He Will Keep You
He Will Keep You
Psalm 121
Let me share with you what the Lord has put on my heart for today. For me, it’s Psalm 121. And so, if you have a Bible, open it to Psalm 121, and I’m going to read it out of the ESV, but I have the NLT here too. I am going to read through and comment on Psalm 121.
Hopefully, you’ve seen how wonderfully the Holy Spirit orchestrated our time; that it’s been all “Encouragement in Trial.” Have you sensed that today? That it’s all about strength in trial, faith in trial, just commitment to know Jesus in the midst of our trials? And that’s really our life, that’s our commitment for this year and every year, to know him better in whatever the circumstance is.
And so, along these lines of help in trials, we read Psalm 121, which is a Song of Ascents. It’s a song that the pilgrims would sing as they were coming up Mount Zion from the desert, up the Jericho Road to the Temple for the feasts.
Psalm 121 (ESV)
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
Psalm 121 says, 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills from where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. And the idea here for the Psalmist is that as they’re coming up to Mount Zion, they know that they’re coming to this City of God, and they’re looking from the Judean Desert down below and looking up Mount Zion, which is a mountain within a mountain range. And as they begin this pilgrimage up there, they’re looking towards Jerusalem, and the Temple and the feast celebrations.
But as they’re doing that, they’re actually looking past Jerusalem. They’re looking past the City of Zion and Mount Zion to God. And the Psalmist knows that as he looks to the Mount, as he looks to the hills, that his help comes from heaven, the God who made heaven and earth, from the Creator.
And so, Psalm 121 verse 3 says, 3 He will not let your foot be moved; That’s God. The Maker of Heaven and Earth will not let your foot be moved. He is holding us to the ground. He who keeps you will not slumber. Six times – the Hebrew word for keep is used in Psalm 121, and every time, it’s about God caring for us, and holding on to us, and securing us, and watching over us like a shepherd watches over his sheep. And the Psalmist says he will not let your foot be moved. He won’t let you be taken out. He who keeps you will not slumber. He has not fallen asleep on the job. He’s not distracted. He is watching you and keeping you.
Verse 4 says, 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. He who keeps us, as God’s people, he’s always alert, always awake, always watching, and always keeping us. It’s referring to the eternal security of those who call God their god. Those who trust in the Lord. God keeps us. He watches over us, and he will always keep us.
Verse 5 says, 5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. And Verse 6 says, 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. This is a concept of God hemming us in on all sides. He keeps us, and he is our shade. He is our protector. Our right hand is that that place of battle, of security, of helping – as the Holy Spirit comes alongside to help. And then, verse 6 is the extremes – the sun by day or the moon by night. Meaning the extreme conditions of life will not move us because God is our keeper, and he is keeping us.
Verse 7 says, 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; Some translations say from all harm. He will keep you – It means that he will keep you in. It’s not away from so much as it is through. He will keep you through all harm, through all evil. He will keep your life. Again, that idea is that security, and that confidence, and the assurance that God has us, that God will keep us. That no matter what we face, whether it’s sickness or difficulty, or financial difficulty, or uncertainty, God will keep us. He will keep us in it, and he will keep us through it, and he will keep our life eternally. He will ultimately bring us through it victoriously. That’s this concept of keeping us.
And then verse 8 says, 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Coming and going, coming in and going out. The Lord will keep us from this time forward and forevermore. In whatever circumstances we face, God will keep us. He is with us. And as we face these difficult times, now it’s time to say, “Lord, you’ve got me, you’re keeping me. I am safe and secure. I am sure and steadfast. My feet are on the solid rock, and you are keeping me today.”
And so, I set my eyes to the hills because that’s where my help comes from. Not the hills of the earth, but the mountain of God, the city of God, Mount Zion, where God dwells with Man. My help comes from the Creator, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. And that’s my prayer for us all today that we would leave this time together rock-solid, secure, knowing that God is keeping us. Amen.
Hopefully, you’ve seen how wonderfully the Holy Spirit orchestrated our time; that it’s been all “Encouragement in Trial.” Have you sensed that today? That it’s all about strength in trial, faith in trial, just commitment to know Jesus in the midst of our trials? And that’s really our life, that’s our commitment for this year and every year, to know him better in whatever the circumstance is.
And so, along these lines of help in trials, we read Psalm 121, which is a Song of Ascents. It’s a song that the pilgrims would sing as they were coming up Mount Zion from the desert, up the Jericho Road to the Temple for the feasts.
Psalm 121 (ESV)
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
Psalm 121 says, 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills from where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. And the idea here for the Psalmist is that as they’re coming up to Mount Zion, they know that they’re coming to this City of God, and they’re looking from the Judean Desert down below and looking up Mount Zion, which is a mountain within a mountain range. And as they begin this pilgrimage up there, they’re looking towards Jerusalem, and the Temple and the feast celebrations.
But as they’re doing that, they’re actually looking past Jerusalem. They’re looking past the City of Zion and Mount Zion to God. And the Psalmist knows that as he looks to the Mount, as he looks to the hills, that his help comes from heaven, the God who made heaven and earth, from the Creator.
And so, Psalm 121 verse 3 says, 3 He will not let your foot be moved; That’s God. The Maker of Heaven and Earth will not let your foot be moved. He is holding us to the ground. He who keeps you will not slumber. Six times – the Hebrew word for keep is used in Psalm 121, and every time, it’s about God caring for us, and holding on to us, and securing us, and watching over us like a shepherd watches over his sheep. And the Psalmist says he will not let your foot be moved. He won’t let you be taken out. He who keeps you will not slumber. He has not fallen asleep on the job. He’s not distracted. He is watching you and keeping you.
Verse 4 says, 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. He who keeps us, as God’s people, he’s always alert, always awake, always watching, and always keeping us. It’s referring to the eternal security of those who call God their god. Those who trust in the Lord. God keeps us. He watches over us, and he will always keep us.
Verse 5 says, 5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. And Verse 6 says, 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. This is a concept of God hemming us in on all sides. He keeps us, and he is our shade. He is our protector. Our right hand is that that place of battle, of security, of helping – as the Holy Spirit comes alongside to help. And then, verse 6 is the extremes – the sun by day or the moon by night. Meaning the extreme conditions of life will not move us because God is our keeper, and he is keeping us.
Verse 7 says, 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; Some translations say from all harm. He will keep you – It means that he will keep you in. It’s not away from so much as it is through. He will keep you through all harm, through all evil. He will keep your life. Again, that idea is that security, and that confidence, and the assurance that God has us, that God will keep us. That no matter what we face, whether it’s sickness or difficulty, or financial difficulty, or uncertainty, God will keep us. He will keep us in it, and he will keep us through it, and he will keep our life eternally. He will ultimately bring us through it victoriously. That’s this concept of keeping us.
And then verse 8 says, 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Coming and going, coming in and going out. The Lord will keep us from this time forward and forevermore. In whatever circumstances we face, God will keep us. He is with us. And as we face these difficult times, now it’s time to say, “Lord, you’ve got me, you’re keeping me. I am safe and secure. I am sure and steadfast. My feet are on the solid rock, and you are keeping me today.”
And so, I set my eyes to the hills because that’s where my help comes from. Not the hills of the earth, but the mountain of God, the city of God, Mount Zion, where God dwells with Man. My help comes from the Creator, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. And that’s my prayer for us all today that we would leave this time together rock-solid, secure, knowing that God is keeping us. Amen.