"I WILL LIFT UP MINE EYES UNTO THE HILLS"

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help"  Ps 121:1

Those words are seen in memorial parks and courtyards of churches.  They are heard in sermons and are generally accepted as a poetic expression of faith.

If churchmen would only consider what the words suggest, they would see they are giving lip-homage to a forbidden practice.  For, only idolaters look to the hills for help ...

 "Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and UPON THE HILLS, and under  every green tree:

And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the  names of them out of that place.

(In verse 4, we are shown that the people who worship The Creator must not imitate idolaters.)  

**Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.**" Deut 12:2-4 (KJV)

In the course of time, the children of  Israel forgot the words of their Creator and perverted their way  --they looked unto the hills and mountains for help.  So, Jeremiah called them to repentance with these words:

"Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel."
Jer 3:23 (KJV)

Now, from the light of other scriptures, we can see that the Psalmist was asking questions with his words and the thought of looking to the hills for help was rejected:

Question:  "Shall I lift up mine eyes to the hills?
Answer:    [No! is  implied]

Question:  Whence should my help come?
Answer:     My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth."
                   Psalm 121:1-2  KJV Marginal reading

Donna Kupp

Notes:  Psalms 121:1-8

1. We must not rely upon creatures, upon men and means, instruments and second causes, nor make flesh our arm: "Shall I lift up my eyes to the hills?"-- so some read it. "Does my help come thence? Shall I depend upon the powers of the earth, upon the strength of the hills, upon princes and great men, who, like hills, fill the earth, and hold up their heads towards heaven? No; in vain is salvation hoped for from hills and mountains, . I
never expect help to come from them; my confidence is in
God only." We must lift up our eyes above the hills (so
some read it); we must look beyond instruments to God, who makes them that to us which they are.

2. We must see all our help laid up in God, in his power and goodness, his providence and grace; and from him we must expect it to come: "My help comes from the Lord; the help I desire is what he sends, and from him I expect it in his own way and time. If he do not help, no creature can help; if he do, no creature can hinder, can hurt."  (from Matthew Henry's Commentary)

dk