For example, in Psalm 1, we are not to spend all our time just meditating on the Word, but become busily involved as Jesus was in the lives of others, p. 3. They are mighty (Psalm 78:25), and serve by doing Gods will (Psalm 103:1). The charge given to the angels concerning the saints. (6.) Psalm 91 God's Protection 911: Christians are under attack! They are such as make the Most High their habitation (v. 9), as are continually with God and rest in him, as make his name both their temple and their strong tower, as dwell in love and so dwell in God. Guest. What is Psalm 91 all about? We know that God gives His angels charge over us but only at His command and they are ministering spirits assigned to minister to His own children (Heb1:14) but as Jesus said, we should not tempt the Lord by taking advantage of the heavenly host that ministers to us. 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." They sometimes appear in human form (Genesis 18:2; Ezekiel 9:2). The spiritual life, which is protected by divine grace from the temptations of Satan, which are as the snares of the fowler, and from the contagion of sin, which is the noisome pestilence. He will call on me, and I will answer him. Facing a Tolerant World with Intolerant Truth (Selected Scriptures) Pastor John MacArthur. Strength and mastery may be united. It is more probably that the word refers to the better country, that is, the heavenly, which the patriarchs desired and sought: he will show him that, bring him to that blessed state, the felicity of which consists so much in seeing that face to face which we here see through a glass darkly; and, in the mean time, he will give him a prospect of it. Truth is faithful. The ending of all of this is the most powerful of all as God says He will show him [or her], His salvation. If you have salvation, all of these other serious circumstances of plagues, night terrors, thousands dropping at your sides or any other threat are only temporary because ultimately, God is our refuge, our fortress, our shield, our buckler, and His love overshadows us and will bring us safely into the kingdom someday. GDPR is the new European privacy regulation, which will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK and the equivalent legislation across the EU Member States. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word | . Until now, we have been listening to the psalmist as he conveys Yahwehs promises. Previous post: 6 Important Reasons To Bring Hidden Hurts To God For Healing, Next post: 7 Sample Prayers Before Surgery or a Medical Procedure. I believe in God and depend on him for deliverance, but I nevertheless find myself afraid. Enter your email address and we will send you instructions on how to reset your password. my God, in whom I 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). There are some who come to Gods house; but the man mentioned here dwells with the God of the house. El sadday is the name that God revealed to Abram in Genesis 17:1, when God set the terms for his covenant with Abram. To this the great God is pleased to compare his care of his people, who are helpless as the chickens, and easily made a prey of, but are invited to trust under the shadow of the wings of the divine promise and providence, which is the periphrasis of a proselyte to the true religion, that he has come to trust under the wings of the God of Israel, Ruth 2 12. God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence." (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979-1988), Brown, Francis; Driver, S.R. Plagues and pestilences of various kinds are still occasional threats in first world countries, and are frequent threats in less developed countries. A soherah (more often translated buckler) is a small round shield. Those that preserve their purity in times of general corruption may trust God with their safety in times of general desolation. The word elyon is usually translated Most High, and is usually used for God. We need both kinds of protection, because Satan sometimes attacks us in a frontal assault, but also comes at us from unexpected quarters. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Surely, oh, blessed word! Some churches today cite Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:19; and Acts 28:1-6 to justify the handling of deadly snakes as part of their worshipand some people die while doing that. With the greatest tenderness and affection, which is intimated in that, He shall cover thee with his feathers, under his wings, which alludes to the hen gathering her chickens under wings, Matt 23 37. That is worth noting. A soldier would be equipped with one shield or the other, but the psalmist perceives Yahwehs truth as embodying the advantages of both. 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. 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. A Protest - Joseph Agar Beet D.D. With the greatest power and efficacy. Each guide incorporates extensive commentary, detailed observations on overriding themes, and probing questions to help you study the Word of God with guidance from John MacArthur, and each study includes an introduction that provides background information to each book of the Bible being studied and a . A good read. 14 Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him. Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;I will protect him, because he knows my name. Psalms 91:16. Both are appropriate in this verse. This crowns the blessedness: I will show him my salvation, show him the Messiah (so some); good old Simeon was then satisfied with long life when he could say, My eyes have seen thy salvation, nor was there any greater joy to the Old-Testament saints than to see Christ's day, though at a distance. (2.) A quiet place where we can go to God in prayerour bedroom or prayer closet. ), Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000), Mounce, William D., (ed. If he be dishonoured, if he be in poverty, if he be in sickness, if that sickness should drive his best friend away from his bed, still, I will be with him in trouble.. Yet the condescension of God is such that he allows us to speak of him thus: He shall cover thee with his feathers.. To encourage us to make the Lord our habitation, and to hope for safety and satisfaction in him, the psalmist intimates the comfort he had had in doing so: "He whom thou makest thy habitation is my refuge; and I have found him firm and faithful, and in him there is room enough, and shelter enough, both for thee and me." (1.) I have often noticed how long Gods people live. It goes beyond head-knowledge to heart-knowledge. How could cholera or fever get into the secret place of the most High? This promise protects, (1.) That he will not only keep them from evil, but from the fear of evil, v. 5, 6. Angels are Gods messengers (Hebrews 1:14; Revelation 1:1)part of the created order and therefore wholly subordinate to God. If you like what you're reading, you can get free daily updates through the RSS feed here. There being no reason to question his sufficiency, fitly does it follow, In him will I trust. There are some who worship in the outer court . It comes creeping in, and fills the air with death before you perceive its approach; but He shall deliver thee from the noisome pestilence. There is a pestilence of dangerous and accursed error abroad at this time; but if we dwell in the secret place of the most High, it cannot affect us; we shall be beyond its power. Romans 12:2 Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete). However, the words shadow and shade also acknowledge that the faithful person dwells in a world that is sometimes dark. When we meet with trouble and accident, we ought to inquire whether we are in Gods way. The MacArthur Bible Studies provide intriguing examinations of the whole of Scripture. It is not every man who dwells there; no, not even every Christian man. b. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,nor the destruction that wastes at noonday,and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. But he is confident that Yahweh will deliver him from plagues and pestilence, because he dwells in the secret place of the Most High.. Yahweh is speaking about those who attach themselves to himbind themselves to himlove himtake delight in him. He will cover you with his He will cover you with his pinions,and under his wings you will find refuge;his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Prayer: The Believer's Constant Conversation (Ephesians 6:18-24) Pastor John MacArthur. A. My God: Elohay. 91:2 ), from which he gives both direction and encouragement to others, Ps. Under his wings you will take refuge (v. 4ab). Twice is he armed who hath Gods truth to be his shield and buckler. Nay, not thy person only, but thy dwelling, shall be taken under the divine protection: There shall no plague come nigh that, nothing to do thee or thine any damage." 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation. This verse repeats the idea of verse 1b, but with different imagery. and from the deadly pestilence. Yahweh was Gods personal name for the Israelites. "Nothing can ultimately hurt me." If Christ's life is the interpretive lens through which we read Psalm 91, then the promises of protection found in that psalm must have something to do with resurrection. Even there, God is present. It would have been familiar to the author(s) of Genesis. lin) in the shadow (Hebrew: sel) of the Almighty (v. 1b). In this verse, resting in the shadow of the Almighty is the blessing that the faithful person experiences for dwelling in Yahwehs presence. However, now we begin to hear from Yahweh directly. Psalm 91, Jack Wellman is a father and grandfather and a Christian author and pastor of Heritage Evangelical Free Church in Udall, KS [https://modelchrist.org/] & also a Prison Minister. He will cover you with his feathers. The verb yada (has known) means to knowbut more. will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Jan. 1, 2023. Psalms 91:15. Idolaters called their idols Mahuzzim, their most strong-hold (Dan 11 39), but therein they deceived themselves; those only secure themselves that make the Lord their God, their fortress. Psalms 91:6-7. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. But observe the extent of the promise; it is to keep thee in all thy ways: even where there is no apparent danger yet we need it, and where there is the most imminent danger we shall have it. The word sillumah means punishment, but carries the connotation of deserved punishment. But the psalmist assures us that, with God at our side, we have nothing to fear. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him. 1. The word kabed (honor) means to give a person honor or to make them heavy (in the sense of powerful. This psalm is a powerful chapter when a believer is in a time of crisis. And those who have found the comfort of making the Lord their refuge, cannot but desire that others may do so. Does The Bible Provide an Adequate Answer to Suffering? It is not an evil, an only evil, but there is a mixture of good in it and a product of good by it. We owe it, more than we are sensible, to the care of the divine Providence that we have been kept from infectious diseases and out of the hands of the wicked and unreasonable. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Here is great security promised to believers in the midst of this danger: "Thou shalt not be afraid. 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. Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 45MBC. lin) in the shadow (Hebrew: sel) of the Almighty (v. 1). Commentary on Psalm 91:1-8 (Read Psalm 91:1-8) He that by faith chooses God for his protector, shall find all in him that he needs or can desire. You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense (Hebrew: sillumahpunishment) of the wicked (v. 8b). We sent you an email. 3. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Most of us have never seen a fowler or a fowlers trap. Yahweh is promising to bless the person who knows him in this intimate way. Angels were often fearsome. If these verses sound familiar, it is probably because Satan quoted them as part of Jesus second temptation. In 1969, after graduating from Talbot Theological Seminary, John came to Grace Community Church. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.. there is no doubt about this great truth, Surely, he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.. A crowd of people (called the "chorus") in the usual letters: verses 1, 3 - 8, 9b - 13. He who dwells in the secret place (Hebrew: seter) of the Most High will rest (Heb. 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. Psalms 91:14. You can check these in your browser security settings. That he will exalt and dignify them: I will set him on high, out of the reach of trouble, above the stormy region, on a rock above the waves, Isa 33 16. God Bless. Can any comfort be surer? But it also means one more thing. Be worshipful : glorifying God for who he is : OT commentary, Psalms 1 - 89 by Warren Wiersbe.