2006-12-16 - Unhelpful Hills

Psalm 121:1, 2 "I lift up my eyes to the hills; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

The first two verses of this Psalm introduce us to someone, probably David, who is expressing his trust in the Lord. This Psalm can be compared to Psalm 91 because of its confidence in God and its emphasis on the protection and favor of God. The focus of this Psalm is that we should not look for help except in God alone. It has been supposed by some, who have commented on this Psalm, that the first two verses would have been spoken by David, when he was going out to war, and verses 3-8 of this Psalm would have been the answer made to him by the High Priest.

We might see something interesting in these first two verses if we take a little time to think about them. David looks to the hills and inquires as to where his help comes from. In looking to the hills, he apparently knows that his help does not come from them because he immediately continues, "My help comes from the Lord." He is wise enough to look for his help from no where else than in the Lord. He rather places his firm trust in the maker of Heaven and Earth. "Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and mountains is a deception; surely in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel," Jeremiah 3:23.

Are we this wise? It is easy not to be. It is easy to look around us and seek our help from any number of sources. Help is only three buttons (911) away. Help can and does come from numerous sources, but where do we place our ultimate trust for our sustaining and upholding? For many it is in relationships, money, a job, even a vacation from that job. But these can all fail us, and often do. Nothing can compare to placing our hope in the all-sufficiency of God, maker of Heaven and Earth, for all our needs.

In Hebrews 4:14-16, we are given a window into Christ's office as our high priest. He knows us well and is able to "sympathize with our weaknesses." He knows us because He "has been tempted in every way, just as we are," but He did not yield to the temptation and remained free from sin. Verse 16 tells us that because we have such a high priest as Jesus Christ, we may "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Often that is what we are seeking. We often look all about for help in our time of need. David started by looking to the hills, but who can count all the places we look for help? Our help is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows our struggles, and we are wise when we look to Him in our struggles. May we all, with David, be able to say that we only seek our help in the Lord, who is the maker of both Heaven and Earth.

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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