Sept 15 2024
Notes
Transcript
psalm 121
psalm 121
A song of ascents.
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.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
We have to be sure of who God is “Where are help comes from” before we can share that hope with others
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.
—> As the pilgrims are traveling to Jerusalem they are traveling up and through the mountains of central Palestine.
—> On these local mountains live all the priests and priestesses of the local gods.
—> people would go to them for help
—> there they would find potions and spells
—> they would find ways to bring fertility to their homes and land.
—> But they would always return home poorer and more hopeless than when they had left.
they weren’t given real hope or real answers or real help
—> Our pslamist reminds us that real help only comes from God.
—> Because while the pilgrims would see the mountains filled with pagan worship in front of them they would be reminded of the mountains of the one true God. Mount Sion where Moses met with God, Mount Moriah where God provided a ram for Abraham.
—> These mountains are the Holy Mountains were God has done things before.
—> What are our reminders of what God has done?
—> What are our go to examples of God’s faithfulness?
—> We look to not only our personal past but our communal past to see what God has done.
—> What has God done for me?
—> What has God done for my family?
—> What has God done for those around me?
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
—> The language shifts from “my” statements to “you” statements
When we remember our story of who God is then we can share that truth with others
—> travelers on this journey would often come up against obstacles and would get injured in 3 main ways that the psalmist discusses.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
—> the slip and fall
—> traveling through rocks and hills can be a dangerous proposition.
—> loose rocks, sudden drops, unclear paths
—> the Psalmist reminds us that God is always watching over us. God is always keeping alert to our needs, does that mean we won’t twist and ankle on our journey now and then no? But it means he won’t leave us lying on the ground. God will pick us up and help us keep moving.
—> Psalm 121:5-6
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
Another common occurrence on these trips is over heating (sunstroke) and becoming mentally and/or emotionally ill (moonstroke)
—> Again, as Christians we know that we are not immune to any of these things, the difference is that unlike the world that has no hope we have the trust and hope in God that He is right here with us. Never leaving us to face these challenges alone.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
—> There is never I time when we need to feel alone or that God has abandon us.
—> The Psalmist was reminding people of that as they traveled to Jerusalem and I’m reminding you of it today. God is with you now and forevermore.