![]() Is God saying that he will protect us from all harm in this life? There is no part of life where his involvement is not sufficient. Israel”), and all of time (“coming and going. harm”), both the individual and the corporate (“you. life”), every potential danger (“foot slip. His care covers every part of our experience (“foot. The LORD our maker is constantly watching and keeping us (the root word is the same). The overall picture is one of exceptional completeness. going”), and then brings in the present and future as well. Notice the way that Hebrew poetry often names opposites to include everything in between (“coming. Indeed (7), the protection that the Lord offers covers every evil, and the whole of life. In a society where some worshipped the sun and moon as spiritual powers, the Lord can protect his followers from every spiritual attack (6). This LORD stays right by our side (compare Isaiah 41:13) so that his shadow falls across us. His attention is never interrupted by sleep (3-4). He cares for the firmness of each footstep along the journey (3) as much as he cares for his people as a whole (4). What follows is an incredible detailed, personal, and complete account of the way that the LORD watches over those that belong to him. If this God owns the world and provides the help that is needed, who can stop that help from being effective? As he does so, he states what he knows that his help comes from (literally ‘from with’) the covenant LORD, creator of the whole of the universe. It’s possible to imagine the pilgrim setting off for Jerusalem, and looking up at the destination of his journey, the hills on which Jerusalem is set. It’s true that they could sometimes be sources of danger, or thought of as places where foreign gods had some jurisdiction, but in Psalm 123:1 the psalmist lifts his eyes to God, and in Psalm 122, the hills surround Jerusalem. Psalm 120 began “I call”, but this psalm begins “I lift”. ![]() ![]() All of which suggests the following structure.ġ-2 The LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, will supply helpģ-8 The LORD, the one who watches, will protect your life forever Verses 3-8 talk about “he” and “you”, and the key word is ‘watch’ (vv.3, 4, 5, 7 (twice), 8). Verses 1 and 2 contain the pronouns “I” and “my”, and the key word is ‘help’. Psalm 110), building up to a finale of praise. From that point onwards, the psalms home in on the promised messiah-king (e.g. Instead, we learn that God will send a better king, one who will ‘stand in the gap’ (Psalm 106:23). From that point onwards through the 5 books, different potential psalm 2 kings come into view. The book of Psalms, or ‘praises’, have Psalms 1 and 2 as a key introduction (showing that the one who is blessed (Psalm 1), is the one who makes peace with God’s messiah-king (Psalm 2)). In that way, the climbing songs of Psalm 120-134, become psalms full of longing to be in the new creation, and God’s closer presence once again. ![]() Even God’s New Testament church, brought close to him at the cross, are exiles and strangers (1 Peter 1:1), waiting for the real return to the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21). Despite the rescue from slavery in Egypt at the exodus, and the eventual return from exile in Ezra/Nehemiah, God’s people are still permanently in exile. From that point onwards, they are banished from the garden and from God’s presence (Genesis 3:23-24). ![]() Key OT/NT passages on how this passage fits within the Bible story as a wholeĪdam and Eve are created to be close to God in the garden, but quickly assert independence at the fall. I lift up my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from?Ģ My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.ģ He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber Ĥ indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.ĥ The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand Ħ the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.ħ The LORD will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life Ĩ the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore. ![]()
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