THE PROTECTION PSALM

Psalm 121:1-8

It is quite common for everyone of us to seek a safe and secured environment; and we will do everything in our power to provide such an environment. But, the reality is: even when we do our best, none of us can really be absolutely free from dangers. For example, how many of you can truly say that you are in a safe neighborhood? Do you really know your neighbors?

Many of you have probably heard last August about the arrest of Philip and Nancy Garrido, both residents of Antioch, California. They were found guilty of abducting Jaycee Lee Dugard when she was 11 years old in South Lake Tahoe and making her a sexual slave for 18 years. When Philip and Nancy were finally arrested, the neighbors were all surprised that those kinds of people were living amongst them.

Besides the neighborhoods we live in, how about the places we go to? Are they absolutely safe? Your workplaces, schools, malls or even restaurants. After 9/11, many of these places are often perceived as common targets for terrorists. I know for this country we have the Homeland Security. They are doing such a great job, but I don't think they are really capable of giving us full security.

Now, it is not my intention to scare anyone, but I am aware that so many times, this is a source of worry for most of us. I praise God because He has something to say about this. With our studies in the book of Psalms, we have a familiar passage, which I'm sure will encourage all of us - Psalm 121.

If you look at the heading, you'll find that this is one of the songs of ascent. There are about 15 Psalms that falls on this category. They are regarded as such because they were the songs that the Israelites would sing when they travel to Jerusalem for Feast days in the temple. Since Jerusalem is located in a higher elevation, the songs of ascent were written to sing along the road from lowlands of Palestine to Jerusalem.

Psalm 121 is a great pilgrim song. It is written to remind all of God's people concerning God's protection to them in times of their journeys. Since all of us are in this journey of life, we need to also know the kind of protection that is available for us:

I     LOOK TO GOD FOR PROTECTION: (vs. 1-2)

Speaking of full protection in life, who can provide this for us? The Psalmist in verse 1 asks almost the same question - Where does my help come from?

A. Not from the hills:

If you are reading the two verses from the King James Version, there's a little confusion because the rendering seems to suggest that looking to the hills is synonymous to looking to the Lord, " I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth."

The New International Version clarifies the meaning. You see, during the Old Testament times, pagans built their shrines on hilltops called "High Places." On these places, they worship their false gods like Baal or Asherah. It is possible that when the Psalmist referred to looking to the hills, he was indicating that there were people who go to these false gods hoping they can provide the protection they needed. Unfortunately, people who have done this, opted for a much inferior help. This can only lead to futility and frustration. The prophet Jeremiah gave this warning:

Today, we may not be bowing to idols, but we may be depending on other things to keep us through life. We should not be deceived. No one can help us in this life more than the Lord. The next place of help is:

B. From the Lord:

If we are to cry for help and protection, we should go to the one who will never fail because He is the Lord who made the heaven and the earth.

The greatness of the Lord is a common theme in all the Psalms that we have studied throughout this series. If you have the tendency to doubt the capability of the Lord or Yahweh, the self existing God, please know that He is the maker of heaven and earth.

In this day and age, people are made to believe that our world came into existence because of evolution over millions and millions of years. Once again, you have a testimony from the Psalmist that our world did not evolved, everything was created by the Almighty God. Of course, this is an important understanding. As a Christian, it makes a huge difference for us to go to the God who created the expanse of this vast universe, who created all the beautiful things we find in our world. If He can make everything, therefore, HE IS ABLE TO HELP US IN ANYTHING. He is the only one who can give us the complete protection we need in this life. The prophet Isaiah sounded the same message:

Here is a critical understanding that we should not miss. God is the object of our faith. If we fail to see Him as a big or a great God, then we won't find Him sufficient for all our needs. Let me assure you again, He is a great God, and He is more than sufficient for us. This leads us to our next point.

II    LEAN ON THE GREATNESS OF PROTECTION: (vs. 3-6)

What kind of protection is He capable of giving us? The Psalmist takes the time to describe for us what God is willing to provide as protection to all His people:

A. He sees us:

Throughout the passage, the Psalmist repeats the words watch or watches about 5 times. Notice how beautifully the Psalmist puts it - He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

When a person is asleep, they are unconscious, unaware of what is going on around them. Many of the pagans in Old Testament days believed that their false gods occasionally slept and had to be awakened. Remember this incident in Kings when Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal:

Our God never sleeps. He is watching us even in the loneliest, darkness hours of the night. Perhaps, many of our nurses who take the night shift can appreciate this. I really believe that many patients can sleep soundly at night knowing nurses are there to keep watch over them at night.

I remember reading a story of Alexander the Great. He was once asked how he could sleep soundly while constantly surrounded with danger. He replied that he lost no sleep at all because Parmenio, his faithful guard, watched over him by night.

Now, how much more us? We should be able to sleep soundly knowing God is watching us 24/7.

B. He shades or covers us:

He does not only watch over us, He himself stands as a protective shade over us.

When the Psalmist made mention of the phrase "right hand" in verse 5, it means that He is alongside as a bodyguard to shield His own from harm day and night. He is able to protect us from all dangers of the day and night, represented here by "the sun" and "the moon." For the Old Testament traveler, sun stroke was a dangerous reality. I suspect that in the Middle East, the sun's heat can be burning. Even today, we are constantly warned of the dangers associated with the sun. We need to protect ourselves from dangerous UV rays.

How about the moon at night? People feared the power of the moon to affect their minds. People still say all sorts of craziness can happen during a full moon. Being "moonstruck" is to become unstable, to lose one's reason. The word "lunacy" comes from the word Luna, another name for the moon.

Beloved, these verses speak of the closeness of the Lord. He walks beside us to provide us with the protective shade we need from all the dangers of life or any circumstances that can destroy us. He is never far away from us, His presence is always casts over us. The Apostle Paul said it best:

Whatever the circumstances we face in life; the Lord will be very close to us.

However, more than the circumstances of life, we need to also highlight the protection that God is able to provide against the evil intentions other people might have. Verse 7 says, The Lord will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life.

The word Harm refers to the evil harmful intentions of other people. Possibly the most frightening danger posed to the travelers was not the possibility of falling, or the chance of being stricken by the heat of the sun. It was the presence of those evil persons who might do them harm. There were bandits and robbers who might not only steal their possessions, but wouldn't think twice about taking their lives. This was a real danger. But for the child of God, they need not fear because God can watch over their lives. Now, if God is there, there is really nothing in our lives that should cause us to fear, for we have the Lord who sees and shades us.

III   LIVE THE GUARANTEE OF PROTECTION: (v. 8)

Lastly, the Psalmist ends with an absolute guarantee that the protection we get from God is not only for a short time, but for eternity - the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

I would like to emphasize the phrase, "coming and going." For the Israelite who will go to Jerusalem for a feast celebration and then return home, he or she is guaranteed of complete protection by the Lord. For all of us, the meaning is: for all the movements we have to make every day in life, from the time we leave the house to work, until we come home in the evening; or for all the changes that may occur in life, it is good to know that God will keep watching over us; He will be there to keep us safe and secured.

Does this mean we won't experience bad things in life? Absolutely not. I believe the difference is: When bad things happen, we know they are supervised and screened by our Great God. Jude shares the same confidence:

Our absolute guarantee comes from the ability of our Almighty God to keep us not just for today, but until He presents us faultless in His very presence with great joy. The fact is: He is committed to do this for us because of our relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.

To be a child of God is a great blessing. As we continue with our journey, we are never alone; whatever will come before us, whatever trouble we will face, God is there to help and protect us.