Introduction: This is a psalm of
trust. It counsels God’s children to trust in the Lord in all situations of life.
Verse 1→There have been various
interpretations of what the psalmist meant when he wrote, I will lift up mine
eyes unto the hills.” The most common interpretation seems to be that he was
referring to the hills of Jerusalem, particularly to Mt Zion and Mt. Moriah,
where the temple was built. The nation of Israel was special to the Lord and he
dwelt there in a way that He did nowhere else. These hills or mountains were a
symbol of the presence of the Lord. This idea is exemplified in Psalms 87:1-2, “His
foundation is in the holy mountains. The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more
than all the dwellings of Jacob." This thought is also illustrated in Psalms
125:2, "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round
about his people from henceforth even for ever."
Verse 2→In this verse the
psalmist makes it clear from whom he looks to for help. His help comes from the
Lord. [When this word is in small capitals in the KJV in the Old Testament, it
refers to Jehovah, the Covenant God of Israel.] God indicated His very special
relationship to Israel by this name. God uses this name, which is a translation
of Jehovah. This name especially belongs to Him when He is dealing with His own
people. His children draw great comfort and strength from this name as can be
seen from Proverbs 18:10, "The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the
righteous runneth into it, and is safe."
To emphasize the comfort that comes from what this
name represents to God’s people, it is used no less than five times in the
eight verses of this short psalm!
Another thing that gives great comfort to God’s people
is that this Lord who has a
special relationship with them is the One who “made heaven and earth.” This
reminds them of the omnipotent power of their keeper. Heaven and earth make up
the universe. If the Lord made
them all, then the conclusion is that what He made is fully under His control
and to keep His people is an easy matter for Him.
The first thing that God has revealed in His Word is
that He is the Creator. The very first verse of divine revelation is that "In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
There are many, many places in the Scriptures where
God uses the fact that He is the Creator to comfort His people. Creation
reveals His almighty power. This fact of His unchallengeable power is revealed
in Revelation 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,
saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty." The word “almighty” is the translation of a beautiful New
Testament Greek word, pantakrator.
This is a combination of two words, pan,
which means “all,” and kratos, which
means “power, might, dominion.” The pantakrator
is “He who holds sway over all things; the ruler of all; the almighty.
Another fact that is derived from Creation is that He
is the God of all wisdom. He who holds all power knows how to perfectly use it
on behalf of His children because He is all wise. The incredible precision and
skill that are revealed in Creation tell us something of the infinite wisdom of
the Creator. We read in Proverbs 3:19, "The LORD by wisdom hath founded
the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens." Psalm 19:
1-6 also shows the Lord’s wisdom
in Creation. In Psalm 8 David stands in awe as he considers God’s work of
creation. In the modern, hurried world we live in, we often fail to take the
time to meditate on the great wisdom and power of God in Creation. If we take
the time to do so, no doubt we will be refreshed in our souls.
Let us look at just a few of the places in the
Scriptures when the Lord comforts
His people by reminding them that He is the all-powerful, all-wise Creator:
Nehemiah 9: 6; Psalm 33: 6-9; 95: 5, 6; 100: 3; 124: 8; 136: 5-9; Jonah 1: 9;
John 1: 3; Hebrews 2: 1, 10; Revelation 4: 11; 10: 6; 14: 7.
Verse 3→In this verse the psalmist states that our Lord will not suffer our foot to be
moved. Firm footing in Scripture often speaks of safety and stability. There
were many narrow dangerous paths in Palestine. Some of them ran on the edges of
precipices or ravines. A slip would either be fatal or cause great bodily harm.
Another time when sure footing was vital was in combat. If an opponent could
knock his adversary off his feet, he was almost sure to be victorious. That is
why, in writing of the whole armor of God in Ephesians, Paul mentioned having
the feet “shod with the preparation of the gospel.” The Roman soldiers of the
time wore hobnailed boots which aided them in gripping the ground and being
sure footed.
God’s children have many enemies which threaten to
cause us to slip; to knock us off our feet. In fact, when Asaph considered the
prosperity of the wicked he wrote in Psalms 73:2-3, "But as for me, my
feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the
foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." But he goes on to write
that the Lord preserved his feet from slipping. A child of God can get in deep
trouble, but he will never fall out of the hands of God. David knew this as he
wrote in Psalms 23:3, "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake." One of the most comforting Scriptures
that teaches the ultimate and final safety of God’s children is found in Romans
8: 38, 39.
The psalmist further wrote in this verse that “He that
keepeth thee shall not slumber.” The word translated “keepeth” here is a very
rich word. The Hebrew word is shamar.
It means “to take care of, guard, keep, have charge of, protect, observe.” The
basic idea is to exercise great care over.[1]
To emphasize the protection that God exercises over His people this word is
used six times in eight verses! It is translated “keepeth in verses 3 and 4,
“keeper” in verse 5, and “preserve” in verses seven and eight. The Holy Spirit
certainly intends for God’s children to get the message that they are
assiduously cared for.
The psalmist also writes that the divine keeper will
not slumber. Here is not a night watchman who will go asleep on the job. We can
always sleep in safety because our God is always awake! No wonder David could write
in Psalms 4:8, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou,
LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."
Verse 4→ The word translated “slumber” means “to be drowsy; to
sleep.” Our Keeper will not sleep; He will not even be drowsy. He is ever alert
to any and all danger that may threaten us.
Verses 5 and 6→This verse emphasizes that our
Keeper will shield His children from all danger. In the Palestinian climate
there was great danger of a traveler suffering a sun stroke if he could find no
shade in the heat of the day. There is a reference to this in Isaiah where the
prophet, looking forward to the time of Christ, wrote that He would be as “the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” (Isaiah 32: 2).
I like this quote about divine protection, both day
and night: “The sun shall not
smite thee by day, nor the moon by night; no hurtful
influence of the day, which the sun rules, nor of the night, which the moon
rules, shall harm thee.”[2]
No sunstroke by day and no frostbite by night! Another good quote on this verse
is as follows: “Neither heat nor cold, nor any inconvenience will be able to
destroy God's Church, even though for a time they may molest it.”[3]
To show the possible dangers and inconveniences
that confronted people in the old days in Palestine, Jacob stated in Genesis 31:40,
"Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night;
and my sleep departed from mine eyes."
Verses 7 and 8→These verses are a
fitting end to such a comforting psalm. God will ultimately preserve His
children from all danger. This is true even of those who die the death of
martyrs. There is an amazing Scripture found in the gospel of Luke. The Lord
Jesus told some of His disciples they would be put to death for His name’s
sake. Then, speaking to those same disciples, He said in Luke 21:18, "But
there shall not an hair of your head perish.” Obviously He is speaking of their
ultimate vindication and glorification. This kind of assurance is what has
sustained the tempted, tried and persecuted saints down through the centuries.
This is why Jesus could tell His followers in Matthew 5:10-12, "Blessed
are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when
men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for
so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Matthew Henry
wrote, “Even that which kills shall not hurt.
The
psalmist wrote that the Lord
would preserve His people from “all evil.” Samuel Eyles Pierce wrote of this, “Tis
an absolute promise, there are no conditions annexed; it honours God for us
simply to believe it, and rest on the Lord for the performance of it. As we
view it, what have we to fear? The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, his word
is immutable. Jesus preserves body and soul, he is the Saviour of the body as well
as of the soul.”[4]
The
psalmist also wrote that He would preserve “thy soul.” In the Old Testament the
word “soul” often means “life.” He will preserve their souls or lives unto life
eternal.
The writer closes this extremely comforting
psalm by writing, “The Lord shall
preserve thy going out and thy coming in…” This is a way of saying that the Lord would preserve His people in the
totality of their activities. In the morning a man went out to work. In the
evening he came in to his home, which was a haven of safety. In other words,
the Lord will preserve His people everywhere and at all times. These blessings
will be in this life and they will be preserved forever in the heavenly
kingdom. What glorious, comprehensive promises for the believer to lay hold of
and draw comfort from!
Albert Barnes beautifully sums up these
all-inclusive promises in these words: “At home and abroad; in the house, in
the field, and by the way; on the land and on the ocean; in their native
country and in climes remote; on earth, in the grave, and in the eternal world,
they are always safe.”[5]
Conclusion
My fellow Christians, let us lay hold on these
promises and live lives of victory. We may face many seemingly insurmountable
difficulties, but our Lord has overcome them all for us. Let us live as the apostle Paul lived. He was
constantly hounded by vicious enemies but that did not keep him from living a
life of great spiritual vigor. He knew what the psalmist had written was true.
Just before he died a martyr’s death he wrote in 2 Timothy 4:18, "And the
Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his
heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
We should be encouraged by the words of the
psalmist and the apostle. Yes, we should be greatly energized and comforted by
the words of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ who said in John 16:33, "These
things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."