, NKJV)

Moving through Psalm 119 where 170 of 176 verses refer explicitly to God’s word (word, precepts, statutes, ordinances, laws,…). The eight verses of each stanza all start with the same Hebrew letter. Verses 89 – 96, the 12th stanza (beginning the second half of the psalm), start with Lamed.

It opens with a reminder of what’s permanent:

• Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.
• Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.
• They continue this day according to Your ordinances, For all are Your servants. (89 – 91)

Note that verse 90 is the second of the six verses that don’t mention God’s word, but what’s not to love about verse 89?

“Forever, O LORD, your word is settled in heaven.”

Jesus said,

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (Matthew 24.35, ESV)

A permanent Word provides permanent guidance for life:

• If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
• I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
• Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts. (92 – 94)

I would do well to remind myself that God’s Word is the anchor. I take that truth for granted, but it’s clear not everyone does.

A Muslim socialist has just been elected mayor of New York City despite the fact he’s never held a real job. His guidance for life would be different from mine and may permit lying, for example. He is on record as saying his aunt was afraid to go out in her hijab in New York City after 9/11. Turns out his aunt doesn’t wear a hijab and doesn’t even live in New York City! (Peggy Noonan, October 30, 2025)

I digress. Leaders come and go. Even great cities and civilizations come and go, for example, Ephesus. But God and his Word remain.

Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119.89, NKJV)

Moving along through Psalm 119, we come to one of the verses that don’t mention God’s Word. It’s in Kaph, verses 81 – 88:

My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?” For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes. How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me? (Psalm 119.81 – 84, NKJV)

How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me? (84)

Verse 84 is the first of six verses in the psalm that don’t mention God’s Word. (I told you five before, but I’ve found another!) It’s in the context of persecution. Here’s what the persecution looks like:

The insolent have dug pitfalls for me; they do not live according to your law. All your commandments are sure; they persecute me with falsehood; help me! (Psalm 119.85, 86, NKJV)

“Help me!” I can’t control the actions of others, but I can pray and stay grounded in the word.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Jesus, Matthew 5.10 – 12, ESV