Guardian

Psalms 121: 1-8 "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. [5] The LORD [is] thy keeper: the LORD [is] thy shade upon thy right hand. [6] The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. [7] The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. [8] The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for ever more."

Who is like our God? To whom shall we go for help?

There is a common saying, "God helps those who help themselves", and some Christians have attributed such a saying to the Holy Scripture. Yet this is how Satan works - behind the scenes, quietly, and slowly twisting Biblical truth until it becomes something else entirely. The statement, "God helps those who helps themselves" is NOT in the Bible, but comes from Pagan religious thought. Five hundred years before Christ came in the manger Aesop wrote, "The gods help them that help themselves". Euripedes, a Greek philosopher, wrote: "Try first thyself, and after, call on god". No, it was not Scripture that gave us this quotation, but Benjamin Franklin who penned this fallacy as we read it today, "God helps those who help themselves". Franklin himself was a deist who rejected the deity of Christ, and who said of his friend the evangelist George Whitefield, "Whitefield used to pray for my conversion, but never had the satisfaction of believing that his prayers were heard" (Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield, Crossway Books, 1980, ppg 453).

Psalms 121: 1-2"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."

Does "God help those who help themselves?" Consider the evidence of the Scripture. Consider, first, the case of Gideon in Judges Chapter Six. In Judges Six we are told that the children of Israel "did evil in the sight of God", and because of this the Lord gave the whole nation over to the Midianites to be smitten for seven years. We do not know what the exact nature of the evil was that caused Israel's imprisonment, but I suspect it had to do with idolatry - worship of other gods rather than the true Jehovah.

The Midianites were actually related to the Israelites, as both nations came out of Abraham. The Midianites were a nation born from the fourth son of Abraham, Midian, by his concubine Keturah (Genesis 25.1-2). The Midianites grew outward from this relationship into a great and mighty nation - and when Israel began to reject God their Savior for false gods, the Creator used Midian to punish His people. Yet as time passed, and the seven years of punishment came to an end, the Midianites became more and more brutal toward Israel. Though Father wanted Israel punished, Midian had went beyond the bounds of its calling - so the Creator moved to save Israel.

As God moved, He did not pick a mighty warrior to do His bidding. He did not pick someone who was already complete, perfect in his own sight, a mighty warrior. No, God never saves us with our own strength, and with our own abilities. No, He bypassed all within Israel in order to come to one man, Gideon, who was NOT mighty in himself, but poor, and uncertain, and without means. We read of this in Judges 6:11-16:

Judges 6:11-16 "... there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. [12]  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. [13]  And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. [14]  And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? [15]  And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. [16]  And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man."

When the Lord addresses Gideon He calls him "mighty man of valor", but Gideon is anything but this. Gideon is threshing wheat by the winepress, threshing wheat in the most unlikely of places lest the Midianites discover him and kill him. Gideon is full of doubt and questioning, asking God "Why have you forsaken me?", and "Why have you withdrawn your miraculous hand from us?" If you are honest with God, and with yourselves, you will admit that many times in your lives you have looked Heavenward and said, "Why me, dear Lord? Why is this frailty upon me? Where is your hand, your strengthening?"

And, dear believer, strengthening did not come upon you - God's strengthening did not manifest itself on you - until you committed your way unto Him. God is not magnified in our abilities, but is magnified when we trust in HIS abilities. God's power does not pour out of our lives while retain control, but manifests itself when we release our will to His.

We must lift our eyes to the hills, from whence cometh our help!

Gideon was not a mighty man of God, but he would be when he placed his trust in Jesus. Gideon was not a powerful and certain warrior, but he would be when he stopped focusing on his own abilities and began to focus on God's. We must lift our eyes to the hills, realizing that our help comes from the Lord, the Creator of Heaven and earth. If God only helps me as I help myself, then I am, of all men, doomed, for I have nothing in myself worthy of glory. If God helps me when I realize that I MUST rely on Him, then this is what will bring victory. Gideon discovered this truth in time, and fully understood this truth when God used three hundred Israelites to defeat the combined might of the Midianites and the Amalekites.

God helps those who rely on Him.

Psalms 121: 3-5 "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.[5] The LORD [is] thy keeper: the LORD [is] thy shade upon thy right hand."

There are times in our lives when we, perhaps, feel that our Savior is far away, or has forgotten us. I remember being in Korea in winter, winters so harsh and snowy that it was hard to walk outdoors. As I walked out in the snow, the deep snow would cushion the sounds of civilization. It would be so quiet, so still, so cold.

King David prayed,

Psalms 28:1-2 "Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. [2]  Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle."

There may be times when we FEEL that God is not present. Our pain may blanket the reality of His presence, or we may allow the sense of our own being to mute His presence. Yet God is there, and He is NOT silent. We may not FEEL His presence, but He is there nonetheless. Like an ever diligent companion He watches as we walk through life, and stands ready to catch us if we start to fall.

I remember when my children were young, and I taught them how to walk. First you take them and stand them on their feet, and hold their small arms. Their bodies tremble with the effort of trying to stand, and they shake ever so much. Then you move them forward, just a bit, and the baby reflexively takes one step, then another - yet do I hold them. We do this over and over for days, weeks perhaps, until one day the baby is strong enough to take the step of his own accord. But I do not wander, but stay diligent, lest these children fall. I watch, and the hand remains outstretched to save from falling. As the children mature, even into adulthood, a Father's love will always reach out and save them from falling if need be ....

Yet not as effectively as THE Father's love. Whereas I sleep, the Father NEVER sleeps. Whereas I may become focused on other things, the Father never takes His eyes off of His children. He is ever diligent, protecting His children, you and I, from falling. He is a shade, a shield, that stays ever on our right hand, protecting us from harm.

Consider the words of the Apostle Paul to his Roman captors:

Acts 27:22-26 "And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. [23]  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, [24]  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. [25]  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. [26]  Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island."

As Paul was being taken to see Caesar, imprisoned for his faith, a great storm overtook the ship that he was on. Paul could have looked at the storm and despaired. He could have looked at his imprisonment and despaired. He could have dwelt on his final destination and almost certain execution and thought God far away. Yet Paul did not rely on his own emotions, his own status, his own captivity - but relied on the Word of God. God had told him that he would be brought before Caesar as a witness of Jesus, and he KNEW in his heart that God was near. God was in the storm, not beyond it. God was in the waves, controlling them. Paul knew that the Angel of God, whose he was, who he served - Jesus Christ, had control over his life. Paul knew that his life was in the Lord's hand, not in the storm, nor in the hands of his captors. As Paul told his captors:

Acts 27:31 "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved."

Yes, the waves of life may seem high. Yes, the trials may seem so bitter, may seem like they may overwhelm us at times. Yet as long as we ABIDE IN THE SHIP, stay focused on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our salvation, we shall triumph in the end. The One who saved us with His very blood is the same one who KEEPS us. As we look through the Psalm we are studying today, we see, over and over again that our God KEEPS us, HEDGES us about with a fence, GUARDS us. We are told:

Psalms 121: 3-5 "... he that KEEPETH thee will not slumber. [4] Behold, he that KEEPETH Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.[5] The LORD [is] THY KEEPER..."

You may not be rich, possessing great wealth. You may have poor health, or infirmity, or disease. You may have no name, nor fame. But if you are in Jesus Christ, if you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, He has a plan yet for your lives. God is near, He is always near to those who trust in Him.

Psalms 121: 6-8 "The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. [7] The LORD shall PRESERVE thee from all evil: he shall PRESERVE thy soul. [8] The LORD shall PRESERVE thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for ever more."

Though the King James text uses the word PRESERVE in these last three verses, this is still the same word in the original language, GUARD, that was at the beginning of our text. In these verses David stresses that our Father thoroughly guards us.

Psalms 121: 6 "The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night"

Though trials come at us both day and night, our God guards us and watches over us throughout these trials. When God created heaven and earth, He placed both the sun and the moon in the sky. Each of these wonderful heavenly bodies serve to bring us light, but there are times when their light is too much to bear. The sun has brought great drought on countries, bringing nations to their knees. Yet God promises that He will not allow the sun to smite us, we who believe.

Trials often seem to be hardest, though, not in the light of day but in the gloom of night. As I lay in the bed reflecting on the trials of the day, sometimes they may seem to be more than mere mortal man can bear. Yet at those times when the Evil One comes to torment me at my weakest moment, Jesus stands by my side telling him, "get thee behind us, Satan"! We are guarded from evil, our soul is stood watch over.

Psalms 121: 7-8 "The LORD shall PRESERVE thee from all evil: he shall PRESERVE thy soul. [8] The LORD shall PRESERVE thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for ever more."

Thank Jesus that we are PRESERVED, GUARDED, PROTECTED from all evil. Jesus said of His sheep:

John 10:27-30 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: [28]And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. [29]  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. [30]I and my Father are one."

We are all in God's keeping, our bodies and our SOULS. There will come a day when we all shall reach the threshold of this life and move forth into eternity. On that day we, who have accepted Christ as Savior, will not move forward into an uncertain eternity. No, we shall step from this life and immediately into a greater and more wondrous eternal life with Jesus. Jesus has promised us that we are SECURELY in His grasp. And not just His, but we are securely in the Father's grasp as well.

We are indwelt by the Spirit of Promise, and held up on both sides by God the Father and God the Son. Could there be a better promise or a more comforting thought for eternity? Could there be a better promise or a more comforting thought for now?

This promise are for you who are Jesus' "Sheep". I pray that you know Him, but if you do not, just ask, and you will! Say in your heart, "My Jesus, I accept you as my Lord and Savior. I believe on You, and trust You to guard my life and my soul. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me".

Ephesians 3:14-21 "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, [15]  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, [16]That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; [17]  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, [18]May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; [19]  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. [20]  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, [21]  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

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