Psalm 120 is the first of fifteen 'Songs of Ascents' which were recited while going up the fifteen rising steps to the Temple in Jerusalem. They are very personal with strong words and themes that express love for the Lord and joy in worshipping Him.

This psalm pleads for deliverance from lying lips and a deceitful tongue. It is unclear whether the psalmist refers to others who torment him or whether this is about his own vices. Whatever it may be, the spiritual meaning concerns our own distress in discovering our human faults.

There are a number of very powerful spiritual representations in this short psalm. When in crisis, we should follow the lead of the psalmist and cry out for help to the Lord. This sounds simple, but it is actually quite profound. If we cry to anything else or look to see where fault lies, we will complicate things. The 'lying lips' and 'deceitful tongue' are examples of human duplicity which cannot be trusted. The Lord never tries to trick us; He is perfectly open and manifest.

The middle two verses bring out the critical point that evil inflicts damage on itself. What can be given to the false tongue which speaks with sharp arrows? Sharp arrows will be given, not in revenge or pay back but in consequence. The life of dispatching sharp arrows of insult and condemnation only foster the same things in the heart, mind and life of the malevolent archer. (See Apocalypse Explained 357)

The burning coals are hot to the touch and capable of inflicting pain. Fire generally corresponds to love but it can turn to hatred. The broom tree represents the cleansing, sweeping nature of truth to restore integrity. Thus, the coals of the broom tree stand for the penalty of evil burning itself out of existence. (See Arcana Caelestia 3195:2)

The third section of the psalm points out, through names, the idea of feeling far from home. Both Meshech and Kedar are elsewhere mentioned in the Bible as being places far from the land of Israel. This represents our sense of spiritual displacement. It can also stand for our very real understanding that, as followers of the Lord, we have a long path to walk. (See Apocalypse Explained 724:17)