Psalms Reading – 3.26.2022
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91 describes one has put their absolute trust in God and survives a threatening ordeal. The safety God provides is symbolized by a shelter, shadow, refuge, and fortress. Each place pictures God above and surrounding the one who trusts in Him.
In verses 3-8, we find the many kinds of threats that can come upon us: the hidden dangers like a fowler’s snare, diseases, epidemics, wars, and massacres. God is at work by day and by night to keep His faithful secure. Ten thousand is the largest numeral in the Hebrew language and pictures the carnage that results from battle, plague, or natural disaster.
Satan quotes verses 11-12 in order to tempt Jesus to pretentiously display his power and authority. Not only was Satan’s demand contrary to the Father’s plan of redemption for His Son’s suffering, but it also misused this Scripture. This does not promise that the Lord will rescue a believer from all danger, especially when a believer presumptuously manufactures a perilous situation as Satan was tempting Jesus to do. Rather, this reveals how the Lord will supply supernatural help to aid the believer when it is most necessary, as the Father did in Jesus’ life.
In verses 14-16, God affirms the one who loves him, trusts him, and seeks him. This faithful person walks in God’s presence and enjoys His presence and protection. Jesus is the ultimate faithful one who trusted God perfectly. However, God did not protect Jesus from death. Instead, Jesus bore sin’s curse for His people, but God brought him through death into glory.
This psalm, in light of the New Testament, is a promise for those who belong to Christ. They are saved from sin and have protection in the spiritual battles that rage until He returns and brings us into his eternal glory. This is the ultimate safety and protection that is promised for all who believe.
Memory Verse: Psalm 86:15, But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Question(s) to Consider: What imagery from this psalm helps you the most? What hope does it give you as you show your love to God by demonstrating your full trust in Him? How does it help to interpret this in light of the New Testament?