SUMMARY
The psalmist on the journey to the templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More voices his or her longing for the joy of being in God’s presence and singing God’s praises.
ANALYSIS
This is a type of the ZionZion originally referred to a mountain near Jerusalem where David conquered a Jebusite stronghold. Later the term came to mean a number of other things like the Temple, Jerusalem, and even the Promised Land. More songs that sing of the glories of God’s protective presence in the temple; it is similar to some of the songs of ascents that pilgrims sing as they journey to the temple for festival worship.
The pray-er longs to be at the temple–where God has promised to be present for the people and where he or she can join in the celebration of the worshiping community (vv. 1-4). In lovely poetic language, the psalmA psalm is a song of praise. In the Old Testament 150 psalms comprise the psalter, although some of the psalms are laments and thanksgivings. In the New Testament early Christians gathered to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. More envies the sparrows and swallows that can fly in and out of the open temple daily and even nest there permanently.
The Old Testament has no notion of a pilgrimage that is interested only in the goal (the temple) and not in the journey and the surrounding world. Yes, the poet longs for the temple, but he or she also recounts how the pilgrims transform the valleys through which they travel (vv. 5-7). The earth itself has reason to give thanks for God’s people–a far cry from the idea sometimes heard that dominion over the earth means that humans are free to exploit and use up its resources at will.
