Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of the best walking Companion ever. There is no one better with whom to walk through life than the Helper who keeps, guides, and protects us.
“He will not suffer thy foot to be moved” (Psalm 121:3a).
When the psalmist comes to verse three, he does something very interesting. Verses 1-2 were written in first person (I, my, mine). Verses 3-6 are written in second person (thy, thee). Having reminded himself of who his helper is, has he now turned his attention to sharing truth about his Helper with others? In other words, was this a quick mental exercise for him as he remembered who his Helper is? Is he now rock solid, totally impervious to whatever was troubling him, and able to go into an academic-type listing of characteristics for the benefit of others? Or even, have the reassuring actions of God on his behalf given him a position of being an expert or a trusted counselor to others?
I don’t think so. The second person pronouns are all singular! Theoretically, he could be sharing reassurance with one other individual, but I don’t believe that is what he is doing. I believe he is talking to himself. This is completely in fitting with verses 1-2. If this psalm started out as a deliberate practice of focusing his attention on the Source of his help, then it continues by fleshing out additional reassuring details about the Helper. In other words, the rest of the psalm is just as intentional as the first two verses. He is preaching a sermon to himself!
This man, who needs help although he is remaining calm about it, is demonstrating why he can remain calm. It is because he is deliberately reviewing facts, not just about who his Helper is, but also about what that Helper is like. It isn’t much use to identify God as our Helper if we don’t know anything about God. But when we do know about God, then it means something that He is our Helper. So verses 1-2 were the premise: God is my Helper. Verses 3-6 enumerate what that Helper is like.
The facts contained in these verses make it evident why this man is able to remain calm. He has really learned to know his God. He has come to know God, not as an angry and impersonal tyrant, but as a loving, protecting Keeper who thoroughly cares for him and constantly watches over him. Every line of the psalm is reassuring to him in his current trouble, but the lines would not be reassuring if he were not reviewing them. It is important to meditate on God and to remember His characteristics and care. This is a continued part of the process of calming himself in a time of trouble. It is not a casual or flippant acknowledgment (“Oh, yeah – God”), but it is a deliberate enumeration (“God, because …”).
Reminder #1: He won’t allow your foot to slip.
This is obviously figurative language. It is not talking
about the five-toed appendage on the end of his leg, as it encounters mud,
snow, ice, steep banks, or banana peels. So what does it mean? The picture is
readily accessible and easily applied to life. It fits right in with the way we
think and talk about the challenges of life. “I feel like I can’t get my feet
under me.” As we walk through life and face obstacles, we can feel unsteady,
like we are slipping.
Does this verse mean that will never happen? It certainly does not seem logical, possible, or even in keeping with other Scriptures that we would never have the slightest indication of a quiver or misstep. The Hebrew word has some variation in degree within its meaning. It can be used for "totter, shake, slip,” but it can also mean “to be overthrown,” “to dislodge, let fall, drop,” or “to be greatly shaken.” So even the majority of the meanings tend toward intense or extreme levels. Some slips of the foot are fatal.
This seems to be in keeping with Psalm 37:24: “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.” It isn’t that we will never slip or stumble, but that we will not fall irreconcilably. We might fall down, but we won’t fall all the way off the mountain. The foundation underneath the foot is sure, and the One holding us in His hand will limit the extent of the slipping to temporal rather than permanent falling.
When we are in times of struggle, one of the dangers is that if we are alone, without a helper, we could easily stumble. Perhaps the psalmist senses his own weakness, and that is why he states this reminder first. He might fear that he would fall and that his walk of faith would be cut off because of one intense incident. If that happens, nothing else matters, so this is an important starting place. It is a comforting reassurance that he tells himself: “Hey, He’s not going to let you plummet off the side of the mountain.”
May your week be filled with the peaceful stability of walking with the One who will keep you from falling.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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