Psalms 121
McGeePsalms 121THEME: The pilgrim sees the hills of Judea come into viewThis psalm is the next “song of degrees” or song of ascents as the pilgrim travels to Jerusalem to worship. We had a glimpse into his home situation which he had left as he started on his way. Now in this psalm he can see in the distance the hills of Jerusalem.
Psalms 121:1
I think it would be well to change this verse because it is obviously a question rather than a statement. This man is not looking to the hills for his help; he is looking to God. “Shall I lift my eyes unto the hills? From whence cometh my help?” His answer is in the next verse:
Psalms 121:2
His help comes from God, and not from the hills. As the pilgrim draws near to Jerusalem, and it makes no difference if he comes from the north, east, south, or west, he will have to go through hills. The first time I went to Jerusalem, I came from the east, across the Jordan River; and I traveled through some pretty rugged country. The second time I went to Jerusalem, I came from Tel Aviv by bus and found that the hills were “hillier” than they were on the east. I have also approached Jerusalem from the north and southno matter from what direction you approach Jerusalem, you are in the hills. As the pilgrim comes to the place where he can see the hills of Judea, he sees places of heathen worship on the tops of the hills. That is where the heathen erected their altars. He says, “Shall I lift up mine eyes to the hills? From whence cometh my help?” It doesn’t come from the tops of those hills. Jeremiah commented on this subject when he said, “Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel” (Jer_3:23). This is in the song of the pilgrim as he draws near Jerusalem.
Psalms 121:3
“He will not suffer thy foot to be moved” means that God won’t allow you to totter. Those of us who are senior citizens begin to totter just a littleI notice that I am not as surefooted as I once was.
Psalms 121:6
I would like to give you a different translation of verses Psa_121:3-8 which will bring out something not seen in the King James Version. “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: thy keeper will not slumber. Behold, neither slumbereth nor sleepeth the keeper of Israel. Jehovah is thy keeper. Jehovah is thy shade upon the right hand: the sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night. The Lord shall keep thee from all evil. He shall keep thy soul. Jehovah shall keep thy going out and thy coming in from henceforth and forever” (Translation mine). This pilgrim is not looking to the hills for strength. He is looking to the Lord for help. Jehovah is his keeper. You will notice that in verses Psa_121:7 and Psa_121:8 we are told that “the LORD shall preserve thee.” This has to do with the wonderful keeping power of God. He preserves you. Peter said it like this, “Who are kept by the power of God …” (1Pe_1:5). There are two ways to preserve fruits or vegetablesin sugar or in vinegar. Many Christians are preserved both ways. Those preserved in sugar are nice sweet folks. The others are preserved in vinegar, and that speaks for itself. The pilgrim is moving toward Jerusalem. He travels through the hills and camps along the route. Howard Johnson, the Holiday Inn, and the Ramada Inn hadn’t built any motels yet; so the travelers going to Jerusalem had to camp along the way. And they were looking to Jehovah to keep them. What a glorious assurance that is! The psalm says, “My help cometh from the LORD.
He won’t let me totter and fall.” There are other references to this in the Scriptures: Pro_3:26 says, “For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” He won’t let you fall. Psa_37:24 says, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.” In 1Sa_2:9 Hannah said, “He will keep the feet of his saints….” One of the last benedictions in the Bible occurs in the little Epistle of Jude. “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling [stumbling], and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jud_1:24-25). He is able to keep us. He is the keeper of Israel and the keeper of His own today. Notice that He keeps us both day and night. He doesn’t slumber or sleep. When they camped for the night and were sleeping in a strange country, God didn’t sleepHe was still watching over them. “The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.” They traveled at certain seasons when the sun was really hotI know how hot that sun can be over there. But He said He would keep them in the scorching heat. But what about “the moon by night”? Well, I don’t know exactly what is meant by that. However, I do know that the word lunatic comes from the Latin word for moonluna, and it arose from the widespread belief that the rays of the moon affect the minds of men. I can remember that when I was young I used to take a girl out on a date and the moonlight had an effect on us. But God can keep youHe can keep you in the sunshine and the moonlight. “The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”