Psalm 121 is the first of the Songs of Ascent. Historically, these are the psalms that were sung by the Israelites as they traveled to Jerusalem for various feasts and festivals. As you read from this psalm all the way to Psalm 134, you see a common emphasis on the fact that God is able to save His people. Moreover, the people are looking to Him and calling out to Him to do just that. In this context, Psalm 121 stands as an introduction to this grouping of psalms and really serves to lay the foundation for those that come after.
Understanding the place of the psalm itself, we can look to the first two verses to get a better understanding of the theme of this particular psalm. The psalmist begins by saying, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. Form where does my help come?” (121:1-2). In this question and answer, we are introduced to the entire point of this psalm. This is the foundation of the psalmist’s thoughts. He speaks of looking up to the hills and wonders out loud from where his help will come. He does not leave the question unanswered, however, but rather immediately points the reader to the Lord. Moreover, he points out in this brief introduction that this Lord is the maker of heaven and earth. The implicit assumption here is that the Lord who made all things is certainly able to provide help. Therefore, the psalmist says he will look to that Lord. Here, in succinct form, is the thrust of the entire psalm. This is a psalm about the God who is able to help and a psalm about the confidence that true knowledge of such a God can inspire in us as His people.
Interestingly, this is a psalm that is entirely focused on the Lord! The psalm itself is a brief meditation on the character of the Lord. Why is that so important? It is because the character of the Lord is crucial for the conduct and feelings of His people. If the Lord can be trusted, then anxiety can be overcome. If the Lord can be trusted, then fear can be cast aside. If the Lord can be trusted, then we are safe. But if the Lord cannot be trusted, we have no hope. In this psalm, the writer is emphatically declaring that God is absolutely true and mighty and powerful and trustworthy. This is a psalm meant to encourage the hearts of God’s people by turning their attention away from the circumstances and toward the Lord Himself. So let us examine what this psalm says about that Lord.
After making clear that he looks to the maker of heaven and earth for his help, the psalmist begins extolling the greatness of that Lord. He begins by writing, “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (121:3-4). The psalmist confidently declares that the Lord will not let the foot of his readers be moved. In short, the Lord will guide their steps and keep them from falling. There will not be a single moment when the road that God’s children are taking is so fraught with danger or difficulty that the Lord is unable to protect them or that they slip unexpectedly in the eyes of the Lord. The psalmist is confident the Lord will keep His people.
The reason for this confidence is the psalmist’s confident assurance that the Lord will never slumber or sleep. While all of us would readily acknowledge that the Lord does not sleep (He has no need to sleep because He is not like us. He does not have a physical body that needs rest like us.), it may be that we fail to recognize the reason such a reality is important. The point is that since the Lord never sleeps, He is always aware of what is happening. Even in the midst of difficulty and suffering, the Lord is fully aware of what is happening, and the promise still stands – “he will not let your foot be moved.” At least part of the point here for Israel would be to remind them that they were not serving a deaf and dumb god like the pagan nations around them. Rather, their God was alive and real. The central point of these two verses is that God is always aware of what is happening. Because He never sleeps, He will keep the steps of His children. Because He never slumbers, He will protect His people.
As I meditated on this reality, I was reminded of a trip I took to Indonesia in college. Part of the trip involved some rock climbing (a definite adventure for me as I am terrified of heights), and this was an object lesson for me regarding trusting the help of another for my safety. As I labored to climb, I had to constantly remind myself that the person on top of the climb was there to protect me and keep me from falling. Indeed, if he had not been paying diligent attention, it could have meant trouble for me. Thankfully, he was attentive, and I was safe. As I thought on the text this week, I was reminded that this is the way we stand before God. No doubt, like me in the midst of that climb, we often struggle and strive in life, but the comfort in the midst of such times is that God is fully aware of what is going on. Moreover, He is not just an omniscient observer, but He has pledged that He will keep us in those times and keep our feet from slipping. Our hope rests in the character of our God.
Next, the psalmist writes, “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night” (121:5-6). Once again, the starting point is a comforting reiteration of the Lord’s care – “the Lord is your keeper.” In the midst of life’s many struggles and difficulties and temptations and trials, the Lord is your keeper. The psalmist wants his readers to comprehend the glorious fact that the Lord will protect them.
Then, just like with the previous verses, he substantiates this claim by telling us something about God. By declaring that the Lord is the shade on your right hand, the psalmist is making the point that God is always present with us. In the psalmist’s image, this means that there is protection from both the sun and the moon. The celestial orbs are most likely intended here as representatives of the many things that could harm us or seek to harm us – ranging from nature and sickness to other people to powers and principalities in the spiritual realm. The focus is not on the sun and the moon or what they represent but on the Lord who walks beside us to protect us from them. Just as verses 3-4 highlighted that God is always aware because He never sleeps, these verses highlight the nearness of God – He is always present.
No doubt the image of a shade at the right hand to protect from the sun and the moon would have reminded the Israelites of God’s miraculous provision on the journey to the Promised Land in which God gave them a cloud to guide them by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21-22). The cloud and the fire were not mere guides but tangible demonstrations to the people that God was present in their midst, guiding and protecting and providing for them. Even with the use of this image, the psalmist is turning his reader’s thoughts to a particular instance in Israel’s history when God kept His people. This is for the purpose of moving their hearts to believe the same reality in the present. The God who kept them then will keep them now, and the God who protected them then will protect them now.
The psalmist closes this meditation on the Lord by declaring boldly, “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (121:7-8). Just as he has done in verses 3 and 5, the psalmist gives an emphatic declaration of God’s faithful protection and care. This time, however, the object from which the reader is guaranteed protection is evil itself. Here, in a very real sense, is the climax of opposition, and the psalmist makes clear that even the greatest opposition will not overcome us. Rather, just as in the previous verses, the Lord will keep us from all evil. He will sustain our life, and it will not overcome us.
It is crucial at this point to understand the psalmist’s point. It would be tempting to read the passage as saying that God will keep us from ever experiencing evil or the effects of evil, but that is not the case. In reality, such a reading of the text does not fit with the picture given in the rest of Scripture. Numerous biblical characters who loved and followed the Lord experienced horrendous evil: Joseph, Job, David, Daniel. They were not spared from evil situations and evil people, but they were protected in such a way that this evil did not overcome them or steal their lives. Even Jesus himself endured terrible suffering and evil at the hands of wicked men, but He was able to declare confidently that He had overcome the world. The point of the psalmist in these verses is that God will keep and protect us even in the midst of evil circumstances. He will keep us from evil and it will not overcome us.
Even more encouraging, the psalmist closes the psalm by making clear that the Lord will keep us and watch over His people in this glorious way “from this time forth and forevermore.” This glorious care and protection is not something that has a “statute of limitations” or a “100,000 mile warranty.” The Lord is faithful forever, and His faithfulness will endure forever. Again, just as he has throughout the psalm, the author’s point is to hold up before the people of Israel the incredible greatness of their God – a greatness that is demonstrated in His faithful protection and care and love.
Having looked at the psalm itself, there is another step that we must be sure not to miss. This psalm was written thousands of years ago to a specifically Jewish audience. As we have seen, it lays out a number of things that are true about God, and it lays out some of the ways those realities intersect with the lives of the readers. Knowing these things, it is possible for us to hear the message of this psalm and understand it clearly in our minds while failing to truly grasp its message in our hearts. The key to avoiding this problem is truly personalizing the message of the psalm.
To put it another way, it is tempting to think that God is so great that He has no reason to really care intimately about little people such as us. It is tempting to think to ourselves, “Of course Israel could talk about God in this way because they were the special people and they had seen incredible miracles carried out on their behalf.” The temptation is to hear the message of this psalm in our minds without connecting its truths with our particular situation.
So how do we personalize this psalm? First, we must realize that the God spoken about and described in this psalm is the same God we serve. His character has not changed, and He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The God who the Israelites knew would never let their foot slip because He never slept and was always watching still never sleeps and always watches. The Lord who the Israelites knew would keep them because He was always with them as their protector and shield is still always with His people as their protector and shield. And the God who the Israelites knew would keep them from evil and guard them forever is still able to keep His people from evil forever. So the first way we personalize this psalm is by recognizing that the Lord spoken of in Psalm 121 is our Lord!
But the second way we personalize this psalm is by understanding our position rightly. If we have trusted in Christ as Savior and follow Him as our Lord, we can be sure that the realities of Psalm 121 are true for us. How can we be sure? In short, we can be sure because the promises of Psalm 121 belonged to Abraham’s descendants – the Israelites. Now, we understand that Abraham’s true descendants are those who follow Christ – both Jew and Greek. Galatians 3 makes clear that everything that was true of Abraham and Israel is true of all who are “in Christ.” As those who have trusted in the Lord, we must understand the glorious position in which we stand because of what Christ has accomplished. He has died on our behalf to take away our sins, and His perfect righteousness has been given to us so that God sees us as perfectly righteous. Amazing! That which is true of Israel is true of us, and the promises spoken to Israel – like those in Psalm 121 – are spoken to us as well.
Armed with these realities, we can truly feel the full weight of this psalm. Ultimately, this psalm is not intended to merely fill the mind but to encourage the heart. This psalm is not intended to win an academic debate but to give us confidence that no matter what comes to us – no matter how terrible – we can trust in the Lord who has redeemed us. This psalm is meant to move the heart of the individual who feels like the Lord has abandoned them to realize that He is aware and present. Rather than abandoning them, He is sustaining them and strengthening them. This psalm is meant to serve as a solid rock on which you can stand in the midst of life’s storms. This psalm is intended to humble the heart of the one who is doing well and believes this is due to their excellence by reminding them that it is the Lord who is upholding them. This is a psalm intended to move the heart.
Understanding these realities, we can make more specific application. To those who have never believed in Jesus Christ and followed Him as Lord, you should understand that you are in a terrible position. Because you are a sinner and God is holy, you are in a terrible position as an enemy of God. But there is hope! Even though this psalm is written specifically to God’s people, it is no less true for you that the only place you can look for help is to the Lord – the maker of heaven and earth. The very God whose wrath is against you sent His Son to earth. That Son, Jesus, died on the cross and was raised from the dead three days later. He ascended into heaven as the exalted Lord of all things. If you submit to Him, believing that He died and was raised and following Him as Lord, you will be saved. You will find incredible help in your time of need, and it will be glorious. Repent and believe today!
If you are a believer and you are in the midst of a difficult situation, I would encourage you to turn your eyes to your Lord. Know that He sees your situation – He is not asleep. Know that He is with you – He is not ignoring your situation. Know that He is upholding even in the midst of pain and grief. Know that He is sustaining you and protecting you and guarding you. Know that He loves you and has ordained for you to walk this path so that you might know the depths of His sufficiency as described in this psalm. Trust that this suffering, though painful, is building endurance and character and true hope. In the midst of your difficulty, look to your Lord, cry out to Him, hope and rest in Him and you will find Him sufficient.
For those who are not in a distressing time, you should realize that it is the Lord who is upholding you. It is not only in times of distress that God holds us but at all times. Every breath and our very lives are from Him. In the midst of your calm, you should recognize the sovereign hand of God that is keeping you.
For all of us, we should praise and honor and worship the God described in Psalm 121. What other response is appropriate for one who is so gracious and kind and mighty and strong? Let us sing to and worship and exalt this Lord. He is worthy, and we have plenty of reason to do so.
Finally, I would encourage each of you to use this psalm to encourage one another. We must never forget that the psalms were sung by the people to one another! These songs in particular were the songs the people sung to one another as they traveled to Jerusalem. These were written to be an encouragement to the readers. And then those readers sung them to other people in order to be an encouragement to them. In the same way, we should be diligent to encourage our brothers and sisters with these words. Paul told the Ephesians to “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:18b-20). Let us heed this command and encourage each other appropriately.
It is appropriate that we close by coming to the table for Communion. Indeed, the death and resurrection of Christ that we remember in this meal is the ultimate help that has come from our Lord. He has met our greatest need, so we can have confidence that He can, and will, meet every other need. Amen.