Psalm 122
Introduction:
This beautiful psalm of old touches upon
one of man’s greatest and deepest needs – the worship of Jehovah God. This
psalm is in a section of fifteen psalms, [120 – 134], which has an ancient
ascription, “A Song of Ascents.” Many students of the Scriptures believe
these were sung by the traveling Israelites as they ascended to Jerusalem
for worship. (Zechariah
14:17)
“And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up
to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be
no rain.”
NKJV
They expressed
their sentiment toward the “house of the Lord.” Hearts sang out as they
considered the privilege of approaching the Creator. (Psalm
42:4)
“When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to
go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice
of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.”
NKJV
(Isaiah
30:29)
“You shall have a song As in the night when a holy festival is kept, And
gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, To come into the mountain
of the Lord, To the Mighty One of Israel.”
NKJV
Body:
I.
The Joy of Worship
Psalm 122:1-2
“I was glad when
they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ Our feet have been
standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem!”
NKJV
The heart of
the psalmist is filled with gladness at the anticipation of worshipping in
Jerusalem. The thought of offering his sacrifice to Jehovah was the source
of much happiness as he walked to the house of the Lord. It is a clear
indication that his priorities were right; he was putting first things
first. What about us? Do we really yearn to worship God with those
who have obtained a like precious faith? Are we sad or even mad when Sunday
morning or Wednesday evening come around? Does preaching bore us or are we
excited to hear the Word of God proclaimed? Does singing hymns about the
glory of God move us to love Him even more? Something is very wrong if we
do not eagerly anticipate meeting with the saints to worship God. There are
many reasons that attending services with God’s people to worship should
fill our hearts with joy:
a)
Attending services
reminds us of Christ’s tremendous sacrifice for us. (Romans
5:8-11)
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by
His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were
enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more,
having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that,
but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we
have now received the reconciliation.”
NKJV
b)
Attending services strengthens us when we see others living the gospel. (Hebrews
10:23-25)
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who
promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up
love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as
is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as
you see the Day approaching.”
NKJV
c)
Attending services calms us by shutting out the cares of the world. (John
16:33)
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the
world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer. I have overcome the
world.”
NKJV
d)
Our hearts are warmed by
lifting up our voices in praise to the Almighty God. (Psalm
22:22)
“I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I
will praise You.”
NKJV
II.
The Greatness of Worship
Psalm 122:3-5
“Jerusalem is
built As a city that is compact together, Where the tribes go up, The tribes
of the Lord, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the
Lord.
5
For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.”
NKJV
To the Jews,
the city of Jerusalem was the center of their religious existence, a symbol
of their unity as a people. The city was very compact, surrounded by
valleys on three sides. The physical layout of the city reminded the Jews
of their compactness as a people. They were very distinct from the nations
around them – a separate group. Their pilgrimages to Jerusalem for
Passover, the Feast of Weeks [Pentecost], and the Feast of Tabernacles
solidified the twelve tribes and reconfirmed their common faith – the
Mosaical system. Their worship helped keep them unified, encouraged, and
built each other up. Application: Our common worship together today
does the same thing. Listen to Paul’s words about the church. (Ephesians
4:16)
“from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint
supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its
share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
NKJV
Hearing God’s
Word preached reconfirms our common faith and reminds us of who we are and
why we’re here. (I
Timothy 3:14-15)
“These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I
am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself
in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
ground of the truth.”
NKJV
Another
excellent point is in verse 5. The choice of Jerusalem and the method of
worship were God’s choice – not theirs. From here, David’s descendent ruled
over God’s people. Similarly, God has directed in our age how He wishes to
be worshipped. How dare we change that! We have no right to partake of the
Lord’s Supper on any day besides Sunday, sing with mechanical instruments,
have bake sales to raise money for the church, etc. Worship must be God’s
choice, not man’s. Worship, when enjoyed in according to the Scripture, is
truly great.
III.
The Peace that Comes from Worship
Psalm 122:6-9
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be
within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.’ For the sake of my
brethren and companions, I will now say, ‘Peace be within you.’ Because of
the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good.”
NKJV
The Psalmist
prays for peace to prevail in Jerusalem. The Jewish worshippers were
naturally concerned for prosperity of their center of worship. Their love
for the “house of the Lord” prompted them to petition for the safety of
their beloved city. Application: God’s people today should pray for
the church, spiritual Israel. (Galatians
4)
Only within it can anyone find lasting peace, peace with our heavenly
Father. Only within its figurative walls does it even exist. (Ephesians
2:14-17)
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the
middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that
is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in
Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might
reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to
death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off
and to those who were near.”
NKJV
Those of us in
the body of Christ should pray fervently for the lost, those who have yet to
find that peace. Also, when God’s people assemble to worship Him, this
should be a time of inner peace.
Isaiah 32:18a “My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation.”
But often it isn’t. Why? We are not at peace with each other! This is
even true of your preacher, sometimes. I’m not as comfortable in the
assembly as I would like because of a remark made by someone which I thought
was unfair or unkind or unwarranted. We need to be careful about our words
and behavior because it may be hurting someone else’s worship! Think about
it! Read
James 3:17-18.
“But
the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing
to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without
hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who
make peace.”
NKJV
Closing/Invitation:
Have you yet found peace with God? How do
you feel about worship? Do you carefully guard your tongue?
Bobby Stafford
July 22, 2018
