Psalm 121: The Lord will keep my going out and my coming in!

Psalm 121  A Song of Ascents

"Image(s) courtesy of www.HolyLandPhotos.org"

Hills west of Jerusalem (present day)

I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
        from this time on and for evermore.

Context:  Although we do not know the author of this psalm, it is labeled A Song of Ascent.  The word translated “ascent,” or in some versions “degree,” is ma`alah {mah-al-aw'} which means “what comes up, thoughts, steps, or stairs.”   Therefore, ascent in this context literally means “going up.”   Psalm 121 is the 2nd of the 15 Psalms of Ascent (120-134).  When we consider this unique grouping of psalms we wonder … what is their significance? 

The Land of Promise is a mountainous region.  There are some who say the material for these psalms refer to the movement of the community into Canaan, the Land of Promise, under the leadership of Joshua after the Israelites escaped from Egypt, led by Moses, and wandered for 40 years in the wilderness.  Others believe these psalms emerged from the experience of the exiles returning from Babylonian to Palestine.   Most believe that these psalms were recited by Israelite worshipers as they made their pilgrimage together, on High Feast days such as Passover, to the Temple in Jerusalem nestled in the Judean Mountains.  Some say worshipers sang the fifteen psalms as they made their journey up the flight of fifteen steps leading from the outer court to the inner court of the Temple in Jerusalem, one psalm for each step they took.

Take a moment to look at a map of Ancient Israel.  Locate the mountains beside the wilderness of Judea.  Locate Jericho by the Jordan River, north of the Salt (Dead) Sea and then Jerusalem to the southwest of Jericho.   To travel from Jericho in the plains of the Jordan to Jerusalem in the hills of Judea, one would ascend 3,300 feet. 

When one reads all of the Psalms of Ascent it is clear that these beautiful writings arise from periods of “returns” of God’s chosen people, the Israelites, to the Land of Promise symbolizing their restored relationship with God.  As a result of restoration, the people once again feel protected and cared for by God, indeed they feel as though they are the chosen of God once again.  Can you envision pilgrims on their way to the Temple in Jerusalem, the Holy City, for one of their High Holy Days?  Scholars tell us that there was often much danger for these traveling pilgrims for they were easy targets for robbers and thieves.  Can you see these pilgrims looking up to the hills and can you hear Psalm 121 resonating in their hearts and bursting forth in a loud chorus as they contemplate the last leg of their journey?    The Lord will keep my going out and my coming in!

Going Deeper:  YES!  The Lord will keep my going out and my coming in!  The word shamar {shaw-mar'} is used six times in eight verses.  It is translated "keep," which means “guards” or “keeps watch over.”   How do you feel God keeps watch over you?  Is there a specific time you remember sensing God’s presence guarding you?

Psalm 121 is a song of pilgrimage.   A pilgrimage is a physical journey with a spiritual purpose.   There is a song we sing these days called The Servant Song.   One of the verses begins “We are pilgrims on a journey.”   How has your spiritual life been like a journey?   How has your community been a part of your life journey?  When have you felt closest to God?  When have you felt furthest away from God?

Psalm 121 is often read on Labyrinth Prayer Walks.

A Photo of MOSAIC's 24' Canvas "Chartres" Labyrinth

A labyrinth is a single path or “unicursal” tool for spiritual transformation.  The best known example of labyrinth is embedded in the stone pavement of Chartres Cathedral near Paris. The labyrinth in a pilgrimage cathedral was sometimes walked in place of the actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  Walking the labyrinth was considered a holy experience. Once there, pilgrims would end their pilgrimage by “going in” to the center, and then slowly retracing their steps as they were “coming out.”  Check my MOSAIC website for more information on the Labyrinth.  Have you ever had the opportunity to walk a labyrinth?  If you have, did you walk?  If not, why not?  If yes, what kind of experience did you have?  Did you experience God’s presence?   Why not find a labyrinth and use Psalm 121 as an entry prayer, centering your walk on God, who “keeps your going out and your coming in.”

Pondering:  Charles Wesley (1707-1788), brother of John Wesley a founder of Methodism, wrote hundreds of hymns and poems. He was one of the most prolific poets in the English language.  He wrote a hymn called Unto the Hills which was a Christ-centered paraphrase of Psalm 121 … It is not one of his most well-known hymns and it can be hard to find in hymnals or in online videos.

Read the verses of this hymn aloud … again and again as you engage in the art of Lectio Divina, which means divine reading.

1 TO the hills I lift mine eyes, The everlasting hills; Streaming thence in fresh supplies, My soul the Spirit feels.     Will he not his help afford? Help, while yet I ask, is given: God comes down; the God and Lord That made both earth and heaven.
2 Faithful soul, pray always; pray, And still in God confide; He thy feeble steps shall stay, Nor suffer thee to slide: Lean on thy Redeemer's breast; He thy quiet spirit keeps; Rest in him, securely rest; Thy watchman never sleeps.
3 Neither sin, nor earth, nor hell Thy Keeper can surprise; Careless slumbers cannot steal On his all-seeing eyes; He is Israel's sure defence; Israel all his care shall prove, Kept by watchful providence, And ever-waking love.
4 See the Lord, thy Keeper, stand Omnipotently near! Lo! He holds thee by thy hand, And banishes thy fear; Shadows with his wings thy head; Guards from all impending harms: Round thee and beneath are spread The everlasting arms.
5 Christ shall bless thy going out, Shall bless thy coming in; Kindly compass thee about, Till thou art saved from sin; Like thy spotless Master, thou, Filled with wisdom, love, and power, Holy, pure, and perfect, now, Henceforth, and evermore.

Lectio=Listen to the words. Read the words slowly, repeating them again and again, allowing them to linger on the tongue, savoring their beauty ...

Meditatio=Prayerfully listen as you read until a small portion of the psalm (a word or a thought or a phrase) begins to draw you deep within.  Turn your “portion” over and over in your mind and consider what God may be inviting you to think or feel or do or be … Write down what Spirit has given you so you can remember.  Stay with your “portion” and commit it to memory as your thought for the day …

Praying:
Oratio=Spend some time in prayer responding to God’s invitation … allow prayers of confession, petition,
intercession, thanksgiving, praise, or ... to emerge in this time you are spending with God.

Contemplatio=When you runs out of words to say, simply rest in the presence of God, lingering with God in loving companionship … Amen!

Although I was unable to find an online video or recording of Wesley’s hymn on youtube this week you can  follow this link for a nice contemporary praise song based on Psalm 121.