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. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of 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. 7 A 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 nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee 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 honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Psalm 91 has been among my favourite Psalms for quite a while. At first I was attracted by the two pleasant settings we have for it in the Psalter, then for the rousing words and promises it contains.

I have thought of these promises as comfort for times of trouble. I have not run into times of great peril, personally, but much life may yet be lived and only God knows what is beyond that bend in the road. So I have stored up this Psalm (along with 23, 121 etc) for future use when greater need arises and been content to look on it objectivly as something that shows His great love for us and how we can trust Him for Him protection in our daily lives.

A few weeks ago, someone (probably my pastor) pointed out that this Psalm (vv 11,12)is the one that the devil quotes when tempting Jesus:

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Matthew 4:6

The implication of this passage being used to tempt Jesus is that this Psalm applies directly to Jesus' life (i.e. prophesy). This is not unusual since many Old Testament passages, Psalms included, are prophesies of Christ and His ministry on earth.

But if we think of the way in which we have a tendency to apply the promises in this Psalm to our own lives (we won't see or have part in any trouble or inconvenience at all) and try to match that up with how it applied to Christ's life (Isa 53:3"...despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:", finally hung on a cross etc) we have to ask if we are really listening to the implication of Christ's words in Mattehew 10:24,25

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

In other words, are we expecting better treatment than our Master recieved?

But how can Christ be promised "long life" (v16)? The answer is that these promises go beyond this temporal world. One of the aspects of Christianity that I find great joy in (although -- as in my last post -- it can be sorrowful to see) is the way that Christians have a deeper understanding of so many things. Our alliance is not of this world so although we may enjoy some of its passing pleasures, they are not the end in themselves.

Oswald Chambers makes an interesting distinction between deliverance from trouble & deliverance in trouble (My Utmost for His Highest August 2) stating that the first is what many new Christians believe will happen and the second is the way the Christian life actually works itself out. This reveals the deeper, Christian view of deliverance.

This is why we are not afraid of "the terror by night" and its kin: because our hope is in our LORD, we are in His shadow already and we have assurance that He will keep us there (John 10:28,29). What more could we want!?