Psalms 133:1-3

Psalms 107:150

Gordon Churchyard

Psalms 133h

Psalms For Climbing;

Psalms 120:134

Jesus said, "We will go up to Jerusalem" (Luke 18:31).

The Story of Psalms 120:134

These 15 psalms are called "Songs of Ascent" in many Bibles. "Ascent" means "going up". This translation calls it "climbing". But what are we climbing? Bible students give us 4 answers:

• One line in the psalm "climbs" on the line in front of it. This means that it repeats the line. Read the start of Psalms 124 for an example.

• There were 15 steps from where the women stood to where the men stood outside the *temple. The *temple was God's house in Jerusalem. As the men climbed the steps, they sang one psalm on each step. This is why most of the psalms for climbing are short.

• Jerusalem was on the top of a hill called "Zion". The *Jews often went to Jerusalem to worship God at the *temple. "Worship" means "Tell God how *wonderful that he is. And tell him that you love him". The *Jews sang these psalms for climbing as they went up to Jerusalem.

• Hezekiah was a king of the *Jews. He was so ill that he thought he would soon die. He prayed for a longer life. God made the clock "climb" back 10 degrees. This was about an hour. It was a sign that Hezekiah would live another 15 years. Hezekiah made a book of 15 psalms, 10 of them new, the other 5 by David and Solomon. The story is in Isaiah chapter 38.

We do not know which of these is the true answer. It may be something else! Perhaps answers 3 and 4 are the true answers.

Who wrote the psalms for climbing? Some are by David, and one or two are by Solomon. Solomon was David’s son. The other psalms for climbing may be by Hezekiah or one of his friends like Isaiah; or by Ezra or Nehemiah. Ezra and Nehemiah were leaders of the *Jews 500 years after Solomon built the *temple, or 250 years after Hezekiah was king. This was when the *Jews made the Book of Psalms. The psalms for climbing were part of this Book of Psalms.

Psalms 133

(This is) a song for climbing by David.

v1 See how good it is.
And see what pleasure it brings when brothers stay together.

v2 It is as a sweet *oil poured on the head.
It goes down on to the beard, as it did on to Aaron’s beard.
It then poured down over his clothes.

v3 It is like the *dew on the mountain called Hermon.
It (also) pours down on to the mountains of Zion.
The *LORD has said that it is a *good place to be.
There is always life there.

What Psalms 133 means

In verse 1, brothers "stay together" means that brothers "do not fight". Verse 2 tells us that it is like sweet oil. This is not motor oil, but oil from a fruit called the *olive. We still use it to cook things in.

Aaron was Moses’ brother. He was the first chief (most important) *priest of the *Jews. A *priest is a special servant of God. They do something special to a chief *priest at the start of his work. They "anoint" him. This means that they put *olive oil on his head. It runs down his face on to his beard. Then it goes on to his clothes. A better translation of "clothes" is "collar". That is the part of our clothes round our necks. The oil makes everything smell nice. It is a picture of brothers not fighting. It is good, or "smells nice".

Verse 3 gives another picture. Dew is water that comes on to the ground at night. It comes down on mountains like Hermon and Zion. Hermon is in the north of the country where the *Jews lived. Zion is the mountain in Jerusalem where the *Jews built God’s house. Zion is a good place to be, because it is where God "*blesses" people (or does good things for them). For Christians, Zion is like a picture of the Church.

Something to do

Pray that brothers will live together and not fight. This means brothers in a family, brothers in a country and brothers in the world. All men are like brothers because God made them all.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
temple ~ a place where people meet to worship God.
Jew ~ a person who is born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children; a person who has the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; in the Psalms, belief in God.
wonderful ~ great and surprising.
oil ~ not motor oil, but from a fruit called the olive.
dew ~ water that comes on the ground in the night; it is not rain.
Lord ~ a name for God; it means he has authority, or "master"; It is the word "Adonai" in Hebrew. Look also at LORD below.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. It is the covenant name of God. In Hebrew it is Yahweh or Jehovah. Look after Psalm 25 in Book 1 of the Psalms of David for more about the names of God.
lord ~ someone with authority.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God (in a covenant you agree with someone).
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke; they wrote the Psalms in Hebrew.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
Yahweh ~ the covenant name for God. Most Bibles translate it LORD with 4 capital letters. It means something like "I am" or "always alive".
Jehovah ~ how some languages say Yahweh, one of the names of God in Hebrew.
olive ~ a fruit.
priest ~ a servant of God in his temple.
temple ~ a place where people meet to worship God.
bless ~ say good things, or do good things, to someone.