SHADOW PROTECTION
Psalm 121
Psalm 121:5-6: “The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.”
The right hand is a symbol of strength. This extraordinary passage guarantees God’s kids protection—from everything! (Check out the lesson linked below for more about God’s protection).
Let’s break the opening Scripture down. What is shade? Shade is shadows cast from whatever is blocking light. Shade mirrors, or copies the image of what is blocking light.
People create shade. Watch the shadow your body casts when in sunlight. Lifting arms causes our shadow to lift arms. Wave and watch your shadow wave. How can the opening Scripture say God is our shade, or shadow?
Wherever we go, God goes. We cannot shake off our shadow. No one can shake off God. He is the ultimate bodyguard. God never sleeps; His strength always guards us. God purposely created humans in His image for this very reason: David felt God’s presence everywhere, 24/7. (Check out Genesis 1:27 and Psalm 139). In response, David sang songs and journaled his feelings and praises to God, published as Psalms in the middle of the Bible.
God also copies the way we live. He follows our lead. If we are kind toward others, God is kind to us. But if we are judgmental and cruel to others, God will judge us harshly, too. Jesus warned against judging others in Matthew 7:1.
Jesus understands people. No one fools Jesus because, as God, our hearts are transparent to Him. The Pharisees and Sadducees thought they were so smart, but Jesus saw their hearts’ intent when they wanted to outsmart Him—this teacher/prophet/Rabbi/…ultimate irritant!
His answers ALWAYS confused, baffled, and mystified the learned leaders of the Jewish faith. Jesus’ presence annoyed them. He wouldn’t go away. We know now that Jesus was their shadow!
Take Home Nugget
God as our supreme bodyguard is empowering, isn’t it? Believers never need to worry about our safety because God is protecting not only us—but also our lives.
God as our shadow is serious business. God deals with us identically to how we treat others. Are we as kind as we’d like God to treat us? Are we as forgiving of others as we pray for God to forgive us? We’d better live c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y!
Humans don’t respond well to what seems counter-intuitive. We get exactly what we give—no less and no more. Right-hand strength comes from this knowledge.
The greatest kindness that we can do for ourselves is to be profoundly generous, caring, sympathetic, thoughtful, compassionate, and considerate to everyone else!
Holy Father, empower me to shadow You to others! I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Adapted from “The Lord is Your Shadow” by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. www.HolyLandMoments.com. May 28, 2017.
J.D. Griffith
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