Psalm 121 – THE LORD’S KEEPING
Psalm 121 is a Psalm that tells those who are born again Christians, that they are Kept By God!
In this Psalm we discover four things about God’s keeping.
GOD’S KEEPING IS A CHOICE – Vss. 1-2
This morning you are trusting someone or something to keep you and to give you a sense of worth.
The choice is yours. There are many bad things to trust and only one good one.
Psalm 121:1 – I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
It is possible that this is the song of a traveler who is approaching the great city of Jerusalem which was surrounded by hills.
He is actually asking a question here. “I see the hills, but is this where my help is coming from?”
- Hills are strong things. They offer protection. They offer security.
- Hills are high things. They were often places of worship often of idols, false gods.
- Hills are fallible things. The hills don’t always protect us the way we want them to. The hills are often not sufficient to meet our needs.
We all have hills that we look to.
In spite of hills, Jerusalem was often defeated. Hills are not the ultimate source of help.
What are some of the “hills” that people look to today?
- There is the hill of my own ability and my own self effort.
I can make it on my own. I will be comforted by my own ability to control things.
- There is the hill of friendship – I will depend on my friends to comfort, keep, and help me
- There are the hills of religion including the hill of law keeping.
If I’m religious, attending church, being baptized, taking communion, doing religious things, then I am kept securely.
- There is the hill of morality.
If I live a good, clean, moral life, that will help through my problems and make me acceptable to God.
- There is the hill of good works.
So I know I’m not perfect, but if I just do lots of good things for people, I will be kept and secure.
- There is the hill of being born into the right family.
If I have been born into and/or baptized into a Christian family, then I am kept by God and secure.
- There are the hills of hobbies and sports.
I have lots of toys and play lots of games. I’ll just trust these for comfort and diversion when things are bad.
- There is the hill of popularity.
As long as I am loved and accepted by others, I’m okay.
Are these hills where my help is coming from?
- The hill of friendship – friends often fail us, disappoint us, and even die.
The hill of religion – there are many false religions out there, and just being religious never got anyone into Heaven. Proverbs 14:12, Ezekiel 18:4
- The hill of my own ability and self effort – I am human. I am fallible. I am a sinner. I have failed God. Isaiah 64:6
- The hill of morality – Every person has broken the 10 commandments.
One example – Matthew 5:21-22 – Every one of us has gotten angry without cause. Therefore we have all broken God’s commandments.
- The hill of family – They will fail me too. And just being born into a Christian family doesn’t make me a Christian any more than being born in a garage would make me a car.
- The hills of hobbies and sports – At the end of life, what will they be worth?
- The hill of popularity – It is temporary, and fallible.
If these things are my “hills”, I don’t have much help. 1 John 2:17,
Psalm 121:2 – My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
What qualifies the Lord to help us? He has all the power needed as creator of the universe!
I already mentioned how human, and flawed, and sinful we are.
If a righteous God is going to have anything to do with us, He has to do something to help us with our sin problem.
He did.
He sent His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God to earth.
On earth the Sinless Son of God died in your place and mine for our sins. Isaiah 53:5-6, 2 Corinthians 5:21,
The Good News is that Jesus didn’t stay dead. He arose!
Notice in the Psalm that a decision was made on the part of the author. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
You need to make a similar decision.
You need to decide to stop looking to the “hills” for your help and to put your trust in the Lord Jesus.
To be kept by God is a decision you make.
You make that decision when you put your trust in the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Romans 10:9-10, 13
If you haven’t made Jesus your choice, you are in trouble. John 3:18
If you have made the choice to believe on Christ you are kept by God. You are His child! John 1:12-13
Now if you are a Christian, if you have trusted Christ as Savior, where is your help coming from?
Is your help coming from the approval of others?
Is your help coming from sports and hobies?
Is your coming from government?
Is your help coming from your family?
Is your help coming from your own self effort?
Whatever you spend time with is an indication of where you sense your help is coming from.
Make sure you help is coming from the Lord.
Make Him your choice.
GOD’S KEEPING IS CONSCIENTIOUS – Vss. 3-4
Psalm 121:3-4 – He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. [4] Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Christian, God has made a commitment to keep you.
Christian, The Lord Jesus has made a commitment to keep you. John 10:27-30
Almighty God is watching out for you 24/7.
He doesn’t take a nap. He doesn’t take a vacation.
He is too conscientious.
GOD’S KEEPING IS COMFORTING – Vss. 5-6
Psalm 121:5-6 – The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. [6] The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
God is a great Keeper!
He has all the resources of the universe at his disposal to meet my needs.
He has all the power of omnipotence to protect me, so that nothing under the Sun or under the moon can hurt me, unless it is in his perfect will for my life.
If we had time this morning we could have testimonies of just how God has kept each one of us.
He has kept us when finances were low.
He has kept us when we were in danger.
He has kept us from the slander of others.
He has kept us during times of sickness and health.
He has kept us alive, and even when we die, he will still keep us alive. John 11:25-26
GOD’S KEEPING IS COMPLETE – Vss. 7-8
Psalm 121:7-8 – The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. [8] The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
God will take care of you even as you face evil.
How does he do this?
He promises that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:25-29
If you know the Lord as Savior, you are kept by God.
If your loved ones know Jesus as Savior they are kept by God.