Psalm 121

Let me give a little background to Psalm 121. It’s named one of the 15 Psalms/Songs of Ascent as noted in the introduction to the psalm itself and no one really knows what that means. In fact the interpretations are really all over the place. Some note that the 15 Psalms relate to the 15 steps that were on the porch in Solomon's Temple. As the priests would climb the steps they would sing, chant or recite the Songs of Ascent. There is a rabbinic tradition that David sang these songs to calm the rising waters as he was building the foundation for what would become Solomon's temple. Some think the Psalms were meant to be sung in different keys, starting low and ending higher. But the most traditional interpretation is these songs were song by pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem  for the holy days. So, I think we will stick with that. The other minor problem is that the writer of the Psalm is unknown and we don’t know the date it was written either. So basically we don’t know who wrote the song, when they wrote it or why they wrote but, we won’t let that bother us today.

Before we begin we need to understand three things.

Like most pre-modern cultures, the Jews were an oral culture. Not everyone could read or write, in fact, almost no one was completely literate. The priests, professional scribes, military leaders, some rich people, maybe a king or two, and the odd merchant who kept his own records—these were the literate people. Everyone else read or wrote as much as they needed.   The schools Jewish boys attended relied on learning by rote, kind of a "repeat after me" type of learning. Everything was memorized. Even the songs and stories were passed down from generation to generation, from the older to the younger by rote. In some cultures today, the story teller is a much respected person in his or her community.

The collection of prayers or songs we call the Psalms wasn’t completed until after the exile. The introductions place them at various times in Jewish history, and there are many authors. Most likely an editor compiled the 150 psalms from different collections and at some point these 150 became the “standard.” Before this, each psalm was passed down from generation to generation orally.

The last thing you need to know is that the land of Israel was not flat. The land starts at sea level on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and then climbs into the hills, where Jerusalem is located. From Jerusalem the land slopes down to the Jordan River valley. Basically, right in the middle of the land was this range of high ground. So you literally went up to Jerusalem, you climbed the hills. This is what the gospel writers meant when they wrote that Jesus went up to Jerusalem, even though he was travelling south.

Well, enough background, let me tell you a story.

The group had been walking for a few days now. The size of the group never really stayed the same, but there was a core of about 10 families who were slowly working their way together toward the higher hills that signified they were getting closer to Jerusalem. Other groups joined them at night to camp, safety in numbers you know, and then moved off in the morning. With the large numbers of children and elderly they were traveling with, they hadn’t expected to make very good time.

Everyone was walking, well there were a few donkeys that the old people took turns using, and the really little children could only walk for an hour or so in the morning before a parent or older sibling picked them up and carried them on their back. So you can understand why they moved slowly. The teenaged boys lagged behind, nothing moves slower than a pack of teens walking through a semi-arid landscape together. In front were the pre-teen boys, acting as scouts for the army they were pretending was behind them. Girls walked with their families. Benjamin was 10 years old and he was having the time of his life. This was the first time his family was making the trip. His older sister and his parents were behind him somewhere, and from his spot on the rock he was standing on, he thought he could see them. It was time for lunch, and he was trying to wave his family toward the shade he had found.

His mom had made lunch the night before, carefully rewrapping up the roasted meat and the toasted flat bread she had prepared before the trip started. Tonight they would eat the last of the roasted lamb, nothing but bread and dried vegetables for tomorrow. Benjamin really hoped they would make it to Jerusalem the day after that. As exciting as the trip had been, he was ready to stop walking. A quick stop in the shade, a hasty meal, and back on the road until dusk.

By the time the sun started going down, everyone was tired. A camp site was picked out in a grove of scraggily trees, and soon a dozen or more fires were burning. After dinner everyone settled down for the evening. Benjamin’s dad stood up and with Benjamin behind him walked over to a nearby fire where they sat down in a crowd that had gathered.

Two old men sat on a rock positioned a little higher than everyone gathered around them. Eli and Joshua had been appointed the story tellers and teachers for the trip, and the men and boys gathered each night to listen. From the first night of the trip Eli and Joshua had been reviewing the history of the nation, using landmarks they passed to retell the old stories. When they had passed by the city of Jericho the two old men had acted out the march around the wall, and told the story of Achan. They also sang the old songs, the ones that David wrote, the ones where David called upon God to hear his voice and rescue him.

Tonight Eli started.

“Jehovah is the name we use for God, because his name is sacred.”

He continued.

“It’s the name he gave to Moses-I AM. This was the day Moses saw the burning bush. Did you ever stop to think about the burning bush? Jehovah called himself the I AM, the always existing one from a bush that didn’t burn up.”

Joshua jumped in.

“Don’t you see? The flame that always existed, inexhaustible, never burning itself out. The flame that always was. The I AM. He can always provide, he never burns up. He always has enough for us, and he never runs out.”

Benjamin’s dad turned and grinned at him. "I AM" he mouthed toward his son.

Joshua continued.

“This is our God. The one who made heaven and earth. Look up at the stars, and at the sky tomorrow. Everything was made by God, and everyone who sees the stars, and walks under the sky tomorrow as well. This is the God who watches over us. This is the God who never runs out. Remember the prophet Elisha and the jar of oil that never ran out? God provided and it was never empty. The full sky at night can be a promise of this.”

Benjamin couldn’t help himself, he looked up and gasped at the uncountable twinkles of light in the sky above him. He turned back toward the old men and settled back to rest against his dad.

It was Eli’s turn.

“Tomorrow, Jehovah will not let you slip as you climb. In fact he watches over us tonight, he never sleeps.”

A voice from the crowd interrupted. “So Jehovah will make sure we get there safely?”

Eli slowly shook his head. “No, it means that as we seek to serve him, as we become true followers, as we climb toward being more like he wants us to be, if we do this in sincerity and with our whole hearts, he won’t cause us to slip. He won’t let us down. Things might not go well for us, my cousin fell off a mountain once, but I’ve served Jehovah my whole life, and he has never let me down.”

A mummer of agreement rustled through the crowd.

Joshua held up both his arms and the noise tailed off.

“Elijah was a prophet in the old days. In the days where people forgot about Jehovah. They worshiped idols and demons on these very hills, at the high points and the hill tops. This was where they thought their help came from. From a false god who lived on a mountain. In times of trouble they looked to the mountains instead of toward Jehovah. They built alters and shrines and worshipped idols made of rocks and wood.”

Eli shook his head from side to side while Joshua continued.

“One day Elijah battled with the idol worshipping priests of Baal on a mountain top. The Baal priests built an alter and called for their god all day to send fire. All day. They danced, sang, chanted and yelled. Can you imagine? They yelled at their god!”

Eli stood up and mimed shaking his hands at the heavens. Joshua mentioned him to sit down.

“My old friend likes this story, can you tell? Anyway, Elijah just couldn’t help himself, and he started mocking them. Maybe your god is sleeping. Maybe he went on a trip and didn’t tell you.”

Eli jumped to his feet again and yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Maybe he’s going to the bathroom! Ha ha ha”

Joshua grinned.

“Finally it was Elijah’s turn and he carefully built a new alter, dug a ditch around it and soaked everything with water to the point of filling the ditch. And when he prayed—Jehovah let everyone know you are God—fire fell from heaven and burned up the sacrifice, the stones in the alter, the ground, and the water in the ditch.  Our God never sleeps. This is our God!”

Benjamin clapped with everyone else. He knew the story of course, but told under a starry sky by firelight it gave him goose bumps. God never sleeps!

Eli spoke next.

“ Jehovah watches over us! The sun and the moon can’t even harm us. God can keep us from all harm. Our lives are watched over by him. All those gods that aren’t even gods, the moon, stars and sun that the heathen worship, nothing they do can harm us if God is on our side.”

Getting excited Eli stood up and holding his arms out in worship he sang an old hymn that Benjamin had heard before.

“You have searched me, LORD,

and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

   you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

   you are familiar with all my ways. ..

 Where can I go from your Spirit?

   Where can I flee from your presence?”

Joshua got to his feet and stood next to Eli. Together the two men raised their hands to give a blessing. The group of men and boys stood and gathered as close as they could to the two old men.

“Listen to this new song,” Joshua said and the two men sang together. They repeated the song until all the men and boys knew the song by memory.

“Go back to your families and teach them the song, teach them what it means.”

Holding his father’s hand in the dark, Benjamin sang the song to himself as they walked back to where his mother and sister were sitting. Together Benjamin and his dad taught the song to the rest of the family. As he fell asleep that night Benjamin thought about everything Eli and Joshua had taught them. About Jehovah being the one who is, who never runs out, who never sleeps and who watches over them. He pictured Elijah praying for the fire, and the flash and the hiss of the steam. He imagined Jehovah holding his feet in place as he raced up a mountain. Finally he fell asleep listening to his father and mother singing the new song softly in the dark.

The next morning there was not a cloud in the sky. In the distance, through the clear morning air they could see the last mountain they would have to walk up. More and more travelers joined the party until the road was packed with travelers. His dad told Benjamin to stay close to the family today, he didn’t want to get lost in the crowd. His dad had gotten the family in line right behind Eli and Joshua and Benjamin heard Eli tell Joshua that this would be his last trip to Jerusalem. The two old men walked arm in arm up the mountain side, helping each other over the ruts and holes

Half way up the mountain the road came to a flat spot where suddenly you could see into the city. There was the palace, the houses, and the markets. And there, shining in the distance, gleaming, was the temple.

Benjamin bumped into the person in front of him and looking up from his view of Jerusalem we saw that everyone had stopped. The young men in the group had surrounded Eli and Joshua and were holding them up where everyone could see them.

“Quiet! Listen!” People were shouting for everyone to be quiet, and slowly the crowd quieted. "Sing! Sing the new song!"

Eli and Joshua started singing, and motioned for everyone to join in.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

   where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,

   the Maker of heaven and earth.

 3 He will not let your foot slip—

   he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel

   will neither slumber nor sleep.

 5 The LORD watches over you—

   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,

   nor the moon by night.

 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—

   he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going

   both now and forevermore.