![]() These verses take the form of a “blessing” that is, they are confessional, but since they are spoken on behalf of the pilgrims they have the tone of wish and assurance. The point appears emphatically by means of repeated occurrences of the word “keep” or “keeper” to describe what the lord does and who the lord is.Ī worship leader or perhaps a leader of pilgrimage speaks the final four verses of the psalm. But the Lord did not sleep and therefore could keep constant watch over Israel and its pilgrims. Verses 3-4 also implicitly compare Yahweh to other deities with the declaration that Israel’s God “does not sleep or slumber.” It was a common belief among Israel’s neighbors that their gods “slept” (or died) during winter months and revived in seasons of growth and harvest. Thus, to confess that the lord was “maker of heaven and earth” was to say these other deities were imposters. Most of these other gods had devotees who claimed their god ordered the cosmos. Why is this identification of God so important? Even if on a short journey to Jerusalem and much more on a lengthy trip, the traveler surely observed worship sites devoted to other deities (on “the hills”). ![]() Hence, it is possible that an editor understands “maker of heaven and earth” to be a central subject in this collection. The last occurrence appears to be an editorial addition placed on a psalm that acts as conclusion to the collection (Psalms 120-134). The same label occurs two other times in the “Songs of Ascent” (Psalms 124:8 134:3). The psalmist qualifies the nature of God who “helps” (Psalm 121:2a) by identifying God as “maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2b). The answer appears clearly in verse 2a, “My help comes from the Lord.” The rest of the psalm expounds on this point: God alone can sustain the life of the pilgrim. The psalm begins with a declaration in verse 1a (“I lift up my eyes to the hills”) that introduces the central concern of the poem in the form of a question in verse 1b (“from where will my help come?”). ![]() Regardless of the exact orientation of the travelers, the main issue in the psalm is the safety God provides through constant attention to the faithful pilgrims. Or the response may be the words of a travel leader, or one who is remaining at home, if the setting is the initial departure for Jerusalem. The remainder of the psalm may be the response of a priest if the setting is departure from the temple. Verses 1-2, and possibly verse 4, seem to be voiced by a pilgrim, who perhaps represents the whole company of travelers. These statements and declarations appear together as a liturgy, as indicated by the shift in voices throughout the psalm. Statements of confidence in God’s protection and declarations of God’s faithful character dominate Psalm 121. Psalm 121 is part of a group of psalms (Psalms 120-134) placed together for that purpose. Though the significance of the term “ascents” is not absolutely certain, the same root appears in Psalm 122:4 to refer to a ritual journey to the holy city (see also Ezra 7:9 Psalm 24:3). The psalm’s title, “A Song of Ascents” perhaps indicates the psalm was intended for use during pilgrimage to Jerusalem for one of Israel’s festivals. The setting of the psalm is travel to or from Jerusalem as part of a religious pilgrimage. Psalm 121 also pertains to the journey of faith that requires reliance on God. Thus, the subject of these passages is a journey that requires trust in God. Genesis 12:1-4a and Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 focus on Abraham and his faithful response to God’s call to leave his country, kindred, and father’s house (Genesis 12:1) and travel to the land God would show him. The passages for the second Sunday of Lent all consider issues of human faith and God’s faithfulness.
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