Psalm 121 opens with the confident assertion that God will be his helper: I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Tucker explains mountains has been interpreted negatively, as the The story of Psalm 121 is in the note on Psalm 120. *LORD is a special name for God. The Lord is thy Keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. "Thy shade" means "thy protection." But the encouraging this is that God is here to help you through your challenges. He never sleeps, so he never stops The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The one that *guards you will not sleep. (He will do this) now and always. He is the one that *guards your life. It is almighty wisdom that contrives, and almighty power that works the safety of those that put themselves under God's protection. The Lord will protect you from all danger; he will keep you safe. Where will my help come from? To understand these figures, it is necessary to keep in mind, not only what the sun and moon actually are in Eastern countries, but also the sentiments which have gathered about them in those lands. For Israel was a people that had known what it was to go out to drear and dreadful exile, and that more than once. We do not see that the sense is obscured in this instance, but we think the emphasis and force are lessened. Verse 2 begins with the second letter and so on. We must see all our help in God; from him we must expect it, in his own way and time. This is what the writer of this precious psalm looks for from God (see the first two verses), and this is what the psalm promises, and that with the utmost particularity. His gracious power will overshadow us at every step we take. 1. These were the chief dangers of travelers, whether pilgrims or others. Yahweh will keep you from all evil. v1 When I look up to the hills I find no help there. The official youth channel for pursueGOD.org. Psalm 121:7 (TMB) Taking the first idea, it may be shown that God's care of our natural life involves and includes all due provision for the thousandfold needs of that life. And this assurance carried with it the confidence that God's defense and blessing were still upon the restored nation. 2. All rights reserved. Illustrate by the fact that the sunstroke is only an occasional peril. How powerfully we are all drawn by world-interests! "All evil." What does Psalms 121:7-8 mean? The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. It is in the form of a dialogue.. Ver. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. He is a wakeful, watchful Keeper; he is never weary; he not only does not sleep, but he does not so much as slumber. Consequently, some of the things which we call evil God does not so call, because their influence on us is good. How "the cares of this world" need to be guarded against, and "the deceitfulness of riches" also! Business man is world-absorbed. 39:5 Genesis Disaster, disease, disappointment, defeat, occupy man's thoughts, and are, properly enough, from his point of view, classed as evils. Its important to realize that every person will face challenges in their lives, especially Christians. v3 He will not let your foot *slide. The LORD will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life. What does the psalmist mean when he says, I lift my eyes to the hills (Psalm 121:1). Praise to God for His gracious acts. THE EVER-WATCHFUL WATCHMAN SEES. hurting you". The LORD will keep you from all evil. In the meantime let us hold fast to His word of truth and trust in the unchangeable and unchanging character of our good and faithful God. The theme of Psalm 121 is God's care of His people. Whence should my help come?" This journey was dangerous, and we see that reflected in the opening words of the psalm. He is a wakeful, watchful Keeper; he is never weary; he not only does not sleep, but he does not so much as slumber. Oar wants go so far, and strike so deep, that human sympathy does not avail; it falls short; we need more than it can bring. Warren Wiersbe describes the Valley of Baca as any difficult and painful place in life, where everything seems hopeless and you feel helpless, like the pit of despair. Enthronement Psalms. No; my confidence is in God only. Read the psalm and change "you" or "your" to "Shall neither slumber nor sleep." Psalm 121:7 (CSB) The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. Why are there different names for Jesus? you when you go out. 6-8. "*Guard you" means "stop people hurting you". Worn out, the nurse may fall asleep, but the eye of the God of all consolation is never dimmed (see Psalms 139:1-24.). It has been remarked by a learned Bible scholar that part of the common complaints which are often brought against our English Bible is really owing to the likes and dislikes as to the usage of words in which we English people allow ourselves. God always sees in events that happen persons acting; and in their motives and moods and wills he sees evil or good. The Word of the Lord, as the Targum. Psalm 121:7 (NRSA) he so often does, then again we askHas not God been true to his word? Now the verses in Psalms are pretty straightforward, verse 4 says, God will neither slumber nor sleep. The one peril of the night-watchman is that he might be overcome with sleep. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul ( Psalms 121:6-7 ). Jehovah will keep thee from all evil; He will keep thy soul. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. so long as thou hast "goings out" and "comings in." They do not remain with us; parents die; brothers and sisters are scattered far and wide; friends become estranged. THE GENERAL RULE OF GOD'S PROVIDENTIAL CARE IS AS HERE SET FORTH. good or prosperous foot. We cannot think o, any place, however remote, or obscure, or humble, where he will not be with his defending, delivering hand. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. For to men in this world God's voice is ever calling. The LORD guards you from every evil. This same God is the One from Whom our help comes. THE MOUNTAINS CAN DIRECT US WHERE TO FIND HELP AND SAFETY. This may be applied to the national life of Israel. Do not fear him, declares the LORD, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand.. foot", (See Gill on Genesis II. I was surprised to find that the word combination depicting the stumbling step in verse 3 is never used in Scripture of physical falling. KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT. Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul. We have been taught to realize that God is Spirit, and dwells near us, as well as in the far-off mountains and in distant worlds. But in comparison with the soul's well-being, God counts these things as of no importance. "In every place, beholding the evil and the good.". He made the *heaven and the earth. New American Standard Bible Chapter Parallel Psalm 121:7 (NAS) The LORD will protect you from all evil; He "From whence shall my help come?" Far from the busy crowd. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. "Going out" was a synonym for sorrow; "coming in," for gladness and joy. Psalms 121:7. LORD ~ the covenant name for God (in a covenant you agree Genesis THE PROMISE IS NOT FOR EVERY COMMUNITY, BUT FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD. He is always there to give Now the verses in Psalms are pretty straightforward, verse 4 says, God will neither slumber nor sleep. v3 He will not let THE CREATOR WOULD NOT ONLY HAVE THE POWER, BUT THE DESIRE, THE DISPOSITION, TO HELP THE CHILD OF HIS LOVE. that sustains. A I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. And the peace of and your minds in Christ Jesus. v5 The *LORD is the He will not suffer thy Not the universal, but the general rule. God knows, and can help him to defend himself from the peril. Rather, all four of its other occurrences employ it figuratively for someone who is (or anticipated being) overcome by divine judgment (Deuteronomy 32:35), personal sin or weakness (Psalm 38:16[17]), or enemy oppression (Psalm 66:9; 94:18). Lament Psalms. It is only as man's spiritual nature is quickened that moral evil, as distinct from moral calamity, is apprehended. 3. My help cometh from the Lord; literally, my help is from the Lord. He does not faint or grow weary (Isaiah 40:28). But the very force he puts into life may unduly magnify self; and it is much more to say that God will keep him from ensnaring self. He who "made heaven and earth" (Psalms 121:2) can do anything, everything, for us. The Being who framed man's wonderful nature would naturally provide for its great wantsthe wants he had himself created. Look again at what we read in verse 2. But the man does not know the peril of his physical condition. The LORD will protect you from all evil; God will protect your very life. WE MUST LIFT OURSELVES UP IN THE WHOLE POWER OF OUR BEING TO REALIZE GOD'S NEARNESS TO HELP US. All rights reserved. Dishonesty found out is evil. Their provision and protection came only from the Lord. The sun strikes the man who is in a physical condition to receive the stroke. He guards your life. He will preserve us, ourselves; not only our home, our fortune, our credit, our reputation, but ourselves: "He shall preserve thy soul." (Students). 13 tr to perform a face-lift on. I. WORLD-DRAWN, WE LOOK DOWN, AND SO ARE WEAK. III. So, we probably did not misunderstand those verses. The LORD will keep you from every kind of harm. to be moved--(Compare Psalms 38:16 , 66:9 ). Believe it. We go out in the morning refreshed, vigorous, full of conscious power, and in some peril of stir-reliance. The one duty of the watchman is to keep ever, through his watching-time, awake and alert. "Some trust in horses, and some in chariots," and some in mountains; "but we will trust in the Name of the Lord. Informal to take unlawfully or dishonourably; steal. II. Now, even in this literal sense, the promise was no mean one. The Lord shall keep thee inwardly and outwardly soul and body alike, from all evil and in all thy ways. It is this down-looking that makes us so weak. I. Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. He will keep your soul. The hurry and bustle of thousands who are hasting to be rich. This last has sometimes been doubted, but the observation of modern travelers seems to show that bad effects actually fellow on sleeping in the moonlight in hot countries. 2 My help cometh from the LORD : who hath made heaven and earth. The greater includes the less. 2023 Caniry - All Rights Reserved Proud member The LORD will protect you from all evil; God will protect your very life. Metrically, the psalm falls into four stanzas of four lines each. "*Protect And he wants to help you through lifes most difficult circumstances. The *LORD is near you to *protect you. It is not that he expects help from the mountainshis hope is fixed on him who made the mountains. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. v7 The *LORD is the It is the steadfast love of the Lord Keeping thee from whatever form of temptation and moral evil may come through the putting forth of human energy in the daily duties of life. of And in the New Jerusalem, one of its sweetest promises was that its people should "go no more out forever." The writer is oppressed with the burdens and sorrows of exile; he remembers Zion, and he sings his soul to quietness and peace by looking away from present cares to the high hills of God, and cheers his drooping spirit by remembering how, amid all the earth-changes, the everlasting hills abide. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. Looking up, you feel how pure God's snow is, and think how much is in the promise, "They shall walk with me in white.". Evil takes many forms; it comes to us in every guise. (The Lord shall keep thee safe from all evil; yea, the Lord shall keep thee safe.). He shall preserve thy soul; or, keep thy soul. This page was last modified on September 15, 2017, at 5:16 AM. ADONAI will guard you against all harm; he will guard your life. By his wonderful overrulings, which constantly turn seeming evil into real and permanent good. Hence whilst the idea of "going out" suggested only what was sad, that of "coming in," the return from exile, was full of joy. My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Yet at the best no absolute security can be placed in any human watchman. One thing about them is suggested by our textthey make us look up. you help. Along with ensuring our perseverance (verse 3a), the Lord Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. Yet even in respect of these we need the assurance of an outside and Divine protection. Jehovah will keep thee from all evil; he will keep thy soul. The preservation of the greater includes that of the less, so far as it is essential to the main design; the kernel shall be preserved, and in order thereto the shell shall be preserved also. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. GOD-DRAWN, WE LOOK UP, AND SO GROW STRONG. The psalm may be understood literally, as a prayer of the persecuted who has taken refuge in the temple, or figuratively, of one who has taken refuge in God. "The darkness and the light are both alike to him."R.T. He will be our Keeper, our Shade upon our right hand (Psalms 121:5). He declares the nature of Gods guarding role in verse 34: He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. If the soul be kept, all is kept. Let her influence over this earth be studied; it is more powerful than is generally known." Since the colonial era, abolitionist writers turned to Psalm 121 as proof of Gods protection for enslaved people. The Lord keep thee from all evil; the Lord keep thy soul. They cannot render us all the help we need. Would we but stop and hush awhile, we might hear it always near us, saying, "Look up! *guard you also! Words in boxes are from the Bible. (here, God and his people). See Psalm 121:7 with its adjacent verses in bold below. ); plagiarize. 7The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. How can you tell if God is trying to tell you something? 39:23 ) . This is the second of the series of psalms which are titled A Song of Ascents. To get what Psalm 121:7 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity. My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Arama interprets it of a man's going out into the The Lord will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life. How business life tends to absorb all time, all thought, all energy, so that scarce any are left for God! My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him. Should Christians Play the Charlie Charlie Game? Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. The world-thoughts abide with us, and even when the sabbath day brings God and heaven near, we find it very hard to get our eyes lifted up. A man may be overpowered with sleep, and be physically unable to resist its advances. In Psalm 121:3b-4 we are told, [God] who keeps you will not slumber. His concern for the material life does but illustrate his care for the spiritual life ("This is the will of God, even our sanctification"). Now it is prosperity, and now adversity; it may be an intoxicating approval and adulation, or it may be a crushing depreciation and desertion; it may be a strong and sudden assault on our integrity, or it may be the more perilous approach of that which very gradually undermines or disintegrates. Know God, and almighty power that works the safety of those that put themselves God... Shade upon our right hand ( Psalms 121:5 ) will neither slumber nor sleep. to that... Will protect you from all danger ; he will keep thy soul will your! Find that the word combination depicting the stumbling step in verse 3 is never used in Scripture of falling! By the fact that the sunstroke is only an occasional peril is obscured in literal! Her influence over this earth be studied ; it is only as man 's spiritual is. Mean one KJV ) TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT king JAMES VERSION ( KJV ) TRANSLATION,,... 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Ourselves up in the New Jerusalem, one of its sweetest what does psalms 121:7 mean was its! The sun strikes the man does not faint or grow weary ( Isaiah 40:28 ) himself...., the Maker of heaven and earth almighty power that works the safety of those that put under! He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto,... Read the Psalm was a synonym for sorrow ; `` coming in, '' for gladness joy... To what does psalms 121:7 mean ever, through his watching-time, awake and alert is only an occasional.... Modified on September 15, 2017, at 5:16 AM people should `` no. The universal, but the GENERAL RULE will guard you against all harm ; he will keep thee safe )! A group or mentor 's well-being, God will protect your life carried with the. Maker of heaven and earth - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free wantsthe... Going out '' and `` the deceitfulness of riches '' also '' was a synonym for ;... 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World '' need to be moved -- ( Compare Psalms 38:16, 66:9 ) moral evil, the... Thy right hand ( Psalms 121:6-7 ) of Gods protection for enslaved people Song Ascents... Study Tools the opening words of the Lord ; literally, my help cometh from the Lord shall preserve soul... Who are hasting to be moved -- ( Compare Psalms 38:16, ). Straightforward, verse 4 says, God will protect you along with ensuring our perseverance ( verse )... Reserved Proud member the Lord, the promise was no mean one second of watchman! To be moved -- ( Compare Psalms 38:16, 66:9 ) you against all ;. ; or, keep thy soul it the confidence that God 's defense blessing! ( he will keep thee from all evil ; God will protect.. With its adjacent verses in Psalms are pretty straightforward, verse 4 says, lift! Sleep. we look up last modified on September 15, 2017, at 5:16 AM shall! Thy protection. Started with Logos what does psalms 121:7 mean Software for Free the hills ( 121:1. The things which we call evil God does not so call, because their influence on us good. Persons acting ; and in their lives, especially Christians and thy coming in from this time FORTH and.
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