Psalms 130-134

What’s Happening

Psalms 120-134 form a song book called “The Songs of Ascent.” Jerusalem, which housed God’s temple, was on a hill that worshippers would ascend to be in God’s presence. After God’s people were exiled from Jerusalem into wicked nations, they began to return in pilgrimages back to this mountain city of God’s presence. The Songs of Ascent were sung by travelers going up to Jerusalem out of exile and by those longing to ascend out of the nations. These 15 Psalms are organized into groups of five. The final five, Psalms 130-134, hope for the ultimate ascent of Israel out of the watery grave of exile onto the heavenly mountain of God. 

Psalm 130 begins in the lowest possible place: the depths of exile, described like the watery depths of the sea (Psalm 130:1). Israel’s proud hearts and eyes drew them away from trusting God and into the grip of the wicked nations they trusted instead. But God will not hold Israel’s sin against them, keeping them in exile. Instead, God will mercifully forgive and free his people (Psalm 130:3-4). God’s radical forgiveness causes his people to trust his coming rescue with reverent fear (Psalm 130:5). So from behind the walls of exile, Israel looks for God’s rescue more vigilantly than the watchmen of the city (Psalm 130:6). Israel looks for him, knowing he will deliver them from the depths of exile (Psalm 130:8).

In Psalm 131, out of the watery depths, Israel repents from the proud hearts and eyes that led them to exile (Psalm 131:1). Instead of trusting in the nations and their gods for provision, they humbly place all their trust in God. Israel’s trust in God is pictured as a weaned child with its mother (Psalm 131:2). Like a hungry newborn cries out in desperation for food,  Israel cried out to foreign gods for provision. But a weaned child knows its mother’s faithful care, and can rest quietly, trusting she will provide. This is how Israel resolves to trust and look to God. Because God is faithful, compassionate, and forgiving, they know he will not abandon Israel in exile. So Israel finds peace and hope because they know God will care for them like a mother cares for her child (Psalm 131:3). 

In Psalm 132, Israel begins its ascent from the watery depths of the nations onto the mountain of God’s kingdom. This ascent is patterned after the actions of their greatest king, David. David brought God’s throne, the ark of the covenant, back to Jerusalem after its season of exile among the nations (1 Samuel 6:21-7:2; 2 Samuel 6:12). He did so dressed as a priest, bringing God and his people back together (2 Samuel 6:14, 18-19). King David also longed to unite God and his people together under one roof in a house, a temple (2 Samuel 7:2). God promised, instead, to unite himself to his people through King David’s house: one of his descendants would rule on his throne forever uniting all people to his kingdom (2 Samuel 7:16). This promise is Israel’s hope as they ascend out of exile. They long to be with God who is enthroned in Jerusalem (Psalm 132:1-5). Therefore, as the ark of God’s throne returned to Jerusalem, so too will God return his people to him (Psalm 132:6-8). And since God promised to seat a son of David on that throne, he will surely make good on his promise and restore exiled Israel to his kingdom (Psalm 132:10-12). True to David’s priestly hope, God will reestablish his priests to bring God and his people together again (Psalm 132:9, 16). Then, the King from David’s line will reign from Israel’s throne, fill the kingdom with rescued citizens, and restore flourishing to God’s people (Psalm 132:13-15, 17-18). 

In Psalm 133, the priestly flourishing brought by God’s king spills over to cover Israel and the nations. The people of God, living on God’s mountain, are compared to the anointing oil that set apart Israel’s first priest, Aaron, for service in God’s presence (Psalm 133:1-2). The oil poured on Aaron’s head trickled down his beard and onto the breastpiece, which held 12 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel (Exodus 28:21, 29; 29:7, 21). This was to show that all Israel was set apart as God’s priests to bless the world (Exodus 19:5-6). Their flourishing relationship with God will flow down the mountain like rivers running to bless the whole world (Psalm 133:3). The watery depths of death that covered Israel in exile have been replaced by rivers of blessing that flow from their mountain to the nations that held them captive. 

In the final Song of Ascent, God’s anointed priests serve in the temple at night (Psalm 134:1-2). Their nighttime temple service is a picture of their working and waiting in the darkness of exile. Israel’s priests were responsible for keeping the lampstand and altar fire burning throughout the night (Exodus 27:20-21; Leviticus 6:8-13). In the same way, Israel’s hope in God was like a priestly lamp carefully guarded through the long night of exile. The story that began in the depths now ends in the heights, with God blessing his world from his temple. Through the priestly kingdom he restored to his mountain, the God of heaven will bless the whole earth (Psalm 134:3). 

Where is the Gospel?

The final Songs of Ascent trace Israel’s hope of rising from the watery depths of exile to the heights of God’s presence, where they can bring flourishing to the world as his priests. God did reestablish his people and priesthood in Jerusalem. But the priests walled off the blessings of the temple from the nations, stopping the river’s flow off the mountain to the earth (Matthew 21:13). But Jesus came as Israel's final priest and king to rescue all nations out of exile and bring the blessing of his kingdom to the whole earth. 

Jesus entered the depths of exile with us. He lived under the proud rulers of the nations and suffered the consequences of proud hearts and eyes. God came to his people, but the watchmen did not trust him (John 1:11). Instead, they were drawn away into wickedness that exiled Jesus out of Jerusalem and ultimately to death by crucifixion. On the cross, he sank into the deepest waters of death with his people (Matthew 27:50). Like Israel in exile, Jesus trusted in God’s rescue from the depths (Luke 9:22; 23:46). And unlike the gods of the nations, God brought forgiveness and rescue for a world in exile when he raised Jesus from the waters of the dead (Romans 5:17). But Jesus’ resurrection was only the beginning of his ascent. 

Higher than any throne in David’s Jerusalem, Jesus ascended to God’s throne in heaven, where he reigns over the whole earth (Acts 2:29-36). Jesus is the promised Son of David, enthroned above every throne forever. Fulfilling David’s priestly hope of uniting God to his people, Jesus is our ultimate priest who brings us back into fellowship with God at his throne (Hebrews 4:14-16). 

From that throne, Jesus pours out the oil of the Spirit on his people, anointing us as a kingdom of priests (Acts 2:32-33). What was once pictured in the oil running down Aaron’s head is now fulfilled in us: through the Spirit, we are consecrated to bring God’s flourishing to the world. Through Jesus’ anointing of the Spirit, we who are his priestly body now stream with blessing to the nations (John 7:38-39). 

Admittedly, it can often feel like we are still in exile, working the night shift in the temple. But Jesus is keeping the fire of God’s presence burning in his temple, the church (Hebrews 8:1-2; Revelation 1:12-13). Jesus, our high priest, will not abandon us to darkness. We can trust him like a weaned child trusts his mother. One day, morning will break, and exile will end. The Maker of heaven and earth will bless his whole creation when he returns to water the whole earth with his river of life (Revelation 22:1-2). 

See for Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit would open your eyes to see the God who does not hold our sins against us, but rescues us from their consequences. And may you see Jesus as the one who entered into our exile to make us priests on his mountain forever. 

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