Psalm 121 God is the Keeper
1. The word Keeper a person who manages or looks after something or someone.
• It’s used to refer to someone who has an obligation — imposed by the family or one’s culture —
• to protect and provide for someone else.
• “keeper.” In the Bible, when Abel doesn’t show up for work one morning and Cain is asked about it, he says, “What? Am I my brother’s keeper?”
2. Society gives us many keepers for example
• Score-keeper, time-keeper, peace-keeper, book-keeper, house-keeper, bee-keeper, shop-keeper, inn-keeper and greens-keeper.
3. You could say God is a People Keeper
• In this psalm, God is described as a people-keeper. “He will keep your life,” writes the psalmist
• God keeps watch over His people
• Psalm 121 tells us that God will keep us (. 3 The one who keeps never sleeps, 4 He keeps Israel , 5 The Lord is Keeper , 7He preserves us and 8 you’re going out and coming in ).
4. God is one who keeps watch
• The Hebrew root for keep is shamar, meaning to take care of, to keep watch over and to guard/protect. His eye is on the sparrow And I know, “God is watching over you and me”
• The word is used in the Numbers 6:24-26 (“The LORD bless you and keep you …”).
• God is a watchman who never gets drowsy, nor does God sleep (unlike The God of Baal whom Elijah says, Is he asleep, traveling, busy,1 Kings 18:25-27). God protects us by day and by night (121:5b-8). Remember the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night the Exodus
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5. God is one who puts us on firm foundation and keeps us
• He will not allow your foot to be moved: God would help His people by establishing them in a firm place, allowing them to stand and not allowing their foot to be moved
• We know we can stand strong on The Word We stand strong in grace (Romans 5:2).
• We can stand strong in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1).
• • We stand strong in courage and strength (1 Corinthians 16:13).
• • We stand strong in faith (2 Corinthians 1:24). God Keeps us
• God will watch over His people as a watchman watches over the city or the party of travelers.
• He who keeps you will not slumber: When we look to the LORD, we have confidence in the fact that God does not sleep. The idea is repeated in Psalm 121:4 for emphasis. God’s watchful eye is always open, looking with love and care upon His people.
6. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
• The Lord is a shade keeper the one who 5For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
• He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
• Your shade: .” (says Poole God is oft called a shadow in Scripture) “…both to refresh thee and keep thee from the burning heat of the sun,
• The keeper, He shall preserve your soul:
• (Charles Spurgeon) “Our soul is kept from the dominion of sin, the infection of error, the crush of unhappiness, the puffing up of pride; kept from the world, the flesh and the devil; kept for holier and greater things; kept in the love of God; kept unto the eternal kingdom and glory.”
• The Keeper tells the disciples the bread is my body the wine is my blood this will keep you
• From perishing, from hopelessness, from helplessness
