Psalm 120 — 121
We Must Trust God (vv. 3–4) It is not likely that the psalmist was actually addressing his enemies, but this is the message God gave him in answer to his prayers. The writer did not need to attack the enemy, because the Lord would do it for him. Arrows and fire are images of their evil lying words, images that occur frequently in Scripture (55:21; 57:4; 59:7; 64:3–4; Prov. 16:27; 25:18; 26:18–19; Jer. 9:3, 8; James 3:6). The writer was confident that God would punish the enemy with their own weapons, but the consequences would be far worse. The arrows would be sharpened and shot at them by a mighty warrior, probably a reference to the Lord God Himself (24:8; Isa. 9:6, "Mighty God"). The broom tree is a desert shrub that affords shade (1 Kings 19:4), and its roots can be made into excellent charcoal. There is so much godless speech in our world today that believers must be careful what they hear and how it affects them. We must not only turn away our eyes from beholding vanity (119:37) but also turn away our ears from hearing foolishness. "Take heed what you hear" (Mark 4:24). When we are slandered and lied about, we must leave the matter with the Lord and trust Him to work.
they decide to go elsewhere, the dedicated believers must be patient and prayerful. This is the way Joseph dealt with his brothers in Canaan and his false accusers in Egypt. It is also the way David dealt with King Saul and Jesus dealt with His enemies (1 Peter 2:18–25).
PSALM 121
This may have been used as an antiphonal psalm that the pilgrims sang as they journeyed to Jerusalem to celebrate a feast. The leader of the company opened with verses 1–2, which are in the first person, and different people or groups answered him with verses 3–4 and so on, which are in the second person. The theme is God's protection over His people; the word keeps (watches over) is used six times. Safety is something about which the pilgrims would be especially concerned as they journeyed on the roads through the hill country. A pilgrim could stumble and hurt himself, or someone might suffer sunstroke, or a chilly night of camping out might give somebody a bad cold. There was always the possibility of robbers swooping down. But the message of the psalm applies to God's pilgrims today and gives us the assurances we need as we journey in this life.
We Must Patiently Endure (vv. 5–7) In the ancient Near East, Meshech was located in Asia Minor, to the northwest of Israel, and Kedar was a nomadic nation in northern Arabia, southeast of Israel. Meshach was a Gentile nation (Gen. 10:2), and the people of Kedar were descended from Ishmael, Abraham's son by Hagar (Gen. 16; 25:13, 18). Both peoples were at great distance from Israel and were considered enemies of the Jews. The writer was not actually dwelling with these people, because he could not live in two places at once, especially places thousands of miles apart. Rather, he was dwelling with Jewish people who were behaving like people who lived outside the covenant blessings of God. Any Jew who feared God and respected the Ten Commandments would not bear false witness against another Jew or seek to slander his or her name. It would be difficult to dwell with these foreign peoples, but it would be even more difficult to dwell with Jewish people who acted like foreigners.
"My Father's Creation Is Before Me" (vv. 1–2) The opening line can be translated "I lift up my eyes" (niv) instead of "I will lift" (kjv, nasb). If Jehovah created the heavens and the earth, then He is a God of power, wisdom, and glory, and we have nothing to fear. Satan and his demonic army may be at work opposing the saints, but this is still our Father's world. The apostate Jews worshipped other gods at the shrines ("high places") in the hills (2 Kings 16:4; Jer. 3:23; 13:27; 17:2; Hos. 4:11–13), but the faithful people of God looked above the hills to the great God who created all things. When the travelers caught sight of Jerusalem, situated on the mountains (87:1; 125:1–2; 133:3), they knew that God dwelt there in His sanctuary and provided the help they needed (3:4; 20:2; 46:1; 124:8; 134:3; 1 Kings 8:29–53). Everything in the heavens and on the earth bears witness to the great Creator who is also our heavenly Father, so why should we fear? (See 33:3; 89:11–13; 96:4–5; 104:2–9; 115:15; 124:8; 134:3; 136:4–9.)
Believers today must not only live with unbelievers but also with professed believers who live like unbelievers. Paul sometimes shamed the believers to whom he wrote by comparing them to the Gentiles, meaning "the outsiders, the unsaved" (1 Cor. 5:1, 12–13; Eph. 4:17; Col. 4:5; 1 Thess. 4:12; 1 Tim. 3:7). The psalmist was a peacemaker and tried to encourage his godless Jewish neighbors to be peaceable, but they were more intent on making war. His loving words only made them more and more angry. After over fifty years of ministry, I am convinced that most of the problems in families and churches are caused by professed Christians who do not have a real and vital relationship to Jesus Christ. They are not humble peacemakers but arrogant troublemakers. Until God changes them or
"My Father's Eyes Are upon Me" (vv. 3–4) The word translated "moved" means "to slip and slide, to stagger, to be shaken." How easy it would be to sprain an ankle or even fall and break a bone while walking on uneven rocky paths. The Lord is concerned about our feet and our walk. (See 31:8; 56:13; 66:9; 125:1; 1 Sam. 2:9; Prov. 2:8; 3:21, 23, 25–26.) "Keep" means "to guard and protect" and is used six times in the psalm (vv. 3, 4, 5, 7 [two times], and 8). It is first used in the Bible in Genesis 2:15, where the Lord put Adam in the garden "to keep it." This means to guard and protect it and take good care of it. Even while we