It has amazed me as I read and prayed through the Psalms for the third time that many of the Psalms either have to do with God’s dealing with the nations or they have to do with cries of desperate people to the only One who can help them in trouble, Almighty God. Psalm 120 (like Psalm 119) ends without a resolution to the situation. It contains a declaration by the author that God has heard but ends without the one praying actually seeing the deliverance he is assured that God will bring. While he was still in trouble, the Psalmist declared, “In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.” (Psalm 120:1)
What kind of trouble was the Psalmist facing?
*Lies and Deceit, “Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.” (verse 2) Someone was lying about the Psalmist and deceiving others to cause them to think ill of him.
*Slander, “What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.” (verses 3 and 4) The person maligning the Psalmist used words that shot like arrows and burned like fire. They made others think ill of the one they were speaking against. They made a good man look evil in the sight of others.
*Unrest instead of peace, “Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.” (verses 5 and 6) The Psalmist desired peace but those about him wanted war. He spoke words to try to make reconciliation and bring rest and calm, but they did not want to hear such words. This caused such sorrow to the Psalmist that he wished he did not live there. He wished he could live somewhere else.
Around us right now in our nation is a time of lying, deceit, slander and unrest. Many are weary. It is a time of trouble. Yet, we have the same God as the Psalmist. We may look around us and see and hear things that fill us with sorrow, but we also can have the assurance that God will hear us. We have a God who answers when we are in trouble. Deliverance will come. “In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.” (Psalm 120:1)