Psalms Reading – 4.26.2022
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
As the people of God made their pilgrimage to Zion to worship, this song reminded them the Lord was with them every step of the way. Regardless of the difficulties they experienced, the Lord was their helper.
There are four scenarios of danger: Verses 1-2 speak of general danger where the Lord provides help. Verses 3-4 speak of their feet slipping, but God watches over them. In verses 5-6, the elements are unpredictable, symbolized by the sun and moon, but the Lord is greater. In verses 7-8, travelers feared bandits on their journeys, but the Lord provides protection from those who seek to harm them.
The mountains are not the source of help, but the Lord who dwells in the most holy mountain of Zion is. The Lord is more than a local deity who exists on a single mountain for a small group of people. He is the Lord of all the earth who made the vast universe. He is great and good!
The reason the traveler’s foot will not slip over a treacherous path is that the Lord watches over His people. The Lord’s care extends to the small details of even where we step. Because God never sleeps, He is always looking out for us.
The sun and moon represent the heavenly bodies, and the elements of heat, cold, rain, snow, lightning, and wind. He is our shade which is a refuge in the midst of scorching heat.
God protects His people during each day’s routine but also when evil actively seeks to bring us down and take us out. We can be confident that whether we are coming or going, whatever we do, the Lord is watching over us, even now, in this very moment.
Memory Verse: Psalm 121:1-2, I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Question(s) to Consider: Where does your help come? When you are in trouble what do you do first? How does this psalm help you think about God’s watchful care over your life?