Psalms 128:1-6

Psalms 107:150

Gordon Churchyard

Psalms 128

Psalms For Climbing;

Psalms 120:134

Jesus said, "We will go up to Jerusalem" (Luke 18:31).

The Story of Psalms 120:134

These 15 psalms are called "Songs of Ascent" in many Bibles. "Ascent" means "going up". This translation calls it "climbing". But what are we climbing? Bible students give us 4 answers:

• One line in the psalm "climbs" on the line in front of it. This means that it repeats the line. Read the start of Psalms 124 for an example.

• There were 15 steps from where the women stood to where the men stood outside the *temple. The *temple was God's house in Jerusalem. As the men climbed the steps, they sang one psalm on each step. This is why most of the psalms for climbing are short.

• Jerusalem was on the top of a hill called "Zion". The *Jews often went to Jerusalem to worship God at the *temple. "Worship" means "Tell God how *wonderful that he is. And tell him that you love him". The *Jews sang these psalms for climbing as they went up to Jerusalem.

• Hezekiah was a king of the *Jews. He was so ill that he thought he would soon die. He prayed for a longer life. God made the clock "climb" back 10 degrees. This was about an hour. It was a sign that Hezekiah would live another 15 years. Hezekiah made a book of 15 psalms, 10 of them new, the other 5 by David and Solomon. The story is in Isaiah chapter 38.

We do not know which of these is the true answer. It may be something else! Perhaps answers 3 and 4 are the true answers.

Who wrote the psalms for climbing? Some are by David, and one or two are by Solomon. Solomon was David’s son. The other psalms for climbing may be by Hezekiah or one of his friends like Isaiah; or by Ezra or Nehemiah. Ezra and Nehemiah were leaders of the *Jews 500 years after Solomon built the *temple, or 250 years after Hezekiah was king. This was when the *Jews made the Book of Psalms. The psalms for climbing were part of this Book of Psalms.

Psalms 128

(This is) a song for climbing.

v1 Everyone that is *in awe of the *LORD will be very happy.
They will *walk in his ways.

v2 You will eat the things that your hands have worked for.
You are very sure that you will. You will be happy!
Good things will happen to you!

v3 Your wife in your house
will be like a *vine that grows much fruit.
Your sons round your table
will be like branches of an *olive tree.

v4 The *LORD does good things to the man that is *in awe of him.
This is how he does it. Make a note of that.

v5 The *LORD of Zion will do good things to you.
Then you will see that Jerusalem is a good place
for as long as you are alive.

v6 You will see your grandsons
and there will be *peace in Israel.

What Psalms 128 means

"In awe" means "a bit afraid of someone that you love". People are "in awe" of God because he is so great. They love him. But they know that he is very powerful. "*LORD" is a special name for God. The notes in Psalms 120 explain it. "Walk in his ways" is a *Jewish way to say "obey his rules".

In verse 3, both word-pictures mean that you will have many children. You will if you "walk in his ways"! A vine is a tree that grows *grapes. An *olive tree grows a fruit called the *olive. An *olive tree has many branches. "Does good things to you" in verse 4 is "*blesses you" in many Bible translations. This is a good example of the word "*bless". It means "have many children". It can also mean that your animals will have many young animals. And your plants will have many fruits on them. If you obey God, good things will happen to you! Good things will come from your work (verse 2) and will happen to your family (verse 3) and to Jerusalem (verse 5).

The *Jews believed that God lived in Jerusalem. God is "the *LORD of Zion", (verse 5). Zion is the hill in the middle of Jerusalem. For Christians, Jerusalem is a like a picture of the Church.

Something to do

Study Psalms 119 in this set of psalms.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
temple ~ a place where people meet to worship God.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; a person who has the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; in the Psalms, belief in God.
wonderful ~ great and surprising.
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; It is the word "Adonai" in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
lord ~ someone with authority.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God (in a covenant you agree with someone).
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
vines ~ plants that grow grapes (to make wine).
grapes ~ the fruit of a plant called the vine. People use them to make drink that has alcohol in it. The drink is wine.
wine ~ a drink with alcohol in it. People make it from grapes.
olive ~ a fruit.
peace ~ when we are friends with God and with other people; or when we have no trouble in our minds; when there is no war and everybody is happy.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; a person who has the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; in the Psalms, belief in God.
grapes ~ the fruit of a plant called the vine. People use them to make drink that has alcohol in it. The drink is wine.
bless ~ say good things, or do good things, to someone.