Whenever we get ready to go on a trip, I spend the days before making lists and handing them to people. I tell the kids how many pairs of underwear they need for the trip, and they go on an "undies hunt." Then we find all of the suitcases and pack different people's things in different bags so we're ready for whatever might face us on the trip. And on really long trips, we pack the car the night before so we're able to hit the road as soon as we've had breakfast. Sometimes it feels like the preparation takes almost as much time as the travel. But that preparation is essential.
Peterson talks about Psalm 120 as the preparation psalm for the Psalms of Ascent. He notes that in order to get ready to leave, we have to understand why we need to leave. And for us, the why is that we live in the Land of Meschech, a land of lies. When I've read Psalm 120 in the past, I've thought about the phrase "lying lips" as describing people who actively tell lies about me. And honestly, I can't really remember too many instances like this, so I've never felt connected to this Psalm. However, Peterson describes the lies of the land of Meschech in a way that helps me understand it. He describes the lies of our current life this way:
Peterson talks about Psalm 120 as the preparation psalm for the Psalms of Ascent. He notes that in order to get ready to leave, we have to understand why we need to leave. And for us, the why is that we live in the Land of Meschech, a land of lies. When I've read Psalm 120 in the past, I've thought about the phrase "lying lips" as describing people who actively tell lies about me. And honestly, I can't really remember too many instances like this, so I've never felt connected to this Psalm. However, Peterson describes the lies of the land of Meschech in a way that helps me understand it. He describes the lies of our current life this way:
...they claim to tell us who we are and omit everything about our origin in God and our destiny in God. They talk about the world without telling us that God made it. They tell us about our bodies without telling us that they are temples of the Holy Spirit. They instruct us in love without telling us about the God who loves us and gave himself for us (p. 23).So, now I know the place I'm living, and the place I need to leave. I'm living in a place that tries to undo who God made me to be. I'm living in a place that tries to minimize both who I am to God and who I am to the people where He's placed me. Understanding that, I need to know the truth, and here's the truth that Peterson describes:
The truth about me is that God made and loves me. The truth about those sitting beside me is that God made them and loves them, and that each one is therefore my neighbor. The truth about the world is that God rules and provides for it. The truth about what is wrong with the world is that I and the neighbor sitting beside me have sinned in refusing to let God be for us, over us, and in us. The truth about what is at the center of our lives and of our history is that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for our sins and raised from the tomb for our salvation and that we can participate in new life as we believe in him, accept his mercy, respond to his love, attend to his commands (p. 24).Don't you want to leave Meschech for that truth?
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