Untitled Sermon (2)

Intro:

Last week Troy shared with us a lesson from Psalm 127. He mentioned that this Psalm was most likely a Song of Ascents, written by Solomon. He mentioned that the word ascent referred to the idea of upward movement or calling ones mind to a higher plain of thinking.

In this collection of Psalms there are 15 Psalms of ascents. Each of these Psalms bring about much encouragement for those who seek to Worship God today.

Although we do not know the time and purpose for the writing all of these Psalms of Ascents, scholars believe that these Psalms were eventually collected and placed together because they would have been sung by the children of Isreal as they traveled upward toward Jerusalem for one of three annual Jewish festivals each year. In Exodus 23:14-17 the Lord says… Exodus 23:14

He then goes on to list these three festivals in verses 15-17 (Exodus 23:15-17).

You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread (Passover)

You shall keep the feast of Harvest (Pentecost)

You shall keep the feast of Ingathering (Feast of Booths)

As we look at our Psalm for tonight Psalm 121 I want you to keep this image, the image of the children of Israel traveling upward towards Israel because regardless of the purpose for the Psalms of Ascents this Psalm, Psalm 121 is written while while its author who is not mentioned is traveling upward while surrounded by the hills or Mountains of Israel.

Let’s read the Psalm together.

I lift up my eyes to the Hills? From where does my help come? This question where does my help come could have been prompted by any number of situations but in its present pilgrimage context it pictures an anxious gaze at hills which could be home or shelter to many dangerous things or enemies.

As I picture the author traveling through the hills to reach his destination I am reminded of a trip that I took by myself through the mountains of Haiti to reach the capital, PAP.

Haiti is a very mountainous Country. On a good day it takes approx 530- 6 hours to travel 120 through the MT from our home in Cap to the Capital of Haiti.

On this occasion I was traveling by myself to go teach a short course at the preaching school in PAP. After traveling about 5 hours I was about 15 miles outside of my destination. Thinking that I had made the trip without any complications I immediately see in front of me a large wall of black smoke.

Not knowing what is going on I pulled over on the side of the road and asked what the problem was. I soon found out that the people were protesting because they had not had any city power for over 3 months.

Because of their frustration they had set tires across the road and lit them on fire thus causing the wall of black smoke.

After talking with some of the locals for a moment I noticed that all the people who had pulled over with me quickly jumped in their cars and turned around and started to leave the scene.

Unfortunately for me by the time that I got back into my truck a large semi had come and blocked me in so that I could not leave. Not knowing what to do I took my truck and drove behind a house of one of the locals.

I remember looking around and seeing the mountains all around me and thinking that I was trapped with no where to hide. Being by myself I wondered who was going to help me get out of this situation.

Thankfully some of the locals invited me to hide out with them for about 5 hours until those who where protesting left. At one point we had to hide my truck because the rioters were looking for gas to keep the fires burning.

Although the way that I traveled on my journey to PAP was much different than the trip that the author would have been on I felt the need to pray and ask this same question where is my help going to come?

Thankfully for me it came from the same place that it did for the author of this Psalm

In verse 2 When the psalmist lifted up his eyes to the hills and asked, “From where does my help come?” he answered, “My help comes from the Lord” — not from the hills, but from the God who made the hills. “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

When I envision this scene and when I look back on my own experience of being surrounded by protesters and the mountains of Haiti I am reminded often and am thankful of the passage of scripture in Psalm 125:2.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people.