Psalm 121:1-8

As we enter a new year, our hope is to receive new blessings which will be accompanied with greater joy, prosperity and happiness. It is the custom of people to welcome the new year with new resolutions, hoping to improve upon their quality of life for the future. Although we do not know what the future holds, as Christians we know that everything in this life is working for our good, because the Lord is our Helper and Preserver. The blessed future of the believer is revealed in Scripture, and is confirmed by the past mercies and goodness of God to His people.

The Bible is a book revealing many accounts of God's mercy in helping and delivering His people for the glory of His name. We do not know what a day may bring forth, but we know for certain that the Lord delivers and helps all those who put their trust in Him.

When Israel was attacked by the Philistines, Samuel, the prophet, made an intercessory prayer to God that Israel would defeat the Philistines. When Samuel prayed, God answered his prayer and it "Thundered with a great thunder" and God slew all the Philistines. In glorifying God for that great victory, Samuel took a stone "And called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto (from the past to this present day) the Lord helped us." As did Samuel so also every true believer can say in looking at the past, "Hitherto (to this present day) the Lord helped us." Having experienced God's help and preservation in the past we have the assurance that God will be our refuge and strength in the days to come.

There are many dangers, troubles and sorrows that confront us in this life, and that threaten the safety and security of our body and soul. When going through distressing times, believers learn by faith to trust in God's protection and preservation and to rest upon the promises of Scripture.

God's Word is rich with promises for help and deliverance for His people. Psalm 121 is given to comfort our hearts with the hope that God is our Helper, by resting in His infallible promises. In summarizing the sense of this Psalm, Matthew Poole says, "The matter of this Psalm sufficiently showed that the Psalmist was conflicting with great difficulties and oppositions, and looking hither and thither for help, as men in such cases used to do, and then turning his eyes to God and His providence, and encouraging himself by God's promises to His people." Matthew Henry, in summing up the meaning of Psalm 121, says, "This Psalm directs and encourages us to repose ourselves and our confidence in God, and by faith to put ourselves to His care, which we must do with an entire resignation and satisfaction."

Although well-meaning "resolutions" seem to many to be a good beginning in starting out the new year, the Word of God instructs believers to turn their eyes to the Lord in faith for their refuge, strength and blessing all the days of their lives.

Psalm 121 is called a Song of Degrees, as are Psalms 120-134 also called Songs of Degrees or "Songs of Accent," because (as some suggest) it is believed these Psalms were sung by Jewish pilgrims traveling up the road to Jerusalem for the major feasts which God commanded Israel to observe.

The purpose of Psalm 121 is to direct the hearts of believers to fully trust in God alone for divine protection, help and blessing in time of need. The message of this Psalm could be summed up in the words of Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God."

The Psalmist in Psalm 121:1-2 says. "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." From these inspired words believers are encouraged to look with eyes of faith to find help in the Lord's ever present power and protection of divine providence.

Christian, the next time great trouble arises in your life, don't panic, don't worry or become distressed by discouraging thoughts, but rather remember the words of the Psalmist, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help."

The hills around Jerusalem were a reminder to the Psalmist of God's constant presence to give protection and salvation to His people. The hills formed a natural wall around Jerusalem, and the hills were always there. The hills were a natural protection to the city on every side; so also, God's everywhere present power is there for His people to aid and assist in every extreme circumstance in which they may find themselves. When the Psalmist says, "I will lift up mine eyes to the hills" his resolve is to focus his eye of faith upon God's ever-present power and protection. His heart is comforted and encouraged by trusting in God's preservation.

Psalms 125:2 reflects upon how the hills (mountains) around Jerusalem are like God's constant presence and ability to meet every need in every circumstance: "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from hence forth even forever." God will always abide with His people. He will never leave them nor forsake them.

The efficacy of God's power to help and to preserve His people is demonstrated in His power as creator, "The Lord, which made heaven and earth." The Lord's infinite strength in creating heaven and earth is confirmation to us that God's all-sufficient power is ready at all times to remedy every distress or circumstance that may confront us and disrupt our peace.

God, by His wisdom made heaven and earth out of nothing and by His same wisdom He can do what is impossible for man to do to help and deliver us. By God's infinite power He spoke all things into existence in a short period of time. It is equally as easy for God to make all things work for our good in a very short period of time, by His Word. The next time you are faced with a seemingly impossible circumstance, rest in this hope of the Psalmist, "My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth."

Not only is God our ever-present Helper, Who has the power and will to supply all our need in time of distress, but we see further in verses 3-8, God is our Preserver at all times and in every circumstance of life.

In verse 3 through verse 6 the Psalmist says of God, "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night."

In declaring that God is our Keeper, the Psalmist reveals that God is One who maintains a constant watchful eye over His people as a guardian to protect and secure their safety. The Lord is our Good Shepherd. As a true and caring Shepherd, He keeps a constant watchful eye over his sheep to keep them from danger. In verses 3 and 4 we should note as our Keeper and Guardian, God never takes His eyes off of us. The Scripture says, "He that keepeth thee will not slumber, Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." In Acts 12 the Apostle Peter was in prison for the sake of the gospel, but God who never "slumbers or sleeps," sent an angel in the middle of the night, to awaken Peter and to release him from prison to keep him from death which Herod had scheduled for the next morning.

As our keeper God not only keeps a constant vigil over His people, but in verse 3 we are taught that God our Keeper prevents our foot from sliding into a hurtful fall. "He keeps thy foot that it be not moved." The moving of the foot is figurative language for getting into trouble or falling into a sinful act and its miserable consequences, which could result in serious injury or death. As our Keeper, God keeps us from falling into a temptation and eminent danger all around. The journey to Jerusalem over the Judean Hills was treacherous and could result in a dangerous fall to the body, but God makes His beloved ones' steps to be safe spiritually. It is said of the wicked "their foot shall slide in due time," (Dt. 32:35) meaning their fall and destruction is inevitable, when God's appointed time comes. The steps of the righteous shall be established that they shall not slide. God keeps our feet from sliding so that we fall not into sin or temptation as Jude 24 says, "The Lord is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy."

This keeping of God's people from hurtful falls is not something that God does for only a select few in the church, but on the contrary, verse 4 assures us that He keeps all Israel saying, "Behold, he that keepeth Israel (all the church) shall neither slumber nor sleep." This promise is well illustrated in God's promise to Jacob, "Behold, I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest." (Gen. 28:15)

Every true believer is under the guardianship of God so that He keeps all His people from trouble and He is pleased to do so. The Lord keeps us from evil and affliction as a "shade" or "shield" keeps away the heat of the sun and the frost-biting cold of a moonlit night as we read in verses 5 and 6 saying, "The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night."

We do not need to wonder why the enemies of Israel in the Old Testament were repeatedly defeated. It was not because of Israel's might or power but it was because God is Israel's "shade" and "shield" that the "sun" and "moon" of their enemies' destructive designs could not harm them. The Lord was their Keeper and He restrained Israel's enemies.

Perhaps you are thinking that it's not always God's will to keep the enemies of His people from afflicting or harming believers. That is true. The Church of the Old and New Testaments has a long history of persecution and bloodshed at the hand of its enemies. God allowed Israel to be afflicted by their enemies to chastise Israel's sin and disobedience. God sometimes allowed Christians of the New Testament to be persecuted and martyred for the furtherance of His Kingdom and glory. But it is God's common practice to preserve His people as they go through much evil and trouble in this life.

Thus the Psalmist in verses 7-8 assures us that God's general benevolence to His people when going through affliction is that, "The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out (into public places of duty, or the beginning of our work day) and thy coming in (private places of duty, or the ending of our work day) from this time forth, and even for ever more."

As saints of God we are sometimes exposed to great spiritual and bodily evil done by our enemies. The Apostle Paul was beaten until blood flowed from his lacerated back, his soul was exposed to spiritual perils, "by the heathen, and among false brethren," but God preserved him through them. Paul groaned from the painful thorn in the flesh, but God preserved him through it to show that His divine grace is sufficient in suffering. God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they went through the fiery furnace, so that they were preserved and emerged from the furnace without even the smell of smoke upon them.

Whatever good or evil circumstances we are in now or shall find ourselves in in the days ahead, throughout the whole course of our life, we have this promise, "for evermore. . . the Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore."

The meaning of these words was well-stated by a good minister of God from the past when he said, "You may be assured that as thou hast put thy whole trust and confidence in God, He will be thy continual portion and defense in all places, in all times in all actions, in life, in prosperity, in adversity, in death, in time and in eternity."

Dear Christian, you can search in heaven above or in the earth beneath among the great kings of the earth, the mighty, the powerful or those of nobility and you will find there is no Helper or Preserver to save your life except God alone in Whom is our trust. Psalm 20:6 says, "Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand." We have God's own promise that there is no other helper or deliverer to trust in time of trouble, for God says, "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no Savior." There is no other helper or preserver beside God. He has been your Helper in time past, and He will be your Helper the rest of your days.

Be assured that God is working in your life. He will work all things for your good in the days ahead. As troubles arise in the new year, remember to follow the Psalmist's remedy for every crises when he said, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (That is, trust in the ever present power and protection of God), from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth."

I have been given the opportunity of addressing the article in the Apostle's Creed: "Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son", of which I hope to focus on the beginning, the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

As children in Sunday School we are taught the song, "Jesus, Name Above All Names", but why is the name of our Savior greater than all other names? We find the answer to this question in the meaning of the names Jesus and Christ. Our Savior's names tell us firstly, the reason that He came to this earth and secondly, the offices that He fulfills.

The Reason for our Savior, Jesus

The reason for our Lord, the second person of the Godhead's incarnation is found in the name given to Him even before His birth. We read that the angel Gabriel told Joseph to name the child who was found in the womb of Mary "Jesus" because He would save His people from their sins. The name "Jesus" meaning "the Lord saves" is the New Testament form of the name "Joshua", which signifies "helper" or "savior". The name as a whole indicates that "Jehovah is our Helper".

Jesus' personal name points to the reason of His coming-to save. We note that this name presupposes that man is sinful, even though we know that "God created man good and after His own image... that he might rightly know God his Creator, heartily love Him and live with Him in eternal blessedness to praise and glorify Him." "But man, through the instigation of the devil, by willful disobedience deprived himself and all his descendants of this power." The name Jesus reminds us that although man lost the privilege of eternal life, God demonstrated His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, His only begotten Son was sent into the world to solve the problem of sin. God the Father therefore gave His Son a name which openly shows the purpose of the coming of His Son-to save sinners.

We see that Jesus, the personal name of our Savior, the Name above all Names was not given to Him by his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, but was ultimately given to Him by His Heavenly Father, the first person of the Godhead. Through this revelation by the angel Gabriel, we are reminded that salvation was planned and purposed by God and not man. The psalmist writes in Psalm 130:7-8, "O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption, and He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." John the apostle reiterates the exclusive work of God in salvation when he writes, "and we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world" (1 John 4:14).

We may also see that our Savior's personal name demonstrates that He is the only Savior of men, as Scripture states, "there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:5-6) and that "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

The Offices of our Savior, Christ

A second reason that our Lord's name is above all names can be found in the name "Christ". The New Testament name "Christ" is the Greek translation of the Old Testament "Messiah". Both names mean "The Anointed One". As Nathaniel confessed in John 1, "we have found the Messiah, which is translated ‘the Christ'". Jesus professed this Himself before Caiaphas the high priest in Matthew 26.

As the Anointed One, Jesus was appointed by God to carry out the duties of prophet, priest and king. These offices were given to the first Adam in the Garden of Eden, as he was to know the Lord (prophet), serve Him alone (priest) and live in righteousness with dominion over the creation (king). We see that following the fall of man, these three offices were continued in prophets, who were called to know the Lord and reveal His will to the people; priests, who were called to offer sacrifices, represent the people before God and continually intercede for them; and kings, who were appointed by God to rule the people and subdue their enemies. As the Messiah, Jesus perfectly fulfills these offices.

As the Old Testament office-bearers were anointed with oil to their official positions, representing the blessing of God's Spirit upon His servants to be established in wisdom and strength, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit by God the Father to enter His earthly ministry when He was baptized by John in the Jordan River. Jesus acknowledges this special anointing of the Holy Spirit when he reads Isaiah 61:1-2, "the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" and states, "this passage has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:18-21).

Jesus fulfills the office of prophet by fully revealing the will of God to us. Moses foretold the coming of Christ as the Great Prophet in Deuteronomy 18:15, "the Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear." In Acts 3, the apostles reveal that Moses was referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father commends Jesus as Prophet when He declares, "this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" Jesus has made known to us all things that He has heard from His Father (John 15:15) and as our Great Prophet, He has spoken with authority as no one else ever has or ever will, for He is "the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18).

Jesus fulfills the office of priest through the sacrifice of Himself on the cross and His continual intercession before the Father on our behalf. With his sacrifice, Christ satisfied God's wrath against our sins and secured our salvation. The author of Hebrews rejoices in the propitiatory work of our Great High Priest in chapter 10:10, "we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all". This priestly work of Christ is far better than any priest under the old covenant since "He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself" (Hebrews 7:24-27). As our intercessor, Christ our priest has passed through the heavens and is even at the right hand of God (Romans 8:34) and pleads His perfect work on behalf of His people. He is our Advocate (1 John 2:1) who assures us that "there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Even as our Savior prayed for His church in John 17, so He continues to pray for us today.

Jesus fulfills the office of King by having all power over all things, even as He declared at the time of His ascension. He rules by destroying the works of the devil in the lives of sinners, by His Word, made effectual by the working of His Spirit, causing them to be His very own. He also defends these, His own, by promising that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church (Matthew 16). Lastly, He preserves His own to the very end and promises that when he comes again He will take His church to be with Him for all eternity. Therefore, we confess that Jesus Christ is "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and the Lord of lords" (1Timothy 6:15b).

As we contemplate the name given to our Savior, Jesus Christ, we rejoice that He is our complete Savior "able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25), our authoritative prophet who saves "as many as had been appointed to eternal life" (Acts 13:48), our sacrificial High Priest "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and has become higher than the heavens" (Hebrews 7:26) and our all powerful King (Matthew 28:18), who governs, defends and preserves His people. Therefore, take comfort in knowing that "neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8: 38-39). Truly the only Savior of sinful man, Jesus Christ, has been given a "Name above all Names."