I wait for ADONAI [the LORD], my soul waits,
and in His word, I hope. Psalm 130:5, TLV
Our Song of Ascent. Today’s verse is nestled within a Song of Ascents (vs. 1) psalm. If you’ve read my devotions over the years, you probably remember that many scholars believe these were psalms sung by Jewish pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem or possibly while ascending Mount Zion or the steps of the Temple.
There are three festivals in the Bible where God commands that no matter where a Jewish family lived, they were to make their way to Jerusalem. Those feasts were Pesach [Passover], Shavuot [Pentecost], and Sukkot [Feast of Tabernacles]. If the whole family could not make the trip because of illness or tragedy, at least the men were to travel to the Temple and bring an offering—that was over and above their tithe.
If you’ve been to Israel, you might have noticed that unless a person resides in the City, everyone ascends to Jerusalem. Why? Because Jerusalem was built on Mount Zion. This means that no matter what direction the pilgrims came from, they would have to climb the mountain — they would ascend.
A Song of Ascents.
Out of the depths I cry to You, ADONAI!
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my supplications. (vss. 1-2, TLV)
Here’s what I love about knowing the context and culture of the Bible. The beauty of this psalm, and the other Ascent Songs, were that even before the pilgrims arrived at the Temple, they were in worship. In the case of this psalm, they were in a posture of repentance.
If You, ADONAI, kept a record of iniquities—
my Lord, who could stand?
For with You there is forgiveness,
so You may be revered. (vss. 3-4)
What are our lyrics to our Songs of Ascents? How do we prepare to attend services? I must confess, my thoughts are on things like (and no disrespect intended):
Out of the depths I cry to You, ADONAI! Lord, hear my voice! Will we be able to set up for service in time? Lord, I need another shower after all the set-up, please don’t let my body odor overwhelm folks. Will people like my pasta salad for the oneg?
Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my supplications.
What if I focused on worshipping and offering my supplications to my Heavenly Father? Focused on gratitude for His forgiveness? Asking for forgiveness?
What would happen if we all did that? Sang our Songs of Ascent and entered His “gates” with thanksgiving (Psalm 100)?
