Psalm 91 comments

 

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.

 

Jewish authorities weren’t in agreement on who penned this Psalm. Some said that it was a continuation of Moses’ Psalm and others say it was written by King David.

 

God is almighty, the Almighty God. He is the most High God.

 

Genesis 14:22  And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

 

Those who have communion with Him are in the secret of his presence.

 

Psalm 31:20  Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

 

In this figurative speech His shadow is called the shadow of His wings.

 

Psalm 17:8 ¶  Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

 

Psalm 36:7  How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

 

Psalm 57:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.» Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

 

Some say this reference in Psalm 91:1 is pertaining to the shadow of a tree but verse 4 seems to suggest the wings imagery.

 

See how God is likened to a fortress strong, a refuge in time of trouble. He is worthy of trust.

 

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

 

He will deliver the Psalmist from the traps of his enemy as well as a disease, a plague. Then, we have the reference to wings and the assuredness of God’s supernatural deliverance from all manner of dangers. The Psalmist feels certain that God will protect him, even if he is the only one standing when it is all over. This is superconfidence in one’s invulnerability, IF God wills it. There have been leaders of men who had over confidence because they escaped an assassination attempt or an attempted coup and thought that no harm could come to them. Of course, it could and it did.

 

But the Psalmists feels this assurance and this is definitely an expression of faith and confidence in God’s mercy and special care for him. He feels impervious to disease, destruction, and enemies of all sorts. He will see the end of the wicked. He is certain of that. It is written like a promise FROM God.

 

People in history have claimed this Psalm as a token of invincibility and much to their chagrin and even mortal peril they failed to take into account God’s will in the matter. I remember during the Iraq War as Saddam Hussein’s inaccurate Scud Missiles would miss a target in Israel that Christian celebrities would quote verse 7 out of context making it all sound that the current events of the day were related to his Psalm. Be careful how you apply things like this. Do you think you are Moses or David? Are you on a divine mission? Are you God’s anointed to lead a kingdom into war? Most certainly though we can view this passage of this Psalm in regard to those spiritual forces that oppose us in our walk with Christ.

 

Psalm 91:9 ¶  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.

 

See how Satan alluded to Psalm 91:12 in his temptation of Christ.

 

Matthew 4:5  Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6  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. 7  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

 

This appears to be a promise from God in exchange for the Psalmist trusting in Him. It is a promise of safety and deliverance from mortal dangers. For us we see again how beasts can be symbolic of spiritual dangers in the unseen entities, disembodied minds, that can attack and assail us.

 

We can apply this to us as spiritual warfare. If we trust in God completely and keep Him foremost in our minds we can be protected from the evils of sins and the plague of corruption. We are promised protection from those evil spirits, or if you are of a more modernist mindset and can only understand the results of actions that you can see of beings you cannot, those negative emotions that crush us with depression, anxiety, and guilt over past sins that have been forgiven.