Part 9: Anonymous 'Hezekiah' (121, 128-130, 134, 137)

Honest to God
Psalms Possibly by Hezekiah

Hezekiah was a God-fearing man who became King of Judah in 715 BC and reigned independently until 697 before reigning alongside his son Manasseh from 697-686. When he was about 40 years old (around 700 BC), he became very ill and the Lord revealed to him that he was going to die. But he prayed for healing and was granted 15 more years of life (Read 2 Kings 20:1-11).

Psalms 120-134 is a unified section called the ‘Songs of Degrees.’ There are various ideas about how these Psalms were used:

1. An old Jewish tradition says they were sung on 15 steps of the Temple.
2. The majority of scholars believe they were sung by the pilgrims on their way to visit Jerusalem for annual festivals OR returning to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon.
3. Others believe that 10 were written by Hezekiah to celebrate the shadow going back 10 degrees in 2 Kings 20:10 and 5 Psalms were to celebrate the fact that he was given 15 more years of life.
4. Finally, some believe they were written to celebrate the Ark of the Covenant finally ascending to its destination: the temple.

Which idea sounds most reasonable to you?

(I was at snow camp this week, so I didn't get to teach these chapters)

Psalm 121
Transitions from discontent (120) to trust (121)

Psalm 128
Fear of the Lord leads to long term blessing

Psalm 129
The wicked win some battles, but not the war

Psalm 130
Even as believers, we are fallen being needing mercy

Psalm 134
Each of us has a special role to play in praise

Psalm 137
When we're in exile, we're in no mood to sing