Stop Looking to Other Places for Help
Where do you turn to for help? Psalm 121 is a psalm of ascent. A Psalm of Ascent refers to a group of psalms, specifically from Psalm 120 to Psalm 134.
Psalm 120-122
Today's Scripture Passage
A Few Thoughts to Consider
Where do you turn to for help?
Psalm 121 is a psalm of ascent. A Psalm of Ascent refers to a group of psalms, specifically from Psalm 120 to Psalm 134. The Israelites likely sang these fifteen psalms as they made their journey, or pilgrimage, to Jerusalem for religious festivals such as Passover, Pentecost, or the Feast of Tabernacles. Psalm 121’s “pervasive theme is God’s guarding of the worshipper.”[1] Here, the psalmist says,
1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.
4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.
5 The Lord protects you;
the Lord is a shelter right by your side.
6 The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.
7 The Lord will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life.
8 The Lord will protect your coming and going
both now and forever.
Why was the psalmist looking to the mountains for help? There are three potential reasons. First, in ancient times, mountains were often associated with places of refuge, safety, and divine encounters. As The Gospel Transformation Bible says, “In their ascent to Jerusalem, pilgrims traveled dangerous roads and pathways. Their confidence along the way was focused on the destination point—not merely the “hills” (v. 1) where Jerusalem lay but more importantly the God of those hills and of that city. For this was the covenant God who had promised his people his care, provision, and protection as they walked faithfully with him.”[2] That’s one possibility.
Second, other interpretations suggest that the psalmist’s opening two verses should be phrased as a question and response. In The Message, Eugene Peterson writes, 1 “I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? 2 No, my strength comes from GOD, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.” This emphasizes that true help doesn't come from the hills or mountains themselves (which were often symbolic of false gods) but from God, the Creator of the heavens and earth.
And third, maybe the psalmists simply see mountains as symbols of obstacles, challenges, or dangers. The psalmist could be acknowledging the difficulties in life (symbolized by the mountains) but immediately affirms that God is the ultimate source of help and protection.
