1. It refers to singing these psalms in an ascended or higher key.

2. It refers to the psalms sang on the steps of the temple.

3. It refers to the psalms sung as the captivity of Babylon returned to the promise land.

4. It refers to psalms sung as the Israelites journeyed and ascended to Jerusalem three times annually to worship.

Regardless who is right they carry with them the idea of ascending or going up. Not trying to minimize or avoid their historical significance, I want to consider them from a practical standpoint. Notice how this passage begins and ends. It begins in Psalm 120 with the psalmist in distress, declaring woe is me, and ending in Psalm 134 with him encouraging others to bless the Lord in the sanctuary. What happened? How did he get from the state of spiritual woe to spiritual victory? We must acknowledge that his victory did not occur instantly! Sometimes struggling saints are blessed to be in a spiritually uplifting service, and they think because they have been encouraged they now have spiritual victory in their life. I am afraid this just isn't the case! Assumming the Holy Spirit ordered these psalms for our help we would be wise to realize the psalmist's victory occurred over 15 chapters and a series of actions taking place in his life! Spiritual victory for him was not immediate, but progressive. I want to look at these songs as ascendinding steps to the victorius Christian life. Over the next week or two we will look at each one, and see how the Psalmist obtained spiritual victory. If it worked for him perhaps it will work for those of us distressed today.