Who do you trust today (tomorrow, for years to come), Part IV
Posted by tom | Apr 11, 2009As Ellen headed out the door to help set-up the Elizabethtown Clothing Bank, she reminded me we should once again go over Psalm 121 (in order for her to be prepared to share with our local congregation's director of children's ministry ASAP).
I place a high value on understanding the text which one's trying to memorize. One resource we pulled off the shelf to assist us with this task was InterVarsity Press' Ancient Christian Commentary on Psalms 51 - 150. Here's some words from Augustine on My help is from the LORD (v.2).
And say, I have lifted my eyes to the mountains from which help shall come to me in such a way that you add to it immediately, My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Therefore let us lift our eyes to the mountains from which my help shall come to us. Yet it is not the mountains themselves in which our hope is to be placed, for the mountains receive what they may present to us. Therefore we must put our hope in that place from which the mountains also receive [what they give to us]. When we lift our eyes to the Scriptures, because the Scriptures were delivered through people, we lift our eyes to the mountains from which help will come to us; and yet since they who wrote the Scriptures were themselves people, they were not providing enlightenment from the themselves. Rather, Christ was the true light who enlightens everyone coming into the world. -- InterVarsity Press' Ancient Christian Commentary on Psalms 51 - 150, Edited by Quentin F. Wesselschmidt.
As I return to this quote, I ask myself to where did the disciples look on this in between day? The disciples had been in the very presence of the true Light, then they were in darkness. Had they found the God of Israel slumbering or did they not understood the work or Word of God? But within three days, death, darkness, and evil found themselves no match for God incarnate, the one extends the Way, the Truth, and Life to the creation.
When the disciples came face-to-face with this reality, there was no other option than to give praise to God and share the Good News with everyone who comes upon one's path. Will that mark our Easter Sunday as we're with family and friends and the coming weeks of culture making in the reality of the resurrection power? We don't just return to the mountains which surround us and we find in the Scriptures, but as individuals and a people we return to the true light who enlightens everyone coming into the world.
"...I have lifted my eyes to the mountains from which help shall come to me in such a way that you add to it immediately, My help is from the Lord, who made the heaven and earth.."
The devil places evil things in front of us because he wants to destroy humanity. He will place a veil in front of man which impedes our inability to lift our eyes and see the mountains which God created. once we rebuke the Devil in the name of Jesus, God will tear away the veils so we can finally see the mountains which allows us to understand the big picture. When we call out his name Just like it says in Mathew 3, Jesus will deliver us from the veil of darkness so are able to see his face. In turn, we can discover the beauty of his creation of both and heaven and earth whom he created.
"Therefore let us lift our eyes to the mountains from which my help shall come to us."
Once we ask Jesus to enter into us and he able to remove the veil of darkness from within us, we can finally freely "lift our eyes to the mountains" (InterVarsity Press' Ancient Christian Commentary..)
The mountains helps us acknowledge God's mighty presence and show us we are his creation among others of his craftsmanship. He reveals his wonder to those who know they are small in the eyes of God. Humanity needs to understand that God, who created the mountains, can lead us out of temptation and deliver us from evil so we can live like those mighty mountains.
"Therefore we must put our hope in that place from which the mountains also receive [what they give us]."
once we become like mountains in the sight of God through our humility, we lead the lost to the savior who gave us salvation. our giving to the lost is a gain for the kingdom and our own maturity and integrity as his followers. He wants his children to rise above the standards to demonstrate God's awesome power as a giver and deliverer.
"When we lift our eyes to the Scriptures, because the Scriptures were delivered through people, we lift our eyes to the mountains from which help will come to us; and yet since they who wrote the Scriptures were themselves people, they were not providing enlightenment from the themselves. Rather, Christ was the true light who enlightens everyone coming into the world."
The scriptures were written by man, whom are small but through God's inspiration, our work becomes mountainous simply because we depend on the source of everything. The everything exceeds works written by man inspired by man but works that are done by man inspired God is everything which exceeds all. Einstein is a great example. He tapped into God's creation of relativity thus became a modern father for science. Esther, Queen of Persia, was a small orphan girl who saved the Jews from extermination from the neighboring empires. She drew her eyes to the mountains thus was able to do the impossible, especially with her being a woman during her time.
When we lift our eyes to the mountains, we look beyond our own desires and see the world through the lens of Jesus.
Posted by Sergey, Apr 27 2009, 14:17