Author: Administrador

Journeys tend to be significant times for those who take them. A journey can lead to anything from a new home and a new beginning in life, to a memorable excursion with family or friends. Journeys can involve challenging or even frightening destinations as well as eagerly anticipated returns home. True to these, and all … Continue reading “Psalm 121 Commentary by Bobby Morris”

Psalm 121 is identified by its title as “A Song of Ascents.” The significance of the term “ascents” is not certain. The same root in Psalm 122:4, however, refers to a ritual journey to Jerusalem (see also Ezra 7:9; Psalm 24:3).  Therefore, the heading of Psalm 121 may indicate that the psalm was used by … Continue reading “Psalm 121 Commentary by Jerome Creach”

Fifteen psalms in the Psalter, Psalms 120-134, share a common superscription, “Songs of Ascents. The root meaning of the word “ascents” is ‘alah–”to go up.” The frequent references to Jerusalem and Zion in this collection of psalms (Psalms 122:1, 6; 125:1, 2; 126:1; 128:5; 129:5; 132:13; 133:3; 134:3) may account for their superscriptions. Since Jerusalem … Continue reading “Psalm 121 Commentary by Nancy deClaissé-Walford”

Many readers of Psalm 121 have connected it with life’s journey — or at least with life’s journeys. A friend of mine always leads his family in reciting Psalm 121 when they depart on a journey. Another friend loves this psalm because it speaks words of promise about God’s providence and protection on life’s journey. … Continue reading “Psalm 121 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

Psalm 121 is one of the Songs of Ascent, Psalms 120-134, as indicted by its opening words. In general these psalms focus on Jerusalem, the journey to Jerusalem — always categorized as “going up,” and worship in the temple. Many readers and hearers know the first verse as “I will lift up mine eyes unto … Continue reading “Psalm 121 Commentary by Wil Gafney”

The appointed psalm for this week is a small section of Psalm 119, which is the longest psalm in the Psalter. The theological theme is the Word of God–pay attention to the synonyms for Scripture: “your decrees,” “your words,” “your commandments,” “your promise,” “your precepts,” “your statutes,” “your law.” The poetic theme is the body–pay … Continue reading “Psalm 119:129-136 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

God’s decrees are wonderful. What else can be said? For this Psalmist, nothing really. But there are a variety of ways to say it. Is this not the task of the preacher? That is, to take the same message, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who … Continue reading “Psalm 119:129-136 Commentary by Shauna Hannan”

At 176 verses, Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Book of Psalms, and yet it is perhaps the most noticeably, or even most rigorously, ordered. It is an acrostic poem, meaning that the first letter of each line follows the order of the Hebrew alphabet. In the case of Psalm 119, the acrostic … Continue reading “Psalm 119:33-40 Commentary by Cameron B.R. Howard”

Here we are again, so to speak. As was the case about a month and a half ago, the psalm selection for this week is one stanza of Psalm 119. This weekend in the United States we will mark the observance of Labor Day — the “official, unofficial” end of the summer season. At this … Continue reading “Psalm 119:33-40 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

Psalm 119, the longest of the Psalter with 176 verses, is a great meditation on the torah, the law of God. An alphabetic acrostic poem (cf. Psalm 9–10), the psalm is composed of twenty-two stanzas, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In each eight-verse stanza, all the lines begin with the same Hebrew … Continue reading “Psalm 119:33-40 Commentary by Joel LeMon”