122 A Song of Ascents. Of David.
122:1 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2 Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for1 Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions’ sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
Section Overview
This psalm celebrates Zion as God’s chosen city (cf. Psalms 46; 48; 76; 87) and specifically the privilege of going there on a pilgrimage (cf. Psalm 84). Not only is the “house of the Lord” there, but so are the “thrones of the house of David.” That is, the assumed worshipers are also loyal believers in God’s promises to David.
The psalm’s title associates it with David and hence with the undivided kingdom.728 The “tribes,” all twelve of them, were to go up, and David’s house supplied their divinely approved rulers. One function of the psalm, after the kingdom was split, was to preserve this vision for Jerusalem and all Israel.
The flow goes from anticipating the journey to the Lord’s house in Jerusalem (122:1–2) and admiring Jerusalem itself (vv. 3–5) to prayer for the city’s peace and well-being (vv. 6–9). Each of the three sections mentions Jerusalem by name (vv. 2, 3, 6). The Psalm begins and ends with mention of the Lord’s “house” (vv. 1, 9), while in the middle is the “house of David” (v. 5); this evokes the wordplay in Nathan’s oracle to David (2 Sam. 7:4–16).
Section Outline
I. Joyful Arrival in Jerusalem (122:1–2)
II. The Beauty of Jerusalem (122:3–5)
III. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem (122:6–9)
Response
In celebrating the going to the Lord’s house, Psalm 122 serves two functions. The first is to enable the worshipers to come eagerly, earnestly seeking God and grateful for the privilege of worshiping the Creator and Redeemer. The journey could be tiring and expensive, and sometimes even risky—who knows what is happening back home, let alone what dangers face the pilgrim on the road? But by singing this psalm the worshipers can reinforce their deep sense that it is worth whatever pains it takes to get to Jerusalem. The keynote for the pilgrim festivals was to be joy and celebration (Deut. 12:7, 12; 14:26; 16:11, 14).
After the disastrous division of the kingdom, worshipers in Jerusalem were to keep alive their sense of calling to continue as Israel, the heirs of God’s promises. The psalm should also foster a commitment to justice on the part of the kings in David’s line. Sadly, Judah’s faithfulness failed, and the Holy City went into exile. Nevertheless, the psalm could both provide the impetus to rebuild the city with its sanctuary (as in the books of Ezra-Nehemiah) and also nurture the hope that the promises to David would eventually come to fulfillment in the ultimate heir in his line, the Messiah (cf. Ezek. 34:23–24; Amos 9:11; Hag. 2:23).
Christians who sing this recognize that in their gathered worship they are carrying out the task of the temple and that their Davidic King (Jesus) is present with them (Eph. 2:19–22; 1 Pet. 2:4–5). Hence their gratitude, and earnest seeking of God in worship, should be even greater.Psalm 122
Psalm 123