Psalms 120

The psalm begins with distress (v. 1), concludes with war (v. 7), and in between deals with deception and slander. It hardly seems a fit hymn for a group of pilgrims to sing as they made their way to the sanctuary of God. However, it appears that the author of this psalm was in the same situation as the writer of Psalm 42: circumstances prevented him from attending the feast, so he had to stay home among people who made life difficult for him (see 42:3, 9–10). The singing of this psalm would remind the pilgrims that they were indeed privileged to be able to go to Jerusalem and that others would have liked to go with them. It also reminded the travelers that when they returned home, they needed to carry some of the blessing to those who stayed behind and to help make life easier for them. The psalm reminds believers today that worship is a privilege and the blessings we receive must be shared. When we find ourselves experiencing distress and disappointment, we have three responsibilities to fulfill if our burdens are to become blessings.

The opening phrase can be translated “I cried” or “I cry,” because the past and the present are combined in the tense of the verb. (Compare and niv.) The writer had prayed in a previous time of trouble, and the Lord had answered him, so now he had confidence to pray again. Instead of complaining about his situation, he shared it with the Lord and, in this psalm, shared it with us. His problem was that people were lying about him and slandering his name. (See 5:9, 12:1–8; 26:24; 31:18; 52:3ff.; Prov. 10:18; 26:24.) It’s possible that he was involved in some kind of litigation and the opposition had bribed false witnesses to testify against him. He did not dare go to Jerusalem for fear his enemies would take advantage of his absence and do even more damage.

It is not likely that the psalmist was actually addressing his enemies, but this is the message God gave him in answer to his prayers. The writer did not need to attack the enemy, because the Lord would do it for him. Arrows and fire are images of their evil lying words, images that occur frequently in Scripture (55:21; 57:4; 59:7; 64:3–4; Prov. 16:27; 25:18; 26:18–19; Jer. 9:3, 8; James 3:6). The writer was confident that God would punish the enemy with their own weapons, but the consequences would be far worse. The arrows would be sharpened and shot at them by a mighty warrior, probably a reference to the Lord God Himself (24:8; Isa. 9:6, “Mighty God”). The broom tree is a desert shrub that affords shade (1 Kings 19:4), and its roots can be made into excellent charcoal. There is so much godless speech in our world today that believers must be careful what they hear and how it affects them. We must not only turn away our eyes from beholding vanity (119:37) but also turn away our ears from hearing foolishness. “Take heed what you hear” (Mark 4:24). When we are slandered and lied about, we must leave the matter with the Lord and trust Him to work.

In the ancient Near East, Meshech was located in Asia Minor, to the northwest of Israel, and Kedar was a nomadic nation in northern Arabia, southeast of Israel. Meshach was a Gentile nation (Gen. 10:2), and the people of Kedar were descended from Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar (Gen. 16; 25:13, 18). Both peoples were at great distance from Israel and were considered enemies of the Jews. The writer was not actually dwelling with these people, because he could not live in two places at once, especially places thousands of miles apart. Rather, he was dwelling with Jewish people who were behaving like people who lived outside the covenant blessings of God. Any Jew who feared God and respected the Ten Commandments would not bear false witness against another Jew or seek to slander his or her name. It would be difficult to dwell with these foreign peoples, but it would be even more difficult to dwell with Jewish people who acted like foreigners.

Believers today must not only live with unbelievers but also with professed believers who live like unbelievers. Paul sometimes shamed the believers to whom he wrote by comparing them to the Gentiles, meaning “the outsiders, the unsaved” (1 Cor. 5:1, 12–13; Eph. 4:17; Col. 4:5; 1 Thess. 4:12; 1 Tim. 3:7). The psalmist was a peacemaker and tried to encourage his godless Jewish neighbors to be peaceable, but they were more intent on making war. His loving words only made them more and more angry. After over fifty years of ministry, I am convinced that most of the problems in families and churches are caused by professed Christians who do not have a real and vital relationship to Jesus Christ. They are not humble peacemakers but arrogant troublemakers. Until God changes them or they decide to go elsewhere, the dedicated believers must be patient and prayerful. This is the way Joseph dealt with his brothers in Canaan and his false accusers in Egypt. It is also the way David dealt with King Saul and Jesus dealt with His enemies (1 Peter 2:18–25).