Read Psalm 121.
What images and meanings stand out to you? What questions do you have?
Depending on the translation you are reading, it may say God is your "Keeper" or "Watcher" or "Guardian." What do these images or titles mean to you? What kind of protection from God does this describe?
The Sermon that pairs with these questions mentions a few cultural and linguistic nuances in the Psalm:
This Psalm would have been read or sung as people walked to Jerusalem and walked up to he temple during festivals or to give sacrifices.
On the tops of hills were the "high places" where people gave sacrifices to false gods. Jerusalem had some of these "high places" that overlooked the city and temple.
"Keeper" or "Watcher" is the Hebrew word "Shomer" which can mean a person that guards a dead body to keep evil forces and rodents away from it.
The Hebrew words for "Sun and moon" in this Psalm were sometimes linked to Baal and Ashera, the false gods people would have been worshiping on the high places. (There are also images in this section of God providing protection from the sun to Jonah.)
Knowing some of the background to the Psalm, how does your understanding of it change?
Extra:
Notice how the Psalm starts out as "Me, and I" and shifts to "You, and Your."
When have you been so excited to be a part of a regularly meeting group (Bible study, church, small group, etc. that you want to tell other people about it?
What would it take for you to be bold in sharing with other people about who God is and what God has done in your life?
-
Comments