Jump to content
  • Welcome Guest

    For an ad free experience on Online Baptist, Please login or register for free

  • entries
    41
  • comments
    34
  • views
    53,659

Psalm 91


irishman

2,170 views

The 91st psalm

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (v.1)

Many verses are addressed to a certain person or group, here we see that the ninety-first psalm is for all that are in Christ, God’s people. We all assume that we dwell under the shadow of the Almighty, and in the secret place of God (salvation). Thus, this Psalm, as most other Old Testament passages, cannot be cast aside under a new dispensation. If our Lord chooses to bless Israel for the sake of Abraham and Moses, how much surer a blessing is bestowed on us who have become one with Christ, His beloved Son. Grace aside, the latter is more blessed than the former because of Jesus, whom Israel hardly knew.

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. (v.2)

Verse two further supports the “who” this verse is written to and for. Those that have trusted in the Lord, and made Him their (only) refuge, have the greatest of blessings, indeed. The psalmist was sure of His position with the Lord, and if we are also sure of ours, we can surely accept that today we are also blessed far more than we often imagine.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. (v.3)

Not “maybe” He shall deliver us, but “surely” He shall! He guides us so that the hunter of souls cannot trap us, and the fearsome storms of life which are often in his command cannot harm us. Be assured, my friend< we are safe in the hands of Jesus.

“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” (v.4)

The Lord will, and has, embraced us as His beloved children. He protects us from dangers without, which we shall yet see, but also comforts us by drawing us close to Him, whether Jew or not. We can trust in Him to be true to His character and to see that we are safe and secure.
Furthermore, it is His Truth that preserves us, as our shield and buckler. He is our protector because of Christ, but through His Truth.

Our Lord often uses analogical comparisons to teach us of His love for us. Here He likens a Himself to a hen protecting her brood; when danger approaches they will scurry to their mothers side and she will cover them with her wings while staving off the predator. The chicks are secure in the bosom of the mother.


“Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;” (v.5)

The Lord knows the danger of fear, and often, throughout Scripture, deals with it. JOB feared losing his family or natural disasters, but it came about as he feared it would:

JOB 3:25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

Fear is a tool of the devil. Keep in mind that in Revelation 21:8 we see a list of those who will occupy hell, and the list is topped off with the “fearful”:

Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Our Lord wants us to trust Him in every area of our lives. We are a fearful people, we fear the sickness finding us; we fear death; loss; financial failure; we fear nearly every aspect of our lives, personal and public, when what we need to do is trust the Lord. We must realize that the stray bullet (arrow) cannot find its mark in us unless the Lord allows it, and if He allows it, it is the best thing for us or our families.

“Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” (v.6)

Disease runs rampant in our country in spite of the medical advances we have gained. Are we too careful to go outside for fear that we may catch a germ that travels in the wind? Are we so unfriendly that we fail to greet people, especially acquaintances, for fear that we might catch something. Our Lord would have us comfort the sick, and visit them, but many are afraid to visit hospitals and nursing homes for that same reason. Shame on us! We need not be fearful of things we cannot control; we need not fear the unseen and the unknown, or nurture the thought of possibility. We need to trust God in these matters, as in all matters.

“A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. “ (v. 7)

What a promise to the redeemed. One thinks of war times, and their comrades falling before the enemy, but nothing can happen to themselves that God is not in control of (Rom. 8:28), and that does not, in some way, produce good. It would behoove us to keep this in mind, and stay as close to the Lord as possible.

Many of God’s promises are conditional, but the conditions are not unreasonable, nor unreachable, the men of God from past ages have proven this. When we “dwell in the secret place” and “under the shadow of the Almighty” there are great blessings in store for us, and much comfort comes our way. We are God’s people and we bear His name before all.

“Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;” (vs. 8, 9)

It is not because we are so good, but because we have believed in the sacrificial Lamb, and accepted Him as our Savior; that is the reason we are so blessed. He, indeed, ought to be our refuge. In the old days they built towers or strongholds as a refuge against the enemy, and they ran there when danger approached, but if we already dwell there, all the time, we have no need to flee for safety; we rest in the loving arms of our Champion and Redeemer. We shall see the destruction of the wicked from the arms of grace, and know that the Lord shall mete out judgment unto all the unbelievers who have rejected Him.

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. V. 10)

Again a precious, but often ignored promise to the redeemed of the Lord. No evil shall befall us! No plague shall grip us! Why do we fear so? I suppose fear is natural for man, but with all these promises going for us, it seems silly to fear anything. God’s angels will see to it that the promise is fulfilled in each of us.

“For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”
(vs.11, 12)

The Lord has taken special care for us by assigning angels to watch over us, and protect us in His stead. They will “Keep” us in all our ways, wherever we go, and in whatever we do especially for the glory of God. As a result of their guidance and mediation, we shall have victory and success.

“Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” (v. 13)

Then in verse 14, our Lord assures us that because we have served and believed Him, all these things shall come to pass.

“He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” (vs. 15,16)

The Lord promises, finally, to hear our pleas. He will help us when we need help, because He loves us immensely. Not only that, but because we have honored Him, He will honor us! What a blessing! What a blessed promise. He will reward us with the greatest of gifts--long life along with His salvation. I believe this life speaks of everlasting life, and what could be longer or greater than that? Grab on to the promises and never let them go, the Lord gave them to us for such purposes.

2 Comments


Recommended Comments

  • Members

thank you
that message was very edifying, and gave me a better focus on what is really important.
Everlasting life, the Kingdom of God,
and the souls of the fearful and lost!
in the Fear of the lord
Doc Flay

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Sermon Stats

    • Total Sermons
      67
    • Total Entries
      376
  • Sermons & Devotions

  • Blog Comments

    • Poems with Power to Strengthen the Soul by Mudge   samples here: https://archive.org/details/poemswithpowerto01mudg/page/174/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater
    • Please check out this thread again. I updated it with new (good) versions of the PDF books. Explanation above.
    • The Song Of The Redeemed I like it when something in a passage gets explained and it opens up. I’m sure I knew some of this before (though this old brain gets forgetful), but it struck me more today. Rahab, when used as a symbol through the Old Testament, refers to Egypt. Now read this: Isaiah 51:9-10 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not
    • Thy Gentleness Hath Made Me Great Was just reading some poetry by king David, and came across one of my favourite verses again. Focus on the last part of this verse: Psalms 18:35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. In the world’s eyes, we may not be much or accomplish much, but in God’s eyes, we are great - because of Him. Who we are in Christ never changes from day to day, so we can alwa
    • In The Day When I Cried Sometimes we think it is presumption to ask the Lord to answer a prayer today. Though if a prayer does seem more urgent, we may have asked the Lord to perfect (complete) that which concerneth us (from Psalm 138:8). If we have a need or a trouble, we may pray for it, expecting God to answer it in His own timing. But what happens if the need seems more urgent, if the trouble we are facing seems more dire, perhaps even time-sensitive? Is it presumptuous to pray, asking
    • Does God Delight In You? Psalms 18:19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation, you are accepted in Him by the Father - and you therefore become a child that He delights in. Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. We may not like the application of this second verse to ourselves, but He corrects us beca
    • Reading The Scriptures   There are two main words for know (and its forms) in the New Testament.   1) Strong’s #1492, eido. This word basically has the idea of head knowledge, knowing about something.   2) Strong’s #1097, ginosko (from the root word, gnosis, knowledge). This word has the idea of knowing about something personally, personally experiencing what you know about.   Looking up every time the word know (or a form thereof) occurs in the NT (with these ba
    • Good to see the two studies on this theme still here in the Sermons section. My websites got repeatedly hacked two years ago. We lost all content and had to rebuild from scratch. These two were ones I still hadn't put up again. A bit of copy and paste, and there we go!
    • DRAW NEAR TO GOD   Song of Songs 1:4 Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.   The above verse is a prayer or desire of the believer desiring to fellowship with her Lord.   I love how the Word of God uses the idea of God drawing us to Himself.   Firstly, through His death on the cross and the preaching of the G
    • No debate. God told the first man and woman,  husband and wife,  that they would die if they disobeyed Him. They disobeyed Him. They died.  The time that passed before this was physically observed was considerably longer than 75 years, right ?  So also today,  do not look at what is seen with the eyes, nor listen to what is heard with the ears (carnal, fleshly, worldly, physical),  rather trust ABBA YHVH.
×
×
  • Create New...