Psalm 121 - Tewantin

Anglican Church Noosa February 4, 2024 Psalm 121 - Summer Chill in the Classic Psalms Rev’d Lynda Johnson What is it about mountains? I don’t think it’s just me that is mesmerised by the grandeur, by the beauty, by the awe inspiring innate power that mountains seem to exude. Is that right, or is it just me? Last week we looked at a por on of Psalm 119, and we noted that it was an acros c Psalm, and perhaps we could describe it as an acros c psalm on steroids. Well, Psalm 121 is quite di erent to that. It’s very short. Only 8 verses. But …. it’s part of a longer series of Psalms called the Songs of Ascents. Immediately following Psalm 119, Psalms 120-134, that’s a group of 15, are all have the tle Song of Ascents, and it is thought that they were sung by people walking up to Jerusalem for the Fes vals, pilgrims on a journey. The walk to Jerusalem included many hills, rocky hills. So a Song of Ascents refers to upward travel. The Bible regularly describes people as going up to Jerusalem, no ma er where they’ve started from. It may be because of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which was where people were headed. So what do we nd in this par cular song of ascents. • • • Human despair - but then comes… The Lord’s power - which brings … Stability with Security Human despair is a universal experience. We all have experienced despair and know what it is like to be threatened, to be afraid, to be scared by a person or an event, to feel hopeless and helpless. The gi of these songs of ascents is that they are for a group of people doing life together, despairing together, travelling together, su ering together, worshipping together, so that, they can remember the truth and remind each other. I li up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? Now the high places was always where other gods were worshipped. When the Israelites disobeyed God and went the way of the surrounding na ons, worshipping other gods with them, those altars were always on the high places. I think this plea for help, is also a great sign of knowing where the real help comes from. ti ti ti ti tt ff ti ti ti ff fi ft ft Page 1 of 4 Does it come from Baal, or those other gods that are worshipped there? No. MY help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. The Israelites certainly knew insecurity. Each year, they traveled to Jerusalem, many of them on foot, for one of the three major feasts. Jesus himself made the trip many mes, walking (or riding) more than ninety miles each way and the road was dangerous and uncertain. These 15 songs of Ascent helped them on the way. They brought their despair to the Lord together. Many of the greatest fears in life don’t come from what we can see, but they come from what we can’t see — from the next unpredictable disaster, from the nameless thief that might break in while we’re asleep, from the disease that could strike someone we love at any me. You can sense the insecurity in the opening line: “I li up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” We don’t know what was in the mind of the writer, but knowing that the worship of other gods so o en happened in the hills, is a good star ng point for these people of faith, to declare the di erence between Yahweh, and all other gods. Their help doesn’t come from the hills, it comes from the one who made the hills, the God who is behind everything. No ce that those rst two verses are in the rst person. I li up MY eyes. Where does MY help come from? MY help comes from the Lord. That personal despair is very real. How might I escape the dangers? Well in v.2 we nd the answer. Because the LORD is the Maker of heaven and earth: And the Psalm turns from the rst person, to the second person. It’s as if this is a ques on and answer me. Maybe this song of ascents was sung an phonally. One person raises the ques ons and the other person answers them. And in the answers we see the Lord’s power. My second point. Whatever threat might come, whatever danger there may be on the journey, we are in a world where the Lord is supreme. In these next verses we nd the Hebrew word 'shamar’ used six mes. It’s either translated 'watches over' or 'keeps'. The dangers might not be known, but the Lord’s power will be seen. He watches over you He watches over Israel a second me we read he watches over you he will watch over your life the Lord will keep you he will watch over your coming and going ft ff ti ti ti ti ft fi fi ti ti fi ti fi ti fi ti ti ft Page 2 of 4 Six mes. And six mes the Lord’s power brings stability with security. He won’t let your foot slip, or an older transla on says he will not let your foot be moved. This is a great imagery of stability. Especially when walking through rocky mountains. If you lost your foo ng there, that’s great poten al for disaster. So to know that the Lord won’t let your foot slip is of great comfort. That great overarching security in the Lord is certain. In fact, not only will he not let your foot slip, but he won’t nod o at other mes either. He won’t slumber, in fact he won’t slumber or sleep, he’s watching over all Israel. Do you remember that incredible scene in 1 Kings 18 when Elijah is on Mt Carmel with all the prophets of Baal and he is challenging them to see which God has the greater power. And the prophets of Baal keep calling on him to come and show his power, and nothing happens. For hours and hours nothing happens. Elijah gets a bit cheeky, and says to them, shout louder, maybe he’s having a snooze, or maybe he’s gone to the toilet. He knew full well that Baal is a false god, in fact is no god at all, but only an idol made with human hands. But when Elijah called on the one and only God, he answered in great power. He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. v.3 - he watches over you v.4 - he watches over Israel v.5 - he watches over you v.7 - the Lord will keep you , and watch over you v.8 - the Lord will watch over you So what other stabili es and securi es does the Lord bring? He provides shade at your right hand. Do you remember the story of Jonah. when Jonah was angry that God had forgiven the people of Nineveh, God provided a tree which gave Jonah shade. God provides shade to shelter from the elements. Here in Psalm 121 it’s so that the sun won’t harm you by day nor the moon by night. You don’t need to worry what might happen in the day me, and you don’t need to worry about what might happen in the night me. Stability in the day or the night brings with it security. That is quite profound, because in the ancient world, where the other na ons worshipped false gods, it was believed that they descended to the underworld at night. But by contrast, we have a constant Lord who is always there, and doesn’t slumber or sleep. The other powerful thing which bring security is the Lord’s protec on from harm. He is watching over your life. And the last verse is par cularly appropriate in this context of journeying to Jerusalem. The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore. ti ti ti ff ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti Page 3 of 4 The Apostle Paul reminds us of similar truths as we live in Christ. Because if we are God’s, nothing can ul mately harm us, because nothing — neither death, nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor anything that threatens you — can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38–39). Paul tells us that at the end of Romans chapter 8. If God is your keeper, he is “your shade on your right hand” (Psalm 121:5), meaning no one is nearer to you than the one who keeps you. There was a great quote from a Study Bible I read which said Yahweh is not just a hideout, but a bodyguard. He’s not just somewhere you go to escape danger, He stays with you. “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life” (Psalm 121:7). Now we need to ask the ques on, Is this psalm just idealis c claptrap? How can the Bible say that the Lord keeps us from all evil when we seem to su er so much from evil (both our own and others’)? Derek Kidner in his commentary compares this verse with Jesus’ promise to his disciples: “You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and rela ves and friends, and some of you they will put to death. . . . But not a hair of your head will perish” (Luke 21:16, 18). How can someone be put to death, and yet not a hair of their head perish? Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Ma hew 10:28). Evil can (and will) harm us in this life, but it can only do so much harm. The evil one can make life miserable, and even dangerous, but the truth is that his leash is short, and eternity is long. Even though our bodies, our rela onships, our feelings are painfully vulnerable for now, we can know that our souls are perfectly and perpetually safe. “He will keep your life” (Psalm 121:7) — the life that ma ers most, the most sa sfying and meaningful life, the one that lasts forever. Jesus prayed, and con nues to pray, for our keeping, “I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, Jesus prays, keep them in your name” (John 17:11). You have an inheritance “imperishable, unde led, and unfading” that God is keeping for you. And God is keeping you for it (1 Peter 1:3–5). Wherever he calls you to go, however hard the journey feels, whatever fears emerge along the way, hear him say, “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this me forth and forevermore” (Psalm 121:8). Human Despair, the Lord’s Power bring Stability with Security. Amen. tt ff tt ti ti ti fi ti ti ti ti ti Page 4 of 4