Funeral

English Standard Version Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

2  My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

3  He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

(A. Seeking Help (Psalm 121:1)) A. SEEKING HELP Psalm 121:1 Gaining help from God involves seeking help from God. The psalm begins with the psalmist seeking help from God for his troubles and trials. 1. The Resoluteness in Seeking Help (Psalm 121:1) “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills” (Psalm 121:1). If you are to receive help from God, you will have to be resolute about seeking it. The “I will” is necessary if you are going to do anything worth while, and few things are as worthwhile as seeking Divine help in time of need. 2. The Rising in Seeking Help (Psalm 121:1) “Lift up mine eyes unto the hills” (Psalm 121:1). The psalmist did not lower himself to seeking help only horizontally from man but lifted up his eyes to vertical help from heaven. Man is very limited in the help he can give. However, God is unlimited in the help He can give. 3. The Region for Seeking Help (Psalm 121:1) “Unto the hills” (Psalm 121:1). This refers to the hills of Jerusalem. When one sought God in the Old Testament, it was sometimes said to be seeking Jerusalem because in Jerusalem (which was located on hills above the plain of most of Palestine) was where the Temple was wherein was the ark. God had said he would commune with Israel from between the cherubims that were on the cover of the ark (Exodus 25:21, 22).

B. SOURCE OF HELP Psalm 121:2, 5 “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth … The LORD is thy keeper; the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand” (Psalm 121:2, 5). To clarify that the region of help pointed to Jehovah-God, not to the city itself, as the source of help, the psalmist adds these two verses to show from whence the help he sought came. 1. Divine Source (Psalm 121:2, 5) “LORD” (Psalm 121:2, 5). Three times the word “LORD” shows up in these two verses. It refers to Jehovah-God. The source of help is Divine help not man’s help. 2. Dynamic Source (Psalm 121:2) “Which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). This shows the power of the One sought for help. He is the great Creator whose power was so great that He simply spoke the creation into existence (Psalm 33:6). 3. Defending Source (Psalm 121:5) “Thy keeper … thy shade upon thy right hand.” The source of the help was excellent in His work of protecting His own. • The proving of protection. God has been “Thy keeper” in the past. God is a proven source of help. “ ‘Thy shade’ means ‘thy protection,’ ‘thy defence’ ” (Rawlinson). • The place of protection. “Thy shade upon thy right hand.” Protecting the right hand was important as the shield carried by soldiers did not protect the right side of the body. God protects us in the place where we are the most vulnerable to the enemy.

C. SUPERIOR HELP Psalm 121:3, 4, 6–8 God’s help is superior to help from any other source. Some examples of God’s protective help show His superiority. 1. Constant Help (Psalm 121:3, 7, 8) Two illustrations are given to show God’s help is constant. • His help will not slumber. “He that keepeth thee will not slumber” (Psalm 121:3). God never goes to sleep on the watch. He is ever watching over us to help us. He is vigilant about our care. His help is indeed superior. • His help never stops. “He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” (Psalm 121:7, 8). God’s help is eternal. In two ways this is declared. First, the SOUL in the protection “He shall preserve thy soul.” The soul is eternal. So He not only protects us in this life, but He also will keep us protected and preserved throughout eternity. Once saved always saved is the doctrine. Second, the SEASON of protection. “From this time forth, and even for evermore.” God’s protection never stops. Scripture emphasizes this plainly by stating that His protection is “for evermore.” Eternal protection is the only way you can read that. 2. Covenant Help (Psalm 121:4) “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4). God’s protection is special for the Jews, the nation of Israel. Today it especially looks perilous for Israel, and even some conservative radio celebrities have worried about Israel’s continued existence. But we who know the Scriptures are not worried about Israel’s survival. God has promised to keep and protect them and that He will never slumber nor sleep on the watch in protecting them. His help is vigilant. 3. Complete Help (Psalm 121:3, 7, 8) “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved … The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil … The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in” (Psalm 121:3, 7, 8). In three ways God’s help is shown to be complete. • He protects our every step. “Preserve thy going out and thy coming in” (Psalm 121:8). There is not a step that we take but that He is watching over us to protect us with His help. • He protects our every stop. “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved” (Psalm 121:3). When the foot is put down to stop, God will help it stay stopped. No enemy can move it. • He protects from evil sin. “The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil” (Psalm 121:7). God is not so weak as to only be able to protect us from a few evils. But He can help us in all evils. There is not an evil that can overcome Him. 4. Creation Help (Psalm 121:6) “The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night” (Psalm 121:6). God created these objects of the universe. While they were for beneficial purposes, they can also harm us. • The harm for the help. “Sun … moon.” The sun is justifiably feared today for it can cause great troubles with mankind if they are not cautious. The ancients also greatly feared the harm of lunacy from the moon’s influence. Neither will be able to penetrate the protection by the Almighty. • The hindrance in the help. It is significant that in the New Jerusalem, Scripture says, “The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23). That is God’s way of helping to protect the saint in eternity from the harm that could come from the sun or moon.