Going Up!

- Studies in the Psalms of Degrees -
Originally used by pilgrims "going up" to Jerusalem for various religious festivals, these present studies focus on their practical application for our lives today. The book includes a new translation of Psalm 120-134 based on the original Hebrew text.

by Walter Jerry Clark
soft cover, 101 pages, 6" x 9"


Going Up!

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Excerpt...

"Upwardly mobile" is a phrase which has not only been coined in our generation but which might be said to be its chief characteristic. The quest for an ever better, ever higher, ever more affluent lifestyle afflicts not only those in Western, industrialized nations but also in all nations and cultures.

While much might be written both pro and con about the social and materialistic ambitions of our age, the fact is that life is not meant to be static. Life cannot remain in one position or one stage, there must be movement.

The fifteen psalms which make up the "Psalms of Degrees" (Psalms 120-134) suggest that the life of the believer in particular is not intended to be stagnant. It may sometimes appear that the Christian life is "one step forward and two steps back", but obviously that is not what God intended, nor is it necessary that it be so.

The spiritual life of the believer is sometimes compared to the physical life and progression of an individual - first infancy, then childhood, then adulthood (cf. for example I Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:12, 13; I Corinthians 3:2, etc.). While we adore our children as infants, we would be disturbed indeed if they did not grow and mature into responsible adults.

Similarly, the life of the Christian is sometimes compared to a journey. John Bunyan's allegory of The Pilgrim's Progress is perhaps the most famous such exposition of the various ways in which a believer might move forward and upward in his journey to Heaven.

This study of the Psalms of Degrees also considers some of the various truths, trials, and triumphs which might be encountered in the life of the believer as he moves from "beginning" to "end", from conversion to the end of his path or pilgrimage. These studies are intended to be primarily devotional rather than expositional. In each case, the chief thought is the practical truth or benefit which might be gained from the psalm in order to help us with our Christian walk and growth.

The translation used in the studies is original and based on the Masoretic text of the Hebrew scriptures while taking into account the most recent thoughts in textual criticism. This translation also is intended to be helpful rather than definitive or dogmatic.

Hebrew

Greek

Going Up

Keys of the Kingdom

New Testament Greek