The Vision of the World

Psalms 120 gives us a vision of the true nature of the world. The world is first a world of lies, deceit, and vanity but eventually it wars against those who want what God wants. As those who are following the Lord, we all must have a clear vision.

In the World There is Only Distress

Psalm 120 shows us a clear picture of the world. It is short, but very precise. The psalm begins, "In my distress I called out to Jehovah, and He answered me. O Jehovah, deliver my soul from lying lips, from a tongue of deceit" (v. 1-2). What is the most striking thing about the world? In the world, your life is a life of distress. You confront one difficulty after another all of the time. In the world there is only distress, without strength or comfort.

The World is Full of Lies and Deceit

What else is in the world? Lying lips and a deceitful tongue. Lying lips are for defending yourself, while a deceitful tongue is for gaining something for yourself. In other words, when you want to take advantage of others you become deceitful. When you want to defend yourself, you become a liar. In the world there is nothing but lies and deceit. People lie to you to take advantage of you, and they lie to protect and defend themselves. The world is filled with deceitfulness. The world is a world of lies.

From the beginning the psalmist portrays the world in such an accurate way. He exposes the world's true nature. He doesn't merely say that the world is so evil and sinful. Instead he says that in the world there are all sorts of lies. These lies are the source of all the evil. Once a person abides in lies and falsehood, all kinds of evil things can come in. This is why in the beginning of this psalm, the psalmist cries out to God, "O Jehovah, deliver my soul." What does he need to be delivered from? Not only the world, but himself. He realizes that if he is in the world he can only end up with lying lips.

The World's Lies Kill and Burn Continually

Then the psalmist continues, "What should be given to you, and what further shall be done to you, O tongue of deceit?" (v. 3). In this world, every tongue is a false and deceitful tongue. In this world, not one person can face reality. We know that the politicians lie, but even the preachers lie. The non-Christians lie, but the Christians also may lie. Eventually what do we get from all of these lies? The psalmist goes on to tell us that we get two things: "The sharp arrows of a mighty man, with the burning coals of the broom tree!" (v. 4). This means that all those who love the world, and all those who abide in the lies of the world, will be killed by the world's deceit. This is all that the world can give us.

The next item is even worse: "The burning coals of the broom tree." The broom tree is very rich in its content. Once it burns, it is hard to extinguish. In this world, people live in lies. These lies are like burning coals. It is very hard for them to be extinguished. All kinds of lies are going on in the world all the time. Not only do these lies kill us, but they continue for a long time. They burn like coals which cannot be extinguished.

The World of Prosperity is Outside of God's Purpose

The psalmist continues, "Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech, I dwell among the tents of Kedar" (v. 5). When we are in the world we realize, "Woe is me." Meshech was a descendant of Japheth. In the Bible there are three lines, from the three sons of Noah: the line of Japheth, the line of Ham, and the line of Shem. In the book of Genesis, Noah blessed his son Japheth by saying that God would enlarge him (Gen. 9:27). This means that Japheth's line would have the ability to conquer and become prevailing. But the line of Japheth has nothing to do with God Himself. God's will is not accomplished through the line of Japheth. Instead, His will is accomplished through the line of Shem. For us to sojourn in the land of Meshech means we are in a land that may be prosperous and powerful, but we are outside of the good land where God accomplishes His purpose.

In the world there is prosperity. In the world there is a kind of conquering. Furthermore, in the world there are many things which are enjoyable. Yet these things are related to Meshech. They are not in the line of Shem. In other words, these things are outside of God's purpose. Because Meshech was a descendant of Japheth he was outside, and even against, God's economy. In these verses the psalmist is saying, "Woe is me. I travel and sojourn in this world. This world is prevailing and powerful. But in this world I am outside of the good land, the land of God's economy." We must see that the things of this world have nothing to do with God's eternal purpose. They are all vanity.

The World of Religion is Far Away from God

The second aspect of the world is signified by "the tents of Kedar" (v. 5). Kedar was a descendant of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. Because Kedar was a descendant of Abraham, he was somewhat related to God, but he was still on the wrong line. There is a part of the world which is related to God, and even came out from God to a certain degree, yet it is not what God really wants. This part of the world which is related to God is eventually against God the most. Who today, in the physical world, is against God the most? The descendants of Ishmael, which are today's Arabs. Physically speaking, these are the ones who live in the tents of Kedar.

"The tents of Kedar" also indicates a wandering tribe. Those who are in this tribe are never settled. They never have a purpose or a goal. They have God as their Creator, and they even call Him their God. Yet at the same time they never know how to be one with God, how to satisfy God, how to stand with God, how to fulfill God's purpose, or how to produce God's habitation. They are related to God in a certain way, yet they are far away from God and from what He is after. Eventually they may even frustrate and oppose God's purpose. Spiritually speaking, this is the world of religion.

When We are for God, the World will Rise Up for War

"Long has my soul had its dwelling with him who hates peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war" (v. 6-7). When we desire to go after God, then the world is for war. If we are not for God, if we are just in the world speaking lies and deceiving each other, then no one will care. This will not seem so bad to the world, because we can still gain some prosperity, and we can still be in religion. But when we say, "I am for peace," when we say that we are for the Lord and for what is real on this earth, then the whole world will rise up: "We are for war! If you are not part of us, we will fight against you!" If a college student declares on his campus, "I am a Christian. I love the Lord!" then all of his friends and classmates will be for war. They will fight against him. This is the world. The world will never tolerate anyone who lives a life solely for God. That is why the psalmist says, "I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war." First the world is a world of lies, but eventually it wars against those who want God. As those who are following the Lord, we all must have such a clear vision. This concludes the psalmist's description of the world.

To purchase the book Journey of Life; the Psalms of Ascent and Song of Songs