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)