His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91 God's Protection 911: Christians are under attack! That is a wonderful promise: Thou shalt not be afraid. If it had said, Thou shalt have no cause for fear, it would have been a very comforting word; but this is even more cheering, Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night.. You must, like the bee, go down into the bell of the flower yourself, and fetch out its nectar. They shall live long enough: they shall be continued in this world till they have done the work they were sent into this world for and are ready for heaven, and that is long enough. There may be unseen influences that would ruin us, or cause us dishonour, or distress; but when we dwell with God, we shall not be afraid of them. Towns across the country closed their swimming pools. This psalm is a powerful chapter when a believer is in a time of crisis. Angels are not appropriate objects of our worship. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), Freedman, David Noel (Ed. They are such as have set their love upon him; and those who rightly know him will love him, will place their love upon him as the only adequate object of it, will let out their love towards him with pleasure and enlargement, and will fix their love upon him with a resolution never to remove it to any rival. 91:1, 4. He is my refuge and my fortress: The one who lives intimately with God knows the greatness of His protection. I will deliver him, and honour him. 2. If they were, no one would ever die. Psalms 91:15. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. Growing Up With Two Moms: The Untold Childrens View. Twice is he armed who hath Gods truth to be his shield and buckler. Salem Media Group. Jesus ChristUnique Savior or Average Fraud? A man may die young, and yet die full of days, satur dierumsatisfied with living. El means god (note the small g), and can be used for any god. Counterfeit Cross updated- Sanctification and Growing in Righteousness, Errors of the Invitation System or Alter Call, Counterfeit Cross - The Lordship of Christ in Salvation - Part II, A Historical Overview of The Lord's Supper, Set Your Mind on Things Above - Matthew Henry, Prophecies of the Destruction of Jerusalem which have remarkably been fulfilled - Thomas Newton. We know whom we have trusted. Psalm 91 continues to be a source of strength, hope, promise and encouragement for every generation. They shall think it long enough; for God by his grace shall wean them from the world and make them willing to leave it. And under his wings shalt thou trust: God is to his people a strong defense and a tender defense. On their hands they will bear you up,lest you strike your foot against a stone. SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. So the psalmist is talking about a serious threat when he uses the word deber. God protects believers, (1.) and Kahane, Ahuvia, The Oxford English-Hebrew Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 1998), Fohrer, Georg, Hebrew & Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament (SCM Press, 2012), Freedman, David Noel (ed. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. Oh, yes, he values the love of his people, for he knows where it came from; it is a part of his own love; the creation of his grace! Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. This is the name that God revealed to Moses, saying, You shall tell the children of Israel this, Yahweh (YHWH), the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations (Exodus 3:15). Jan. 1, 2023. Psalm 91:1-3 God the Deliverer "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. We read of fear in the night, Cant 3 8. I will deliver him, and honor him. However, we must guard against angel worship and the trivialization of angels popular in some circles today. . A soldier would be equipped with one shield or the other, but the psalmist perceives Yahwehs truth as embodying the advantages of both. I will set him on high (Hebrew: sagab), because he has known (Hebrew: yada) my name (Hebrew: sem) (v. 14b). You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.. - F. F. Bruce. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. 2. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation. Whatever the case, these verses assure us that God will deliver us. Angels are Gods messengers (Hebrews 1:14; Revelation 1:1)part of the created order and therefore wholly subordinate to God. God puts honour upon us, poor dishonourable worms that we are. Sadday often appears with the Hebrew word el, which is a generic word for a godany god. They are able to bear up the saints out of the reach of danger, and they do it with all the tenderness and affection wherewith the nurse carries the little child about in her arms; it speaks us helpless and them helpful. 10 no evil shall happen to you, I'm not talking about the question of whether God gave us an inerrant Bible. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,but it will not come near you. Naught shall strike thee with dismay, Fear by night, nor shaft by day." Verse 7. But God says, I will deliver him, and honour him.. And those who have found the comfort of making the Lord their refuge, cannot but desire that others may do so. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling placethe Most High, who is my refuge no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.. One is that often God amazingly delivers them physically when others around them are falling. While no one died, it was a terrible illness that required weeks for recovery. (1.) Nihil accidere bono viro mali potestNo evil can befal a good man. Yahweh does David an honor by using this word for David, where he refers to David as the elyon (highest) of the kings of the earth (Psalm 89:27). He who dwells in the secret place (Hebrew: seter) of the Most High (v. 1a). - James P. Shelly, Genesis Week - Refuting Evolution - 100 Videos, The Enormity of the Error of Perverting the Gospel. All rights reserved. They are condescending in their ministrations; they keep the feet of the saints, lest they dash them against a stone, lest they stumble and fall into sin and into trouble. It is possible to misuse passages such as this that are intended to reassure us of Gods help in dangerbut are not intended to encourage us to test God (Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:12). Read them in the archive below. I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. The Hebrew word hasaq (set his love) means to attach, love, delight, or bind. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. I will say of the Lord, He is my then come three mys, as if the psalmist could grasp the Triune Jehovah, my refuge, my fortress, my God; in him will I trust. What a grand word that is, My God! Tagged as: The first of those meanings (deliver) has God pulling the person out of the troubled situation, a scenario where the troubled person plays only a passive role. How could any arrows, how could any pestilence, ever be able to reach that secure abode of God? Dec. 18, 2022. When he calls to me, I will answer him;I will be with him in trouble;I will rescue him and honor him. Please be aware that these items are sent out from our office in the UK. I. Home. Learn more today! Some suffered mild impairment but others suffered catastrophic impairment. and the Most High your dwelling place, Psalm 119:90 Psalm 119:91 Psalm 119:92 Psalm 119:93 Psalm 119:94 Psalm 119:95 Psalm 119:96 Psalm 119:97 . Does The Bible Provide an Adequate Answer to Suffering? Psalm 91 continues to be a source of strength, hope, promise and encouragement for every generation. However, as noted in these verses, daylight often ushers in daily battles, whether with spear and sword or pen and PowerPointso we feel vulnerable by night or by day. That they shall have an eternal life in the other world. He who is the Lord of the angels, who gave them their being and gives laws to them, whose they are and whom they were made to serve, he shall give his angels a charge over thee, not only over the church in general, but over every particular believer. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. If we are to keep our equilibrium in such circumstances, we need assurance that God is with usthat God loves us and is committed to helping usthat God will redeem even our darkest day. It is the character of a true believer that he dwells in the secret place of the Most High; he is at home in God, returns to God, and reposes in him as his rest; he acquaints himself with inward religion, and makes heart-work of the service of God, worships within the veil, and loves to be alone with God, to converse with him in solitude. Most of us have never seen a fowler or a fowlers trap. Such a message is timeless. Under his wings you will take refuge. 91:2 ), from which he gives both direction and encouragement to others, Ps. He shall cover thee with his feathers, The psalmist uses a wonderful metaphor when he ascribes feathers to God, and compares him to a hen, or some mother-bird, under whose wings her young find shelter. See the comments on verse 3b (above) for an explanation of deber (pestilence). In that culture, as today, a persons name referred to the essential character of the personin this case, Yahweh. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Be worshipful : glorifying God for who he is : OT commentary, Psalms 1 - 89 by Warren Wiersbe. (General Editor), New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, 5 vol., (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), Again, it is written, You shall not test the Lord, your God. Please respond to confirm your registration. "He, his shadowy plumes outspread. 6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, In Hebrew thought sel is most often welcoming shade from noonday sun or protection afforded by the shadow of Yahwehs wings (Psalm 17:8). God (Hebrew: elohim). Protokrator appears several times in the New Testament in passages that emphasize Gods almighty power (2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22). That believers shall be kept from those mischiefs which they are in imminent danger of, and which would be fatal to them (v. 3), from the snare of the fowler, which is laid unseen and catches the unwary prey on a sudden, and from the noisome pestilence, which seizes men unawares and against which there is no guard. It would have been familiar to the author(s) of Genesis. An integrated digital Bible study library - including complete notes from the NIV Study Bible and the NKJV MacArthur Study Bible - is just a step away! Resource Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version(ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. God hides not his people in a casing of iron; their shelter is stronger than iron, yet it is soft as the downy wings of a bird for ease and comfort. - Richard A. Wiedenheft, Immortality - The Gift Of God Through Faith In Jesus The Christ, Immortality or Resurrection of the Dead? Seneca De Providentia. Why I Don't Have a Television - John Piper, Why People Find the Bible Difficult - A. W. Tozer, Your Life is Like the Morning Fog - James P. Shelly, A Challenge to Unscriptural Traditions and Practice - Video, Are Seminaries Legitimate? Thank you. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Log In It is the character of a true believer that he dwells in the secret place of the Most High; he is at home in God, returns to God, and reposes in him as his rest; he acquaints himself with inward religion, and makes heart-work of the service of God, worships within the veil, and loves to be alone with God, to converse with him in solitude. The Christian & Politics: Has the Contemporary Church Become Obsessed With Political Solutions? I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Now here it is promised. There shall be but the appearance of evil, not the reality of it: There shall no evil befall thee.. What does it mean to take the Lord's name in vain? The Hebrew word batah (trust) means to feel secure or to have confidence in. The psalmists faith in God gives him confidence and a feeling of security. Psalms 91:16. Bible commentary, Psalms 91:5. I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation (v. 16). i. That is worth noting. Yet the condescension of God is such that he allows us to speak of him thus: He shall cover thee with his feathers.. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . If you like what you're reading, you can get free daily updates through the RSS feed here. The Nature Of The Death Threatened As The Penalty Of Sin - Edward White, The Penalty of Death for Disobedience - Froom, Traditionalism and the (Not So) Second Death - Chris Date, Biblical Examples of Everlasting Destruction, Destroyed For Ever: An Examination of the Debates Concerning Annihilation and Conditional Immortality, Eternal Destruction Is Decreed Doom of Wicked - Leroy Edwin Froom, Further Biblical Support for Everlasting Destruction, The Destruction of the Finally Impenitent - Clark H. Pinnock, Biblical Analysis of Claimed Support Texts for Eternal Torture, Challenge to the Doctrine of Eternal Torment, Future Punishment is Eternal - Henry Constable - 1875, MAJOR Problems for the Eternal Torment Position, The Doctrine Of Future Rewards And Punishments In The Old Testament - Edward White, The Final End of the Wicked - Edward Fudge - Audio Interview, The Nature of the Future Punishment of the Wicked - C. F. Hudson, Thirty Questions For Teachers Of Eternal Torment, Universal Restoration Substituted for Eternal Torment - Froom. I believe in God and depend on him for deliverance, but I nevertheless find myself afraid. (3.) The important thing is not the place but that we meet the Most High there. The young lion and the dragon, but the child of God shall overcome them. For he will deliver you from the snare (Hebrew: pah) of the fowler (v. 3a). Here we read about thousands falling to the left and to the right as in the day when Israel battled ancient nationsthe land would be scattered with dead bodies so those who read this at the time it was written had a good idea what this meant. I saw newspaper pictures of children confined to iron lungs that helped them to breath. That they shall have a sufficiency of life in this world (v. 16): With length of days will I satisfy him; that is, [1.] The devil is called a roaring lion, the old serpent, the red dragon; so that to this promise the apostle seems to refer in that (Rom 16 20), The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet. It is to know relationally or by experience, and is therefore an intimate kind of knowledge. But, there is hope! ), The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, 5 vol. When you hear a glorious doctrine preached, it may be very sweet to others; but the honey lies in the particular application of it to yourself. 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. God does bothdelivering us and equipping us. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. The promises that are sure to all those who have thus made the Most High their habitation. I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He will deliver those people. where is thy sting? The psalmist wrote it to assure Israel that Yahweh would keep them safe through all trials IF they put their trust in him and tried to live faithfully in accord with Yahwehs will. You can check these in your browser security settings. A soherah (more often translated buckler) is a small round shield. 2. 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Theologian Paul on Life, Death, and Immortality - Froom, Gravity of Ascribing False Teachings to Christ - (refernce to Dives and Lazarus), The Old Testament Use of the Word Sheol (Hell), The Rich Man and Lazarus: An Intermediate State? Thy God will not leave thee in the glare of the sun, nor will he forsake thee when the damps of night-dews would put thee in peril. It is only because they have made the Lord God their dwelling place, dwelling in safety and abiding in Him, therefore as their refuge, nothing evil will befall them and no plague will come close to their tents. You remember how the devil misapplied this text to Christ. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. 16 I will satisfy him with long life, We can put down our foot on truth, and it will prove solidwont collapse under our weight. Observe, [1.] However, we are familiar with traps of other kinds: Spam callers try to get us to get us to reveal our credit card numbers. Examine Yourselves as to Whether You Are in the Faith - updated, The Christian's Craving for God's Word - MacArthur, Sproul, Piper, Washer, Chan. He will be in peril; Psalms 91:12. Talk of St. George and the dragon! Yahweh is speaking about those who attach themselves to himbind themselves to himlove himtake delight in him. Life is filled with problems both small and big. . Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling (vv. With the greatest power and efficacy. Yahweh is his mesudah (hiding place, stronghold, fortress). 12 They will bear you up in their hands, ), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, 6 vol. Nay, it is promised to God's people that they shall have the satisfaction of seeing, not only God's promises fulfilled to them, but his threatenings fulfilled upon those that hate them (v. 8): Only with thy eyes shalt thou behold and see the just reward of the wicked, which perhaps refers to the destruction of the first-born of Egypt by the pestilence, which was both the punishment of the oppressors and the enlargement of the oppressed; this Israel saw when they saw themselves unhurt, untouched. Thou shalt not be afraid of the arrow, as knowing that though it may hit thee it cannot hurt thee; if it take away the natural life, yet it shall be so far from doing any prejudice to the spiritual life that it shall be its perfection." To know Yahwehs semhis name or reputationis to know Yahweh. Cobras and serpents serve as a metaphor for smaller but equally deadly forces that appear suddenly, seemingly from nowhere. Today they have to watch for IEDs. We ought to ask ourselves, Now, am I in Gods way? Surely, oh, blessed word! Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. 3. The Unholy Trinity: The World, The Flesh, The Devil Psalms--BASICS Psalm 91 OUTLINE vs. 1-2: Assurance of God's Protection vs. 3-8, 11-13: The Ways God Protects vs. 9-10: An Invitation to Receive God's Protection vs. 14-16: Promises from the Lord for His Protection (2.) lin) in the shadow (Hebrew: sel) of the Almighty (v. 1b). The noun sem (name) means name or reputation or fame. You have probably been the victim of some sort of trap, possibly in quite recent memory. 2. Psalms 91:15. Those that preserve their purity in times of general corruption may trust God with their safety in times of general desolation. They shall be enabled, by the grace of God, to look down upon the things of this world with a holy contempt and indifference, to look up to the things of the other world with a holy ambition and concern; and then they are set on high. They shall be taken under the peculiar care of Heaven, Ps. Dec. 25, 2022. 1. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. The second meaning (equipping, to include equipping for war) has God providing us with the resources to handle the situation ourselves. However, the conditional nature of the promises serve as a warning that the promises will no longer apply if we disassociate ourselves from Yahweh. Click on the different category headings to find out more. The word For connects this verse with verse 2. Registered User We arent certain of the time and circumstances of its writing. To worship angels is to run afoul of the First Commandment, You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 2:3; see also Matthew 4:10). But surely in the day-time, when we can look about us, we are not so much in danger; yes, there is an arrow that flieth by day too, and yet flies unseen; there is a destruction that wasteth at high-noon, when we are awake and have all our friends about us; even then we cannot secure ourselves, nor can they secure us. Ought the Church to Pray for Revival? As is customary with poetry, the psalmist doesnt amplify on the meaning of seter, but instead leaves it up to us to tease out the possibilities. Psalms 91:15. Yahweh is like that. 11-12). Psalm 91 appears to be a psalm in the setting of warfare with threats of an imminent battle that is about to, has or is currently taking place between solders that may be facing impossible odds. When I lived in New York City years ago, I learned not to walk close to buildings when I was walking at night. . Final Judgment, Identifying True Israel: Following God's Faithful Down the Ages, The Significance of A.D. 70 in the Prophecies of Christ, Biblical Hermeneutics - Qualifications Of An Interpreter - M. S. Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics - Special Hermeneutics - M. S. Terry, Of Justification by Faith and Works - William Law, Sanctification - Its Nature - by J.C. Ryle, Sanctification - The Growth of the New Man, Scriptural Evidence for the Deity of Christ, The Carnal Christian - by Ernest C. Reisinger, The Christian's Relationship To The Mosaic Law w/audio, The Lordship Controversy and Repentance - Ernest Reisinger, The Word-Faith Movement - Christian Research Institute, A Treatise of Earthly-Mindedness - Burroughs, Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross - James P. Shelly. D, The Duration And Nature Of Future Punishment - Henry Constable. Therefore the psalmist is probably saying more than he understooddeliverance from trouble and salvation to eternal life. Again at the end of day. II. Yahweh was Gods personal name for the Israelites. Chicks taking refuge under their mothers wings serve as a metaphor for people finding refuge in Gods presence. The other names are all descriptive (such as Most High and Almighty). The MacArthur Bible Commentary. These verses include conditional promises. When God takes his people to dwell in nearness to himself, and they have faith in this promise, I make no doubt that, literally, in the time of actual pestilence, they will be preserved. Truth is real, dependable, stablethat which we can trust. I will say of Yahweh, He is my refuge (Hebrew: manseh) and my fortress (Hebrew: mesudah); my God, in whom I trust' (Hebrew: batah) (v. 2). It might be chinks in my faith that leave me vulnerable to fearbut I dont know anyone who has no chinks in their faith. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979-1988), Brown, Francis; Driver, S.R. I will be with him in trouble: Again God speaks and acts like a tender-hearted mother towards a sickly child. Of course He did. The imagery here is that of God being a protective parent bird like the eagle which covers His young under their wings and shades them from the elements and any prey that might attack them. 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High. So first, Psalm 91 means I'm invincible till God is done with me. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. Bible Study, The great encouragement he gives to others to do likewise, not only from his own experience of the comfort of it (for in that there might possibly be a fallacy), but from the truth of God's promise, in which there neither is nor can be any deceit (v. 3, 4, etc.