Psalm 126, like all the other psalms in this week’s reading, is a Song of Ascents—a psalm that Jewish pilgrims sang as they went up to Jerusalem.  The second half of the opening line of this psalm is rendered quite differently in different translations.  The ESV has “restored the fortunes of Zion”; the NASB, “brought back the captive ones of Zion”.  The literal Hebrew here is “captivity”, but sometimes in Scripture it is used metaphorically of restoring fortune, as in Job 42:10.

Regardless of which translation approach is adopted, the meaning is clear.  This is a psalm about the return of the captives to Judah after the Babylonian Captivity.  The Jews were astounded, and all the nations around them remarked on God’s blessing for them.  The psalm concludes with a prayer for further blessing, so that the people who now weep as they sow will rejoice several months from now during the time of the harvest.

Psalm 127 remarks on the futility of life without God and the blessing of living with Him.  It observes that without His help, neither the work of the builder nor the watchman will be successful.  Faithless people live anxious lives, but the faithful enjoy pleasant rest because of the peace He gives.

The psalm concludes with discussion of one of God’s greatest blessings—children.  Just as a warrior with many arrows could be confident, so too could an Israelite with many children.  Because they had their children to rely on, they didn’t have to be afraid of their enemies in the village.

Psalm 128 continues the theme of God’s blessing upon the faithful.  Those who fear the Lord will be able to provide for themselves and enjoy His care through their lives.  Their wives will be fertile, and they’ll have many children (the “olive shoots” imagery is basically about a bunch of suckers growing from the roots and base of an olive tree).  The psalm concludes with an exchange of blessings—for prosperity in Jerusalem, for long life, and for peace.

Psalm 129 is a plea for God’s help and justice.  It begins with the personified nation of Israel complaining about how others have afflicted him.  The “plowing furrows” on the back of Israel in v. 3 is probably about the scars left by whipping a slave.  However, Israel has been released from captivity and now looks for God to punish his oppressors.  He asks God to make their prosperity like the grass that grows on a thatched roof (in our case, we might think of maple seeds sprouting in gutters).  It looks green for a little while, but it soon dries out, doesn’t offer anything for anyone to harvest, and doesn’t attract blessing.

Psalm 130 is a cry to God from the depths of despair.  It pleads with Him to listen and observes that if God remembered sins, no one could stand before Him.  Only His forgiveness makes serving and fearing Him possible and meaningful.  The psalmist says he waits for God like a night watchman waits for the coming of morning.  The psalm concludes with an appeal to Israel to trust in God because of His faithful love and sure redemption.

Psalm 121 is the second in the series of psalms called “songs of ascent”.  They were usually sung by Jewish pilgrims who were “going up to Jerusalem”.  Even if you’re headed south, going to a mountaintop temple is still going up! 

In any case, the psalmist of Psalm 121 is lifting his eyes to the hills he is climbing.  He knows that he can seek and find help in God.  God will not allow him to fall, and because He doesn’t sleep, His care is constant.  God, like a friendly shadow, will keep the psalmist from the glare of the sun and the moon.  He will protect him from all evil and will always care for him in his travels.

Psalm 122 is another song of ascents, this one in praise of Jerusalem, the destination.  It expresses the psalmist’s delight that he has been invited to travel to Jerusalem.  He rejoices because he has been there before and knows what it’s like.  God has both established Jerusalem and decreed that the Israelites should go there to worship.  Additionally, Jerusalem is the seat of the Davidic kings.

As a result, it is appropriate to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the security of its inhabitants.  Because of them and because the temple is there, the psalmist promises to pray.

Psalm 123 continues the song-of-ascents cycle.  Naturally, this is another psalm about lifting up one’s eyes.  This time, though, the psalmist is lifting up his eyes not to Jerusalem, but to God.  Just like servants watch the hand of their master for indications of his will, so the psalmist will look to God until He has mercy.  Indeed, the psalmist pleads for mercy because he is fed up with being held in contempt by proud people.

Psalm 124 (another song of ascents) asks what life without God’s help would be like.  Without God, the people of Israel acknowledge that their enemies would have overwhelmed them and carried them off like a flood.  As it is, though, God did not give them to their enemies, so they have escaped instead.

Psalm 125 (Song of Ascents #6) is another mountain-centric psalm.  It contemplates the immovability of Mount Zion and concludes that people who trust God are equally secure.  Indeed, God will keep His people safe like the mountains around Jerusalem keep it safe from invasion.  However, His care is not physical, but spiritual.  He will protect His people from those who want to tempt them to do evil.  The psalm concludes with an appeal to God to bless the upright but punish the wicked.

Psalm 119:113-120 (Samekh) shows more concern for the antics of evildoers.  They anger the psalmist and he wants them to go away because he knows they also anger God.  By contrast, the psalmist fears God’s word and trusts His promises.

Psalm 119:121-128 (Ayin) again reflects the psalmist’s concern for what is going to happen to him.  He asks for protection from his enemies, the fulfillment of God’s promises, God’s love, greater understanding, and vindication.  He compares the crookedness of the wicked to the uprightness of God’s law.

Psalm 119:129-136 (Pe) describes the glories of the word and the psalmist’s longing for them.  He yearns for the commandments, and he wants God to be gracious to him because of his commitment to the law.  To him, God’s word and God’s blessing go hand in hand.

Psalm 119:137-144 (Tsadhe) returns to the theme of the word’s perfection.  God’s statutes have been established by Him, His promises have been tested and found to be true, and His law will always reveal what is righteous.  Because of this, the psalmist is confident that through understanding them, he will live.

Psalm 119:145-152 (Qoph) reveals the psalmist’s behavior in trouble.  He calls to God to rescue him, even rising before dawn to do so.  Through the night, he continues to reflect on the word.  As a result, he asks God to protect him from the wicked (who are far from the law), because of God’s nearness to the righteous.

Psalm 119:153-160 (Resh) reports the psalmist’s attitude toward God’s law and those who violate it.  He remembers the law and God’s promise.  Despite his many enemies, he continues to hold to it, and he regards those who do not with contempt.  Ultimately, his hope is in the word.

Psalm 119:161-168 (Sin and Shin) presents the psalmist’s focus on the law.  Even though powerful people are persecuting him, he gives it his attention.  He rejoices at it and praises God for it.  Because of his love for God’s testimonies, he obeys them.

Psalm 119:169-176 (Taw) contains the psalmist’s promise of faithfulness if God rescues him.  He wants both deliverance from his enemies and greater understanding of the word.  Because of his faithfulness, he asks God’s help, and he promises to praise Him and to continue to remember His commandments if he receives that help.

Psalm 120 is written from the perspective of an exile.  He begins by praising God for His past help, and he then asks God to rescue him from people who are lying about him.  He expresses the wish that the tongues of the liars will be pierced with arrows and burned with hot coals.  In the meantime, the psalmist is stuck in Meshech, amid the tents of Kedar (basically, in the deserts of modern-day Iraq).  Even though he wants peace, he’s surrounded by warmongers.

As with everything else in the psalm, this section of Psalm 119 concerns the relationship between the psalmist and the word of God.  The acrostic structure of the psalm continues in this portion, this time employing the Hebrew letters from He to Nun. 

Psalm 119:33-40 (He) acknowledges the connection between God’s word and life.  Those who seek the word and follow it will receive life, but those who seek after worthless things and selfish gain will not know God’s blessing.

Psalm 119:41-48 (Waw) focuses particular attention on the usefulness of the word in times of confrontation.  The psalmist uses the law of God to answer those who taunt him, to find hope, and to give him confidence when he stands before kings.  These benefits are only available to those who love God’s commandments and trust in them.

Psalm 119:49-56 (Zayin) considers the consolation that is available in the word.  Even when he is afflicted, when others mock him, when the wicked abandon God, and when things look (both literally and metaphorically) dark, the psalmist still draws comfort from God’s law.

Psalm 119:57-64 (Heth) makes a connection between the steadfastness of God and the psalmist’s steadfastness.  No matter what, he continues to seek the word and praise God, and he is confident that this is the correct strategy because of the obviousness of God’s steadfast love.

Psalm 119:65-72 (Teth) explores the difference between those who honor God’s law and those who do not.  The psalmist strayed from God before he was afflicted, but his suffering taught him the importance of obedience.  On the other hand, the insolent continue to oppose him and God because the word does not move their hearts.

Psalm 119:73-80 (Yodh) examines the value of the word in times of trouble.  Through God and His law, the psalmist hopes that his affliction will work out for good, that he will be comforted, that the insolent will be ashamed, and that the faithful will seek him out.

Psalm 119:81-88 (Kaph) is a plea for God’s help according to the promises of the word.  The psalmist has lived according to God’s law, and he cherishes the hope that God offers him.  Consequently, he calls on God to rescue him so that his relationship with His commandments can continue.

Psalm 119:89-96 (Lamedh) focuses on the trustworthiness of the word.  The rest of God’s creation proclaims His faithfulness, so it is logical to attribute that same faithfulness to the word.  Those who trust in it will be delivered.

Psalm 119:97-104 (Mem) is one of the most famous sections of the psalm.  It exclaims over the psalmist’s love for God’s law and the benefits that come from studying it.  The commandments of God make the psalmist wiser than mentors and enemies alike, and they teach him to act and think righteously.

Psalm 119:105-112 (Nun) contains the most famous verse in the psalm (119:105) and reflects further on how the word is useful through different seasons of life.  The psalmist vows his faithfulness to the word until life’s end.

Job 42 concludes the book.  It begins with Job’s reply to God.  He acknowledges that in questioning God, his mouth was outrunning his understanding.  From now on, he will be content to listen to God, and he repents of questioning Him.

In response, God accuses Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar of not speaking the truth as Job has done.  He tells them to make a burnt offering and get Job to intercede for them, which Job successfully does.  After he does so, God blesses Job, giving him twice as much as he had had before and 10 more children to replace the ones who had died.  At the end of the book, Job dies in honored old age.

Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm in Psalms, as well as being the shortest chapter in the Bible.  It urges everyone to praise God because of His steadfast love (the Hebrew word hesed, which is untranslatable but means something like, “God continuing to love us because He promised He would) and faithfulness.    

Psalm 118 is a processional psalm with significant Messianic overtones.  It begins with different Israelite groups (probably arranged by group) being called upon to praise God.  The primary singer of the psalm then declares that God has rescued him from his enemies, so he will never be afraid of anyone as long as God is with him.  His enemies pressed him hard, but he defeated them.  Likely, different groups are singing the content of 118:15-16.  The primary again affirms that God has protected him, and then has a discussion in song with the people who are supposed to open the gate for him (vs. 19 and 21 are the primary singer; vs. 20 and 22-27 are the chorus).  The psalm concludes with both singer and chorus praising God. 

Several verses from this psalm are quoted in the New Testament.  118:22 is quoted widely by Jesus and others, and the crowds are singing 118:26 during the triumphal entry.  They may, in fact, have sung all of 118:22-27 as Jesus was going through the gates of Jerusalem.

Psalm 119:1-32 is the opening of the longest psalm in the book and longest chapter in the Bible.  This section, and indeed the entire psalm, exalts the word of God.  The content of the psalm is organized acrostically (each line in the first eight verses begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet; each line in the second eight verses begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and so on), so the content can be repetitive. 

The first section highlights the importance of seeking God’s law wholeheartedly.  The second points out the significance of the word to the young.  The third asks for God’s blessing because the psalmist has been devoted to the word.  The fourth promises renewed attention to the word if God will rescue the psalmist.