Psalms 120:1-121:8

120:1 | This is the first of the Songs of Ascent, a group of hymns that pilgrims sang on their way to Jerusalem for the holy feasts – Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

120:5 | Meshech and Kedar were pagan peoples who created a hostile environment for the psalmist. He looked forward to arriving in Jerusalem, where he would hear welcome words of peace and truth.

121:1-2 | As the psalmist anticipates his journey through the hills to Jerusalem – a route filled with anxiety – he seeks for help, perhaps looking around and within, and then finally looks up. His help – all help – comes from above. Both nature and a person’s very life are God’s handiwork; He has the power to aid His people (146:6).

121:5-6 | Traveling across the arid desert toward their city, the pilgrims’ great danger was exposure to the elements, and particularly the heat. They could be scorched if they did not find shade.

121:7-8 | God’s care includes His limitless ability to preserve believers from all evil and extends not just to all settings of life but for all time, both now and forevermore. Going out and coming in is an idiom that speaks of the regular routines of life.