Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of our Keeper, the one who maintains His watchful care over us. Below are more meditations from Psalm 121, following the psalmist’s progressive reminders of what his Helper is like.
“He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper” (Psalm 121:3b-5a).
Reminder #2: He won’t slumber or sleep.
One reason humans are so poor at dealing with problems is
that they have a limited amount of time to work on them. Every time they start
to make some progress, the day is over, and it is time to go to bed. That
certainly is not the only reason, but it is a limitation, and it is a
limitation that God does not have.
This is why God can keep our foot from slipping – because He is constantly awake, alert, and observant. We are not going to take a wrong turn or start sliding precariously without His knowing about it. He has the responsibility of keeping us, and He doesn’t allow any lapse on His part to interfere with His ability to do so. He is never like the bank guard who falls asleep on the job.
God does not “slumber” – ever. This is to sleep because of drowsiness. God doesn’t get drowsy. Not from boredom, not from getting too comfortable, not from external stimuli, not from fatigue. God doesn’t “sleep.” He doesn’t get old and worn out and therefore unable to remain alert. When we think of slumber or sleep, we envision several different scenarios. The most intense would be someone who is bone-weary, perhaps after hard toil, a marathon of activity, an illness, or an intense medical episode. This person might fall into a deep sleep, even coma-like, and not awaken for days, or at least for an unusually extended amount of time, like ten to twelve hours. Imagine if that happened with God! How many dangers could present themselves to us while He remained unaware? But this never happens. God doesn’t sleep like that.
There is also normal sleep, which for most people is seven to eight hours a night. Every night. Again, imagine if God slept that long every night. This would leave a significant portion of our day without protection – on a regular and predictable basis. We would be so vulnerable. God doesn’t sleep like that either.
On the mild end of the spectrum, there is light sleep. A fifteen-minute cat nap. Someone drowsing off while watching TV. While it may seem that such short amounts of inattention would not be too serious, imagine the ramifications. When people nod off in these ways, children are left unattended and get into mischief or danger. Classrooms of children quickly disrupt. Meals are left burning on the stove. Automobile accidents happen. Although the sleep is brief, the sleeper often misses the most critical moments of what is happening around him. Even drifting in and out while watching a television program leaves the “viewer” disconnected, confused, and inadequately informed about what is happening. God doesn’t even do this type of sleep. There are not even random moments or brief windows during which He is not keeping guard. He doesn’t miss any pertinent input. The psalmist reminds himself, “Hey, He’s not going to fall asleep on you.”
God never sleeps, but the implication is deeper than simply being awake. This is the Helper, the Keeper, that we are talking about. His job is more than just remaining awake. It is being watchful. God never stops being watchful, not for eight hours at a time, not for five minutes at a time. His vigil is constant.
This facet becomes even more poignant when we realize that God does this specifically regarding Israel. If any people needs constant vigil, it is the Jews. They have faced so many threats, dangers, wars, plots, and conspiracies. Multiple times they have been threatened with annihilation. Yet they still remain today. Why? Because God has never once fallen asleep on the job. If He can successfully keep watch and protect Israel, then He can easily keep watch and protect me.
Reminder #3: He is your Keeper.
Verses 3b and 4 have us focusing on the never sleeping,
always vigilant aspect, but we must not overlook the verb. What is it that God
is doing without sleeping? Who is it that never sleeps? It is “He that keepeth
thee” and “He that keepeth Israel.” In case we missed it while we were
contemplating His constant vigil, verse 5a brings us back to the
identification: the Keeper.
The LORD, the one who was identified in verse 2 as being the Helper, is the one who is our Keeper. It is the same unique, self-existing, worthy-of-worship God, the only true God, who is our Keeper. What a joy that it is not anyone lesser who is in that position!
The Keeper is such a great term. This is not simply holding onto something for potential future usefulness. Rather, it is to hedge about (like with a border of thorns) and to guard and protect. The Hebrew word is translated in numerous illustrative ways, including “beware, be circumspect, take heed, preserve, save.” This is a careful activity. It is a defensive activity. It is an aggressive protective activity. This is top-level protective security. The psalmist comforts himself, “Hey, God is never careless about protecting you.”
The psalmist takes comfort in knowing that God will keep him from a disastrous fall. God can do so because He is continually alert and because He takes upon Himself the role as vigilant Keeper and proactive Protector.
May you rest at peace, confidently trusting in the constant care of your Keeper who never misses anything that concerns you.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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