28129072 psalm-121-commentary

PSALM 121 COMME�TARY

Written and edited by Glenn Pease

PREFACE

The object of this commentary is to bring together the comments of a number of

authors in one place to make the study of this Psalm easier for the Bible student.

Sometimes I do not have the author's name, and if it is known and told to me, I will

give credit where it is due. If there is any author who does not wish his wisdom to be

included in this study, I will remove it when that author expresses his wish to have it

removed. My e-mail is [email protected]

I�TRODUCTIO�

1. Spurgeon, “This bears no other title than "A Song of degrees". It is several steps

in advance of its predecessor, for it tells of the peace of God's house, and the

guardian care of the Lord, while Psalm 120 bemoans the departure of peace from

the good man's abode, and his exposure to the venomous assaults of slanderous

tongues. In the first instance his eyes looked around with anguish, but here they

look up with hope. From the constant recurrence of the word keep, we are led to

name this song "a Psalm to the keeper of Israel". Were it not placed among the

Pilgrim Psalms we should regard it as a martial hymn, fitted for the evensong of one

who slept upon the tented field. It is a soldier's song as well as a traveler's hymn.

There is an ascent in the psalm itself which rises to the greatest elevation of restful

confidence.”

2. "A Song of Degrees." -- It has been ingeniously pointed out that these "degrees"

or "steps" consist in the reiteration of a word or thought occurring in one clause,

verse, or stanza, which in the next verse or stanza is used, as it were, as a step (or

degree) by which to ascend to another and higher truth. Thus in our psalm, the idea

of "my help", expressed in Psalms 121:1, is repeated in Psalms 121:2. This has now

become a step by which in Psalms 121:3 we reach the higher truth or explanation of

"nay help", as: "He that keepeth thee will not slumber," the same idea being with

slight modification reembodied in Psalms 121:4. Another "degree" is then reached

in Psalms 121:5, when "He who slumbers not" is designated as Jehovah, the same

idea once more enlarged upon being (the word occurring twice in Ps 121:5) in

Psalms 121:6. The last and highest degree of this song is attained in Psalms 121:7,

when the truth implied in the word Jehovah unfolds itself in its application to our

preservation, which, with further enlargement, is once more repeated in Psalms

121:8. Perhaps some internal connection might be traced between all the fifteen

Psalms of Degrees. At any rate, it will not be difficult to trace the same structure if

each of the psalms "of Degrees", making allowance for occasional devotions and

modifications. --Alfred Edersheim, in "The Golden Diary", 1877.

3. Robert J. Morgan, “Some chapters in the Bible are so special that they’ve been

given their own title. We call 1 Corinthians 13, The Love Chapter; Hebrews 11 is

The Faith Chapter; Psalm 23 is The Shepherd Psalm; and 1 Corinthians 15 is The

Resurrection Chapter of the Bible.In our study through the Psalms today we’re

coming to one of the most beautiful and beloved of all the chapters of the Bible—

Psalm 121. It has been called, “The Traveler’s Psalm.” He went on to illustrate how

people have used it for comfort and security in times of travel and facing

uncertainty. He wrote, “Haddon W. Robinson recently wrote a devotional for the

booklet, “Our Daily Bread,” in which he said that Psalm 121 was a favorite of his

father. He wrote, “When my father left the ‘old country’ as a teenager to sail alone

to the United States, he was bidden farewell with this psalm.” When he was heading

off into the World War and at various other critical points of life, the elder Mr.

Robinson leaned on this Psalm.

That’s a scene that has been repeated many times in Christian history. James

Montgomery Boice said in his commentary on the Psalms that this was a very dear

chapter to him because his mother always gathered the family together and read it

before they left on trips, or before one of the children in the family left home. The

great missionary explorer, David Livingstone, read this Psalm as he worshiped with

his father and sister before setting sail for Africa; and his mother-in-law, Mary

Moffat later wrote to him, telling him that Psalm 121 was always on her mind as she

thought and prayed for him.” “In verses 1-2, we’re told to keep our eyes on God,

and in verses 3-8, we’re told that God keeps His eyes on us.”

4. Great Texts, “The very essence of the psalm is simplicity ; here you find no high

nights of poetic imagination, no startling metaphors or fresh truth. And yet there is

a warm glow in its message, and there is a fragrance in its simple trust, which have

made it one of the best loved of all the psalms, to both Jews and Christians

throughout the world. It is the song of a man who found life transfigured by a

thought, a thought born out of his own experience that the God of the everlasting

hills was no mere spectator of human struggles, no indolent Deity calming himself to

sleep amid the perturbations of a universe and the unheeded cries of his creatures.

It is the song of a man who had seen God s rain bow on the dark background of the

day s routine, and was assured that all is well. It is the song of a man whose

ambitions were of a lowly character, and who was content to go out and in, to meet

life s appointments, if so be that the Lord Himself would be his keeper. And what a

power lies secreted in the heart of a song when a man can sing it with the emphasis

of experience !”

5. Rich Cathers sees this as a Psalm dealing with fear, and he wrote, “Sometimes

fear can paralyze us. We are afraid to even move because of all the things that

could go wrong. We make up all kinds of excuses why we can’t do anything, mostly

because of fear: What if I lose my job and we lose the house? What if the person I

love rejects me? What if you find yourself at an airport and just, for curiosity’s

sake, stick your head inside the door of the airplane and just barely get it out before

the door closes, but your tie might get caught in the door, causing you to be dragged

up into the air and halfway across the country, choking and gagging the whole way,

until the tie finally rips in half and you plunge 50,000 feet, eventually crashing

through the roof of a barn and landing softly in a pile of hay, but then the farmer

might sue you for property damages, and since you don’t have that kind of money,

you’ll have to work on his farm as an indentured servant for the next twelve years.

Well, it might happen. Some of our fears are more real than others, but the truth is

we can miss out on a lot of life simply because of fear.

6. Warren Wiersbe, “This psalm is special to my family. When our children were

young and we were all in the car ready to leave on a trip or a vacation, we often

read Psalm 121 and then prayed. The children became accustomed to hearing the

words, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills--from whence comes my help? My help

comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (vv. 1,2). God is our Helper.

You don't have to go on a vacation or drive on a busy highway to know that.

Where does your help come from? The psalmist lifted his eyes to the hills. The most

stable, secure thing the Jews knew were the mountains around Jerusalem. Then the

psalmist lifted his eyes higher and said, "�o, I don't get my help from the hills. I get

my help from the heavens. God is my Helper." Whatever your need or task is today,

your help will come from the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. A God

big enough to make this world and keep it going is big enough to help you with your

problems today.”

7. James Limburg gives us a picture of how this Psalm is used in the traditions of his

denomination. He writes, “There are no references or allusions to Psalm 121 in the

�ew Testament. �evertheless, it remains one of the more popular psalms in

Christian liturgy, hymnody, and piety. In the Lutheran tradition, for example, this

psalm has found a place in services at both the beginning and the end of life. In the

baptismal service of the old Evangelical Lutheran Church, as the child or adult was

brought to the font, the pastor said, “The Lord preserve thy coming in and thy

going out from this time forth and forevermore,” a paraphrase of Psalm 121:8.1

Contemporary services for comforting the bereaved and for the burial of the dead

make use of Psalm 121.2 The Psalm is suggested for use in ministering to those who

are addicted, and the last verse is part of an order for the blessing of a dwelling. In

the course of the church year, Psalm 121 is assigned as one of the readings for the

22nd Sunday after Pentecost. Hymn paraphrases include John Campbell’s, “Unto

the Hills,” Ernst W. Olson’s, “Mine eyes unto the mountains I lift,” and John

Ylvisaker’s setting of this psalm to the traditional American folk tune, “Wayfaring

stranger.” Among memorable musical settings we may mention Mendelssohn’s,

“Lift thine eyes to the mountains” and the chorus, “He, watching over Israel,” both

from the Elijah, as well as Leonard Bernstein’s use of the Psalm in “A Simple Song”

in his Mass. Finally, this psalm has always had a place in the everyday piety of the

people of God..”

8. Linburg goes on to show why he and many others see the Psalms from 120 to 134

As a complete package that was likely a separate small book added to the rest of the

Psalms. He wrote, “ In his insightful study of these psalms, Seybold points out that

they have a number of things in common in addition to their titles.14 Most

obviously, with the exception of Psalm 132, the psalms in this collection are short.

The average length of a psalm in the Psalter is 17 verses; the average of those in this

collection is under 7 verses (Psalm 132 has 18). Many of these psalms have a formal

conclusion, consisting of a blessing, a confession, or a hymnic sentence (121, 124,

125, 128, 129, 130, 131, 133 [Seybold translates, “Live well forevermore.”]). Thirdly,

there are a good number of phrases which are repeated in these psalms: “let Israel

now say” (124:1; 129:1), “O Israel, hope in the Lord” (130:7; 131:3), “who made

heaven and earth” (121:2; 124:8; 134:3), “Peace in Israel” (125:5; 128:6, identical in

Hebrew), “May the Lord bless you from Zion” (128:5; 134:3 identical in Hebrew).

Fourth, there are frequent references in these psalms to Zion (125, 126, 128, 129,

132, 133, 134) and to Israel (121, 122, 124, 125, 128, 129, 130, 131). We might add

that these psalms are permeated with addresses to Yahweh, the Lord. The name

occurs in each of the fifteen psalms, most often in the cry from the depths in 130

with six occurrences, then in 121 with five. Finally, Seybold points to linguistic

similarities among these psalms, including use of the deictic particles ken and hinne,

the enclitic relative še, and Aramaicisms. Considered together, all of these features

point to a homogeneous collection which is well suited to the situation of the people

of Israel making their way to Zion.”

8B. Linburg adds, “In a long series of lectures on these psalms given in 1532 and

1533, Luther summarized by saying that they “deal with important teaching and

almost all of the articles of our Christian faith, of preaching, forgiveness of sins, the

cross, love, marriage, authorities, so that they set forth as it were a summary of all

essential teachings.”

A song of ascents.

1.1.1.1. I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my I lift up my eyes to the hills where does myhelp come from? help come from? help come from? help come from?

1. There are many speculations as to the setting of this Psalm, but that is what they

are, speculations. Barnes in his commentary wrote, “�othing is known, or can be

known, of the author or of the occasion on which it was composed. DeWette and

Rosenmuller suppose that it was composed in the exile; Rosenmuller regarding it as

a psalm to be sung on the return to Palestine after the captivity - DeWette, as the

psalm of a pensive exile looking toward the hills of Palestine, his native land, as the

source from where all his help must come - and expressing confidence in God that

he would bring him out of his exile and his trouble. There is no proof, however, that

either of these suppositions is correct. The language is such, indeed, as might then

be employed, but it is also such as might be used on many other occasions. It might

be the language of the leader of an army, endangered, and looking to the “hills”

where he expected reinforcements; it might be that of a pious man encompassed

with dangers, anal using this expression as illustrative of his looking up to God; or it

might be the language of one looking directly to heaven, represented as the heights,

or the exalted place where God dwells; or it might be the language of one looking to

the hills of Jerusalem - the seat of the worship of God - the place of His abode - as

his refuge, and as the place from where only help could come. This last seems to me

to be the most probable supposition; and thus the psalm represents the confidence

and hope of a pious man (in respect to duty, danger, or trial) as derived from the

God whom he worships - and the place where God has fixed his abode - the church

where he manifests himself to people.

1B. An unknown author wrote, “The opening line, I lift my eyes to the hills, can be

interpreted in several different ways. He may be looking toward his destination,

Zion, the mountain of God, and anticipating the help that God will provide. He may

be thinking of the dangers of travel through the isolated mountain region and

reminding himself of the God who goes with him. Or he may be thinking of the

mountains and their role in the idol worship of the nations that surround Israel.

Mountaintops were often the sites of the altars of Baal. In contrast, the psalmist

looks for help to the God who created the mountains.” There is no hope in the

mountains themselves, for we read in (Jer 3:23 KJV) “Truly in vain is salvation

hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD

our God is the salvation of Israel.” The help hoped for is not in the mountains, but

in the God of the mountains.

1C. Dr. Philip W. McLarty gives us two ways to see this verse. A. It is not a question

but a statement: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”

B. It is a question: “...what the psalmist is actually saying is, “I lift up mine eyes

unto the hills … and I see all of the shrines and altars and symbols of idolatry …

and I ask myself: Whence cometh my help?” Either way, the only reliable source of

security and help is the Lord. He goes on, “Family, friends, business associates –

even your pastor – are likely to let you down when you need them most. Only God

is ultimately steadfast and dependable. We hear over and over in the scripture:

� He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

(Psalms 62:2)

� The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

(Psalms 28:8)

� God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalms 46:1)

� Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalms

124:8)

2. Again, the focus is upward, and not only because God dwells on high, but because

his temple in Jerusalem the highest point in Israel. As the pilgrims would be coming

back from their captivity in Babylon they would be looking to the hills where God

said he would dwell with his people, and from whence their help had always come.

The land encouraged the upward look, and because our Lord ascended to heaven,

the upward look is always appropriate for the believer who looks to the Lord for

help and guidance in life. Every time we pray we are lifting our eyes upward to the

Lord who hears our prayers and by grace comes to our aid.

3. Henry says, “..wherever we are, at home or abroad, we are exposed to danger

more than we are aware of; and this psalm directs and encourages us to repose

ourselves and our confidence in God, and by faith to put ourselves under his

protection and commit ourselves to his care, which we must do, with an entire

resignation and satisfaction, in singing this psalm.” Many see this as a travelers

Psalm, for he is heading for the temple to worship the Lord, but it can be a

dangerous trip. Robbers can come out from hiding places and take all your

possessions, including the sacrifice you are going to make in the temple. Your beast

of burden could stumble and break a leg, or you could as well, and you would be in

trouble and in hopes that a good Samaritan would pass by and give you a lift. Your

family could have sickness, and many things could go wrong, just as is the case with

travelers today. There is risk in travel, and so we turn our eyes from all this negative

potential to the positive promises of the Lord to be with us.

4. An unknown author has this excellent comment: “This is the second of the fifteen

steps or ascents to communion and fellowship with God. The theme of the first step

(Psalm 120) was crying out to the Lord for deliverance. The second step, here in

Psalm 121, is looking up. We cry out and God hears us. We look up and we see His

saving and keeping power that is able to bring us safe into His presence. It has often

been said that, if you are feeling down, look up! In the �ew Testament, the

Scriptures exhort us to look up, to lift up our heads for our redemption draws nigh.

In Psalm 120 we find the believer looking around and finding himself dwelling in

the wrong places. He saw distress on all sides; when he spoke in peace those around

him wanted war. However, in Psalm 121 he looks up. It is there, and there alone,

that he can find help. Do you have problems? Don't look around. Oh, the world may

be ready to offer advice and counseling, but your only help is going to come from

above, from the Lord. Look and live!”

5. Isaac Watts wrote,

Up to the hills I lift mine eyes,

Th' eternal hills beyond the skies;

Thence all her help my soul derives;

There my Almighty refuge lives.

He lives; the everlasting God,

That built the world, that spread the flood;

The heav'ns with all their hosts he made,

And the dark regions of the dead.

He guides our feet, he guards our way;

His morning smiles bless all the day;

He spreads the evening veil, and keeps

The silent hours while Isr'el sleeps.

Isr'el, a name divinely blest,

May rise secure, securely rest;

Thy holy Guardian's wakeful eyes

Admit no slumber nor surprise.

�o sun shall smite thy head by day,

�or the pale moon with sickly ray

Shall blast thy couch; no baleful star

Dart his malignant fire so far.

Should earth and hell with malice burn,

Still thou shalt go, and still return,

Safe in the Lord; his heav'nly care

Defends thy life from every snare.

On thee foul spirits have no power;

And in thy last departing hour,

Angels that trace the airy road

Shall bear thee homeward to thy God.

6. Watts wrote again,

To heav'n I lift my waiting eyes,

There all my hopes are laid:

The Lord that built the earth and skies

Is my perpetual aid.

Their feet shall never slide to fall

Whom he designs to keep;

His ear attends the softest call,

His eyes can never sleep.

He will sustain our weakest powers

With his almighty arm,

And watch our most unguarded hours

Against surprising harm.

Isr'el, rejoice, and rest secure,

Thy keeper is the Lord;

His wakeful eyes employ his power

For thine eternal guard.

�or scorching sun, nor sickly moon,

Shall have his leave to smite;

He shields thy head from burning noon,

From blasting damps at night.

He guards thy soul, he keeps thy breath,

Where thickest dangers come:

Go, and return, secure from death,

Till God commands thee home.

7. And still a third time Watts wrote,

Upward I lift mine eyes,

From God is all my aid;

The God that built the skies,

And earth and nature made:

God is the tower

To which I fly;

His grace is nigh

In every hour.

My feet shall never slide

And fall in fatal snares,

Since God, my guard and guide,

Defends me from my fears:

Those wakeful eyes

That never sleep

Shall Isr'el keep,

When dangers rise.

�o burning heats by day

�or blasts of ev'ning air,

Shall take my health away,

If God be with me there:

Thou art my sun,

And thou my shade,

To guard my head

By night or noon.

Hast thou not giv'n thy word

To save my soul from death?

And I can trust my Lord

To keep my mortal breath:

I'll go and come,

�or fear to die,

Till from on high

Thou call me home.

6. Spurgeon, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. It

is wise to look to the strong for strength. Dwellers in valleys are subject to many

disorders for which there is no cure but a sojourn in the uplands, and it is well when

they shake off their lethargy and resolve upon a climb. Down below they are the

prey of marauders, and to escape from them the surest method is to fly to the

strongholds upon the mountains. Often before the actual ascent the sick and

plundered people looked towards the hills and longed to be upon their summits. The

holy man who here sings a choice sonnet looked away from the slanderers by whom

he was tormented to the Lord who saw all from his high places, and was ready to

pour down succor for his injured servant. Help comes to saints only from above,

they look elsewhere in vain: let us lift up our eyes with hope, expectance, desire, and

confidence. Satan will endeavor to keep our eyes upon our sorrows that we may be

disquieted and discouraged; be it ours firmly to resolve that we will look out and

look up, for there is good cheer for the eyes, and they that lift up their eyes to the

eternal hills shall soon have their hearts lifted up also. The purposes of God; the

divine attributes; the immutable promises; the covenant, ordered in all things and

sure; the providence, predestination, and proved faithfulness of the Lord -- these

are the hills to which we must lift up our eyes, for from these our help must come. It

is our resolve that we will not be bandaged and blindfolded, but will lift up our eyes.

Or is the text in the interrogative? Does he ask, "Shall I lift up mine eyes to the

hills?" Does he feel that the highest places of the earth can afford him no shelter?

Or does he renounce the idea of recruits hastening to his standard from the hardy

mountaineers? and hence does he again inquire, "Whence cometh my help?" If so,

the next verse answers the question, and shows whence all help must come.”

6B. Spurgeon again wrote, “It is good to have some one to look up to. The Psalmist

looked so high that he could look no higher. �ot to the hills, but to the God of the

hills he looked. He believed in a personal God, and knew nothing of that modern

pantheism which is nothing more than atheism wearing a fig leaf. The uplifted eyes

naturally and instinctively represent the state of heart which fixes desire, hope,

confidence, and expectation upon the Lord. God is everywhere, and yet it is most

natural to think of him as being above us, in that glory land which lies beyond the

skies.

O Thou that dwells in the heavens, just sets forth ,the unsophisticated idea of a

child of God in distress: God is, God is in heaven, God resides in one place, and

God is evermore the same, therefore will I look to him. When we cannot look to

any helper on a level with us, it is greatly wise to look above us; in fact, if we have

a thousand helpers, our eyes should still be toward the Lord. The higher the Lord

is the better for our faith, since that height represents power, glory, and

excellence, and these will be all engaged on our behalf. We ought to be very

thankful for spiritual eyes; the blind men of this world, however much of human

learning they may possess, cannot behold our God, for in heavenly matters they

are devoid of sight. Yet we must use our eyes with resolution, for they will not go

upward to the Lord of themselves, but they incline to look downward, or inward,

or anywhere but to the Lord: let it be our firm resolve that the heavenward

glance shall not be lacking. If we cannot see God, at least we will look towards

him. God is in heaven as a king in his palace; he is here revealed, adored, and

glorified: thence he looks down on the world and sends succours to his saints as

their needs demand; hence we look up, even when our sorrow is so great that we

can do no more. It is a blessed condescension on God's part that he permits us to

lift up our eyes to his glorious high throne; yea, more, that he invites and even

commands us so to do. When we are looking to the Lord in hope, it is well to tell

him so in prayer: the Psalmist uses his voice as well as his eye. We need not speak

in prayer; a glance of the eye will do it all; for - -

"Prayer is the burden of a sigh,

The falling of a tear,

The upward glancing of an eye

When none but God is near."

7. I will lift up mine eyes, etc. In thy agony of a troubled conscience always look

upwards unto a gracious God to keep thy soul steady; for looking downward on

thyself thou shalt find nothing but what will increase thy fear, infinite sins, good

deeds few, and imperfect: it is not thy faith, but God's faithfulness thou must rely

upon; casting thine eyes downwards on thyself, to behold the great distance betwixt

what you deserve and what thou desirest, is enough to make thee giddy, stagger,

and reel into despair. Ever therefore lift up thine eyes unto the hills, from whence

cometh thy help, never viewing the deep dale of thy own unworthiness, but to abate

thy pride when tempted to presumption. -- Thomas Fuller (1608-1661), in "The

Cause and Cure of a Wounded Conscience”

7B. “I will - This signifies that the psalmist makes a choice of his will (a volitional

choice) to look up to God. How often when faced with a test, trial or affliction, I

choose to look down in self-pity or around at adverse circumstances, rather than

gazing upward to my Omnipotent God! This phrase I will also indicates the psalmist

recognizes that the godly man stands in continual need of and dependence upon

Jehovah's help. Keen writes that He waits — he expects — he obtains. The truest

vision is soul-vision. Looking up in solicitation, contemplation, expectation. “Up,”

from the mud and mire of earth, and the sins and sorrows of self. (Keen, J O:

Biblical Illustrator)”

8. From whence cometh my help. The natives of India used to say that when Sir

Henry Laurence looked twice to heaven and then to earth he knew what to do.

To Heaven I lift mine eye,

To Heaven, Jehovah's throne,

For there my Savior sits on high,

And thence shall strength and aid supply

To all He calls His own.

He will not faint nor fail,

�or cause thy feet to stray:

For him no weary hours assail,

�or evening darkness spreads her veil

O'er his eternal day.

Beneath that light divine

Securely shalt thou move;

The sun with milder beams shall shine,

And eve's still queen her lamp incline

Benignant from above.

For he, thy God and Friend,

Shall keep thy soul from harm,

In each sad scene of doubt attend,

And guide thy life, and bless thy end,

With his almighty arm.

--John Bowtiler, 1814.

9. Charles Wesley's spirited paraphrase says,

"To the hills I lift mine eyes,

The everlasting hills;

Streaming thence in fresh supplies,

My soul the Spirit feels.

Will he not his help afford?

Help, while yet I ask, is given:

God comes down; the God and Lord

That made both earth and heaven."

10. Maclaren sees this from the viewpoint of the exiled Jews in Babylon. “I will lift

up mine eyes unto the hills’—a resolution, and a resolution born of intense longing.

�ow the hills that the Psalmist is thinking about were visible from no part of that

long-extended plain where he dwelt; and he might have looked till he wore his eyes

out, ere he could have seen them on the horizon of sense. But although they were

unseen, they were visible to the heart that longed for them. He directs his desires

further than the vision of his eyeballs can go. Just as his possible contemporary,

Daniel, when he prayed, opened his window towards the Jerusalem that was so far

away; and just as Mohammedans still, in every part of the world, when they pray,

turn their faces to the Kaabah at Mecca, the sacred place to which their prayers are

directed; and just as many Jews still, north, east, south or west though they be, face

Jerusalem when they offer their supplications—so this psalmist in Babylon, wearied

and sick of the low levels that stretched endlessly and monotonously round about

him, says, ‘I will look at the things that I cannot see, and lift up my eyes above these

lownesses about me, to the loftinesses that sense cannot behold, but which I know to

be lying serene and solid beyond the narrowing horizon before me.

‘From whence cometh my help?’ The loftier our ideal, the more painful ought to be

our conviction of incapacity to reach it. The Christian man’s one security is in

feeling his peril, and the condition of his strength is his acknowledgment and vivid

consciousness always of his weakness. The exile in Babylon had a dreary desert,

peopled by wild Arab tribes hostile to him, stretching between his present home and

that where he desired to be, and it would be difficult for him to get away from the

dominion that held him captive, unless by consent of the power of whom he was the

vassal. So the more the thought of the mountains of Israel drew the Psalmist, the

more there came into his mind the thought, ‘How am I to be made able to reach that

blessed soil?’ And surely, if we saw, with anything like a worthy apprehension and

vision, the greatness of that blessedness that lies yonder for Christian souls, we

should feel far more deeply than we do the impossibility, as far as we are concerned,

of our ever reaching it. The sense of our own weakness and the consciousness of the

perils upon the path ought ever to be present with us all.”

10B. Hamilton Smith also has the perspective of Babylon. “The godly assured of the

presence and support of the Lord, in view of their journey from the land of captivity

to the house of the Lord. (vv. 1-2) The godly man would fain escape from the land of

his captivity; but mountains block his way. Looking at the difficulties, the cry is

forced from him, “Whence shall my help come?” (J�D). Immediately his faith

replies, “My help cometh from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth.” The

Maker of the mountains can lead him across the mountains.”

10C. Ben edgington starts off his sermon on this text with this: “I hope there are

some fans of Winnie the Pooh here. If so, perhaps you remember the episode of the

very windy day. Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet were walking in the Hundred Acre

Wood. Piglet's ears streamed behind him like banners as he fought his way along.

Being a rather small and anxious sort of animal, Piglet turned to Pooh and asked

nervously, "Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?" After

careful thought, Pooh, being somewhat wiser and less anxious, replied "Supposing it

didn't" . This is the kind of conversation my wife and I sometimes have: like Piglet,

she worries about all sorts of things that might happen; like Pooh, I'm a bit more

laid-back. It seems to me that our Psalmist, the writer of Psalm 121, also has

something in common with Piglet as he begins. In his case it is the hills rather than

the trees he lifts his eyes to, but the effect is the same: they worry him. He is fearful

of what lies ahead. Perhaps the hills remind him of the goal of his journey—

Jerusalem sits in the Hill country of Judea— but they certainly also remind him of

the dangers of his journey: the dangers of the climb; the danger of bandits; the

danger of heatstroke and exhaustion in the fierce summer heat; the danger of wild

animals at night. All this prompts his question Where does my help come from?”

11. The Poet Laureate of Tennessee, a man named Pek Gunn, was fretting one day

about his future as he was aging. He began to look at the surrounding mountains

and wrote this poem:

As I stared at dem big mountains, trees and flowers everywhere

From my heart there welled up praises, 'cause my Lord had put ‘em there.

1ow I’se ain’t frettin’ any longer for there’s one thing dat I see,

If my good Lord made dem mountains, He can shore take care of me.

12. Great Texts, “ Ruskin, in his Modern Painters, has called attention to a

suggestive fact. It is that the greatest painters of the Holy Family have always a hint

of the mountains in the distance. You might have looked for cornfield or for

vineyard, or for some fine pleasant garden sleeping in the sunshine; but in the

greatest painters that you never find ; it is " I to the hills will lift mine eyes." What

they felt was, with one of these intuitions which are the birthright and the seal of

genius what they felt was that for a secular subject vineyard and meadow might be a

fitting background ; but for the Holy Family, and for the Child of God, and for the

love of heaven incarnate in humanity, you want the mystery, the height, the depth,

which call to the human spirit from the hills. It is not to man as a being with an

intellect that the hills have spoken their unvarying message. It is to man as a being

with a soul, with a cry in his heart for things that are above him. That is why Zeus

in the old Pagan days came down to speak to men upon Mount Ida. That is why

Genius painting Jesus Christ throws in its faint suggestion of the peaks.”

13. Great Texts, “From Venice, Ruskin travelled by Milan and Turin to Susa, and

over the Pass of Mont Cenis. Among the mountains he recovered at once health and

spirits. His first morning among the hills after the long months in Italy, he

accounted a turning-point in his life : " I woke from a sound tired sleep in a little

one- windowed room at Lans-le-bourg, at six of the summer morning, June 2nd,

1841 ; the red aiguilles on the north relieved against pure blue the great pyramid of

snow down the valley in one sheet of eastern light. I dressed in three minutes, ran

down the village street, across the stream, and climbed the grassy slope on the south

side of the valley, up to the first pines. I had found my life again ; all the best of it.

What good of religion, love, admiration or hope, had ever been taught me, or felt by

my best nature, rekindled at once ; and my line of work, both by my own will and

the aid granted to it by fate in the future, determined for me. I went down

thankfully to my father and mother, and told them I was sure I should get well."

Ruskin might have said very literally with the Psalmist : " I will lift up mine eyes

unto the hills, whence cometh my help." Many are the healing stories that come

from the awesome power of the mountains. They are part of the vast medicine

cabinet that God gave man in nature that can revive him in times of exhaustion.

God hath His uplands, bleak and bare,

Where He doth bid us rest awhile

Crags where we breathe the purer air,

Lone peaks that catch the day s first smile.

Lift me, Lord, above the level plain,

Beyond the cities where life throbs and thrills,

And in the cool airs let my spirit gain

The stable strength and courage of Thy hills.

They are Thy secret dwelling places, Lord.

Like Thy majestic prophets, old and hoar,

They stand assembled in divine accord,

Thy sign of stablished power for evermore.

Load me yet farther, Lord, to peaks more clear,

Until the clouds like shining meadows lie,

Where through the deeps of silence I may hear

The thunder of Thy legions marching by. Unknown author

14. There are numerous contemporary songs written based on this Psalm, and one

of them that I think really conveys the message of this Psalm is that by Bebo

�orman.

God, my God, I cry out

Your beloved needs You now

God, be near, calm my fear

And take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up

Your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker

Of the mountains I can't climb

I will lift my eyes to the Calmer

Of the oceans raging wild

I will lift my eyes to the Healer

Of the hurt I hold inside

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, let Mercy sing

Her melody over me

God, right here all I bring

Is all of me

Cause You are and You were and You will be forever

The Lover I need to save me

Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God

So hold me now

15. Another poem of beauty is not as close to this Psalm in meaning, but goes in

another wonderful direction.

Lift my eyes unto the hills

The Light it fills my eyes

Majestic shine now coming forth

My heart makes peaceful sigh

I see His Glory in the sky

His Majesty My King

Glowing from the heavens

Each ray of Light will bring

Heart so filled with rapture

At this wondrous sight I see

God the Father and the Son

His Spirit now with me

Feel His softness from on high

His Beauty from above

Fill my world with peacefulness

His never ending Love

Oh what joy within my soul

His Smile is always there

Omnipresent beauty of

Magnificence He shares

Feel the rapture of His Glory

While on my knees I pray

Oh My Father up above

You've touched my soul today. ~Francine Pucillo~

2. My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

1. Certainly he who made all the mountains can safely lead me up the mountain of

Zion to worship him. He who made it all, can protect me from all, and lead me up

past all obstacles to Himself. Samuel Cox describes the risks involved in that day in

traveling up to Jerusalem: “In the East, travel dangers were always far more

perilous than in the West. And, from two to three thousand years ago, the journey

from Galilee to Jerusalem was so beset with perils of storms and perils of wild

beasts, perils of robbers and perils of war, perils from aliens and perils from fellow-

countrymen, that the Jews who undertook it were compelled to travel in armed

caravans for mutual support and defense. During the later centuries in which these

annual pilgrimages were made from the time of �ehemiah, through that of the

Maccabees, down to that of the Romans — the whole country was disturbed by

foreign invaders, by Hebrew factions, by bands of patriots driven to the hills for

political crimes, as well as by the village brigands who made a trade of robbery and

bloodshed.” Who would not be praying for God's help in those situations?

1B. Ben Edgington, “The Psalmist is convinced that God can help him because he is

the Maker of heaven and earth. The pilgrim lifted his eyes to the hills, and what he

saw made him anxious. But now he lifts his eyes higher and looks beyond to the very

one who made those hills: the one who made heaven and earth. With the Maker

himself on your side there is no need to fear anything that has been made. �othing is

beyond God's reach and control.”

2. Gill wrote, “Who helps his people out of the hands of all their enemies, and out of

all their troubles and afflictions; he helps them in the performance of duty, in the

exercise of grace, in bearing the cross, in fighting the Lord's battles, and on in their

journey; he helps them to all blessings, temporal and spiritual; to all needful

supplies of grace here, and glory hereafter; and this help he gives is quick and

present, suitable and seasonable, is sufficient, and sometimes with, and sometimes

without means; and they have great encouragement to expect it from him, since he

is able to give it, being the Maker of heaven and earth; for what is it that he cannot

do, who has made both them? And besides, he has promised to help them, and he is

faithful that has promised; he has laid help on Christ for them, and set up a throne

of grace, where they may hope to find grace and mercy, to help them in time of

need; and they have had past experiences of his help and salvation.”

3. Henry comments, ““This (says Dr. Hammond) may refer to Christ incarnate,

with whose humanity the Deity being inseparably united, God is always present with

him, and, through him, with us, for whom, sitting at God's right hand, he constantly

maketh intercession.” Christ is called the angel of his presence, that saved his

people, Isa_63:9. 4. We must encourage our confidence in God with this that he

made heaven and earth, and he who did that can do any thing. He made the world

out of nothing, himself alone, by a word's speaking, in a little time, and all very

good, very excellent and beautiful; and therefore, how great soever our straits and

difficulties are, he has power sufficient for our succor and relief. He that made

heaven and earth is sovereign Lord of all the hosts of both, and can make use of

them as he pleases for the help of his people, and restrain them when he pleases

from hurting his people.”

4. Spurgeon, “What we need is help, -- help powerful, efficient, constant: we need a

very present help in trouble. What a mercy that we have it in our God. Our hope is

in Jehovah, for our help comes from him. Help is on the road, and will not fail to

reach us in due time, for he who sends it to us was never known to be too late.

Jehovah who created all things is equal to every emergency; heaven and earth are at

the disposal of him who made them, therefore let us be very joyful in our infinite

helper. He will sooner destroy heaven and earth than permit his people to be

destroyed, and the perpetual hills themselves shall bow rather than he shall fail

whose ways are everlasting. We are bound to look beyond heaven and earth to him

who made them both: it is vain to trust the creatures: it is wise to trust the Creator.”

5. To look only to human help is to put your trust in a broken crutch, for men fail to

come to our aid, or they come too late to save us. (Ps 146:3-4) Do not put your trust

in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. (4) When their spirit departs, they

return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.”

6. “Our help comes from the LORD. It is He Who helps us on our life's journey. He

is He Who gives us the strength and the courage to keep on going. It is He Who

allows us to face death and trouble and hardship with confidence and joy. Our help

comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Imagine the might and the

power to make everything in heaven and earth; imagine the might and the power to

make you and me. The LORD, He is Almighty. All things are in His hands. �othing

and no one is stronger than Him. To such a God – a mighty God – we can look for

help. We know He is more than able to do anything at anytime and anywhere.”

Adrian Dielman

7. “THE LORD, THE MAKER OF HEAVE� A�D EARTH: "Except the Lord

keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain" (Psa 127:1). "The Lord is on my

side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" (Psa 118:6; Heb 13:6). Man builds

"hills" and towers and mighty cathedrals; he carves images of wood and stone; but

the Lord made heaven and earth, a vastly superior work. "The Most High dwelleth

not in temples made with hands... Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool:

what house will ye build me? saith the Lord. Hath not my hand made all these

things?" (Act 7:48-50).”

8. Someone compiled this list of Scriptures where God is the source of help, and

after reading this list you will be convinced that God is indeed our Helper.

(Genesis 49:25 �KJV) By the God of your father who will help you, And by the

Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep

that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

(2 Chronicles 14:11-12 �KJV) And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said,

"LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no

power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go

against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against

You!" {12} So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the

Ethiopians fled.

(2 Chronicles 18:31-32 �KJV) So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw

Jehoshaphat, that they said, "It is the king of Israel!" Therefore they surrounded

him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God

diverted them from him. {32} For so it was, when the captains of the chariots saw

that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.

(2 Chronicles 32:7-8 �KJV) "Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor

dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him;

for there are more with us than with him. {8} "With him is an arm of flesh; but with

us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people were

strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

(Psalms 27:8-10 �KJV) When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You,

"Your face, LORD, I will seek." {9} Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn

Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake

me, O God of my salvation. {10} When my father and my mother forsake me, Then

the LORD will take care of me.

(Psalms 28:7 �KJV) The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in

Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will

praise Him.

(Psalms 30:10-11 �KJV) Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my

helper!" {11} You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off

my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

(Psalms 37:39-40 �KJV) But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is

their strength in the time of trouble. {40} And the LORD shall help them and

deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they

trust in Him.

(Psalms 40:16-17 �KJV) Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let

such as love Your salvation say continually, "The LORD be magnified!" {17} But I

am poor and needy; Yet the LORD thinks upon me. You are my help and my

deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.

(Psalms 42:5 �KJV) Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you

disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His

countenance.

(Psalms 46:1 �KJV) God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

(Psalms 54:4 �KJV) Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold

my life.

(Psalms 60:11 �KJV) Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless.

(Psalms 63:6-7 �KJV) When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the

night watches. {7} Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of

Your wings I will rejoice.

(Psalms 70:4-5 �KJV) Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And

let those who love Your salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified!" {5} But I

am poor and needy; Make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer;

O LORD, do not delay.

(Psalms 79:9 �KJV) Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name;

And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name's sake!

(Psalms 94:17-18 �KJV) Unless the LORD had been my help, My soul would soon

have settled in silence. {18} If I say, "My foot slips," Your mercy, O LORD, will

hold me up.

(Psalms 109:26-27 �KJV) Help me, O LORD my God! Oh, save me according to

Your mercy, {27} That they may know that this is Your hand; That You, LORD,

have done it!

(Psalms 121:1-2 �KJV) 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.

(Psalms 146:5-6 �KJV) Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose

hope is in the LORD his God, {6} Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that

is in them; Who keeps truth forever,

(Isaiah 41:10 �KJV) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your

God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous

right hand.'

(Isaiah 41:13 �KJV) For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying

to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'

(Isaiah 50:7-9 �KJV) "For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be

disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be

ashamed. {8} He is near who justifies Me; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand

together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me. {9} Surely the Lord GOD

will help Me; Who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a

garment; The moth will eat them up.

(Romans 8:25-29 �KJV) But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for

it with perseverance. {26} Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we

do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes

intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. {27} �ow He who

searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes

intercession for the saints according to the will of God. {28} And we know that all

things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called

according to His purpose. {29} For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be

conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many

brethren.

(Hebrews 4:14-16 �KJV) Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has

passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

{15} For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,

but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. {16} Let us therefore come

boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in

time of need.

(Hebrews 13:5-6 �KJV) Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with

such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor

forsake you." {6} So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear.

What can man do to me?"

9. Abide with Me

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

“This beloved hymn of comfort and trust was written in 1847 by Henry F. Lyte a

man of delicate health most of his life who served tirelessly as a pastor in a seashore

church in Devonshire, England where he ministered to the rough sailors and

uncultured villagers who loved him. Health finally forced Lyte to retreat to the

milder climate of sunny southern France, and he prepared to sail. On his last

Sunday after 24 years of faithful service, despite being too weak to stand and

preach, somehow he was able feebly stand and preach his parting message to his

weeping flock. That evening, as he walked down to the ocean and watched the sun

setting, he took out a piece of paper and penned the poem that was later put to

music in this beautiful hymn. The next day he left for France. Reaching �ice, he had

a seizure and passed away with the words, “Joy! Peace!” on his lips. In his going out

and coming in, Lyte experienced help for the helpless from Jehovah, the Helper of

all our souls.” author unknown

15. The Psalmist asks a question, and then gives the answer to his own question.

Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord. He asks, and he

receives. �ot all are so fortunate in looking for help. Someone wrote this poem that

is humorous, but it is not so funny at the time you are looking for help that you

need.

In supermarkets it requires

A super man or woman,

A person with the sharpest eyes,

Persistence, and acumen.

You see, it takes a special knack,

Sometimes, to find an item.

Signs are a help, but not enough,

And sometimes you can't sight 'em.

Yes, searching out just what is where

Is really quite a task,

And it is almost harder, friends,

To find someone to ask.

There are so many situations in life where we need help, and it is made so

complicated that we are often in despair. God is our helper in all the areas of life

where we need his providential guidance and protection, and he is ever ready to

provide that help when we call upon him. The primary role that prayer plays in our

lives is in the realm of seeking his help in the many areas where we have no power to

achieve the goals on our own.

3 He will not let your foot slip, he who watches

over you will not slumber;

1. There were points along this climb where the footing could be slippery, and one

could fall or twist an ankle and become hurt enough to hinder them from getting to

the temple. This would be a sad event, and doubtless it happened a good many

times, but here is one with the assurance that it will not happen to them, for he

trusts that God will be wide awake when he climbs the hills, and he will protect him

from such accidents. The pilgrims are singing this as they climb, and it is an exercise

in positive thinking whereby they are assuring each other that all will be well. We

are going to make it safe and sound, for the Lord hears our prayers for protection.

We do not have to worry if it is getting late in our journey, for we do not serve a

God who has to get to bed early, for he never sleeps, but is ever wakeful toward his

people and their need for protection. Ruth Bell Graham wrote, “If you’re going to

stay up all night worrying, do something useful and pray. Talk to the “�ight

Watchman” on duty. That’s what Jesus did.”

2. “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved - He will enable you to stand firm. You

are safe in his protection. Compare the notes at Psa_38:16. This, with the remainder

of the psalm, seems to be of the nature of an answer to the anxious question in

Psa_121:1 - an answer which the author of the psalm, in danger and trouble, makes

to his own soul, imparting confidence to himself. He that keepeth thee will not

slumber - He will be ever watchful and wakeful. Compare Isa_27:3. All creatures, as

far as we know, sleep; God never sleeps. Compare Psa_139:11-12. His eyes are upon

us by day, and in the darkness of the night - the night literally; and also the night of

calamity, woe, and sorrow.” author unknown

3. Spurgeon, “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. Though the paths of life are

dangerous and difficult, yet we shall stand fast, for Jehovah will not permit our feet

to slide; and if he will not suffer it we shall not suffer it. If our foot will be thus kept

we may be sure that our head and heart will be preserved also. In the original the

words express a wish or prayer, - - "May he not suffer thy foot to be moved."

Promised preservation should be the subject of perpetual prayer; and we may pray

believing; for those who have God for their keeper shall be safe from all the perils of

the way. Among the hills and ravines of Palestine the literal keeping of tim feet is a

great mercy; but in the slippery ways of a tried and afflicted life, the boon of

upholding is of priceless value, for a single false step might cause us a fall fraught

with awful danger. To stand erect and pursue the even tenor of our way is a blessing

which only God can give, which is worthy of the divine hand, and worthy also of

perennial gratitude. Our feet shall move in progress, but they shall not be moved to

their overthrow.

He that keepeth thee will not slumber, -- or "thy keeper shall not slumber". We

should not stand a moment if our keeper were to sleep; we need him by day and by

night; not a single step can be safely taken except under his guardian eye. This is a

choice stanza in a pilgrim song. God is the convoy and body guard of his saints.

When dangers are awake around us we are safe, for our Preserver is awake also,

and will not permit us to be taken unawares. �o fatigue or exhaustion can cast our

God into sleep; his watchful eyes are never closed.”

3B. Spurgeon adds, “"Disasters and reverses may lay him low; he may, like Job, be

stripped of everything; like Joseph, be put in prison; like Jonah, be cast into the

deep. He shall not be utterly cast down. He will be brought on his knees, but not on

his face; or, if laid prone for a moment he shall be up again ere long. �o saint will

fall finally or fatally. Sorrow may bring us to the earth, and death may bring us to

the grave, but lower we cannot sink, and out of the lowest of all we shall arise to the

highest of all. For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. He does not leave his

saints to mere delegated agency; He affords personal assistance. Where grace does

not keep us from going down, it will save from keeping down. Job had double

wealth at last, Joseph reigned over Egypt, Jonah was safely landed. It is not that the

saints are strong, or wise, or meritorious, that therefore they rise after every fall,

but because God is their Helper and therefore none can prevail against them."

(Spurgeon, C. H: The Treasury of David)

Amidst a thousand snares I stand

Upheld and guarded by thy hand;

That hand unseen shall hold me still,

And lead me to thy holy hill.

4. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. The sliding of the foot is a frequent

description of misfortune, for example, Psalms 38:16, Psalms 66:9, and a very

natural one in mountainous Canaan. Where a single slip of the foot was often

attended with great danger. The language here naturally refers to complete, lasting

misfortune. --E.W. Hengstenberg.

5. There is something very striking in the assurance that the Lord will not suffer the

foot even of the most faint and wearied one to be moved. The everlasting mountains

stand fast, and we feel as if, like Mount Zion, they could not be removed for ever;

but the step of man -- how feeble in itself, how liable to stumble or trip even against

a pebble in the way! Yet that foot is as firm and immoveable in God's protection as

the hills themselves. It is one of his own sweet promises, that he will give his angels

charge over every child Of his, that lie come to no harm by the way. But, oh, how

immeasurably beyond even the untiring wings of angels is the love promised here!

that love which engages to protect from every danger, as a hen gathereth her

chickens under her wings. In the hours of occupation and hurry, in the conflicts and

perils of the day, in the helplessness of sleep, in the glare and heat of the noonday,

amid the damps and dews of night, that wakeful eye is still over every child for his

good. Man, indeed, goeth forth to his work and to his labor till the evening; but alike

as he goes forth in the morning, and as he returns in the evening, the Lord still holds

him up in all his goings forth and his comings in; no manner of evil shall befall him.

And oh! what a sweet addition is it to the promise, "He shall preserve thy soul". It is

the very argument of the apostle, and the very inference he draws, "The eyes of the

Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry", -- "He neither

slumbereth nor sleepeth", -- and then he asks, "Who is he that will harm you, if ye

be followers of that which is good?" From the very dawn of life to its latest close,

even for evermore, "He will preserve thee from all evil; he will preserve thy soul."

--Barton Bouchier.

6. Samuel Cox, “The recurring and characteristic word of the Psalm is " keep : it is

repeated and thought of no less than six times in the last six verses. The Creator of

the universe is the Keeper of Israel. The Keeper of the whole nation is the Keeper of

the individual man. The Keeper of the man and the nation does not fall into slumber

from weariness; nor is his life, through mortal weakness, an alternate waking and

sleeping : He guards them from the perils of the night as well as from the perils of

the day. He keeps those who trust in Him from evil in every form. He keeps

their very soul, their most inward and secret life. He keeps them in all the changes

and inter courses of their outward life, their goings out and their comings in. He

keeps them through all —hidden lapse of time, now and for evermore. It is

unfortunate that our Authorized Version, by substituting the verb "preserve for

the verb "keep'' in the closing verses of the Psalm, hides from the English reader the

iteration of one and the same word in the Original. For it is by the iteration of one

word, by the varied repetition of one thought, by the tenacious insistence on one

point, that the Poet assures himself of the unceasing and watchful care of God,

persuades himself to trust in it, banishes every shade of doubt from his heart, and

loses all fear lest he should be overlooked and forgotten by the God who has all men

and all worlds on his hands.”

7. Robert J. Morgan makes it easier to see what Cox is writing about by giving us

this: “...in the original Hebrew, the word “shamar” occurs six times in these six

verses. Let’s read it like that:

He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who shamar(s) you will not slumber.

Behold, He who shamar(s) Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your shamar(-er);

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

�or the moon by night.

The LORD shall shamar you from all evil;

He shall shamar your soul.

The LORD shall shamar your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.

7B. Great Texts, “Have you heard of the man who, when he was dying, asked that

they should inscribe upon his tombstone just one word, and that one word was not

his name, his good deeds, or anything about him ; but over the anonymous corpse

that lay beneath was to be the word " Kept." It was a stroke of genius. " Kept."

That will do. If I live until I am ninety, and do well all that time, when I come to die,

put me down in my grave, and only put that over the top of me, and I will be full

content " Kept."

8. �otice that this psalm can be "subdivided" in to

(1) The Anticipation of Divine Help (Psalm 121:1-2) in which the psalmist

speaks in the first person ("I," "my," Psalm 121:1-2) and

(2) The Assurance of Divine Help (Psalm 121:3-8), which is written in the

second person singular ("you," "your"), which might have been to allow this

segment to be sung antiphonally.

Looking at this psalm another way, the second six verses explain the Divine help

mentioned in the first two verses. The explanation in the second could represent a

dialogue between two parties (some commentaries suggest the psalmist and a priest).

Alternatively the psalmist could be "preaching" or dialoguing with himself

(between the godly man and his inner self) as we see in Psalms 42 and 43. where

David is also seeking "help" author unknown

9. Wayne Shih, “The key word in these verses is the word “watch” or “keep.” It occurs

six times in six verses. The basic idea of the word is “to exercise great care over.” These

verses tell us that God exercises great care over us. He guards our life, he tends to our

needs, he protects our ways. �ow, before we look at what God’s care is like, I want you

to note the change in speaker between verse 2 and 3. There is a shift from the first

person in the opening verses to the third person starting in verse 3. What does this shift

mean? There are a couple of possibilities. Perhaps the person is now talking to himself.

Or perhaps someone else is now talking to him. Either way, we need both of these kinds

of “voices” in our life. First, we need to talk to ourselves. Some of you are thinking, “I

already do that, and people think I’m crazy.” Just remember, you’re not crazy until

you start answering yourself. Seriously, we need to speak the truth to ourselves. We

need to tell ourselves what God’s word says. Most of us have been listening to lies for

years. They play in our heads like taped messages. “God doesn’t care about you.”

“You’ve sinned too much for God to accept you.” “You have to be perfect to be loved.”

“You can indulge one little sin in your life.” “You have the right to hold a grudge.” And

on it goes. Last week, we saw in Psalm 120 how the psalmist was bothered by the lies

spoken against him. But just as dangerous are the lies within us. To counter those lies,

we need to speak the truth to ourselves.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote, “....instead of allowing this self to talk to you, you have

to start talking to yourself: The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know

how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address

yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself…. You must turn on yourself,

upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: ‘Hope

thou in God’ - instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you

must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God

has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do (Spiritual Depression, 20-21).”

My comment is this: “In other words, face the reality of who, what and where you

are, and then have faith in the reality of who God is, and what he has promised.”

10. Judy Gresham

And when I lift my eyes I’ll see your powerful sufficiency,

God who watches over me won’t slumber.

And You will be my shade by day,

you’ll keep the fears of night at bay,

steadied by your hand , my feet won’t stumble

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

1. “A great practical difficulty is to find a keeper who will remain awake during the

whole night. The weariness of those who keep a faithful watch, and their longing for

day during the tedious lonely hours of darkness, is alluded to in a graphic and

beautiful figure of the Psalmist --

"My soul waiteth for the Lord

More than keepers for the morning,

More than keepers for the morning."

The usual method adopted to secure due vigilance is to require the man to call out

loudly, or to blow a whistle, every quarter of an hour... Yet, notwithstanding all

precautions, as soon as sleep falls on the tired camp, it is too often the case that the

hireling keeper lies down on the ground, wraps around him his thick "abaiyeh", or

cloak, and, careless of his charge, or overcome with weariness yields himself up to

his drowsy propensities.

Viewed in the light of these facts, how full of condescension and cheer is the

assurance of God's never ceasing care --

"He who keepeth thee will not slumber.

Behold, he who keepeth Israel

Doth not slumber or sleep.

Jehovah is thy keeper."

While the services of the keeper constitute at all times a marked feature of life in

Palestine, they are perhaps more needed when traveling through the country than at

any other time. Then, when the moving camp is nightly pitched in strange fields, it

becomes absolutely necessary to apply to the nearest authorities for a nocturnal

guardian, before one can safely lie down to rest. �ow this Psalm 121 being one of

"the Songs of Degrees," was probably composed to be sung on the way to

Jerusalem, as a pilgrim hymn, when the Israelites were coming up annually to keep

the three great feasts. As a journeying psalm, it would therefore have peculiar

significance in its allusion to the keeper by night. -- James �eil, in "Palestine

Explored", 1882.

1B. We may go to sleep on God, but he will not go to sleep on us. We can be so tired

that our evening prayers are never finished because we fall asleep before we get

done. We go to sleep at the wheel of life and are so drowsy that we forget that we

just had a great opportunity to witness for Christ. We think of it too late and miss

the chance. We are often sleepy saints that miss opportunities that God gives us to

do his will. Thank heavens that God does not sleep and forget to protect and guide

us, for we might not survive another day if he took a nap and left us on our own.

How many times have I just missed being killed in a car, and where I have been

spared by seconds from being hit. I have thanked God many times for his

providential care that has kept me alive. I am so grateful that he never sleeps, and

never takes a vacation. I need a 24/7 God to keep me surviving.

2. When one asked Alexander how he could sleep so soundly and securely in the midst

of danger, he told him that Parmenlo watched, Oh, how securely may they sleep

over whom he watcheth that never slumbers nor sleeps! --From "The Dictionary of

Illustrations", 1873.

3. Barnes, “ The Keeper - the Guardian - of his people. The psalmist here passes

from his own particular case to a general truth - a truth to him full of consolation. It

is, that the people of God must always be safe; that their great Guardian never

slumbers; and that he, as one of his people, might, therefore, confidently look for his

protecting care. Shall neither slumber nor sleep - �ever slumbers, never ceases to be

watchful. Man sleeps; a sentinel may slumber on his post, by inattention, by long-

continued wakefulness, or by weariness; a pilot may slumber at the helm; even a

mother may fall asleep by the side of the sick child; but God is never exhausted, is

never weary, is never inattentive. He never closes his eyes on the condition of his

people, on the needs of the world.”

4. Clarke, “The Divine Being represents himself as a watchman, who takes care of

the city and its inhabitants during the night-watches; and who is never overtaken

with slumbering or sleepiness. There is a thought in the Antigone of Sophocles, that

seems the counterpart of this of the psalmist,

Shall men below control great Jove above,

Whose eyes by all-subduing sleep

Are never closed, as feeble mortals’ are;

But still their watchful vigil keep

Through the long circle of th’ eternal year?

Franklin.

5. Gill, “He that kept Israel or Jacob, when asleep, and appeared to him in a dream,

and promised to keep him in all places, and did; who found his posterity in the

wilderness, and kept them as the apple of his eye: he keeps his spiritual Israel,

whom he has chosen, redeemed, and calls; and he that is in general their keeper, is

the keeper of every particular believer, who may promise themselves the utmost

safety under his care; since, though he may sometimes seem to sleep, when he

withdraws his gracious presence, defers help, and does not arise so soon to the

assistance of his people as they wish for and expect; yet does not in reality sleep, nor

is any ways negligent of them; no, not so much as slumber, nor is in the least

indifferent about them, and careless of them; see Gen_28:15. So Homer represents

Jupiter as not held by sleep, while other gods and men slept all night; and hence

Milton has the phrase of "the unsleeping eyes of God": but the Phrygians had a

notion that their god slept in winter, and was awake in summer.”

6. Spurgeon, “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The

consoling truth must be repeated: it is too rich to be dismissed in a single line. It

were well if we always imitated the sweet singer, and would dwell a little upon a

choice doctrine, sucking the honey from it. What a glorious title is in the Hebrew --

"The keeper of Israel," and how delightful to think that no form of unconsciousness

ever steals over him, neither the deep slumber nor the lighter sleep. He will never

suffer the house to be broken up by the silent thief; he is ever on the watch, and

speedily perceives every intruder. This is a subject of wonder, a theme for attentive

consideration, therefore the word "Behold" is set up as a waymark. Israel fell

asleep, but his God was awake. Jacob had neither walls, nor curtains, nor body

guard around him; but the Lord was in that place though Jacob knew it not, and

therefore the defenseless man was safe as in a castle. In after days he mentioned God

under this enchanting name -- "The God that led me all my life long": perhaps

David alludes to that passage in this expression. The word "keepeth" is also full of

meaning: he keeps us as a rich man keeps his treasures, as a captain keeps a city

with a garrison, as a royal guard keeps his monarch's head. If the former verse is in

strict accuracy a prayer, this is the answer to it; it affirms the matter thus, "Lo, he

shall not slumber nor sleep -- the Keeper of Israel". It may also be worthy of

mention that in verse three the Lord is spoken of as the personal keeper of one

individual, and here of all those who are in his chosen nation, described as Israel:

mercy to one saint is the pledge of blessing to them all. Happy are the pilgrims to

whom this psalm is a safe conduct; they may journey all the way to the celestial city

without fear.” Spurgeon quotes an unknown poet:

There is an eye that never sleeps

Beneath the wing of night;

There is an ear that never shuts

When sink the beams of light.

There is an arm that never tires

When human strength gives way;

There is a love that never fails

When earthly loves decay.

That eye is fixed on seraph throngs;

That arm upholds the sky;

That ear is filled with angel songs;

That love is throned on high.

But there’s a power which man can wield

When mortal aid is vain,

That eye, that arm, that love to reach,

That listening ear to gain.

That power is prayer, which soars on high,

Through Jesus, to the throne,

And moves the hand which moves the world,

To bring salvation down.

7. A number of years ago Captain D. commanded a vessel sailing from Liverpool to

�ew York, and on one voyage he had all his family with him on board the ship.

One night, when all were quietly asleep, there arose a sudden squall of wind, which

came sweeping over the waters until it struck the vessel, and instantly threw her on

her side, tumbling and crashing everything that was moveable, and awakening the

passengers to a consciousness that they were in imminent peril.

Everyone on board was alarmed and uneasy, and some sprang from their berths

and began to dress, that they might be ready for the worst.

Captain D. had a little girl on board, just eight years old, who, of course, awoke with

the rest.

"What's the matter?" said the frightened child.

They told her a squall had struck the ship.

"Is father on deck?" said she.

"Yes; father's on deck."

The little thing dropped herself on her pillow again without a fear, and in a few

moments was sleeping sweetly in spite of winds or waves.

Fear not the windy tempests wild,

Thy bark they shall not wreck;

Lie down and sleep, O helpless child!.

Thy Father's on the deck. --"The Biblical Treasury", 1873.

8. “Luther called this a “psalm of comfort” (Trostpsalm), summarizing its message

by saying that it teaches “that we should remain steadfast in faith and await God’s

help and protection. Because even though it appears that God is sleeping or

snoring...this is certainly not so, despite the way we feel and think. He is surely

awake and watching over us....Eventually we’ll learn that, if we can only hold fast.”

5. The LORD watches over you—

the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

1. Barnes, “Perhaps the particular allusion to the right hand here may be that that

was the place of a protector. He would thus be at hand, or would be ready to

interpose in defense of him whom he was to guard. It is possible, however, that the

idea here may be derived from the fact that in Scripture the geographer is

represented as looking to the east, and not toward the north, as with us. Hence, the

south is always spoken of as the right, or at the right hand (compare the notes at

Psa_89:12); and as the intense rays of the sun are from the south, the idea may be,

that God would be as a shade in the direction from which those burning rays came.”

2. Gill, “This explains more fully who it is that keeps Israel and particular believers,

and confirms the same; not a creature, but the Lord; the Word of the Lord, as the

Targum, in Psa_121:7, Christ, the Word and Wisdom of God; who is the keeper of

his people by the designation of his Father, who has put them into his hands to be

kept by him; and by their full will and consent, who commit the keeping of their

souls to him; for which he is abundantly qualified, being able as the mighty God;

faithful to him that has appointed him; tender and compassionate to those under his

care, whom he keeps as the apple of his eye; and diligent and constant, for he keeps

them night and day, lest any hurt them: he keeps them as they are his flock, made

his care and charge; as they are the vineyard of the Lord of hosts; as they are a city,

which, unless the Lord keeps, the watchmen watch in vain; as they are his body and

members of it, and as they are his jewels and peculiar treasure: these he keeps in the

love of God; in his own hands; in the covenant of grace; in an estate of grace; and in

his own ways, safe to his kingdom and glory;

the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand; he is at the right hand of his people, to

hold their right hand; to teach them to go, lead them into communion with himself,

and hold them up safe; and to strengthen their right hand, assist them in working,

without whom they can do nothing; and to counsel and direct them, and to protect

and defend them against all their enemies. So a shadow signifies defence; see

�um_14:9, Ecc_7:12; and such great personages are to others; in which sense Virgil

(n) uses the word "shadow"; and much more true is this of God himself. And he is

like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land; or of a spreading tree, which is a

protection from heat, and very reviving and refreshing; see Isa_32:2. The allusion

may be to the pillar of cloud by day, which guided and guarded the Israelites in the

wilderness, and was a shadow from the heat, Isa_4:5; as Christ is from the heat of a

fiery law, the flaming sword of justice, the wrath of God, and the fiery darts of

Satan.”

2B. Preceptaustin, “Isaiah records a similar great truth about God...

For You have been a defense for the helpless,

A defense for the needy in his distress,

A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;

For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall. (Isaiah 25:4)

Spurgeon comments that on the figurative description, noting that

A shade gives protection from burning heat and glaring light. We cannot bear too

much blessing; even divine goodness, which is a right hand dispensation, must be

toned down and shaded to suit our infirmity, and this the Lord will do for us. He

will bear a shield before us, and guard the right arm with which we fight the foe.

That member which has the most of labour shall have the most of protection. When

a blazing sun pours down its burning beams upon our heads the Lord Jehovah

Himself will interpose to shade us, and that in the most honorable manner, acting as

our right hand Attendant, and placing us in comfort and safety. "The Lord at thy

right hand shall smite through kings". How different this from the portion of the

ungodly ones who have Satan standing at their right hand, and of those of whom

Moses said, "their defence has departed from them". God is as near us as our

shadow, and we are as safe as angels. (Treasury of David Psalm 121:5)”

3. Keil, “....protecting him and keeping him fresh and cool, covers him from the

sun's burning heat, as in Psa_109:6; Psa_110:5, with the idea of an overshadowing

that screens and spreads itself out over anything (cf. �um_14:9). To the figure of the

shadow is appended the consolation in Psa_121:6. of the sun signifies to smite

injuriously (Isa_49:10), plants, so that they wither (Psa_102:5), and the head

(Jon_4:8), so that symptoms of sun-stroke (2Ki_4:19,) appears. The transferring of

the word of the moon is not zeugmatic. Even the moon's rays may become

insupportable, may affect the eyes injuriously, and (more particularly in the

equatorial regions) produce fatal inflammation of the brain. From the hurtful

influences of nature that are round about him the promise extends in Psa_121:7-8 in

every direction. Jahve, says the poet to himself, will keep (guard) thee against all

evil, of whatever kind it may be and whencesoever it may threaten; He will keep thy

soul, and therefore thy life both inwardly and outwardly...”

4. Henry, “Being who is infinite substance is what he is in order that he may speak

sensible comfort to his people, promises to be their umbra - their shadow, to keep as

close to them as the shadow does to the body, and to shelter them from the scorching

heat, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, Isa_32:2. Under this shadow they

may sit with delight and assurance, Son_2:3. 5. He is always near to his people for

their protection and refreshment, and never at a distance; he is their keeper and

shade on their right hand; so that he is never far to seek. The right hand is the

working hand; let them but turn themselves dexterously to their duty, and they shall

find God ready to them, to assist them and give them success, Psa_16:8. 6. He is not

only at their right hand, but he will also keep the feet of his saints, 1Sa_2:9. He will

have an eye upon them in their motions: He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. God

will provide that his people shall not be tempted above what they are able, shall not

fall into sin, though they may be very near it (Psa_73:2, Psa_73:23), shall not fall

into trouble, though there be many endeavouring to undermine them by fraud or

over throw them by force. He will keep them from being frightened, as we are when

we slip or stumble and are ready to fall.”

5. Spurgeon, “The Lord is thy keeper. Here the preserving One, who had been

spoken of by pronouns in the two previous verses, is distinctly named -- Jehovah is

thy keeper. What a mint of meaning lies here: the sentence is a mass of bullion, and

when coined and stamped with the king's name it will bear all our expenses between

our birthplace on earth and our rest in heaven. Here is a glorious person -- Jehovah,

assuming a gracious office and fulfilling it in person, -- Jehovah is thy keeper, in

behalf of a favored individual -- thy, and a firm assurance of revelation that it is

even so at this hour -- Jehovah is thy keeper. Can we appropriate the divine

declaration? If so, we may journey onward to Jerusalem and know no fear; yea, we

may journey through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil.

The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. A shade gives protection from burning

heat and glaring light. We cannot bear too much blessing; even divine goodness,

which is a right hand dispensation, must be toned down and shaded to suit our

infirmity, and this the Lord will do for us. He will bear a shield before us, and guard

the right arm with which we fight the foe. That member which has the most of

labour shall have the most of protection. When a blazing sun pours down its

burning beams upon our heads the Lord Jehovah himself will interpose to shade us,

and that in the most honourable manner, acting as our right hand attendant, and

placing us in comfort and safety. "The Lord at thy right hand shall smite through

kings". How different this from the portion of the ungodly ones who have Satan

standing at their right hand, and of those of whom Moses said, "their defense has

departed from them". God is as near us as our shadow, and we are as safe as

angels.”

6. How large a writ or patent of protection is granted here! 1o time shall be hurtful,

neither "day nor night," which includes all times. �othing shall hurt, neither sun

nor moon, nor heat nor cold. These should include all annoyances. �othing shall be

hurt. "Thy soul shall be preserved, thy outgoings and thy comings in shall be

preserved." These include the whole person of man, and him in all his just affairs

and actions. �othing of man is safe without a guard, and nothing of man can be

unsafe which is thus guarded. They should be kept who can say, "The Lord is our

keeper"; and they cannot be kept, no, not by legions of angels, who have not the

Lord for their keeper. �one can keep us but he, and he hath promised to keep us

"for evermore". --Joseph Caryl.

7. “Someone has said that the three keys to real peace are: fret not, faint not, fear

not.

1. Fret not--because God loves you (1Jn 4:16).

2. Faint not--because God holds you (Psalm 139:10-Spurgeon's note).

3. Fear not--because God keeps you (Psalm 121:5).

When the way is dim, and I cannot see

Through the mist of His wise design,

How my glad heart yearns and my faith returns

By the touch of His hand on mine. --Pounds

© 1913 Hope Publishing Company” author unknown

6. the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

1. Barnes, “The Septuagint renders this, “shall not burn thee” So the Latin Vulgate.

The Hebrew word means to smite, to strike, as with a rod or staff, or with the plague

or pestilence; and then, to kill, to slay. The allusion here is to what is now called a

“sun-stroke” - the effect of the burning sun on the brain. Such effects of the sun are

often fatal now, as doubtless they were in the time of the psalmist.

�or the moon by night - The psalmist here refers to some prevalent opinion about

the influence of the moon, as endangering life or health. Some have supposed that he

refers to the sudden cold which follows the intense heat of the day in Oriental

countries, and which, because the moon rules the night, as the sun does the day, is

either poetically or literally attributed to the moon. Lackmann and Michaelis

suppose that there is some allusion to the influence of the moon in producing

various kinds of disease, and especially lunacy - an idea which gave origin to that

name. Compare the notes at Mat_4:24. See Mat_17:15; Mar_9:17; Luk_9:39.

Knapp supposes the idea is, that from the moon’s not giving a clear and full light

like the sun, travelers trusting to its guidance may be led into rivers or quagmires.

Macrobius refers to a custom among the Orientals of covering the faces of children

when asleep, from some imagined effect of the moon on the health of the child.

Andersen (Orient. Reise-Beschreib. i. 8) refers to an effect, which he says is

common, and which he had often seen, of sleeping in the moon-beams, of making the

neck stiff, so that it could not be turned from side to side as before. See

Rosenmuller, Morgenland, in loc. Others have supposed that the allusion is to the

effect of the moon, and of sleeping under the open air, in producing ophthalmia - a

disease very common in the East - an effect guarded against by covering the face.

The influence of the moon, in producing madness or disease - the general influence

of it on health - is often referred to. Thus Shakespeare says:

“The moon, the governess of floods,

Pale in her anger, washes all the air,

That rheumatic diseases do abound.”

Midsummer 1ight’s Dream, ii. 2.

“It is the very error of the moon;

She comes more near the earth than she was wont,

And makes men mad.”

Othello, v. 2.

Some of these things are evidently purely imaginary. The true idea seems to be that

there were effects to be dreaded from the sudden changes from the heat of day to

the cold of night, and that these effects were attributed to the moon. See Gen_31:40.

The meaning is, that God would be a Protector alike in the dangers of the day and

of the night.”

1B. Preceptaustin, “David Barker has an interesting comment on the psalmist's

reference to the "moon" writing that While the Hebrew pilgrim may well have

known from his understanding of God and the world that such a danger does not

actually exist (Ed note: that the moon could really cause mental illness), it is easy to

understand how popular lore and superstition would invade and dominate in spite

of theological understandings to the contrary. The psalm realistically addresses the

mind-set of the pilgrim in his perceptions of dangers and fears." Barker goes on to

add that "there seems to be more here in reference to the superstitions and popular

fears of the people of the day. One wonders how many of God’s people today still

pause to pick up a four-leaf clover or feel a twinge of anxiety when a black cat

crosses the road ahead of them." (David Barker: "THE LORD WATCHES OVER

YOU": A PILGRIMAGE READI�G OF PSALM 121: Bibliotheca Sacra: Volume

152, issue 606, page 163)

1C. Preceptaustin, “DIVI�E SU�SCREE� - Some people are harmed by the sun's

powerful rays. They may be allergic to the sun, or they may have a disease, like

vitiligo (lack of protective pigment and propensity to severe burns) lupus

erythematosis. If these people are exposed to direct sunlight for an extended period

of time, they have a visible and painful reaction. To protect themselves, they wear

large-brimmed hats and clothing to cover their arms, legs, and necks. They use the

strongest sunscreen possible to protect exposed skin areas. And they spend the

midday hours in the shade.

In a similar way, Christians need spiritual protection from the "harmful rays" of

evil world system. Its ruler Satan bombards us continuously with potentially

harmful temptations and pressures that will weaken our testimony and turn us

away from the Lord if we yield to them. God Himself provides us with all the

protection we need. He stands between us and the enemy even as His cloud of glory

separated Israel from Pharaoh's pursuing army. Jehovah is our Shield and our

Fortress (Ps 144:1- note , Ps 144:2 -note). But we must apply this protection through

prayer, reading and meditating on the Bible, faith and obedience, right thinking,

fellowship and accountability with other Christians, and continual dependence on

the power of the Holy Spirit and the transforming power of the grace He supplies.

These spiritual disciplines will keep the world from getting through to us. God truly

is our Shade, our Shadow and our Keeper.”

The hosts of God encamp around

The dwellings of the just;

Protection He affords to all

Who make His name their trust.

- Tate and Brady

1D. James Limburg, “�ow the image is of the Lord providing a barrier between

some danger and the individual, thus the translation “Protector.” The first of these

dangers to be mentioned is the sun. Sunstroke was a serious problem for those in

biblical lands. Elisha the prophet once treated a young man who had been

struck down by the sun (II Kings 4:18-37). Judith’s husband died of sunstroke

(Judith 8:2-3; cf. also Jonah 4:8 and Isa 49:2, 10). Belief in the harmful effects of the

moon’s rays persists into �ew Testament times as is indicated by the word

seleniasomai, “moonstruck,” in Matthew 4:24, translated by the �ew American

Bible as “lunatics,” from the Latin for moon, “luna.” The sense of these two verses is

to assure the traveller of the Lord’s protection in the daytime as well as through the

night.”

2. Clarke, “Thus expressed by the Chaldee: “The morning spectres shall not smite

thee by day, during the government of the sun; nor the nocturnal spectres by night,

during the government of the moon.” I believe the psalmist simply means, they shall

not be injured by heat nor cold; by a sun-stroke by day, nor a frost-bite by night.”

3. Gill, “...these clauses are not to be understood literally; for good men may be

smitten and hurt by the heat of the one and the cold of the other, as Jacob and

Jonah, Gen_31:40; but mystically, of persecuting antichristian tyrants, which are

sometimes signified by the sun and moon, as both in Rome Pagan and Papal,

Rev_6:12; and of persecution and tribulation itself, Mat_13:6; and is sometimes

applied to the perfect state of the saints, either in the �ew Jerusalem, or ultimate

glory, when there will be nothing more of this kind, Rev_7:15. And there are some

periods in the present state, when those entirely cease; nor are the saints ever really

hurt by them, they being always for their good; or, however, not so as to affect their

eternal happiness. The Targum is, "in the day, when the sun rules, the morning

spirits shall not smite thee; nor the nocturnal ones in the night, when the moon

rules.''

4. Henry, “He will protect them from all the malignant influences of the heavenly

bodies (Psa_121:6): The sun shall not smite thee with his heat by day nor the moon

with her cold and moisture by night. The sun and moon are great blessings to

mankind, and yet (such a sad change has sin made in the creation) even the sun and

moon, though worshiped by a great part of mankind, are often instruments of hurt

and distemper to human bodies; God by them often smites us; but his favor shall

interpose so that they shall not damage his people. He will keep them night and day

(Isa_27:3), as he kept Israel in the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day, which

screened them from the heat of the sun, and of fire by night, which probably diffused

a genial warmth over the whole camp, that they might not be prejudiced by the cold

and damp of the night, their father Jacob having complained (Gen_31:40) that by

day the drought consumed him and the frost by night. It may be understood

figuratively: “Thou shalt not be hurt either by the open assaults of thy enemies,

which are as visible as the scorching beams of the sun, or by their secret treacherous

attempts, which are like the insensible insinuations of the cold by night.”

5. Spurgeon, “The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. �one but

the Lord could shelter us from these tremendous forces. These two great lights rule

the day and the night, and under the lordship of both we shall labor or rest in equal

safety. Doubtless there are dangers of the light and of the dark, but in both and

from both we shall be preserved -- literally from excessive heat and from baneful

chills; mystically from any injurious effects which might follow from doctrine bright

or dim; spiritually from the evils of prosperity and adversity; eternally from the

strain of overpowering glory and from the pressure of terrible events, such as

judgment and the burning of the world. Day and night make up all time: thus the

ever present protection never ceases. All evil may be ranked as under the sun or the

moon, and if neither of these can smite us we are indeed secure. God has not made a

new sun or a fresh moon for his chosen, they exist under the same outward

circumstances as others, but the power to smite is in their case removed from

temporal agencies; saints are enriched, and not injured, by the powers which govern

the earth's condition; to them has the Lord given "the precious things brought forth

by the sun, and the precious things put forth by the moon," while at the same

moment he has removed from them all glare and curse of heat or damp, of glare or

chill.”

6. Calvin, “By these forms of expression the Psalmist magnifies the advantages

which result to us from our having God present with us; and, by the figure

synecdoche, under one particular, he declares in general that the faithful shall be

safe from all adversities, defended as they are by Divine power. The language is

metaphorical, the cold of night and the heat of day denoting all kind of

inconveniences. The sense then is, that although God's people may be subject in

common with others to the miseries of human life, yet his shadow is always at their

side to shield them from thereby receiving any harm. The Prophet does not,

however, promise the faithful a condition of such felicity and comfort as implies an

exemption from all trouble; he only, for the purpose of assuaging their sorrows, sets

before them this consolation -- that being interested in the Divine layout, they shall

be secure from all deadly harm; a point which he unfolds more distinctly in the

following verses, where he tells us that God will so keep his own people from all

evils, as to maintain their life in safety. The statement in the text before us is indeed

general, but he afterward specifies the chief parts of human life.”

7. The LORD will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;

1. It is not easy to have this kind of faith when we are headed out on a long journey

with all kinds of potential dangers. It has always been so, and it is so today with all

of the car crashes, train crashes, and plane crashes that take many lives of travelers.

It is hard not to worry, but sometime we overdo it and have fears that are

unrealistic. Rich Cathers makes a joke out of such worriers, for they are never

assured of safety, and so he gives them even more to worry about by writing, “What

if you find yourself at an airport and just, for curiosity’s sake, stick your head inside

the door of the airplane and just barely get it out before the door closes, but your tie

might get caught in the door, causing you to be dragged up into the air and halfway

across the country, choking and gagging the whole way, until the tie finally rips in

half and you plunge 50,000 feet, eventually crashing through the roof of a barn and

landing softly in a pile of hay, but then the farmer might sue you for property

damages, and since you don’t have that kind of money, you’ll have to work on his

farm as an indentured servant for the next twelve years.” Life is scary and

uncertain, but there are a good many things we can stop worrying about, and just

put our trust in the Lord. If he chooses not to rescue us from danger, then he has

another plan for us, and if it be going home to be with him, we are winner still.

2. An unknown author with a keen eye wrote, “The remaining verses of the psalm

give the answer of the Spirit of God to the faith of a godly man who looks to the

Lord alone for his help. The one ever recurring thought is the care of the Lord. The

word “keep” is the characteristic word of the psalm. Bearing in mind that the word

“preserve,” in verses 7 and 8, should be translated “keep,” it will be noticed that this

encouraging word occurs six times in the last six verses.

(vv. 3-4) First, the godly man who looks to the Lord for his help is assured that

the Lord will not suffer his foot to be moved: he will be kept from all dangers.

Second, he is assured that the care of the Lord is unceasing, “He that keepeth

thee will not slumber.” He keeps each individual believer, and He is the Keeper of

Israel as a whole.

(v. 5) Third, the Lord is not only our Keeper, but He is a present Keeper, One

who is always at our right hand, ever available for faith, whatever the difficulties

may be (Ps. 16: 8).

(v. 6) Fourth, the Lord is our Keeper at all seasons, “by day,” and “by night.”

(v. 7) Fifth, the Lord is a Keeper from “all evil.” We see but a few of the evils

that beset our path. The Lord sees and keeps us “from all evil.”

Sixth, not only does the Lord keep the body, but He keeps the soul. He holds

our souls in the positive good of life.

(v. 8) Seventh, the Lord keeps us in all circumstances of life, in our “going out”

and “coming in.”

Finally, the Lord will keep through all time, for evermore. Thus the soul is assured

that the Lord is our Keeper from all danger (v. 3); He is unceasing in His care (v. 4);

He is ever available (v. 5); He keeps us at all seasons (v. 6); He keeps from all evil;

He keeps the soul as well as the body (v. 7); He keeps us in all circumstances, and

for all time (v. 8).”

3. Henry, “His protection will make them safe in every respect: “The Lord shall

preserve thee from all evil, the evil of sin and the evil of trouble. He shall prevent the

evil thou fearest, and shall sanctify, remove, or lighten, the evil thou feelest. He will

keep thee from doing evil (2Co_13:7), and so far from suffering evil that whatever

affliction happens to thee there shall be no evil in it. Even that which kills shall not

hurt.” 9. It is the spiritual life, especially, that God will take under his protection:

He shall preserve thy soul. All souls are his; and the soul is the man, and therefore he

will with a peculiar care preserve them, that they be not defiled by sin and disturbed

by affliction. He will keep them by keeping us in the possession of them; and he will

preserve them from perishing eternally.”

4. Spurgeon, “The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil, or keep thee from all evil.

It is a great pity that our admirable translation did not keep to the word keep all

through the psalm, for all along it is one. God not only keeps his own in all evil times

but from all evil influences and operations, yea, from evils themselves. This is a far

reaching word of covering: it includes everything and excludes nothing: the wings of

Jehovah amply guard Iris own from evils great and small, temporary and eternal.

There is a most delightful double personality in tiffs verse: Jehovah keeps the

believer, not by agents, but by himself; and the person protected is definitely

pointed out by the word thee, -- it is not our estate or name which is shielded, but

the proper personal man. To make this even more intensely real and personal

another sentence is added, "The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:" he shall

preserve thy soul, -- or Jehovah will keep thy soul. Soul keeping is the soul of

keeping. If the soul be kept all is kept. The preservation of the greater includes that

of the less so far as it is essential to the main design: the kernel shall be preserved,

and in order thereto the shell shall be preserved also. God is the sole keeper of the

soul. Our soul is kept from the dominion of sin, the infection of error, the crush of

despondency, the puffing up of pride; kept from the world, the flesh, and the devil;

kept for holier and greater things; kept in the love of God; kept unto the eternal

kingdom and glory. What can harm a soul that is kept of the Lord?”

4B. Spurgeon, “The psalmist... assures people who dwell in God that they will be

secure. Though faith claims no merit of its own, yet the Lord rewards it wherever he

sees it. He who makes God his refuge will find him a refuge; he who dwells in God

will find his dwelling protected. We must make the Lord our habitation by choosing

him for our trust and rest, and then we shall receive immunity from harm.”

(Treasury of David Psalm 121:7)

5. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil. Lawyers, when they are drawing up

important documents, frequently conclude with some general terms to meet any

emergency which may possibly occur. They do this on the principle, that what is not

in may be supposed to be intentionally left out. In order to guard against this

inference, they are not content with inserting a number of particular cases; they

conclude with a general statement, which includes everything, whether expressed or

not. A similar formula is inserted here. It is of great Importance, that the feet of

travelers be kept from sliding, as they pursue their journey. It is of great

importance, that they be preserved from heat by day, and from cold by night. But

other dangers await them, from which they require protection; and lest the

suspicion be entertained, that no provision is made for these being surmounted, they

are all introduced in the saving and comprehensive clause. �o matter what may be

their character, no matter from what quarter they may appear, no matter when

they may nome, and no matter how long they may continue, the declaration covers

them all. Divine grace changes the nature of everything it handles, and transforms

everything it touches into gold. Afflictions are overruled for good; and the virtues of

the Christian life are developed with unusual luster. "The Lord shall preserve thee

from all evil." --�. McMichael.

6. It is of importance to mark the reason why the prophet repeats so often what he had

so briefly and in one word expressed with sufficient plainness. Such repetition seems

at first sight superfluous: but when we consider how difficult it is to correct our

distrust, it will be easily perceived that he does not improperly dwell upon the

commendation of the divine providence. How few are to be found who yield to God

the honor of being a "keeper", in order to their being thence assured of their safety,

and led to call upon him in the midst of their perils! On the contrary, even when we

seem to have largely experienced what this protection of God implies, we yet

instantly tremble at tile noise of a leaf falling from a tree, as if God had quite

forgotten us. Being then entangled in so many unholy misgivings, and so much

inclined to distrust, we are taught from the passage that if a sentence couched in a

few words does not suffice us, we should gather together whatever may be found

throughout the whole Scriptures concerning the providence of God, until this

doctrine -- "That God always keeps watch for us" -- is deeply rooted in our hearts;

so that, depending upon his guardianship alone, we may bid adieu to all the vain

confidences of the world. --John Calvin.

7. Gill, “The Word of the Lord, as the Targum. �ot from the evil of affliction,

though from that as a penal evil; or as a real one, it being made to work for good:

but from the evil of sin; not from the being or commission of it; but from its

dominion and damning power, or from a final and total falling away by it: and from

the evil of the world; not from tribulation in it, nor from the reproach or

persecution of it; but from the wickedness and lusts that are in it, and from the

wicked men of it, their power, rage, and fury: and from the evil one, Satan; not

from his temptations, but from sinking under them, and perishing by them; see

Joh_17:12; he shall preserve thy soul: he preserves the bodies of his people,

oftentimes from diseases and disasters, and from death, till the appointed time

comes; and then he preserves their dust in the grave, and raises it up at the last day;

but more especially their souls, the redemption and salvation of which he

undertook, and has effected; and which are preserved by him safe to his coming,

kingdom, and glory.”

8. Preceptaustin, “In summary, Jehovah your Helper is your personal Protector.

Jesus' encouragement to His twelve disciples before sending them out was do not

fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him

Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mt 10:28.) You may lose all your

earthly possessions like Job but you will never lose your soul for Jehovah is the

Keeper of your soul. When Jesus promised His disciples that "not a hair of your

head will perish" (Lk 21:18) He was not promising the preservation of their physical

lives (In Lk 21:16 He had just clearly stated that "they will put some of you to

death"), but was promising that they would suffer no eternal loss because God

Himself keeps the soul of all those who belong to Him. Paul affirms the psalmist's

thoughts, writing that "I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor

principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor

depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Ro 8:38, 39)

8. the LORD will watch over your coming and

going both now and forevermore.

1. Barnes, “Preserve thee in going out and coming in; in going from thy dwelling,

and returning to it; in going from home and coming back; that is, everywhere, and

at all times. Compare Deu_28:6.“From this time forth, and even forevermore.”

Through this life and for ever. This is the gracious assurance which is made to all

who put their trust in God. At home and abroad; in the house, in the field, and by

the way; on the land and on the ocean; in their native country and in climes remote;

on earth, in the grave, and in the eternal world, they are always safe. �o evil that

will endanger their salvation can befall them; nothing can happen to them here but

what God shall see to be conducive to their ultimate good; and in the heavenly world

they shall be safe forever from every kind of evil, for in that world there will be no

sin, and consequently no need of discipline to prepare them for the future.

“In foreign realms, and lands remote,

Supported by thy care,

Through burning climes they pass unhurt,

And breathe in tainted air.

When by the dreadful tempest borne,

High on the broken wave,

They know thou art not slow to hear,

�or impotent to save.

The storm is laid - the winds retire,

Obedient to thy will;

The sea that roars at thy command,

At thy command is still.

In midst of dangers, fears, and death,

Thy goodness we’ll adore;

We’ll praise thee for thy mercies past,

And humbly hope for more.

Our life, while thou preserv’st that life,

Thy sacrifice shall be;

And death, when death shall be our lot,

Shall join our souls to thee.”

Addison’s Spec.

2. Gill, “In transacting all the business of life, in going in and out about it; in all

ways, works, and conversation; in journeying and traveling; in all affairs, civil and

religious; and not only preserve, but prosper in all, Psa_1:3; the Lord blessing him,

coming in and going out, Deu_28:6; and such, with the poet, are said to go with a

good or prosperous foot. And such persons, in the Punic language, are called

�amphanians, as Austin observes; who says the word signifies a man of a good foot:

and the word seems to be the contraction of נעם פעמו, which signifies "his good" or

"pleasant foot"; and so one that, wherever he comes and goes, things prosper with

him, and with those that are in connection with him: such an one was Jacob in the

house of Laban, whom the Lord blessed, as he says, "since my coming", or at "my

foot"; and such a foot Joseph had wherever he went, Gen_39:5. Arama interprets it

of a man's going out into the air of this world, and of his entrance into the world to

come. The Targum is, "the Lord will keep thy going out to business, and thy coming

in to study in the law.''

from this time forth, and even for evermore; for the Lord not only preserves his

people in life and at death, but in heaven, to all eternity; in the utmost safety and

peace from all molestations by men or devils, and from their wrath and malice: not

only his purpose and decree, but his power and providence, are the vast gulf

between the one and the other; by means of which the wicked cease from troubling,

and the weary are at rest, Luk_16:26.”

3. Henry, “He will keep us in all our ways: “He shall preserve thy going out and thy

coming in. Thou shalt be under his protection in all thy journeys and voyages,

outward-bound or homeward-bound, as he kept Israel in the wilderness, in their

removes and rests. He will prosper thee in all thy affairs at home and abroad, in the

beginning and in the conclusion of them. He will keep thee in life and death, thy

going out and going on while thou livest and thy coming in when thou diest, going

out to thy labor in the morning of thy days and coming home to thy rest when the

evening of old age calls thee in,” Psa_104:23. 11. He will continue his care over us

from this time forth and even for evermore. It is a protection for life, never out of

date. “He will be thy guide even unto death, and will then hide thee in the grave, hide

thee in heaven. He will preserve thee in his heavenly kingdom.” God will protect his

church and his saints always, even to the end of the world. The Spirit, who is their

preserver and comforter, shall abide with them for ever.”

4. Spurgeon, “The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this

time forth, and even for evermore. When we go out in the morning to labor, and

come home at eventide to rest, Jehovah shall keep us. When we go out in youth to

begin life, and come in at the end to die, we shall experience the same keeping. Our

exits and our entrances are under one protection. Three times have we the phrase,

"Jehovah shall keep", as if the sacred Trinity thus sealed the word to make it sure:

ought not all our fears to be slain by such a threefold flight of arrows? What anxiety

can survive this triple promise? This keeping is eternal; continuing from this time

forth, even for evermore. The whole church is thus assured of everlasting security:

the final perseverance of the saints is thus ensured, and the glorious immortality of

believers is guaranteed. Under the aegis of such a promise we may go on pilgrimage

without trembling, and venture into battle without dread. �one are so safe as those

whom God keeps; none so much in danger as the self secure. To goings out and

comings in belong peculiar dangers since every change of position turns a fresh

quarter to the foe, and it is for these weak points that an especial security is

provided: Jehovah will keep the door when it opens and closes, and this he will

perseveringly continue to do so long as there is left a single man that trusteth in him,

as long as a danger survives, and, in fact, as long as time endures. Glory be unto the

Keeper of Israel, who is endeared to us under that title, since our growing sense of

weakness makes us feel more deeply than ever our need of being kept. Over the

reader we would breathe a benediction, couched in the verse of Keble.

"God keep thee safe from harm and sin,

Thy Spirit keep; the Lord watch o'er

Thy going out, thy coming in,

From this time, evermore."

5. The Message says it all: “I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from

mountains? 2 �o, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and

mountains. 3 He won't let you stumble, your Guardian God won't fall asleep. 4 �ot

on your life! Israel's Guardian will never doze or sleep. 5 God's your Guardian,

right at your side to protect you - 6 Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you

from moonstroke. 7 God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. 8 He

guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you

always.”

5B. Hamilton Smith, “Thus the soul is assured that the Lord is our Keeper from all

danger (v. 3); He is unceasing in His care (v. 4); He is ever available (v. 5); He keeps

us at all seasons (v. 6); He keeps from all evil; He keeps the soul as well as the body

(v. 7); He keeps us in all circumstances, and for all time (v. 8).”

6. I to the hills will lift my eyes;

O whence shall come my aid?

My help is from the Lord alone,

Who heav’n and earth has made.

He will not let thy foot be moved,

Thy Guardian never sleeps;

With watchful and un-slumbering care,

His own He safely keeps.

Thy faithful Keeper is the Lord,

Thy Shelter and thy Shade;

’�eath sun or moon, by day or night,

Thou shalt not be afraid.

From evil He will keep thee safe,

For thee He will provide;

Thy going out, thy coming in,

Forever He will guide.

(Scottish Psalter, 1912)

7. Charles Wesley

1 TO the hills I lift mine eyes,

The everlasting hills;

Streaming thence in fresh supplies,

My soul the Spirit feels.

Will he not his help afford?

Help, while yet I ask, is given:

God comes down; the God and Lord

That made both earth and heaven.

2 Faithful soul, pray always; pray,

And still in God confide;

He thy feeble steps shall stay,

�or suffer thee to slide:

Lean on thy Redeemer's breast;

He thy quiet spirit keeps;

Rest in him, securely rest;

Thy watchman never sleeps.

3 �either sin, nor earth, nor hell

Thy Keeper can surprise;

Careless slumbers cannot steal

On his all-seeing eyes;

He is Israel's sure defence;

Israel all his care shall prove,

Kept by watchful providence,

And ever-waking love.

4 See the Lord, thy Keeper, stand

Omnipotently near!

Lo! he holds thee by thy hand,

And banishes thy fear;

Shadows with his wings thy head;

Guards from all impending harms:

Round thee and beneath are spread

The everlasting arms.

5 Christ shall bless thy going out,

Shall bless thy coming in;

Kindly compass thee about,

Till thou art saved from sin;

Like thy spotless Master, thou,

Filled with wisdom, love, and power,

Holy, pure, and perfect, now,

Henceforth, and evermore.

8. Let me wrap this study up with the interesting insights we get from James

Limburg as he writes, “Many scholars interpret Psalm 121 as a blessing for a

pilgrimage. The psalm can be divided into two parts: 1) a dialogue between the

leader and the lay person (121:1-4) and 2) the blessing for the journey. In the

dialogue, the lay person initiated the conversation with a formal question about the

source of help (121:1); the leader responded with an answer of YHWH’s assistance

(121:2). �otice the description of the divine as the dialogue continued. The lay

person affirmed the Lord’s power as the One who guards the journey day and night

(will not let the foot of the traveler be moved during the day nor slumber at night

while the traveler rested; 121:3). The response of the leader reaffirmed God as ever-

vigilant, the night watchman who always stands guard at the gate (121:4). The

psalmist equated the all-powerful attribute to a God who never slept.

With this description clear, the leader could now bless the traveler. The name

YHWH was invoked four times in the psalm: twice in 121:5 and twice in 121:7-8;

these invocations demarcated the blessing. YHWH would be the night keeper and

intimate day shade (121:5); YHWH would keep the traveler from evil and guide the

travel itself. The bridge between the two invocations (121:6) connected the cycle of

day-night with evil. In desert travel, evil was manifest in heat stroke, so divine

protection meant shading from the intense sun (121:6a). At night, camp was

established to protect travelers during slumber. In a desert environment, however,

night was the time for nocturne predators and poisonous animals to appear; night

also gave bandits cover to mount attacks against travelers. The night presented

danger even to the largest of caravans; many ancient travelers believed moon rays

themselves had an evil influence (121:6b). To echo 121:5, God would save by

standing guard at night over the traveler and accompanying the traveler during the

day as a best friend (at your right hand) and as a shield from the sun. YHWH

helped the pilgrim day and night.

Do we ask God to be with us when we travel? Do we ask him to guide our ways and

keep us safe in strange environments? Or do we just assume our safety without a

thought? While travel is safer than at any time in human history, it has it’s

challenges and short-comings. We should use travel as an opportunity for prayer.

We should pray for guidance, not only in a spiritual sense, but in a geographic

sense, as well.”