Jesus, the true temple, the One who has fulfilled the purpose of the feasts, has come to us. He is our help. In the midst of suffering He is with us. When we’re tempted to sin He is ready to give more grace. No matter the time of day or the location, He is always near to help us.

Each day you and I are met with trials of various kinds. In some cases suffering is predominant, like when we’re faced with a chronic health condition. In other cases sin looms large, like when we’re tempted to raise our voice at our spouse or child. Regardless, in the midst of trials and temptations we need help from outside of ourselves. Thankfully, the Lord offers us true help, a truth we learn in Psalm 121. But before we turn our attention to this psalm we need to understand its broader context.

The Lord had commanded Israel to keep three festivals a year in the city of Jerusalem (see Deut. 16:16). It is likely that the fifteen Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134) were sung by the Israelites on their way to Jerusalem to keep the annual feasts, both before and after the exile. Therefore, it’s appropriate that the collection begins with the pilgrims far away from the temple in Jerusalem. They face temptations both from without (the devil and the world) and from within (their own flesh). These psalms present a picture of every believer’s journey to the new Jerusalem. They teach us about our journey as elect exiles on this earth and more importantly, about the Elect Exile who left His home in glory to fulfill His Father’s plan. They are arranged in a significant order—seven psalms on either side of the climactic one, Psalm 127, which highlights two of God’s promises to David (a place and progeny). Since the Songs of Ascents aid us in our worship of God we should study them often. In this brief article we will consider what the second one (Psalm 121) has to teach us.

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