God is your guard

Do you know where you are going? Some of us here are young – you’ve got life ahead of you. You’re in school, or at university, or you’re learning a trade – and you’re being taught skills and knowledge that will enable you to survive in this world. But have you considered to what end you’re learning maths, and science, or training every spare hour for sports or music, or applying yourself to your apprenticeship? Do you know where you are going in life and why you are heading there? Some of us are older, and we’re at the stage in life where people expect us to have a clue what we’re doing. Do you? When you’re at a dinner party, or when you’re introduced to someone new, and the inevitable question comes around; “so what do you do?” do you feel you have an answer? Or do you dread those conversations because life is not straightforward? And for some of us here, those years are behind us, for better or for worse. The trade we gave our strength to – we’ve had to let it go. The children we poured our devotion and care into have grown up and left the nest. You’re in the next chapter whether willingly or unwillingly. Do you know what to expect? And then of course there comes a time for all of us, when we get to the last chapter. And maybe there are one or two of us here tonight for whom that is the case. 2023 may be the year of last things. The last birthday. The last wedding anniversary. The last farewell.

Wherever we are on that spectrum, a New Year gives us all time to take stock and ask ourselves where we are going. And I know there will be some of us here who can say happily and hopefully yes I know where I am going. And there will be some here who will say actually, if I’m honest, I feel lost. Wherever you are on that spectrum Psalm 121 meets us with a profound reassurance. You may be looking at 2023 with excitement and anticipation. You may be looking at it with dread. You may not even want to look at it at all. Psalm 121 meets us and says to us, if you are a follower of Jesus, God is your keeper, your guard, at all times.

God is your Guard

Psalm 121 is a song of ascents. That is, it is a song that is sung on the move. A possible original context for this Psalm could have been as Israelites journeyed to Jerusalem for an annual feast or sacrifice. So imagine all the Israelites spread over Israel, gathering together for something like the Day of Atonement – they’re travelling on the roads through Israel, and then they gather at Jerusalem to celebrate together. (And if you were an ancient Israelite, that would probably be a highlight of your year – it’s a holiday, a break from normal work, a time of feasting and fellowship). That’s a possible original context for this Psalm. But the book of Psalms as we have it was compiled together after Israel’s time in exile, in Babylon. And all the songs of ascent were put together, and you can make a good case that some were written post exile. And here’s the thing – if you can imagine saying this Psalm with the background of 70 years of captivity, refugee status in Babylon. And if you can imagine crossing the 600 mile wilderness between Baghdad and Jerusalem on foot (with no military protection – no 999) carrying all your possessions on your back or by donkey, heading towards Jerusalem (your home). Then you will get some idea of the feelings and fears this Psalm will evoke, as it was read by the Israelites who compiled the Psalms into the order we have them today.

Imagine the vulnerability of a displaced people group making a difficult journey to their homeland, and imagine one Israelite looking to the mountains and saying calmly and confidently (Psalm 121.1):

I lift my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come from?My Help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth.

You could end the Psalm there – if the maker of heaven and earth is your help you’re fine. You can rely on him. But Psalm 121.3-8 apply that confidence for us. (Psalm 121.3-4):

He will not let your foot be moved;he who keeps you will not slumber.Behold, he who keeps Israelwill neither slumber nor sleep.

As you walk through the wilderness, God is constantly guarding you. He’s checking the ground ahead of you for pits and loose stones so that your feet won’t stumble. When you need to sleep he stands watch, and he never gets tired, he never daydreams. Enemies can’t sneak up on him, so they won’t be able to sneak up on you. Psalm 121.6 is a literary move called a 'merism'. It’s where you take two opposite things and use them to refer to everything in between them. So the sun by day and the moon by night (and everything in between) they won’t strike you. And Psalm 121.7 interprets that for us specifically:

The Lord will keep you from all evil;he will keep your life.

And Psalm 121.8 rounds off the Psalm telling us that the LORD isn’t watching the time waiting until he can clock off; the maker of heaven and earth will never grow tired of guarding you. Your going out and your coming in – the LORD is your close personal security and guard. The happy news of Psalm 121 is that if you are under the LORD’s protection your life is utterly safe. So I guess the question we really want to know is; Are we under the LORD’s protection? Does the one who guards Israel guard me? How does a 21st century Brit, or Singaporean, or Nigerian, or Indian and so on – read an 8th century Semitic Psalm?

Reading the Psalms in Christ

And the happy answer for us is that Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to benefit from this Psalm – and he interprets what being utterly safe looks like as we walk through this life, looking forward to the heavenly city. All of us have experienced pain of some sort; broken bones, broken relationships, broken dreams. How can we say confidently that the LORD is our keeper and guard if our circumstances seem to scream that he’s forgotten or abandoned us? The only way is through Jesus Christ. Christ is the New Israel and the true Israel. He came through the lineage of Abraham. He kept the covenant given to Moses (the law). He is in the royal line of King David. On him rest all God’s promises to Israel and in Him are all those promises fulfilled. Through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. So Jesus, when he was on earth could say I lift my eyes to the Hills. From where does my help come? And he could confidently say; My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. And here’s the thing, Jesus, the Son of God (with all his privilege and protection) didn’t use it to pursue a comfortable life. He left heaven and became a man. He entered into our pain and walked through the trials we face. He lived in poverty and insecurity. He knew hunger. He knew pain. He faced rejection. He was betrayed. He faced false charges and a corrupt court. He was executed on a cross in disgrace and agony. He endured God’s wrath for the sins of the world. He died God forsaken and alone.

So did the LORD guard Jesus against all wickedness? Did the LORD guard his life? Yes because on Easter Sunday he rose again. Death was undone. The human court which condemned Jesus was overruled by the supreme heavenly court which vindicated him. And here’s the thing, the Old Testament Israelites could only look forward in faith that the LORD would protect them from all evil – including death. But they had never seen him do it before. We can look back to the resurrection and say confidently in the face of death (1 Corinthians 15.55):

Where O death is your victory?

Jesus didn’t just know the LORD was his guard in theory. The worst evil was thrown at Jesus when he walked on earth and the LORD protected him from it all. And the great news is (if we come to Christ) we get to benefit from all his privileges and protection too. That is why he came. Apart from Jesus we’re lost. Our sins alienate us from God. Apart from Jesus we have to walk through life on our own – which we’re just not wise enough or capable enough to do. We’re at the mercy of spiritual forces way beyond our understanding and if we could see them, we’d be terrified. We’re at the mercy of our environment which we can see and it’s terrifying. And we’re at the mercy of our circumstance – our health may fail, our business may fail. We don’t know the future. We can’t possibly predict the consequences of all our decisions.

Apparently JK Rowling submitted her first manuscript of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone to 12 different publishers before Bloomsbury eventually signed it. That means there are 12 different publishers who will say for the rest of their lives “IF only…” And what did Jesus, the Son of God, do? He willingly came to do the will of God the Father. He came to earth to extend his privilege and protection to us.To us who had forfeited it by our sins. We deserved God’s judgement. Jesus came to extend God’s blessing and protection to us. And he died on a cross in our place, taking the punishment we deserved – so that when God vindicated him on Easter Sunday he could call us back and forgive us our sins. That means if you come to Christ – you can say Psalm 121. Jesus says: My help is with the LORD – the maker of heaven and earth. If you come to me. The LORD will not give your foot for stumbling. He will be your constant keeper and protector. He will look after you against all evil (even through death) and he will bring you to a place where evil will be no more. So in 2023 – Let’s walk together with Jesus.

If you’re not yet a Christian, please can I recommend our Explored courses coming up in 2 weeks time on the 17th of January? We want to help you look into Jesus’ life and death and resurrection. We believe it stands up to the test, we invite you to come and see and to ask questions. We want you to come under the protection of God, and the only way is through Jesus. Apart from him we perish. Putting your trust in Jesus in 2023 would be the best decision you could make with your life.

Don’t Coast

A New Year is a time to take stock. If you’re a follower of Jesus, you are heading through this life to the Heavenly City, and 2023 is another year on that road under the protection of the LORD. You have a destination. You have a goal – whatever your life circumstances. Can I ask us to consider what purposes Jesus may have for us in 2023? How is he leading you this year? What is the landscape of 2023 for you? For some 2023 might be a year to wait. You might be anxious to be on the move – looking forward to the next thing. You might be looking for a job. You might be hoping to get married. You might be in the midst of a horrible situation and praying earnestly for God to step in and resolve things. But for some reason, there will not be any movement. The right job won’t come. The right partner won’t appear. The situation doesn’t resolve. And for you, faithfulness to Jesus means waiting with him. Not rushing ahead to try and fix things yourself. Not taking matters into your own hands, not bending the rules or turning a deaf ear to God’s Word. 2023 might be a long and perplexing wait. But if you wait with Jesus, according to his wisdom not your own, then you wait under the protection of the LORD. You can say with confidence I lift my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. And you can wait in peace – in spite of your circumstances which you wish would change.

For others, 2023 might be a time to move. It might be time to make an important decision – perhaps one you’ve been putting off for a while. A decision to get married or to end a relationship. A decision to offer to serve at church. It might be a time to wake up and realise that life is short and that Christ has delayed coming back so that the Gospel can go to all nations. And that has terrifying implications for how we spend our time and money – and how we use our resources and skills. If that’s you, please let Psalm 121 give you courage to move with Jesus, where he leads you. Let it give you peace after you’ve made your decision – in the knowledge that, whatever the outcome, the maker of heaven and earth is protecting you and will protect you.

Could we make it our aim to look back on 2023 and say together as a church: "We listened to the LORD and trusted him, and we did what he wanted us to do. We trusted him with the outcome and we are trusting him still." Can we make JPC a place where we encourage one another to stand with Jesus and trust in the LORD’s protection? Can we make JPC a place where we declare the praises of the LORD to one another and to the word – because we have come to experience the truth of Psalm 121 for ourselves?