PSALM 121
A Song of degrees.
I |
WILL lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Unto Him that is able to keep you from falling (Jude 24)
The natives of India used to say that when Sir Henry Lawrence looked twice to heaven, and then to earth, he knew what to do. The 121st Psalm stands out in striking contrast to the previous one, where the Psalmist is in distress and loneliness, as he is surrounded by enemies.
But now we find him rising from the earth and his own despair to the height of the Lord's preserving care. Like the brave general above named, he knows what to do, for the Lord is his Constant Keeper. The Lord is seen in no less than nine different characters. We behold Him as the Almighty Helper (verse 2); as the Sure Upholder (verse 3); as the Constant Keeper (verse 3); as the Vigilant Watchman (verse 4); as the Assuring Preserver (verse 5); as the Sheltering Protector (verses 5 and 6); as the Absolute Guardian (verse 7); as the Personal Sustainer (verse 7); and as the Unfailing Friend (verse 8).
1. Almighty Helper (verse 2). If we look to the marginal reading of verse i, he asks the question, "Shal mI look to the hills?" but comes to the conclusion that his help comes from Him who made the hills.
2. Sure Upholder (verse 3). "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved."
3. Constant Keeper (verse 3). "He that keepeth thee will not slumber."
4. Vigilant Watchman (verse 4). "He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."
5. Assuring Preserver (verse 5). "The Lord is thy Keeper."
6. Sheltering Protector (verses 6 and 7). "The Lord is thy Shade,"etc.
7. Absolute Guardian (verse 7). "The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil."
8. Personal Sustaincr (verse 7). His personal thought of us in our personal need is seen if we ponder the seven "Thys" and three "Thees," all of which are wrapped up in "He shall preserve thy soul."
9. Unfailing Friend (verse 8). "The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this timw forth, and even for evermore.”
Christ keeps us for Himself from the world ; He keeps us in Himself from sin; He keeps us by Himself from Satan; and He keeps us with Himself for fellowship.
~ Pearls, Points, and Parables; F.E. Marsh, 1908
