Oh, To Be Kept

Oh, to Be Kept!

7/24/22

Ps121:5

The Lord is thy keeper[1][2] ------ That's it

· Leave your Bibles open we will be looking at the entirety of the whole passage

When Psalm 121 opens, you hear the Psalmist saying:

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,

From whence cometh my help.

2 My help comethfrom the Lord,

Which made heaven and earth.[3]

And when you hear the Psalmist talking about the help, He has from God

· He speaks very assuredly that he did not get to where he is by himself; he did not make it to this point in life by himself

· But the grace of God

· The mercy of God

· The loving-kindness of God, the steadfastness of God has helped him in every situation in which he has found himself

And this should bless us all today because when you look at the text, you will have to agree with the speaker that:

· God constantly helps us, and none of us has made it by ourselves; it's because God has helped us and kept us

· None of us is a self-made man or a self-made woman because we have had the help of a holy God who has been with us throughout our lives.

That's a beautiful picture painted for us (the helper that is our God), but in verses 4-5-7-8-9, you'll see not only does the Psalmist depict God as a helper, but the Psalmist depicts God as a keeper.

That is a beautiful picture; the Hebrew word Shamar means:

· One who keeps us safeguards us, secures us, steadies us, and enables us to keep moving even when we feel like giving up.

· This is our keeper, the one who keeps a smile on our faces when our circumstances are not as pleasing as we like them to be.

· He says the Lord is our keeper.

I love this picture because it reminds me that on my own…I cannot keep myself

· I don't know what's going on around me or even within me, so I need someone bigger than me, stronger than me, to keep me when I can't keep myself

This is what the Psalmist speaks of when he says (the Lord is thy keeper), but you must understand the context of the text

· When you read the text in the context, you will understand what happens in Psalm 121 is a call and response between two speakers; In verses, 1-2 is; the original speaker who gives a word of affirmation

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.[4]

Verses 3 and the following are words of confirmation it's a response from another speaker who begins to say:

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper.

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.[5]

Let me try and make it plain to you in vs. 1-2; we see the Psalmist saying: in the KJV,

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?

2 My help comesfrom the Lord,

Which made heaven and earth[6]

We see the words as affirmation alone, but if you read it in Hebrew,

· The First statement is a word of affirmation,

· The Second statement is a word on inquiry, and

· The Third statement is a word of response to the inquiry that was made.

He says in the first statement: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills

· The statement in Hebrew reads like a question: Where does my help come from? Inquire

The third statement is a response to his own question: 2 My help cometh from the Lord,

Which made heaven and earth.[7]

· He doesn't wait for anyone to answer his inquiry; he says, I'm well aware where my help comes from; I'll answer my own question: (My help comes from the Lord)

· When you know where your help comes from, you don't need to worry

I know someone here this morning that this may be your statement of affirmation as well, that everything that has happened to you in your life that it was by the grace of God who has blessed you over and over again, and somebody ought to thank God for it!

· It's a word of affirmation, then comes a word of confirmation from the second speaker

one possibility which is an elder within the group

As they're making their way up the hill to Jerusalem, look how the speaker begins to testify to those in the group who are listening:

· He says: You need to understand that God has been so good to you that in every scene of your life, He has not just helped you, he has kept you!

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the Lord, which made heaven and earth[8]

Watch This:

Vs3: He will not suffer thy foot to be moved--- here is the second speaker beginning to give a word of confirmation he says: (He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:[9])

The reason why we can celebrate the keeping power of God is because

· This God of ours keeps us stable with his constant care

· He assures those who are listening of God's protection that it's God who watches over them

And we can celebrate God's keeping power because this God of ours--- keeps us stable with his constant care.

· The Lord who keeps us is the one who will not suffer

· Will not permit

· He will not allow our feet to be moved

You have to see the picture: they are making their way up the mountainous terrain towards Jerusalem, and along the path, some cracks and crevices could cause their feet to slip.

And the second speaker says back to the original one: You want to know why you are still making progress? It’s because He doesn’t allow your foot to slip--- he doesn’t allow you to fall--- He keeps you stable with his constant care.

This is a beautiful picture to me because every one of us here this morning should have been walking with God long enough to recognize that there are moments of our lives that are filled with instability. We don’t know how in the world we can handle every moment if we just try to handle it by ourselves!

But don’t you fool yourself; you did not get to where you are because of yourself- you got to where you are because God kept you stable in the midst of instability!

· He kept you stable with His constant care

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.[10]

He is constantly caring for you--- Constantly keeping you stable in an unstable environment – somebody has moved from Ps. 121 to the pages of your life:

· Some of you may have experienced times of instability, but it was God who kept you stable

· It was God who kept you when others tried to take you out

· Some may have instability on the job

· Somebody may have some unstable circumstances in your body

· Some can testify that there has been some instability in my house

· But I can testify this morning that despite all the instability I have endured --- God has kept me stable in unstable circumstances.

And if we all would be real this morning, God has kept you sane in an unstable environment:

· You should have lost your mind

· You should have gone postal, but thanks be unto God he kept your mind when you felt like giving up and throwing in the towel. You haven’t lost all of it; you may have lost a piece of it, but you haven’t lost your whole mind because God has kept you sane in an insane environment.

· God keeps you smiling in spite of all the craziness that is going on in your life.

Is there anyone who can testify that everything may not be going right in my life, but I still have a smile on my face because the joy of the Lord is my strength!

· Can at least three of you all testify this joy that I have? The world didn’t give it, and the world can’t take it away.

· Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come!

· Because he keeps me stable with his constant care

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.[11]

Watch the Text:

5 The Lord is thy keeper[12]The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.[13]

Not only does God keep us stable with his constant care, but may I suggest that he keeps us shielded --- He is our shade, our shield, that no matter what comes at you, God will get between it and block whatever it is coming at you.

· The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand[14]---- He blocked it so that I will have a testimony,----- that if it had not been for the Lord who was by my side, where would I be!

Watch how he begins to talk about how God shields us:

6 The sun shall not smite thee by day,

Nor the moon by night.[15]

By elements by day and enemies by night, ancient Israel understood that at night there were robbers who would hide in the clefs of the rocks, and they would come out and take advantage of those who were making their way back and forth to Jerusalem in the evening hours

And that’s why you ought to get happy; the old saints said He kept me from dangers seen and unseen, the old saints said he put a hedge of protection around me and shielded me from some things!

· The Bible says: No weapon formed against me shall prosper because God blocked it!

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:[16]

The Psalmist keeps on talking about the protecting power--- the shielding power, the keeping power of the Lord.

· You may have to deal with some stuff in this life, but the Lord knows how to block it

· You may have to deal with some perplexities

· You some Parel

· With some problems

· You have to deal with some stuff in this life that you don’t want to deal with, but you have to go through it, but don’t worry about it. He keeps you stable with his constant care--- God keeps you shielded---- I’m almost done; the Bible says:

· He shall preserve thy soul.

8 The Lordshall preserve thy going out and thy coming in From this time forth, and even for evermore.[17]

Not only does God keep us stable with his constant care

Not only does God keep us shielded

But finally, God keeps our soul with his prevailing power!

God is not just trying to get us to and from church, but to and from every experience we will ever engage in.

· He keeps our soul--- the inner part—the breathing part--- that gives activation that keeps the soul moving.

He speaks to the soul because if your soul starts blessing the Lord --- you don’t have to tell your hands to clap

If your soul starts blessing Him, every other part will start blessing the Lord. I want all that is within me to bless his holy name!

I am so glad I have a God who will keep me

· Isaiah 26:3: You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,[18]

Is there anyone who can testify, I had some hills to climb --- I’ve had some storms to endure --- but thanks God for the peace that surpasses all understanding has I kept my mind on Him

· I’m so glad that every day of my life, He’s been keeping me when I couldn’t keep myself

· Every minute of my life, He secured me

· He safeguarded me while I was driving down the street

· Is there anybody here this morning who can testify that God --- has been keeping you --- that God has been preserving you --- that God has been securing you --- we have a God who can secure you --- we have a God who will keep you

Is there anybody here who can help me close this message:

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.[19]

He is a keeper--- Oh, To Be Kept!

He kept you even when they walked off and left you

He kept you when things looked like there was no hope

He kept you when they laid you off

He kept you through the sickness

The Lord is thy Keeper!

[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:5. [2] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ps 121:5. [3] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:1–2. [4] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ps 121:1–2. [5] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ps 121:3–5. [6] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ps 121:1–2. [7] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:2. [8] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ps 121:1–2. [9] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:3. [10] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:3–4. [11] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:3–4. [12] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:5. [13] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:5. [14] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:5. [15] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:6. [16] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:5–7. [17] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 121:7–8. [18] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Is 26:3. [19] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Eph 3:20–21.