This is a sermon manuscript originally prepared for March 14, 2021 at Reformation OPC (AZ).
Introduction
We do not know exactly when Psalm 121 was written or by who or what exactly the psalmist had in mind as the Spirit moved him to write these words. Since it is a Psalm of Ascent, we might assume it was written by David or by one of the psalmists in his or Solomon’s court. Its interpretation does not depend on identifying the human author or the historical circumstances of its writing, but think for a few minutes about the many who could have sung these words.
Imagine Abraham looking up the slopes of Mount Moriah as he and Isaac ascended the hill, the boy loaded down with enough wood to burn a body, the father loaded down with grief knowing the body appointed for sacrifice that day was his own son. I lift up my eyes to the hills. For whence comes my help? Imagine Moses standing at the base of Mount Sinai, warning the people not to draw near to the mountain, but knowing they would not anyway because the entire mountain is shaking, the peak is burning and smoking like a furnace, and the air is full of the sound of a trumpet that is not being blown by a human mouth. Moses gives instructions to the people and then turns to the mountain, staff in hand, and prepares to ascend the slope and enter the darkness at the top which is shrouded in smoke. I lift up my eyes to the hills. For whence comes my help? Imagine Elijah after the great victory on Mount Carmel. Queen Jezebel sends a message to him: “This doesn’t change anything. By this time tomorrow, you’ll be dead.” The prophet begins to run. He runs into the wilderness. Finally he reaches Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God. He is physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. He is ready to quit; ready to die. I lift up my eyes to the hills. For whence comes my help?
I don’t imagine any one of these scenes is the original background for Psalm 121, but its sentiments would well-suit the experience of any one of those saints and countless others. It is a prayer of faith, a song of gospel promise, a hymn of hope. I pray it will encourage us as well.
Looking to the Mountains for Help from God (1-2)
The opening verse of the psalm immediately raises an interpretive issue: how are we to take the psalmist’s anxious look to the mountains, and how is the second line of v.1 to be understood? The KJV punctuates the second line as a statement, but most modern versions take it as a question. But is the question genuine or rhetorical? Is the psalmist looking to the hills instead of the Lord? Is v.1 an expression of sinful man’s unbelief and search for deliverance by worldly means? The text can be punctuated either way, but perhaps many take the second line as a question because they view the psalm as presenting a contrast: rather than looking to the hills for help, look to the Lord. There is good evidence for this interpretation. The Lord said through Jeremiah: “Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains; Truly, in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel” (3:23). Natural man may look to mountain fortresses for security and help in a time of danger, but the people of God know their help is found in God alone. This is a good interpretation of Psalm 121. But I want to suggest another possibility.
Psalm 121 is a Song of Ascent, part of the playlist Israelites would sing as they journeyed to Jerusalem and ascended the Temple Mount for worship. Did you get that? They were ascending the Temple Mount, and as they climbed the hill, they sang and prayed: I turn my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? (JPS) I am suggesting Psalm 121 is not contrasting looking to the mountains with looking to the Lord but calling us to lift our eyes to the mountain of God from where our help is sure to come. It may be we can even marry the contrast from the first view with this second interpretation. As we lift our eyes to all of the mountains (plural, הֶהָרִים) of the world, where do we expect to find help? Not from the mountain fortresses of men, but on the mount of God which we now ascend. The contrast would be seen in the plural: our help does not come from just any mountain but from God’s mountain: Mount Zion.
The mountain of God is a theme that runs all through Scripture but that is often overlooked. Eden is never explicitly called a mountain in Genesis, but it is described that way in Ezekiel. There in lamentation against the King of Tyre the proud, rebellious monarch is described as having been “in Eden, the garden of God” and “on the holy mountain of God” (28:13-14). The description is obviously figurative--and describes the King of Tyre, not Satan as some interpreters claim--but the characterization proves that Eden was understood to be on a mountain. Once this is seen, several other features become clearer: for example, a river flowing out of Eden to water the garden (Gen. 2:10) and the parallelism between the mountain garden in Revelation 21-22 with the mountain garden in Genesis 2.
Mountains are associated with God throughout Scripture and redemptive history. After the great Flood, the Lord brought Noah and his family to safety by securing the ark on the mountains of Ararat (Gen. 8:4). God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on a mountain (Gen. 22:2), the same location David later purchased as a place for sacrifice (1Chr. 21:18-22:1) and where Solomon later built the Temple (2Chr. 3:1). The Lord appeared to Moses at “Horeb, the mountain of God” (Ex. 3:1), and he revealed himself to Israel at Mt. Sinai, another name for the same (De. 1:19; 5:2). Aaron died on Mt. Hor (Num. 33:38), Moses died on Mt. Nebo (De. 34:1-8), Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel (1Kg. 18:15-40) and then fled to Mt. Horeb immediately after when his life was in danger (1Kg. 19:8), and God revealed himself to the prophet again there. Many parts of Jesus’ ministry took place on mountains, including part of his wilderness temptation (Mt. 4:8), the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7), times of prayer (Lk. 6:12; Mk. 6:46), and his transfiguration (Mk. 9:2). Jerusalem was associated with Mt. Zion (Ps. 135:21; Mic. 4:2), but the reference was always typological. Jerusalem in the OT was the “already but not yet” Zion, the mountain where God’s Temple was built that anticipated a greater Temple Mount.
The prophets Isaiah and Micah spoke of the mountain of God as the destiny of the nations in the glory of the Messianic age.
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isa. 2:2-4; cf. Mic. 4:1-3)
This Messianic mountain Temple to which all nations would flow is a picture of redeemed Israel, encompassing both Jews and Gentiles who believe in Christ. The prophets anticipate the ultimate triumph of God’s kingdom over all the nations. This victory is won not by carnal weapons but by the gospel which summons men to faith in the Lord and grants them new life so they can believe. In Revelation Mount Zion is where the Lamb dwells with all who wear the Father’s Name (14:1). The New Jerusalem is eschatological, a city established on a high mountain which comes down from heaven so God might dwell with his people in the new heavens and earth (Rev. 21:1-22:5).
Thus from Eden, the garden sanctuary on God’s holy mountain, to New Jerusalem where perfect righteousness reigns, God’s people meet their Savior and King on a mountain. While Israel had to remain at the foot of Mount Sinai and trembled because of God’s awesome power and terrifying majesty, the Israel of God has been brought near to the greater mountain in Christ.
For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Heb. 12:18-24)
The Lord’s Diligence (3-4)
As we come into the body of the psalm, we find first the Lord’s diligence in protecting his people. Matthew Henry rightly observed: “The same that is the protector of the church in general is engaged for the preservation of every particular believer, the same wisdom, the same power, the same promises.” Psalm 121 not only teaches us this blessed truth, it provides us with a means to regularly confess it in prayer and song. Whether you read Psalm 121 once a year in your Scripture reading or once a month or every weekday in midday prayer, every time you come to vv.3-4, make it a sincere confession: He will not let your foot give way; your guardian will not slumber; See, the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps! (JPS) These are not merely words to read; they are truths to believe and confess, gospel promises to preach to ourselves in devotion to God.
We are blessed with many beautiful places to hike in Arizona, and all of us who have ever gone hiking know what it is like to slip. Maybe it was on loose rocks or on a steep part of the hill. Maybe your foot slipped but you quickly regained your balance, or maybe you slipped and fell to the ground. As Christians we are journeying to the mountain of God, and the route is narrow and difficult to pass. This is not an easy drive along the highway; it is an arduous trek, more like the hobbits’ journey to Mount Doom than a relaxing walk on a smooth and level path. But this psalm assures us we will not fall into a ravine, we will not slip and roll off the cliff, we will not fail to make it all the way to the mountain Temple of God.
Yahweh never sleeps but watches his people and protects them day and night. Remember Elijah’s mockery of the Baalists on Mount Carmel. When Baal did not answer their prayers, the prophet of the true God began offering helpful suggestions: “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened” (1Kg. 18:27). Baal may have been asleep or out of town or distracted, but the true God never is.
The Lord’s Nearness (5-6)
The next thing we see in the body of the psalm is an assurance of the Lord’s proximity to his people. “Am I a God near at hand… and not a God far off?” he asks rhetorically in Jeremiah (23:23). The Lord remains close to his people, at our right hand, to guard us day and night. Many of us may lack a clear sense of God’s presence in our daily lives. We may sometimes feel as if he is far off and unaware of (or unconcerned with) our problems. But this is never the case. Again, this must not only be words we read but gospel promises we sing, pray, and confess. Believe that the Lord is your guardian and your protection at your right hand. In Psalm 121 we pray his promises as a means of being strengthened by the grace he freely bestows.
Commentators have taken the reference to sun and moon in v.6 in different ways, but the simplest explanation seems to be to take them as poetic shorthand for day and night. Jacob spoke of such dangers he endured while in the service of his treacherous father-in-law Laban: “There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes” (Gen. 31:40). God used suffering in the house of Laban to humble and sanctify Jacob, and he may use similar struggles for good in our own lives. Psalm 121 does not promise we will never encounter such difficulty and discomfort. It might seem that way at first, but when we compare this to the rest of Scripture, we come to understand that we will suffer in the present age, but God will protect us, he will remain near us, so that we never have to face danger or difficulty alone. We also can be sure that although we may be overtaken by trouble, we will not be ultimately overcome.
We need to deliberately cultivate an awareness of God in our daily lives, to perceive his power and goodness and nearness in all that we see and do and face. This is mystical, in one sense, because we are focusing our attention on spiritual realities that are unseen, but it is not mystical in an unbiblical or undisciplined way. It is the kind of spiritual awareness which the Psalms cultivate within us as we give ourselves to praying them regularly and faithfully.
O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
…
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. (Psa. 139:1-12, 17-18)
The Lord’s Preservation (7-8)
The two final verses affirm God’s sustaining grace for his people. He will guard us, lead us, and keep us from all harm. He will keep our lives, for our times are in his hand. He ordained every day and hour of our lives, before the first one began. He promises to work all things together for the good of those who love him. We may fall into the hands of our enemies, we may be seriously or terminally ill, we may suffer disaster from which we cannot recover in this life, yet even there, the Lord upholds us. Even at that time, our lives are in his hand.
We’ve spoken before about living with reverent abandon. It is a concept we revisit from time to time because it is one of those seeds we want to plant repeatedly until it takes root and begins to grow. We are not to tempt God. It is not godly to be reckless, careless, or indifferent to life. But if we understand the meticulous sovereignty of God, if we know there is not one maverick molecule in the entire universe that is outside of his control, if we have grasped the truth of his promise that all things work together for good to those who are called according to his purpose, then we can live our lives with reverent abandon. Reverent, rather than reckless, because we know it is the Lord who is in control. Abandon because we know that until the hour he has appointed for our death, we are bulletproof, and at the hour he determined for our death, there is nothing we can do to escape or survive. We do not play in traffic lest we discover that before the foundation of the world the Lord ordained that we would die as a fool playing a human version of Frogger. Neither do we worry overly much about our lives. We take reasonable precautions. I wear a seatbelt, lock my doors, and take a daily multivitamin. But my life is only a vapor that soon vanishes away, and the purpose of my life is to glorify God so that I might enjoy him forever. We are not so concerned about how long we may live as how well. We can concentrate on this rather than worrying about our survival because the Lord preserves our soul.
As Reformed Christians we love the perseverance of the saints, and we should. Those who are given new life by the Spirit of God, savingly trust in Jesus Christ and always will, because they are “kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1Pet. 1:5). But don’t miss why they persevere. How can we know that all those who truly believe will always believe? Because they are kept by the power of God. The saints will persevere because they are preserved. God not only grants us faith, he keeps faith alive within us. We have eternal security because “the LORD will preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even forevermore.” If it depended on our strength, we wouldn’t make it. Thank God it doesn’t depend on our strength. We are saved, beginning to end, by the power of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
We read the Bible, but we live in the Psalms. Even so, there are some psalms that we will return to more often, and for many of us, Psalm 121 belongs to this category. It is a psalm to learn and to love, to sing and to pray, to believe and to confess, for as long as we live in this world. As in all the psalms, we sing and pray Psalm 121 with King Jesus and with his universal Church. May God give us joy and peace through receiving and delighting in the gospel songs of Zion. Amen.
