angela hormberg

Tag: Song of Degrees

  • Psalm 134

    Psalm 134

    Commonplace –

    “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord” (Psalm 134:2).

    Psalm 134 closes out the Songs of Ascents or Songs of Degrees, which are Psalms 120-134. These songs were sung as the Pilgrims proceeded to Jerusalem for one of the feasts, and this final psalm in the group has the ring of safe arrival. The writer stirs up the servants of the Lord, who have been standing guard and serving overnight in the sanctuary, and asks them to lift up their hands and “bless the Lord. The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion” (Psalm 124:2b-3). This is a call to praise, an encouragement to those who served patiently through the darkest hours. It has a ring of celebration for those who have arrived in the city, after their long journey, as they unite with those who live and serve in the Holy City. It is what is traditionally done, when those who are journeying home to visit their family finally arrive at their destination. The pilgrims cry out to those who have been waiting at home, serving diligently and praying faithfully, to offer praise to God: Praise the Lord! We are all together and safe. delivered by the God who made heaven and earth.

    Matthew Henry notes,

    “In singing this psalm, we must both stir up ourselves and give glory to God and encourage ourselves to hope for mercy and grace from him” (611).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 134.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 132

    Psalm 132

    Commonplace –

    “If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore” (Psalm 132:12).

    In this Song of Ascent, the author begins by telling the story of the the covenant between God and David. The first ten verses of the Psalm delve into David’s request that the Lord remember their covenant. He reminds the Lord that he swore not to sleep until a place was found for the ark of the covenant to rest. Later, this covenant was realized when the Lord allowed Solomon, David’s heir, to build the temple in Jerusalem. As the pilgrims marched towards Jerusalem singing this psalm, they were reminded of the fulfillment of this covenant. What David looked forward to, they were able to see fulfilled.

    In the second half of Psalm 132, verses 12-18, the Lord’s reply to David is recorded. The Lord promised David that if David’s children would remain true and keep the covenant and testimonies of the Lord, David’s line would remain on the throne and be blessed by God. In singing this psalm, the pilgrims are reminded of their place in the covenant as children of Israel. They also will receive blessing from God as heirs of David, if they remain true to God.

    As the pilgrims were heirs of the covenant, so are believing Christians, who have become heirs through faith in Christ. When we sing this psalm, we, too, are reminded of our role in the covenant. If we remain true to God, we, like the pilgrims, are recipients of His blessings, too.

    Matthew Henry notes that it has been suggested Solomon was the author of this psalm, which was in two parts:

    “1. [Solomon] pleads David’s piety towards God (v. 1-7).

    2. [Solomon] pleads God’s promise to David (v. 11-18).

    The former introduces his petition: the latter follows it as an answer to it” (607).

    Henry states, “In singing this psalm we must have a concern for the gospel church as the temple of God, and a dependence upon Christ as David our Kin, in whom the mercies of God are sure mercies” (607).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 132.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 131

    Psalm 131

    Commonplace –

    “Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever” (Psalm 131:3).

    David begins this psalm in a humble reflection. He acknowledges:

    1. he is not prideful,
    2. his eyes are not set on great achievements,
    3. he does not worry himself about important events outside his control, nor
    4. does he consider matters beyond himself.

    He compares his manner to that of a child, who has been weaned and can behave and maintain self control. In the last line of the psalm, he simply states that Israel’s hope is in the Lord.

    In this psalm, the psalmist is modeling how a believer should live. If we look at the opposite of each prideful trait he listed, we will come to a positive description of a believer. A believer is one who is

    1. humble,
    2. content with what he has accomplished in life,
    3. living peacefully in his day to day life, and
    4. focused only on those matters that concern him.

    Living life in this manner is a physical, day-to-day walking out of the believer’s hope in the Lord. One who lives in this manner lives in a way that reflects his complete faith that God is in control, and his hope rests solely in God, not his own actions or abilities. Matthew Henry notes, we may sing this psalm

    “…for the same purpose we read it, to teach and admonish ourselves, and one another, what we ought to be, with repentance that we have come short of being so, and humble prayer to God for his grace to make us so” (606).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 131.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 129

    Psalm 129

    Commonplace –

    “The Lord is righteous; he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked” (Psalm 129:4).

    In this psalm, the writer is recalling times when their enemies have troubled them, yet the enemy did not prevail. The psalmist compares the wicked to a farmer, who plows the fields and sows his wickedness. Then, the psalmist asks that the plants of the wicked farmer wither, so they do not produce a crop. The psalmist prays that any who pass the wicked do not ask a blessing upon them.

    The theme of this psalm is justice. The writer recalls when God has punished the wicked in the past and prays that justice will be served on the wicked who are against him in the present. Again, there is the remembering the past and the reminding of God’s preservation of the good and punishment of the wicked, which serves to encourage the afflicted in the present.

    In reference to the last verse,

    “Neither do they which go by say,

    The blessing of the Lord be upon you: we bless you in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 129:8).

    In reference to verse 8, Matthew Henry notes,

    “It is a dangerous thing to let the church’s enemies have our good wishes in their designs against the church” (605).

    He cites 2 John 1:10-11

    “If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, do not receive him into your house, neither bid him God speed

    For he that biddeth God speed is a partaker of evil deeds” (2 Jon 10-11)”.

    It is fair warning that to even wish God speed upon an evil doer is considered an act of evil.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 129.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 128

    Psalm 128

    Commonplace –

    “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.

    For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee” (Psalm 128:1-2).

    This is a happy song. It shares the secrets to a good life. What constitutes a happy life: a wife that is fruitful, children that grow around the family table, living to see one’s grandchildren, productive labor and seeing the good of the church and peace in the country. These are the blessings given by the Lord to obedient followers. As Matthew Henry notes,

    “…the prosperity of our families depends upon the blessing of God; in this we are taught that the only way to obtain that blessing which will make our families comfortable is to live in the fear of God and in obedience to him” (602).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 128.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 127

    Psalm 127

    Commonplace –

    “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

    As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

    Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psalm 126:3-5).

    Psalm 127 is “for Solomon”, and it is good to keep this in mind as we read Psalm 127. As Matthew Henry notes, “[t]his is a family psalm” (601). What did David choose to write specifically for his son which was to be repeated aloud by pilgrims en route to festivals in Jerusalem?

    He admonished his son and the pilgrims to remember, that if one builds a house but fails to keep God as its head, it is built in vain. If one rises early and stays up late and is in a constant state of worry, one has failed to remember that it is God, who orders the day. But of the five verses that David wrote for Psalm 127, he focused the majority of them on children, specifically how children are a blessing from the Lord. Specifically, David notes the following about children:

    1. they are a heritage,
    2. they are a reward,
    3. they make a man mighty, and
    4. they bring happiness.

    This admonishment to parents is similar to what children are commanded in regard to their parents:

    “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12).

    Parents are to remember that children are a reward, and children are to remember to honor their parents. Obedience brings its own reward.

    It is good to reflect on all of these thoughts as we ponder the three main points David makes in Psalm 127:

    1. Make God the head of the home, otherwise one labors in vain.
    2. Remember everything one receives is from God, believing otherwise is simply vanity.
    3. Children are a heritage and a reward and make man mighty and happy.

    As Matthew Henry notes,

    “In singing this psalm, we must have our eye up unto God for success in all our undertakings and a blessing upon all our comforts and enjoyments, because every creature is that to us which he makes it to be and no more” (601).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 127.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 126

    Psalm 126

    Commonplace –

    “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

    He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).

    In reading these songs of ascent, it is important to put oneself in the place of one of the pilgrims, who was traveling to Jerusalem. Walking towards the city, the group recites in unison aloud this entire group of psalms. So, here we are traveling the path in the company of our fellow believers. Hopefully, the sun is shining. Depending on the festival and time of year, the air might be crisp (we are, after all, slowly moving up the mountain). The song leader calls out Psalm 126, and we begin to recite.

    In this psalm, the writer begins by reminding the reader about the time when the Jews were freed from captivity; it was a joy filled time, almost as if they were in a dream. The captives were laughing and crying and saying to anyone that would listen, “The Lord has done great things for us” (Psalm 126:2). As a pilgrim, we would be imagining the joy filled scene of our ancestors. What a moment that must have been to be freed from captivity. The Lord acted on the captives behalf, and they were glad.

    Then, the writer of the psalm returns to the present and addresses God with the plea, “Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south” (Psalm 126:4). He is praying that God would accomplish the same for the present day pilgrims, which He had done for the forefathers.

    Finally, the writer ends with this encouragement, which is the commonplace for today, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6). The flow of the psalm is remember, pray, believe; God has done it before and will do it again.

    These pilgrims were people just like us. Together, they were the church, which has its present problems to solve, but they were also individual people with everyday life challenges. The psalmist was giving these pilgrims a map of how to live life in times of trouble:

    1. Remember a time when God did something that had seemed impossible. Recall the joy felt in that moment.
    2. Pray for God to come into whatever current situation is disturbing.
    3. Believe that God, who was faithful in the past to answer prayer, is faithful in the present to do the same.

    As Matthew Henry notes,

    “It will be easy, in singing this psalm, to apply it either to any particular deliverance wrought for the church or our own land or to the great work of our salvation by Christ” (600).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 126.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 125

    Psalm 125

    Commonplace –

    As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.

    What a beautiful picture the psalmist paints here of the landscape surrounding Jerusalem. As the pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem, they would have been singing this psalm as they moved up the very same mountains about which they were singing. Of Jerusalem’s situation, Matthew Henry notes, “Jerusalem had a natural fastness and fortification in the mountains that were round about it, v.2. Those mountains not only sheltered it from winds and tempests, and broke the force of them, but made it also very difficult of access for an enemy, such a defence is God’s providence to his people” (599).

    “…God’s covenant with his people cannot be broken” (599).

    May we all stand on that promise.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 125.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 124

    Psalm 124

    Commonplace –

    “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8).

    The psalm begins with “If it had not been the Lord, who was on our side” and goes into the ramifications of what life would have been without God’s help. Yet, God was on the side of Israel, and they were saved. This song served to remind the Israelites of their history. As they made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, they were to consider all God had done for them.

    As Matthew Henry notes, it is also a reminder to us:

    “It is a comfort to all…that Israel’s God is the same that made the world, and therefore will have a church in the world, and secure that church in times of the greatest danger and distress. In him therefore let the church’s friends put their confidence, and they shall not be put to confusion” (598).

    On one’s own pilgrimage through life, it is helpful to to remember and remind oneself of all the ways God has been “our help”.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 124.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg