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1I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 121:3 – 8 (emphasis added)
The Hebrew word translated keep or keeper means one who watches in order to protect. The picture this word paints is of the Lord diligently watching over His people in order to come to their aid when trouble arises.
Just for fun, let’s apply this definition to verses 7 and 8 and see how it reads.
7 The Lord will [watch over you in order to protect] you from all evil;
he will [watch over you in order to protect] your life.
8 The Lord will [watch over you and protect]
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Wow!
For Us Too?
Someone may aske the question, “Is this for us who live in the New Testament as well?” Absolutely! Let’s look at some New Testament passages that will help us out.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3 – 5
The word guarded in verse 5 means to be watched in order to be protected.
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 1 John 5:18
The word protects indicates guarding from loss or injury by keeping one’s eye on the object of concern.
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,
To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ… Jude 1:1
The word kept is the same Greek word as protects above.
Couple these passages with all the ones referring to God as our Heavenly Father and I believe it can be seen that Psalm 121 applies to us as well.
The Safest Place
Our Heavenly Father, who created the heavens and the earth and reigns as the Great King, watches over our lives diligently. He is always available to come to our aid when trouble rears its ugly head. In this world filled with uncertainties, the safest place to be is living in the Reign.
M
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Living in the Reign 