We are not quite halfway through our study of the Psalms of Ascent as we start looking forward to November. This collection of 15 songs are called “Songs of Ascent & Songs of the Pilgrims.” They are the soundtrack for the ancient pilgrims uphill journey towards worship at Jerusalem. Their playlist helps Israel to reflect back over their past heroes & stories of God’s mercies. Through them, we are able to see the divine pattern pointing to the future victory of our King & our personal deliverance from strongholds & uphill battles of life. History = His-Story! And Our story! So thankful He took the time to write it for us using 66 different authors over thousands of years to get His Message to us. A full color digital photograph of His plan for rescuing a sinful world & building a relationship with us. Let’s accept His open invitation to draw close and Bask in his presence & glory.
When the pilgrims marched uphill to Jerusalem, they were literally and numerically climbing into the name of YHWH. In their ancient Hebrew thinking for the number 15. The first two letters of the Tetragrammaton are Yod (י) and Hei (ה).
Yod has a numerical value of 10.
Hei has a numerical value of 5.
Together, Yod-Hei (יה) spells Yah, the shortened, poetic form of God's holy name (as found in Hallelu-Yah). Its value is exactly 15. God’s hidden signature.
The topography of worship in Jerusalem also directly mirrored this arithmetic. In the Temple courtyard there were 15 steps , representing the 15 Songs of Ascent. Once the pilgrims arrived in Jerusalem, on the 15th of the Hebrew month, Tabernacles was in full swing. Many believe The Levites stood on these 15 steps & sang each of the 15 psalms during the water pouring ceremony. With each song , they stepped higher towards the Holy of Holies. They were physically enacting the difficult uphill journey of the pilgrims to Jerusalem. In the NT, (John 7) it tells of Jesus standing in the Temple court & shouting HE was the source of the living water. Jesus is the Goal of the Law! The fulfillment of all the types & patterns in the OT. After 70 AD & the gift of Holy spirit, the emphasis shifted from Jerusalem to Jesus for worship. The Living temple!
These ancient songs have inspired many in their walk of Faith. But for most of us, the modern connection is our feast of Thanksgiving. Our very own Mayflower pilgrims & Gov William Bradford , modeled their thanksgiving meal after the fall feast known as Sukkot/Tabernacles. These Psalms teach us how to live in a toxic environment & live faithfully as an ambassador for Christ.
Here is a helpful memory guide for dialoguing with God through these psalms with the Pilgrims:
Prayer, Praise, Petition, Penitence, Progress, Promise and Prophecy!
Present trials yield eternal joy. Keep marching to Zion!
Deb Cunningham