Psalms 120-134 are given the heading ‘song of ascent’ and there are a number of different names for this group of psalms, including ‘Pilgrim Songs’ or ‘Songs of Steps’. It’s generally believed that these psalms were sung by the worshippers as they ascended the road to Jerusalem to attend the main three pilgrim festivals, following the commandment of God: ‘Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles.’ (Deut 16:16) These were the chief religious festivals and Jews were expected to travel to the capital city to worship God there. These were the highpoints in the Jewish calendar: as Eugene Peterson says, ‘the Hebrews were a people whose salvation had been accomplished by the exodus, whose identity had been defined at Sinai and whose preservation had been assured in the forty years of wilderness wandering.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘The Journey’ P 6) God clearly wanted His people to remember all that He had done and continued to do for them, hence the requirement to take time out from their busy lives to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to acknowledge God’s saving ways and celebrate His goodness to the nation.
The reason these psalms, which were probably sung in sequence as the people travelled, are called songs of ascent is because Jerusalem was the highest city geographically in Israel; they’re also known as the songs of steps because they were sung by the priests as they ascended the fifteen steps to minister at the Temple in Jerusalem. The ascent, though, was not only literal but was also metaphorical: as Eugene Peterson says ‘the trip to Jerusalem acted out a life lived upward toward God, an existence that advanced from one level to another in developing maturity.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘The Journey’, P 6) Last month we looked at the topic of Signposts and Directions and saw that life can be likened to a journey, with God giving us clear instructions and directions for our lives. The songs of ascent are another way God gives us directions to help us on our journey towards God, a journey which is often called a pilgrimage. All of us who are seeking to grow closer to God and who want to mature in our faith are pilgrims. We’re not simply tourists, looking for the latest thrill. We are disciples, followers, people who are ‘of the Way’, the first name that was given to Christians (Saul took letters to the synagogues in Damascus so that if he found ‘any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.’ Acts 9:2), a name that is particularly appropriate since Jesus said He was the way, the truth and the life and the only way to the Father. (John 14:6) Life is a journey and we are all journeying towards God, following the Way. As we do this, we find that these pilgrim songs help us on our way. All of these psalms are fairly short and many use repetition to help fix ideas into our minds. Songs are particularly good at doing this; when God’s word is set to music, we have a powerful tool to help us along life’s journey.