The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Juniper” it comes from the Hebrew Word “rothem” which means “juniper, broom tree.”
The psalmist laments dwelling among those who love war while he himself desires peace. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Psalm 120.
The psalmist declares that in his distress he cried to the Lord, and He heard him, pleading, “Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue,” asking what shall be given to him, or what shall be done to him, you false tongue.
The psalmist describes sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of “juniper,” “rothem” in Hebrew, comparing the deceitful tongue’s damage to these fierce images, lamenting that he dwells in Mesech, and sojourns in the tents of Kedar, his soul having long dwelt with him who hates peace.
The psalmist declares that he is for peace, but when he speaks, they are for war, a brief but poignant opening psalm to the collection known as the Songs of Ascents, sung by pilgrims traveling up to Jerusalem, beginning this journey with an honest acknowledgment of the conflict and deception often encountered even before reaching the peace and worship awaiting them at their destination.
This psalm’s honest lament, dwelling among those who love war while he himself desires peace, gives genuine voice to the isolation of maintaining peaceable values within a genuinely hostile or contentious environment. As the opening psalm in the Songs of Ascents collection, its honest acknowledgment of present conflict makes the eventual arrival at Jerusalem’s worship all the more meaningful, a genuine journey from discord toward peace.
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