The Lord Our Keeper Ps 121:5 The LORD is your keeper. Keeper Heb Shamar it means to keep, to guard, to keep watch over and to protect. This word is found throughout the text v. 3, 4, 5, 7, 8. It is the central theme of the passage. As our keeper, he watches over us and walks with us through life’s journey. He keeps us as a rich man keeps his treasures, as a captain keeps a city with a garrison, as a royal guard keeps his monarch's head. (Spurgeon) Two affirmations as our keeper: 1) God alone, the omnipotent and self-existent God, is the Keeper and Preserver of his people. 2) The people of God are kept, at all times and in all circumstances, by his mighty power unto everlasting salvation; they are preserved even "forevermore." Ambrose Serle
Here the Psalmists speaks of 6 things that God, our keeper, provides for us as we journey
God is My Strength
Feebleness of our Journey 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? The Psalmist looks up from his path to the hills (mountains) that presumably he must cross in order to reach Jerusalem. He anticipates the danger and difficulty of his journey and wonders who will help him through the treacherous terrain and the thieves along the way. (Andy Evans) In our journey in this life we face difficulty and danger along the way. We encounter the difficult terrain of living the Christian life and think we have the spiritual strength to make the climb, only to find that we can’t make it. Paul rightly says when we are weak then we are strong (2 Cor 12:10) It is not until we admit our frailty, or weakness, and our inability that God can be our strength. If we think we can do it we will never turn to him and the strength that he will provide to fight temptations, to quieten our emotions, and calm our soul will not be accessible . We are to be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might. (Eph 6:10). Satan wants to catch us in our weak and venereal moments. He looks for the wounded and injured of life who feel that God has disappointed them. He searches for those that re disillusioned with the Christian life. He seeks after the ones who stop along the trail wondering if the climb is worth it. He looks for the ones who wander off from their fellowship with other believers. He hopes to find those who have become dissatisfied with their walk with God and want to give up and turn back. It is then that like a thief he comes seeking to steal the believers passion for God, kill their joy of living for God and destroy all that God has done along their journey (John 10:10). Oh but that is when we must recognize our need for the strength of the Savior who wants to bring life to our frail weak stature (John 10:10). When we are fatigued we don’t need to press on, we need to bow down. We need to simply surrender to the keeper who will come and help us.
Faithfulness on the Journey 2 My help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth God is faithful to be our strength throughout our journey. He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in our time of trouble (Ps 46:1) There are two things that we can affirm from the text. His help or strength is personal. “My” help comes from the Lord. We are in a personal relationship with him, he knows all about us. He knows our individual frailties and our failures. He knows where we need strength and just how to help us. What a great comfort to know that the God who made all things is concerned about me! Second, his help or strength is powerful. “Who made” are two very profound words. The Psalmist’s fear of the dangers posed in the mountains is measured by his confidence in the mountain-maker. His confidence is grounded in the truth that this God, the creator of heaven and earth, helps his people. When we call to God, we come before the Creator who holds all things in his hand and are reassured of his help. (Andy Evans). God who created all things is equal to every emergency; heaven and earth are at the disposal of him who made them, therefore let us be very joyful in our infinite helper. (Spurgeon).
God is my Support 3 He will not let your foot be moved The promise is that whatever the obstacle, God will not let us slip or fall. The Lord is able to establish our steps and prevent us from stumbling (Ps 37:23-24). For the believer, we have confidence that he is able to keep those who believe from falling irrevocably or finally (Jude 24-25) (Andy Evans) Noah fell many times in the ark, but he never fell out of the ark (Lawson). We persevere on the journey knowing we are safe within his hand. Promised preservation should be the subject of perpetual prayer; and we may pray believing; for those who have God for their keeper shall be safe from all the perils of the way. (Spurgeon) Your grip may loosen on his hand, but his grip will never loosen on yours. (Lawson).
God is my Sentinel 3 he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep We should not stand a moment if our keeper were to sleep; we need him by day and by night; not a single step can be safely taken except under his guardian eye. God is the body guard of his saints. When dangers are awake around us we are safe, for our Preserver is awake also, and will not permit us to be taken unaware. No fatigue or exhaustion can cast our God into sleep; his watchful eyes are never closed. (Spurgeon) Man sleeps; a sentinel may slumber on his post by inattention, by long continued wakefulness, or by weariness; a pilot may slumber at the helm; even a mother may fall asleep by the side of the sick child; but God is never exhausted, is never weary, is never inattentive. He never closes his eyes on the condition of his people, or on the wants of the world.—Albert Barnes.
God is my Shade 5 the LORD is your shade on your right hand 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. We may see danger, difficulty and hardship looming on the horizon, but God is closer still. Indeed, he is as close as our shadow (Andy Evans). God is as near us as our shadow, and we are as safe as angels. More than this, God is at our right hand. We are in a place of favor. We are in a place of protection. He will bear a shield before us, and guard the right arm with which we fight the foe (Spurgeon). We need him near because of the difficulties we face. For them it was the scorching heat of the sun and the cold dark nights. But figuratively for us, the sun represents our fiery trials and the moon represents the dark cold nights of our soul. (Lawson) Also, the promise is that God is actively keeping and protecting the believer whether at night or during the day. (Andy Evans). Day and night make up all time: thus the ever present protection never ceases
God is My Savior 7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life The Psalmist understands that there is evil in the world and that believers face serious opposition (both physical and spiritual). With this, however, comes a confidence, he knows that the Lord keeps us from all evil. God not only keeps his own in all evil times but from all evil influences and operations, yea, from evils themselves. This is a far reaching word of covering: it includes everything and excludes nothing. God is the sole keeper of the soul. Our soul is kept from the dominion of sin, the infection of error, the crush of despondency, the puffing up of pride; kept from the world, the flesh, and the devil; kept for holier and greater things; kept in the love of God; kept unto the eternal kingdom and glory. What can harm a soul that is kept of the Lord? (Spurgeon)
God is my Sustainer 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Our journey may take us to different places in our life, but wherever we go, he will be with us and keep us throughout our life. When we go out in the morning to labor, and come home at night to rest, the Lord shall keep us. When we go out in youth to begin life, and come in at the end to die, we shall experience the same keeping. Our exits and our entrances are under one protection. (Spurgeon).
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How different this is from the portion of the ungodly ones who have Satan standing at their right hand, and of those of whom Moses said, "their defense has departed from them" May the Lord bless you and keep you today and henceforth on your journey
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