It needs to be always kept in mind that the power of temptation depends on the physical, mental, or spiritual condition in which we are found when it assails us. Taking the second idea, we come upon God's continued interest in, and care for, the new life he has quickened in our souls. 2. Wow! Illustrate by the fact that the sunstroke is only an occasional peril. In his rendering, Bloch presents a shirtless black man with his eyes lifted unto the hills, seeking relief from God. This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words). 2. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.. He guards your life. Our Lord sought seclusion among the hills of Eastern Galilee, and entered into the Divine glory on a spur of Hermon. 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). The peoples voice in the psalm cries to God for deliverance on three counts. 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. Praise to God for His gracious acts. Enthronement Psalms. Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. Psalm 121:7-8 The Lord will keep you from all harm he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. 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. In Psalm 121:3b-4 we are told, [God] who keeps you will not slumber. III. What does Psalm chapter 121 mean? The theme of Psalm 121 is God's care of His people. Variations of the Hebrew root word for "keep" appear in verses 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8. This is the same term used in Genesis 2:15 to describe Adam's intended role in Eden. The sense of the word is to watch over. Learn more. The translated Bible text has yet to go through Advanced "Our help cometh from the Lord."S.C. 28:6 ) ; and such, with the poet F24, are said to go with a 8The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. "All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." hurting you". What a holy power upon us the mountains have! The priest-singer ends this second Song of Ascent by telling our pilgrim that God will always and at all times bless them as they take the pilgrimage. Such is a frequent meaning of the expression, "going out and coming in" (see Deuteronomy 28:6, Deuteronomy 28:19; Deuteronomy 23:20; Joshua 1:7; 1 Samuel 29:6). Psalms 121. A Song of degrees. 1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. God helps every Christian in tough times. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. It can be through Scripture, sermons, articles, podcasts, or any other means He chooses. you" means "stop somebody hurting you". These were the chief dangers of travelers, whether pilgrims or others. (Psalms 121:3-6.) God will not allow any evil to approach him, so as to do him hurt. THE preceding psalm is one of complaint; the present, one of comfort and consolation. about it; in all ways, works, and conversation; in journeying and II. your foot *slide. The LORD will keep you from all evil. The voice calls continually, "Lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh!". For those olden days were not days of settled law and order, in which life and property were secure, and evil-doers could scarce hope to escape punishment. He will keep thee in life and death; going out to thy labour in the morning of thy days, and coming home to thy rest when the evening of old age calls thee in. If Yahweh had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in (comp. Yahweh will keep you from all evil. preserve, but prosper in all, ( Psalms 1:3 ) ; the Lord I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? Protection was especially needed on the right hand, as the side which no shield guarded. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Then God will Recognizes the relation of what he sees to his people. Moses was sent to feel the inspirations of Sinai. See Psalm 121:7 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Psalm 121:7 (NRS) We can count on the constancy of his care. 2. AS APPLYING TO THE WHOLE OF OUR ACTIVE LIFE. Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved. (verse 2). The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. TO THE MORNING AND EVENING OF LIFE. ", II. Look up, and grow strong. It seems to be the one universal power that this sin-smitten world possesses over its creaturesit bends their shoulders, it bows their heads, it gives, it keeps, the downward look. The precise associations of the psalm cannot be fixed with any certainty. Since the colonial era, abolitionist writers turned to Psalm 121 as proof of Gods protection for enslaved people. hills. God's seeing includes what is by man seeable and by man unseeable; it includes what is and what is to be. Genesis God watches over your life from Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. A STRONG, DEEP SENSE OF DEPENDENCE ON GOD IMPLANTED IN US. He will preserve the soul, that it be not defiled by sin, and disturbed by affliction; he will preserve it from perishing eternally. Psalm 121:7 (BBE) It is a protection for life. It is not for the godless, but for the regenerated people of God. The opening two verses form a poetic question and answer: I lift up my 6-8. This journey was dangerous, and we see that reflected in the opening words of the psalm. II. He will preserve us, ourselves; not only our home, our fortune, our credit, our reputation, but ourselves: "He shall preserve thy soul." They cannot render us all the help we need. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. This page last updated: December 13, 2022. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 6The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. It is only an agency for securing evil or good. III. There shall not be even a slip of the foot, a thing so common in mountainous lands, and often so perilous, and the keeping shall be night and day alike, and close at hand (Psalms 121:5). Psalm 121:7, KJV: The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. And it is the fact for most thoughtfully disposed persons, that more help is gained for pious meditation from mountain districts than from the changeableness of the sea, or the varying but ever-gentle beauty of the landscapes. But if God be ableas he isto impart that same and even greater inward happiness, peace, and joy by other means, and does so, as, blessed be his Name! Psalms 120 Psalms 122 Old Testament Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles Salem Media Group. III. 10 million Ukrainians without power because of Russia. In silence God doth speak.". What does Psalm 121 verse 8 mean? I. WORLD-DRAWN, WE LOOK DOWN, AND SO ARE WEAK. with someone). 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. air of this world, and of his entrance into the world to come. Indeed, the Hebrew word for "slumber" is the stronger term of the two. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! of Read it Let us be found in our work, assured that the blessings promised in this psalm are ours. Now, even in this literal sense, the promise was no mean one. This is what it means to lift our eyes to the hills. THE "COMING IN" OF LIFE MAY INDICATE ITS PASSIVITIES AND QUIET RELATION-strips. He *guards guards you ~ stops people hurting or killing you . (120-7) The Lord keepeth thee from all evil: may the Lord keep thy soul. to be moved--(Compare Psalms 38:16 , 66:9 ). v3 He will not let your foot *slide. Psalm 121 is the second of the fifteen Psalms of ascent (Psalm 120 to Psalm 134). And such persons, in the Punic language, The LORD will guard you from all evil, preserving your life. "The redeemed of the Lord shall come with joy and singing," etc. Whereas verse 3 suggests your Guardian will not slumber now, verse 4 stresses Israels Guardian will never slumber nor sleep. one that *guards you from all danger. I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from? "From whence shall my help come?" In transacting all the business of life, in going in and out Look to him at any hour in the light or in the night. THE INSUFFICIENCY OF HUMAN HELP. He *guards you from dangers that you do not know about, (verse 7). The LORD will preserve thee from all evil: he will preserve thy soul. Now, in this beautiful psalm we have a notable instance of such different rendering. But because of his ever-sustaining mercy, your faith will remain. Amazing Promises. Checking. that sustains. My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. (The Lord shall keep thee safe from all evil; yea, the Lord shall keep thee safe.). Psalm 121:7 (RHE) ADONAI will guard you against all harm; he will guard your life. It has been proved, beyond a doubt, that the moon smites as well as the sun, causing blindness for a time, and even the distortion of the features. All rights reserved. are called Namphanians, as Austin observes F25; who "But"so ask not a few"is all that true? The spiritually awakened man sees evil as God sees it; and, therefore, when he prays to be kept from all evil, he means kept from himselffrom the evil that is in him. Makes what he sees the ground of his prompt and gracious action in their behalf. God knows, and can help him to defend himself from the peril. "Going out" was a synonym for sorrow; "coming in," for gladness and joy. Their provision and protection came only from the Lord. The moral possibilities that are in all events. And is not that just what we need? He fled to the mountains; but God preserved him, not the mountain. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul. This psalm teaches us to comfort ourselves in the Lord, when difficulties and dangers are greatest. The assurance rises from the particular to the general. It is almighty wisdom that contrives, and almighty power that works the safety of those that put themselves under God's protection. Now in the three former verses out of these five our version adheres to the word "keep," but in the last two it changes over to the less forcible word "preserve." But if his soul has been kept, has not God been true to his word? He will guard us from all forms of evil. This page was last modified on September 15, 2017, at 5:16 AM. Deu 28:6; 1 Samuel 29:6; 2 Samuel 3:25; 1 Kings 3:7; 2 Kings 19:27). The daily renewed gift of life carries with it the gift of all the life will need day by day. John Calvin summarizes the message of Psalm 85 as follows. The Israelites faced tremendous dangers as they scaled the hills around Jerusalem to come to religious festivals. Psalm 121:7 (RSV) V. GOD'S ETERNAL CARE IS TO KEEP THE SOUL FROM EVILFROM ALL REAL EVIL. *covenant is when two or more people agree together. He does not faint or grow weary (Isaiah 40:28). But whatever be its form, our God can "keep" us true, pure, holy. The LORD will preserve thee from all evil: he will preserve thy soul. Slang to arrest. Psalm 130 is the 130th psalm of the Book of Psalms, one of the Penitential psalms. Psalms 121:8. Where is God when life gets hard? And the mountains still soothe and calm God's people. He is always there to give But God does not call calamity evil. God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. We have sometimes to face the future, and then we confront: 1. (120-7) The Lord keepeth thee from all evil: may the Lord keep thy soul. word list at the end explains all the words that have a *star by them. Prayers for Gods deliverance in moments of despair. 30:30); and such a foot Joseph had wherever he went, ( Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. And they do good because, at bottom, they are lovers of good. 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. He will not suffer thy 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. Should Christians Play the Charlie Charlie Game? The story of Psalm 121 is in the note on Psalm 120. But the phrase used rather implies that these will never cease. How powerfully we are all drawn by world-interests! not in the *Hebrew Bible. He would not only pay the price for the sins of Israel, but for the sin of the whole world. He will "not suffer thy foot to be moved" (Psalms 121:3); he will uphold us in the path of righteousness; and if we have to walk "in slippery places," yet his right hand will hold us, and our soul will not be stained with the sin which injures and defiles. Dont forget him. ADONAI will guard you against all harm; he will guard your life. His concern for the material life does but illustrate his care for the spiritual life ("This is the will of God, even our sanctification"). The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. Sorrow has its snares, and so has joy. This same God is the One from Whom our help comes. Email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue has joy in the opening verses... 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