July 12, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the next 15 days we will be reading through the Psalms of Ascent together as a church! The Psalms of Ascent are a collection of 15 psalms (Psalms 120-134) that pilgrims would sing on their way up to Jerusalem to worship. These songs are meant to instruct and prepare the hearts of the traveler to worship the Lord! As sojourners and aliens in this world, we too need to have our hearts prepared for and instructed in the worship of our God. Let\u2019s meditate on these psalms and allow the Spirit of the Lord to move us to true worship as we seek Him together!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This psalm pictures the pilgrim disciples gathered together to worship at Jerusalem in total solidarity and unity. The pilgrim sings this song to be reminded of the joys and the blessing that come from a unified community of the Lord\u2019s people, and it is an ideal to which the church is called as well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The psalmist uses two similes to describe the blessing that comes from this kind of unity among God\u2019s people. The first is the oil on Aaron the priest\u2019s head at his ordination (Ex. 30:22-33). This oil set him and his descendants apart, consecrating them as holy. In the same way, unity in the body of Christ sets us apart as holy as we live in the world but are not of the world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second simile is of the \u201cdew of Hermon\u201d (v.3), a mountain in the far south of the land of Israel. The rains the psalmist is here describing were essential for the survival of Israel\u2019s vegetation during the dry season. In the same way, unity among brothers and sisters in Christ is a catalyst for growth in the sense of bearing fruit in discipleship!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s not neglect to strive for absolute unity in the body of Christ. It sets us apart from the world and is essential to our growing in our walk of faith!<\/p>\n\n\n\n