Your Keeper

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. - Psalms 121:5,6

Psalms 121 is the second psalm of a mini-collection of 15 Psalms (Psalms 120-134) within the book called “The songs of Ascents”. Pilgrims used to sing these when they journey up to Jerusalem three times a year. I’ve been dwelling on this for the past few days and Ruach Elohim helped me understand what psalm 121 truly is. I’ve summed up in 3 sections.

1. The Hills

Psalms 121 starts like this:
I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? - Psalms 121:1

When David said these words, he was looking for help from his fortress in Zion that is directly facing the hills of Jerusalem. The cover image is view from where his palace once stood. You can see the Mount of Olives where Jesus was finally taken away (Acts 1:9,12).

While uttering these words, he’s expecting some one from across the hills to bring a good news. Perhaps a rider from the other side of the hills with a letter of support from a leader of a neighboring country saying he will help David in his wars? Perhaps a good news from a distant town ? Perhaps a letter from a lover which can ease up his heavy and troubled heart. All he wanted was some good thing coming out of the hills to him.

I have to confess something - Most days, when I wake up, the first thing I do is to check my phone for notifications if there’s any good news or any news at all, especially my WhatsApp and Gmail. I believe many of us also do this first thing in the morning taking your phone - checking if that email that could change your life, a new business or a job opportunity in LinkedIn, a comforting message from a friend, a new life changing method in YouTube that will make you a new person by removing your addictions, a new love interest- and to be honest I believe we all have put down our phones with disappointment. Some days I dismiss everything just seeing the first few lines in the notification tray.

It’s exactly the situation David is here. He’s saying - “I’m looking at the hills. Things are beyond my control, problem inside my own house, friends turned foes… Is there anyone from the other side of that hill who will come to me ? To help me? To restore me?”.

How much do we desire for that help just like David did?

But David doesn’t stop there asking for help.. He answers his own question in the very next verse:

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. - Psalms 121:2

David knew his help, his true help can only come from the LORD. He knew alternatives are neither going to relieve him nor sustain him. No one else can rescue him. It’s only the LORD who is the true help for David.

2. shaw-mar’ שָׁמַר

In English, this psalm 121’s eight verses, there are these words - “keep, keeper, preserve” depending on the translation. But in Hebrew, the language in which this Psalm was originally written, there was only 1 word used again and again for all of  keep / keeper/ preserve / preserver. It is shaw-mar שָׁמַר  This word can be used with different meanings - to keep, to guard, to observe / watch. The Jewish people to this day sing that the LORD is the Shaw-mar Israel i.e. the watchman / keeper of Israel despite the wars raging through.

What’s more interesting is that this word ‘shaw-mar / שָׁמַר’ is used 6 times in Psalm 121 where David repeatedly declares, LORD you are my keeper, you will keep me, you will watch me when I go out and when I come in.

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 forevermore. - Psalms 121:7,8

Anyone who reads the Bible knows that 7 is the number for perfection the round number, the complete number, the closing decree but Psalm 121 has the word ‘keeper’ i.e. ‘shaw-mar’ only 6 times.  Why not 7 ? Was it random ?

No. Never. Nothing in the Bible is random. It was intentional by the holy spirit, the true author of the Bible because when he writes the same word shaw-mar the next time in the Bible, it is in the opening verse of another Song of Ascent in Psalms 127 and it’s just mind-blowing. It’s written like this:

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city,  the guard keeps watch in vain. - Psalms 127:1

This is a warning, a heed for all of us that if we don’t choose the LORD as our keeper and our watcher, all our other keepers and watchmen work in vain.

In our lives, we meet many people, lust after many things and turn them into our source of living and joy. We tap into our lovers, money, our career, our workplace, even our spouses and tell them - “you are the reason I live” but God says to you today unless I build your house, unless I watch over you my child, unless I keep you, everyone and everything else are standing, watching and keeping you in vain.

What a perfect to way to finish the 7th ‘shaw-mar’ by telling that the first 6 times i.e. the whole chapter of psalms 121 which are promises could either be fulfilled or can go in vain because of the 7th ‘shaw-mar’ i.e. if you make the LORD as your keeper and watcher.

3. The Watcher

If you think the above verse is a warning or too restrictive and punishing, wait till you hear me out.

I have two kids (a toddler son and a 4 month old daughter). The best part of my day is at 10pm when both my kids are finally asleep, I just stand there and watch them sleep peacefully. Watching them sleep gives me a peace words can never explain. I know by watching them, I’m observing their subtle moments, their mischief, their naughtiness and think in my heart I’m going to watch over them forever. I’m going to protect them from any stupid decisions they take. I’m going to teach them, strengthen them and be with them through their thick and thin. That’s a father’s heart.

That’s how our LORD watches over you my friend. He just stands there watching you, not to punish you but with love seeing what his daughter or son is up to? What are you on to now ? And he yearns in his heart to bless you, to guard you and to keep you. For us in earth, there might be storms with no end in sight, no help in sight, no love in sight, no rescue in sight, but he is your keeper. He will keep you. He says in verse 6 that the sun shall not strike you by the day nor the moon by the night. Of course the sun is going to blow heat at you and moon is going to cry evil on you. He doesn’t rule that it will never happen but he says  they can’t strike you and will never overcome you because your LORD is your keeper. He will keep you and preserve you in the face of your enemies ! He’s your ‘shaw-mar’, your watchman over your life !