I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5
This song of ascent is part of a collection of 15 Psalms, 120-134, also known as “Pilgrim Songs” or “Songs of Degrees.”
Jerusalem sat atop a hill. Obviously all worshippers had to ascend to reach the temple complex. Hebrew pilgrims always returned to Jerusalem to celebrate religious festivals and these hymns were sung together as they journeyed. As they neared their beloved city the songs that began with an emphasis on distress and longing for God’s protection and help became songs of hope. As the sojourners were climbing the steps, or degrees of the temple and their voices lifted in Praise.
Psalm 130 is also classified as one of the Penitence Psalms showing deep remorse for sin and a confident hope in God’s Goodness and Mercy. It begins with a personal testimony of God’s rescue from guilt, then step by step the author draws the reader to a place of confident hope.
Although the writer of the Psalm is unknown, some traditions attribute it to David following his sin with Bathsheba. Disregarding the authorship, I want my readers to remember; when David was a boy He found God in everything and placed his hope in this. Through devastating sin, serious peril, utter joy and deepest grief, David always returned to His place of Hope; a living, communicating, loving God. And this God is unchanging and faithful, just as David knew Him, we can as well.
Love,
Gretchen