State that Psalms 120-134 are a group of psalms that Jewish pilgrims sang as they completed the last part of their journey up to Jerusalem. Share that these psalms are short and easy to memorize and they are all celebratory. Say: Psalm 121 was written about the journey itself, one that for many travelers would have taken multiple days to complete, was physically demanding, and fraught with dangers. For protection for that journey, the psalmist asked, “From where does my help come?”
Read verses 1-2. Ask: What do you think it meant that the psalmist was looking to the hills? (That the psalmist was looking ahead at the difficult and dangerous area he would have to cross.) Point out that, in that moment, the psalmist wondered who would keep him safe during the journey.
Ask: In verse 2, how did the psalmist answer his own question? Why could he be confident that God would be able to do that? (Because He is the creator of the entire world and universe; Since He has the power to create everything, God also has the power to protect His creation.)
Ask: What does the word “sovereign” mean? (one who has supreme power over others) Say: The psalmist understood that God is Sovereign over everything on earth and heaven. Nothing escapes God’s sovereignty.
Read verses 3-4. Ask: What is a “guardian”? (Someone who has responsibility for taking care/meeting needs of someone else) Ask: What evidence did the psalmist give that God was his Guardian? Explain that the psalmist was comparing proof of God’s sovereignty to that of the pagan gods who needed to eat and sleep––the gods had weaknesses and frailties. State that Yahweh is always available, always watching, and always ready to “help”––Our God has no weaknesses or frailties. (v. 2a). Ask: How then does God’s watchfulness differ from the watchfulness of pagan gods? (God is never idle; God would never stop watching over the nation of Israel and the people within it.)
In verses 3-4, the psalmist pointed out how complete God’s help is through using three negative statements: (1) He will not let your foot be moved; (2) He . . . will not slumber; (3) He . . . will neither slumber nor sleep. State that these negative statements speak to God as the Guardian of both the psalmist and individual followers of God, but to the nation of Israel as well.7 In verse 3a, the words “not let your foot be moved” can be understood that God would not allow the psalmist to slip or stumble along the path.
Read verses 5-6.Ask: What additional ways are given in these verses that God is Guardian over the world? (Provides shade against the hot, dry sun; Casts His own shadow under which His people will be safe.) Explain that the ancients believed that even traveling under the light of the moon could be dangerous, so the psalmist was stating that God’s watchful care extends all day and night without interruption.
Read verses 5, 7-8. Ask: What three sentences did the psalmist use to explained how God would “keep” His people safe. (He protects individually; He protects against evil; and He will protect now and forever.) Ask: What time periods are listed in these verses? (Daily; the present; the future) What exactly did the psalmist say about the future? (That the future will last forever without ceasing; that God’s protection will continue into the future and would last forever.)
Conclude by sharing that from the words of the Psalmist, we can tell that prayer was a part of his life. Say: He didn’t pray because the journey was getting tough. He prayed because he depended upon the strength of Lord for the journey. He pursued prayer with the Lord. Discuss:
Share that Martin Luther wrote of his understanding of this dependence upon God in prayer: “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
7 Gaebelein, p. 773.