Sunday, December 7, 2015 pm
FROM WHENCE COMES MY HELP?
Psalm 121
Tonight we want to examine a psalm that describes the LORD as our helper
and He ought to be the source of our trust.
a.
Looking up and asking,
“Where does my help come from?”
To ask where the source of our hope is, is not a bad thing.
Truth does not fear investigation.
Also, in this I see, one on his journey toward God – He is pressing
toward the goal, looking to Jesus at the finished line (Heb. 12:1-2).
See Prov. 4:26 – look where you walk
b.
My help comes from the
LORD, who made heaven and earth – as opposed to any other “lord”.
Joshua 24:15 – as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Psalm 54:4, “Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold
my life.”
Hebrews 13:5-6, we live so that we may boldly say, “The Lord is my
helper…”
a.
He will not allow your
foot to be moved (or to slip)
– Speaking of the man who finds wisdom (including wisdom from God),
Proverbs 3:23-26 says, “Then you
will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble. When you
lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep
will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from
the wicked when it comes; For the Lord will be your confidence, And will
keep your foot from being caught.”
God is in control – “There
are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that
will stand.” (Prov.
19:21)
1 Cor. 10:13 – no temptation has overtaken you, He will make the way of
escape.
He knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation – 2 Peter 2:9
b.
He who keeps Israel does not sleep – The point is He is always watching.
He knows everything that is happening ALWAYS.
When we read that there is no creature hidden from His sight we
are reminded that He doesn’t sleep!
(Heb. 4:13).
Unlike the non-gods back then (and today) - I think of 1 Kings 18:23-27
as Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal.
God is ALWAYS available for His people – He doesn’t take naps or have
“office hours”.
Whenever we need Him, He is there.
As Jesus said, Matthew 28:20 – I am always with you.
In our text, He was the keeper of Israel.
We don’t know exactly when this psalm was written, but as we
study Israel’s history we see God has sustained them.
He was always there for them.
In fact, it was only AFTER they left Him that there was
separation (NOTE: Keep that in mind throughout the rest of this psalm!)
a.
He is our keeper –
protector.
Throughout the psalms we find this promise – Psalm 145:20, 16:8,
“I have set the Lord always before
me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”
Psalm 91:1-2, “He who dwells in
the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My
God, in Him I will trust.”
God has the ability to give us what we need - As Jesus taught us not to
worry, that was one of His points – Matthew 6:28-33.
2 Peter 1:3 tells us he has given us “all things that pertain to life
and godliness.”
He can preserve us – man may take away our possessions and even
our life, but he cannot take away our soul which belongs to Him – Luke
12:4-5.
b.
He is our shade
– on a hot day outside we seek shade.
It can be refreshing and relief from the scorching elements.
This is emphasis on one way He protects us.
He is like shade in times of trouble.
With neither sun nor moon shall strike us – we understand the sun, but
what about the moon? As I
understand there are ways that the moon can harm or affect us adversely,
especially in the Arabian desserts and open places, (as seen in several
sources preparing for this), some say the full moon is a time when some
people change. Whether
this be the thought or not, it could be an analogy noting that God is
our protector both DAY AND NIGHT – again at all times as we have already
noted throughout this psalm!
a.
He will preserve you
from evil –
not only can God sustain His people physically; He can protect us
spiritually as well. He can
preserve us from evil. It is
a word that means to keep safe or to keep from harm.
Matthew 6:13 – one thing Jesus tells us to pray for is to deliver
us from the evil one!
Again, He is greater than Satan – 1 John 4:4
Paul, when he was left alone expressed confidence in the Lord delivering
him from every evil work (2 Tim. 4:17-18)
John 17:15 – Jesus prayed that God would keep His disciples from the
evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 – the Lord is faithful who will establish you and
guard you from the evil one.
1 Peter 1:5, “who are kept by the
power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the
last time.”
b.
He will preserve your soul – again be reminded of Matthew 10:26, man can only afflict
the body – he cannot affect our eternal being.
Jesus as our good Shepherd is able to keep us – John 10:26-30.
Luke 17:33 – Jesus said, “Whoever
seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will
preserve it.”
c.
He will preserve your
going out and your coming in
– as the psalmist continues to describe God’s perseverance, he notes
that that He does so going out and coming in – this is simply saying, as
we have already noted – AT ALL TIMES!
No matter where you go, God is with you.
It is NOT saying that He would preserve them as they left Him in
rebellion and later decided to return.
Such a disposition requires repentance.
For Israel that was continually demanded in the prophets.
d.
Now and forevermore – in this we are reminded of the eternity of God –
Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Romans 16:25-27 – God is described as an everlasting God.
e.
Lessons in this:
i.
The Bible teaches that
we CAN lose our salvation – 1 Cor. 9:27, 2 Peter 2:20-22, etc.
ii.
God keeps His promises
and everlasting life is something He can promises.
From His end, He does not take away what He gives, BUT we can
walk away from it.
iii.
One thing to remember in
this also, is that God’s protection does NOT mean we will never face
hardships or temptations.
But as we have noted we are given what we need to deal with those
things. Cf. 1 Cor. 10:13,
etc.
iv.
Furthermore, if one is
faithful to God’s WORD, there is nothing that can cause him to be lost.
IT will build us up and preserve us – Acts 20:32 – as Paul
commended the Ephesian elders
Like Israel, this life is journey.
On this journey, let us keep our eye on the Lord God, as this
psalm teaches us.