Today we look at some of the texts Jesus must have used in his sermon, which we discussed yesterday. An obvious place to begin is with Peter's speech at Pentecost found in Acts 2. Peter used three texts in that message. The first was about Pentecost itself. It was from Joel—the prophecy that in the last days, God was going to pour out his Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28-32; see Acts 2:17-21). Peter explained that Joel's words were being fulfilled right then in the sight and hearing of the people. Then he went on to preach about Jesus. To do that he drew on two more texts from the Old Testament.

The mature Christian is neither blind to trouble nor in fear of it, for he is following after Jesus Christ, who said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Where does my help come from? As the psalmist answers, “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber.”

If the first stanza asks where the help of the devout pilgrim comes from and answers that it is from the God who made heaven and earth, the next stanzas explore various ways in which that great Creator God helps his weak disciple. Stanzas two and three explore this by images, suggesting that God is like a watchman, who does not sleep, or again, like shade from the harmful effects of the sun or moon. The last stanza abandons imagery and says directly that God is our protector at all times and in all circumstances. 

Psalm 121 is the second of the pilgrim psalms, the Songs of Ascents devout Jews must have sung as they made their way to the highlands of Judah, where Jerusalem was located, for the annual feasts. When we remember that there were no real roads in those days, only well-trodden paths across the valleys, along the rivers and over mountain passes, it is easy to imagine how this psalm might have been sung by a hopeful but very weary pilgrim. He has been traveling for days. His feet are sore. His muscles ache. Jerusalem, the end of his pilgrimage, seems very distant. But then suddenly he sees the hills of Judah in the distance, and he breaks into song.

Most people today want to think of themselves as peaceful and peace loving. But they are not. None of us is. On the contrary, we are warlike people, and the proof of it is seen in our fierce competition and fights with other people, and in our anger and grief when others are more successful than we are or are preferred before us.