Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 121:1 and following. Indeed, the 15 hymns of the degrees (Psalm 120 to 134) retrace in an ascending way the deliverance and restoration of the residue of Israel. Psalm 120 finds these faithful in their captivity in the midst of the nations and makes us hear their sighs. They suffer from having to stay in the midst of “those who hate peace.” Christians, may we realize more how much the world is opposed to God and therefore to His children! He ignores peace; even less can he give it. But what does the Lord say to his people? « … I give you my peace; I do not give you as the world gives” (John 14:25-27).
Turning his gaze away from the scene of his affliction, the faithful to Psalm 121 raise them to the mountains (Zion, object of his hope: Ps 87:1-3). But his help will come from above, from the Creator who established these mountains. Jehovah responds to this trust with touching personal promises (verses 3–8). Every believer can hear the Lord address them to him. He is in the world, but he will be kept there (verb six times repeated) everywhere and always in response to this prayer of his Savior. “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from evil” (John 17:14-17). Here, as if the announcement of deliverance had just been published, the Israelite looks to God for the journey before him, and receives a response of peace. And what a contrast with the surroundings where God’s Israel was in its misery! In Kedar’s tents so far, he had a deceptive tongue against him. Now, on the journey home, he expects the Lord to watch over him. He was not to be led as before by the visible glory of the pillar of fire; but the eye of his vigilant Shepherd – vigilant though invisible – guarded his people with the same care and efficiency. And the promises made here also apply to Israel when it returns on the last day in its land (Isaiah 49:9-10).
For verse 1 suggests this thought: we should accustom our souls to look more to our resources than to our needs and difficulties. “I raise my eyes to the mountains where my help comes from.” This is the order of the Lord; as for example in Deut 7:17-19. And what do we find in Rom. 8:31-39 if not a believer glorifying himself in his resources in the face of all his needs? ‘I look up at the mountains.’ The inspired writer seems, at the beginning of the Psalm, to speak in the person of a non-believer. Just as God prevents his believers with his blessings and meets them with himself, so they, on their side, have their eyes on him. It is quite certain that by speaking of himself in this way, he shows us a disease of which all humanity is afflicted; but still, it will not be inappropriate to think that he has been pushed to speak in this way from his own experience; for such is the natural inconstancy to us, that as soon as we are struck with fear, we turn our eyes in all directions, until faith, pulling us out of all these wanderings, directs us exclusively to God.
For the whole difference between believers and unbelievers in this regard is that, although all tend to be deceived and easily deceived by deceptions, Satan turns unbelievers away with his enchantments; while, with regard to believers, God corrects the vice of their nature and does not allow them to persevere in their way. The meaning of the Prophet is obvious: all the helpers of the world, even the most powerful, must be offered to us, and we must not seek security elsewhere than in God; yes, rather, that when men have long tired of seeking remedies, in one neighborhood and now in another, they will finally discover by experience that there is no help assured except in God alone. By the ‘mountains’, the Prophet means all that is great or excellent in the world; and the lesson he teaches is that we must account for all these favors.
‘The Lord will keep your departure and your arrival.’ You will undertake during your life in order to arrive at a happy and successful end. For God directs by His Holy Spirit the deliberations of His servants. Such repetition shows us how difficult it is to correct our distrust. How few give in to God the honor of being a guardian, to be assured of their safety and led to invoke him in the midst of their perils! On the contrary, even when we seem to have experienced what this protection of God entails, we tremble at the sound of a leaf falling from a tree, as if God had forgotten us. For we should gather all that can be found in all the Scriptures concerning God’s providence, until this doctrine -“May God over us always watch”- is rooted in our hearts; so that by depending on his tutelage alone, we can turn our backs on all the vain confidences of the world.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Where will help come from? :
· Looking to God for inspiration and help
Ps 34:6 When one looks to him, one is radiant with joy, and the face is not covered with shame. Ps 123:1 Song of degrees, I lift up my eyes to you, Who sit in heaven. Jn 11:41 So they removed the stone. And Jesus looked up, and said, Father, I thank you for what you have answered to me. John 17:1 After speaking in this way, Jesus rolled his eyes and said, Father, the hour has come! Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you, Acts 7:55 But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, and staring at heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
· Divine help, God helps his people
Ps 28:7 The Lord is my strength and shield; In him my heart trusts, and I am rescued; I have joy in my heart, and I praise it with my songs. Ps 40:18 I am poor and destitute; But the Lord thinks of me. You are my helper and my liberator: My God, don’t delay! Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Do not walk with worried looks, for I am your God; I strengthen you, I come to your rescue, I support you with my triumphant right. Isaiah 50:9 Behold, the Lord, the Lord, will rescue me: Who will condemn me? Behold, they will all fall to shreds like a garment, The ringworm will devour them. Hb 13:6 So we can confidently say: The Lord is my helper, I will fear nothing; What can a man do to me?
· Providence protects, it guards the saints
-The companion of the pilgrim Gen 28:15 Behold, I am with you, I will keep you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land; for I will not abandon you, that I have not carried out what I say to you.
-The sentinel who watches Over Ps 121:4 Behold, he does not sleep or sleep, the One who guards Israel.
The Father who protects John 17:11 I am no longer in the world, and they are in the world, and I go to you. Holy Father, keep in your name those whom you have given me, that they may be one like us.
-The Almighty Guardian 2 Tim 1:12 And it is because of this that I suffer these things; but I am not ashamed of it, for I know in whom I believed, and I am convinced that he has the power to keep my deposit until that day.
· Constance divine
Dt 4:31 for Jehovah your God is a God of mercy, who will not abandon you or destroy you: he will not forget the covenant of your fathers, which he swore to them. Isaiah 54:10 When the mountains move away, When the hills stagger, My love will not move away from you, and My covenant of peace will not falter, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. John 13:1 Before the feast of Passover, Jesus, knowing that his time had come to pass from this world to the Father, and having loved his own who were in the world, put the height of his love for them. Jn 14:18 I will not leave you orphaned, I will come to you. Hb 13:5 Do not indulge in the love of money; be content with what you have; for God Himself has said: I will not abandon you, and I will not abandon you.
From all the above, we note that we should become acquainted with the promises and provisions of grace, so that, on the day of necessity, we may wage battle, like the army of Jehoshaphat, with those promises penetrating our ears, like the sound of musical instruments, with their reassuring voice, and be led to victory in the power of this joy. For “the joy of the Lord is your strength” as Nehemiah told the congregation (Neh 8:10). Verses 3 through 8 appear to be an oracle from above, in response to what faith expresses in verses 1 and 2. Thus, in Ps. 121 the assurance is given that the Lord is the protection of the faithful, he who never sleeps or falls asleep; “it will not allow your foot to be shaken.” For the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth with the mountain of Zion and the city of the great King, reigns over all the earth. Then the subject of the Psalm is the Lord as the great security of the faithful; that is why his name is often repeated. This name is mentioned in connection with the dual character of Creator of heaven and earth, and guardian of Israel, of the faithful in particular. The Lord will keep him in all circumstances, now and forever! The mountain is usually the symbol of high power, a high mountain like Basan Mountain. Here it is the mountain of the Lord. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and for centuries of ages. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “joy and peace in Jerusalem and in the house of the Lord.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.