Psalms of Ascent Ps120-134
They were originally use to sing while "ascending" to Jerusalem for the major festivals toqorship. Since Jerusalem was the highest point in Palestine geographically, theworshippers were ascending all the time and would sing Psalms as they "ascendedtoward God"
As best we know these Psalms were compiled during the Exile period ...History- Jews are in exile, many of the scrolls were destroyed or left behind. All theyhave is their songs. The psalms became the "stain glass windows" of an illiteratecommunity to preserve their knowledge of God.
I love the picture of a people who have been torn away from God, torn away from theirfestivals, their worship, their scriptures compiling songs to remind them about Who Godwas and their hope in God.
Originally the Psalms were what the people would say about God, during the exile theybecame God's WordandHis hope to His people.
These were not "hopes" of what God might be like, they were memories of who God
was in reality to the people, they were built from the people's history with God.
Psalm131willbe my main Psalm ...
Psalms131:1-3(NASB)
1O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters,Or in things too difficultfor me.
2Surely I havecomposedand quieted my soul;Like a weaned childrestsagainst his mother, Mysoul is like a weaned child within me.
3 OIsrael, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever.
The hope ... that the answer is instead to surrender to the reality that life is indeed too
Big for us, but we can quiet our souls and rest in God's care.