Psalm 91
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.
3Surely He shall deliver thee from the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust; His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High thy habitation.
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come high thy dwelling.
11 For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear the up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high. Because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
No one can do anything without God’s assistance. It is only believers who acknowledge this. Many experience the protection of God, but only those who trust in him get the lasting grace and promise from Him. Believers are guided by God’s word. When we learn to rely upon God’s word we know that God is for us. God doesn’t just send his servants and messengers to help us, He comes to help us too.
The person that dwells with God is raised higher than the world and it’s temptations, and the devil. So high that they can’t touch him. True hope in God is a state of grace. No one can have a true living hope in Him without a sincere love for Him. The believer has a surer defense against all the afflictions and punishments which come from God. God is very willing to protect us and do good things for us. However, we have to do our part. We have to seek God with faith and humility to see His blessings. It is not anything we do that gets us the protections and blessings from God. The only way is with true faith in Him.
Verse 1 of this Psalm, – He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, generally means the temple or tabernacle of God. Also meaning those who worship the God that dwells there.
In the second verse, the believer is proclaiming trust in the Lord. Trust in Him and He will be your refuge and fortress. Verse 3 says that God will deliver you from the fowler. Fowler is a metaphor for evil things that come up against you. God will also deliver you from the pestilence. Man is always susceptible to the disease in the world.
In verse 4 it says that God will cover us with His feathers, and under His wings shall we trust. His truth shall be our shield and buckler. God’s protection is assured to all believers, even unto death. Jesus spoke in the new testament even in death that not a hair of our heads would perish.
Verse 5 says, Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Usually terror by night could be anything that would alarm us, A smoke alarm, or a sudden loud noise from outside. A crashing sound in our homes. Any one of these things seems to be multiplied by darkness. We can’t see or know of the approach of these things because of the darkness. The arrow that flieth by day, could be a bad report from the doctor, or maybe an accident in a car. The idea here is that the believer that trusts in God should be calm. Knowing that God is watching over him.
We are told in verse 6, Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon day. It would seem that a bad medical report, or some disease would not just come in the night, but it seems to come along or sneak in through the darkness. God also protects from destruction. Destruction meaning anything that would sweep people away. Like a catastrophic storm or pandemic. Whether destruction comes at noon or at night, the believer can be sure that God will be looking out for us and protecting us. He will feel that he is preserved from these ravages, or cut off from everything, that God is still in control. God controls the universe.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
A thousand shall fall at thy side. This verse would symbolize a pandemic sweeping through the populace.
And ten thousand at thy right hand. No matter how many people would fall, the believer would have nothing to fear. But it shall not come nigh thee. You will be safe. You can be assured of Divine protection. God is in control. He has you in the palm of his hand.
Verse 8 tells us, Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. You will see the just punishment of the wicked, the ungodly, the viscous and the profane. The earthly system of judgement isn’t complete. Many of the things that the worldly system can’t and won’t deal with God will. This is a future event.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation. The psalmist is saying that the Lord is literally his refuge. The Lord, Yahwe is his defense. He is also our defense and refuge. The psalmist is exhorting us, all of us to trust totally in the Lord.
Verse 10 and 11, There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep the in all thy ways. The sentiment here is that we could be sure of this. Since we have mad God our refuge. Verse 11 states the God will command His angels to look out for us. These verses, 11 and 12, were what satan was tempting Jesus with in Matthew 4:6. This doesn’t just show the passage is relevant only for Jesus. It is for all believers in Jesus. The righteous, believers, or friends of God can confidently rely on God’s protection.
Verse 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. The angels will hold us up, as if we were about to fall. They will protect us, that we may walk safely.
Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. If we should stumble and fall, they will keep us safe.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. We will be safe from perils and dangers. As if the rage and violence of some terrible beast will be restrained. Also, the serpent’s mouth will be kept shut. Dragon, in the Bible means monster. In this verse it could mean either a monster or a serpent. It probably denotes any kind of ferocious beast.
Those who trust in the Lord would be safe in the very middle of terrible and fearful dangers.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me; Therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. When we accept God , and live for him He abides in us. God being the supreme object of our affection, and we of Him. By accepting God He will save us from trouble and danger. He will set us on high by our acknowledge 0f Him.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. We have the privilege of calling on God in prayer, and He will answer us. The Lord will regard our petitions and answer us. There is probably no greater privilege, no more of a precious promise than this verse. I will deliver and honor him. The Lord says He will not only rescue us, He will exalt us to honor. He will recognize us as His friend and treat us as such. Here, in this world we will be treated as friends, in heaven we will exalted to honor among the saved and redeemed. We will become associates of holy beings forever.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation. This implies that it is natural to desire a long life. The long life will be regarded as a blessing. This promise extends beyond the grave. 1 Timothy 4:8 says, Godliness is profitable unto all things. We can be blessed in this life and blessed in eternity. It is great to live a long life here on earth. It will be an even greater blessing to live with the Lord forever.
When we have set our minds on the Lord, we will have a perfect peace. The Holy Spirit gives us the fruit of this spirit of peace. The bible tells us this in Galatians 5:22-23. The peace of God depends on a sense of security. We won’t have this peace if we are always in a state of worry and anxiety. We have peace and confidence as we learn to trust in God. In our secret place.
How many of us lie awake at night in bed, worrying about our troubles and problems. This isn’t living in faith. Trust that the Lord will take care of us and protect us. We have the resources of Heaven through Almighty God at our disposal. God is in control of the universe. He is also in control of us, and our enemies too. God causes all things to work together for good. Romans:8-28.
Open your heart and say, Lord, help me to flee to you and find help. God has given these promises to those who put their trust in Him. Flee to the Lord to find His protection and immunity from our insecurities, problems and and major decisions we have.
Live courageously, without fear. Read about David, who had faith to live without fear. David loved God and knew the significance of his destiny. David didn’t worry about himself, thinking that if something happened to him, God’s plan for him would be thrown out. The Bible says says that David was a man after God’s own heart. He had the faith and courage to face whatever came his way. He said, I have set the Lord continually before me. Psalm 16:8. In that place he was protected.
Are you more aware of your problems and fears than you are of the Lord? Practice the presence of God instead of your fears. Because he has loved me, is the whole key to this. Set your love upon the Lord. You can set your love in many different directions, because love is flexible. However when our love is set upon the Lord, He promises ‘’therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation.
Practice God’s presence. As we get more aware of His abiding presence, we can rely on Him and get the immunity and protection and fulfillment of His promises and that every good thing comes from the Lord.