Some of the most beloved psalms in the psalter are the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 121–134). Quite possibly, they were a songbook of “pilgrim praise” which the people of Israel sang on their way up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.

Almost every week, I receive a phone call from a scammer. I’m told I’ve defrauded the taxman. Or I’m promised great rewards—all I need to do is submit my bank details. We are surrounded by lies. The disillusionment people feel towards many of their politicians stems from the fact that they don’t trust what they say. Advertisers traffic in lies promising us all sorts of benefits if we purchase their product. And sadly, too often we can’t even believe what is preached from pulpits.

None of this is surprising, since it was believing a lie that brought sin into the world. “You will not certainly die,” promised the serpent (Genesis 3:4). No wonder Jesus called the devil “the father of lies” (John 8:44).

The psalmist longs for God to deliver him from lying lips and deceitful tongues (Psalm 120:1). Perhaps he’s praying that he might be saved from the evil consequences of the lies that are being told about him. He may also be praying for discernment so that, unlike Adam and Eve in the garden, he might not be seduced by these lies.

Proverbs 6:16–19 lists seven things that are detestable to the Lord. Among the seven are “a lying tongue” (v. 17) and “a false witness who pours out lies” (v. 19). Perhaps because lying is so endemic in our world, we’ve become immune to how much God hates it. But not the psalmist. He speaks to those who have deceived him and warns them of the just judgment they’ll receive from God (Psalm 120:3–4).

The reference to the “sharp arrows” and “burning coals of the broom brush” may refer to the literal burning arrows that were shot into a city to set it on fire. Likewise, when the apostle John sees a vision of the new heaven and the new earth (Revelation 21:1–8), he reminds us of those who will not be there. He ends with “and all liars” (v. 8).

Psalm 120 concludes with the singer’s desire to live among people who love peace (vv. 5–7). Meshek is in Turkey and Kedar in the Arabian desert, outside Canaan. He might be speaking figuratively. When surrounded by liars and “those who hate peace” (v. 6), he feels like an alien in a foreign land. Whenever he opens his mouth with words of truth, it’s like he’s speaking a foreign language. Christians often feel the sense that we “do not belong” (John 15:19). Let’s pray to be wise like the psalmist in discerning what’s true from what’s false, remembering the Lord “delights in people who are trustworthy” (Proverbs 12:22).