Psalm Chapter 120 - A Song of degrees

Psalm 120: A Cry for Deliverance from Deceit and Strife

This episode reflects on Psalm 120, a Song of degrees, where the psalmist remembers crying to the Lord in distress and being heard. The prayer is plain and urgent: deliverance from lying lips and a deceitful tongue, and a sober warning that false speech is met with sharp arrows of the mighty and coals of juniper. The psalmist laments living among those who hate peace, saying, "Woe is me," as he sojourns in Mesech and dwells in the tents of Kedar. As one of the Songs of degrees, this psalm belongs to a collection associated with ascent, and it reads like a pilgrim’s honest confession that even when he speaks for peace, those around him are for war. The devotional heart of the psalm is encouragement for the believer who feels worn down by conflict and manipulation: in distress, cry to the Lord, because the God who hears is also the God who delivers.

00:00 Psalm 120 Intro — A Song of Ascents
00:07 Crying Out in Distress — God Hears
00:10 Prayer for Deliverance from Lies & Deceit
00:16 Judgment on the False Tongue
00:20 Sharp Arrows & Coals of Juniper — Consequences of Slander
00:24 Living Among Those Who Hate Peace
00:33 A Heart for Peace, Surrounded by War