PSALM 91
LORD is our protector verse 1- 4
He that dwells in the SECRET PLACE of the Most High
shall abide under the SHADOW of the ALMIGHTY
I will say of the LORD – HE is my refuge and my fortress
my God – in HIM will I trust
surely HE shall deliver you
from the snare of the fowler
and from the noisome pestilence
HE shall cover you with HIS feathers
and under HIS wings shall you trust
HIS truth shall be your shield and buckler
Believers have nothing to fear verse 5- 8
You shall not be afraid for the terror by night
nor for the arrow that flies by day
nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness
nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday
A thousand shall fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand
BUT it shall not come nigh you
Only with your eyes shall you behold
and see the reward of the wicked
Believers have angels around them verse 9- 13
BECAUSE you have made the LORD – which is my refuge
even the most High – your habitation
THERE shall no evil befall you
neither shall any plague come nigh your dwelling
For HE shall give HIS angels charge over you
to keep you in all your ways
they shall bear up in their hands
lest you dash your foot against a stone
You shall tread upon the lion and adder
the young lion and the dragon shall you trample under feet
LORD promises rewards to those who trust in HIM verse 14- 16
BECAUSE he has set his love on ME
THEREFORE will I deliver him – I will set him on high
BECAUSE he has known MY name
he shall call upon ME – and I will answer him
I will be with him in trouble
I will deliver him – and honor him
with long life will I satisfy him
and show him MY salvation
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Almighty – 7706 שַׁדַּי [Shadday /shad·dah·ee/] n m dei. From 7703; TWOT 2333; GK 8724; 48 occurrences; AV translates as “Almighty” 48 times. 1 almighty, most powerful. 1A Shaddai, the Almighty (of God). James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: How freeing and exhilarating is the reality that we are safe in the presence of God!
The psalmist expressed his great confidence in the fact that whoever trusts in the Most High finds security and protection. The titles of God in verse 1 (Most High and the Almighty) are significant, for they stress His power as the sovereign Ruler of the world. (On the meaning of “Almighty,” šadday, see comments on Gen. 17:1.) [The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures.] This security enabled the psalmist to face the uncertainty of life each day. We live in a frightening world that has many potential dangers and can cause insecurity to overwhelm us. Yet like the psalmist when we place our trust in the Savior He can direct our steps and give us assurance!
CHALLENGE: Look up the names of God and see how He promises to protect and make us dwell in a secret place where trouble cannot enter. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 I will say of the LORD, HE is my refuge and my fortress, my God: In HIM will I trust. (4268 “refuge” [machaceh] means something or someone turned to for assistance or security, shelter, the person to whom one flees, cave, from danger, from falsehood, or safety and free from danger as a figurative extension of a place of refuge or shelter).
DEVOTION: The Bible informs us in many places that we have a place to turn to in the person of the LORD. HE is to be the one we go to when things are not going well with us. HE is the one to turn too even if things are going well and we need more blessings in our life.
Too often we try to handle things ourselves before we go to the LORD and ask HIM for help. We usually think that we can handle anything that comes our way but we are wrong. We need HIS help each day to understand what we can do in every circumstance that HE allows in our life.
HE wants to be the one that we go to for assistance. However, we can be a stubborn people. We like our independence. We like to do it our way first. Most of the time we fail but once in a while we seem to succeed without HIS help but that is a deception of the devil. He wants us to think that we can handle our own problems or sins.
Our God has told us in many places and many times that we can’t do it alone and that human help is not enough. Dependence on HIM is essential for our spiritual growth and peace.
CHALLENGE: We have to ask ourselves each day if we are depending on HIM or on our own strength to face the trial HE allows in our lives. If the answer is “ourselves” we are headed in the wrong direction.
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: 8 Only with your eyes shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked. (8011 “reward” [shillumah] means retaliation, reward or punishment (whether tangible or intangible) based upon what a person deserves, penalty, requital, or the action of giving a penalty, implying a suffering in the act.)
DEVOTION: Right now, it seems like the wicked are getting away with murder and everything else in our world. It seems like they have the life of Riley because there doesn’t seem to be any penalty for their lying, cheating and mistreatment of those who are following the LORD.
In this world seems like evil is winning most of the time. It seems like they can mistreat others, cheat others, and generally get away with anything they set their mind to. It seems so wrong to see them take advantage of those who are trying to serve the LORD.
However, we are not seeing what God is seeing. HE is the one who is taking care of us even when it seems like those who don’t love HIM are giving us a hard time. We need to learn to trust HIM no matter what is going on around us.
Everything HE allows in our life is for our good but to us it seems like it is not good.
CHALLENGE: We just don’t know what is really going on and should continue to pray for daily peace in trying circumstances.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 11 For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. (6680 “charge” [tsavah] means to constitute, enjoin, appoint, command, send a messenger, commandment, ordain or put in order.)
DEVOTION: In Hebrews 1: 14 we find that the LORD gives those who are heirs of salvation angels. Angels are active throughout history. There are angels over each nation. There are good angels and evil angels. The evil angels are called demons. Satan chose to rebel against the LORD and had a group of angels follow him. There are battles going on all around us between the good and evil angels.
Someone who is encouraging himself in the LORD writes this psalm. We need to realize that we can encourage ourselves in the LORD if we are dwelling in the secret place of the Most High or in the presence of the LORD.
The angels in heaven have responsibilities given to them by the LORD. We know that angels visited Abraham, Jacob, Manoah, Daniel, Mary and many others in both Testaments. One of the responsibilities of angels is to watch over those who are the children of God. The angels know what is going on here on earth. They rejoice over those who accept Christ. They watch over the children. They do what the LORD tells them to do. They are always referred to as masculine.
Television doesn’t give us the best representation of Biblical angels and their responsibilities. Only the Bible tells us their truth responsibilities. Read the Word. This verse was used by the devil in his temptation of Christ.
The devil asked Jesus to jump down from the temple because the LORD was going to keep HIM from being hurt. He quoted a few verses from this Psalm. Jesus refused the temptation of Satan. HE quoted Scripture for each of the temptations of Satan. HE used the book of Deuteronomy.
We need to do the same when tempted to do things to just prove that the LORD is real. HE is real. HIS angels are real. We are being watched and cared for by the LORD!!!
CHALLENGE: In our secret place we need to be dwelling on the presence of the LORD. Our trust in HIM will protect us and bless us. HE will bless those who love HIM. Remember to THANK HIM for each of HIS blessings in our life!!!
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: 15 He shall call on ME, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him, and honor him. (6869 “trouble” [tsarah] means enmity, need, distress, anxiety, an oppressive state of physical, mental, social, or economic adversity, or anxiety.)
DEVOTION: Today we have many people who will promise you that they will do something for you but in the end they are just talking and there is no action with their promise.
That is not true of the LORD. If HE promises something HE will deliver. HE has done it for the children of Israel throughout their history. They have not been obedient to HIM but when they call HE does answer and deliver them from whatever mess they have gotten themselves into. HE has been faithful.
HE has been faithful to HIS people and HE continues to be faithful to believers in the New Testament time period.
We can call on HIM and HE will answer with a yes, no, or wait a while. We don’t like the last two answers but HE knows what is best for us and we need to trust HIM to act when the time is right.
Our life has to center around the LORD once we make a commitment to HIM. We have to be faithful in our service and HE will honor our service.
Sometimes we think that God owns us something but that is not true. HE has promised that HE will never leave us or forsake us but HE will put us through some deep waters at times to get our attention and see what we are made of and if we genuinely trust in HIM or are just people who say one thing and do another.
Today, we need more dedicated believers who are willing to stand up for Jesus and be HIS representatives to the world and our neighborhood.
Too often our neighbors don’t even know that we are believers because we don’t want them to hold us accountable for our actions if we don’t act like a genuine follower of the LORD.
The unsaved world knows what a Christian is supposed to act like and they will say something if we don’t and that is good. It keeps us honest.
CHALLENGE: We need to call on the LORD when we are going through troubling times and HE promises to answer. Do you trust HIM? Do you act like you trust HIM?
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
LORD promises to answer those who dwell
in HIS presence verse 15
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Most High verse 1, 9
Almighty verse 1
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 9
Refuge verse 2, 9
Fortress verse 2
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 2
HIS love on believers verse 14
HE will deliver believers verse 14, 15
Knows names of believers verse 14
Answers believers that call on HIM verse 15
Honors believers verse 15
Gives long life to believers verse 16
Provides salvation verse 16
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Good angels charge over saints verse 11
Angels shall bear believers in their hands verse 12
Stop believers from dashing foot against stone verse 12
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wicked verse 8
Evil verse 10
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Dwell in secret place verse 1
Abide under the shadow of the Almighty verse 1
Refuge verse 2, 9
Fortress verse 2
Trust verse 2, 4
Deliverance verse 3, 10, 14, 15
Truth verse 4
Fearless verse 5- 7
No evil befall verse 10
No plague come nigh verse 10
Kept by angels verse 11
Protection verse 11- 13
Love verse 14
Prayer verse 15
Presence of the LORD verse 15
Honor verse 15
Long life verse 16
Salvation verse 16
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Deliverance from snare of fowler verse 3
Deliverance from the noisome pestilence verse 3
Cover with feathers verse 4
Trust under HIS wings verse 4
Truth shall be shield and buckler verse 4
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Reward of the wicked verse 8
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QUOTES regarding passage
This is a psalm for danger: for times of exposure and encirclement or of challenging the power of evil. Some of its language, of strongholds and shields, reminds us of David, to whom the lxx ascribes it; other phrases echo the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32, as did Psalm 90; but it is in fact anonymous and timeless, perhaps all the more accessible for that.
. (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 363). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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Psalm 91 contains both a wisdom psalm (vv. 1–13) and a divine oracle (vv. 14–16). The wisdom psalm encourages the godly to pursue the path of godliness and holds out the many promises of God’s protection and blessings. In this it resembles the wisdom psalms. The conclusions support the place of wisdom as the Lord renews the promises to those who love him. (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 598). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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This psalm has long been a favourite of the people of God. Its opening verses are some of the best known and most quoted. It is not hard to see why this psalm is so loved. It is one of the most comforting in all the Bible. More specifically, it offers comfort for the fearful and troubled. Only those who have never been fearful and troubled can afford to neglect it.
The psalm may be structured around three speakers: the first speaker offers a general statement (v. 1), the psalmist responds (v. 2), the first speaker elaborates (vv. 3–13) and the Lord speaks (vv. 14–16). (Ellsworth, R. (2006). Opening up Psalms (pp. 38–39). Leominster: Day One Publications.)
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91:1–2. The psalmist expressed his great confidence in the fact that whoever trusts in the Most High finds security and protection. The titles of God in verse 1 (Most High and the Almighty) are significant, for they stress His power as the sovereign Ruler of the world. (On the meaning of “Almighty,” šadday, see comments on Gen. 17:1.)
The images of the shelter and the shadow vividly portray divine protection. “Shelter” (sēṯer) is a hiding place (also used in Pss. 27:5; 32:7; 119:114, “refuge”). The shadow, perhaps the shadow of a bird’s wing (cf. 91:4), also pictures shelter and protection as well as comfort. God is also the believer’s Refuge (maḥseh, “shelter from danger”; cf. v. 9 and comments on 14:6) and … Fortress (meṣûḏâh, “strong protection”; used in 18:3; 31:3; 71:3; 144:2). Psalm 91:1–2 admirably expresses the fact that safety is in the Lord. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 860). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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91:1–16 This psalm describes God’s ongoing sovereign protection of His people from the ever-present dangers and terrors which surround humanity. The original setting may be that of an army about to go to battle. Most of the terrors mentioned in this psalm are left undefined, no doubt intentionally, so that no kind of danger is omitted from application. Believers in every age can read this psalm to learn that nothing can harm a child of God unless the Lord permits it. However, in light of the many references in the Psalms to the future messianic kingdom (cf. especially Pss 96–100), this psalm must be read as being literally fulfilled then. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ps 91:1–16). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Nothing can be in the heart that is not first in the mind. Our hearts cannot be inflamed about something we know not of. (p. 4)
To know him is to love him. Therefore, deepening knowledge must precede deepening affection. The mind comes first; it is primary for our faith. (p. 5)
Ezekiel is sent not to utter his own opinions nor to vent his own anger. He is commissioned to speak the message of God. He is to preface his message with “Thus says the Lord God,” not “This is what I think.” Here we see an example of the dual source of the authorship of sacred Scripture. Though the text of the Bible is written by human authors, it is nevertheless the vax Dei, the voice of God. The writers are the messengers, but the message is God’s. (p. 35) (The Soul Quest for God by R. C. Sproul)
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The gospel is not an aspirin for the aches of life, to soothe and comfort man in his misery. It is a holy God’s answer to the violation of divine law by human beings whose very nature is to rebel against him. (p. 10, Preachers Who Made A Difference by Peter Jeffery)
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China is in the midst of an “ambitious new effort” to lesson or even eradicate the influence of Christianity and religion from the country, according to an investigation by the Associated Press.
An in-depth story by AP described churches being shut down, Bibles being seized and restrictions being placed on other religions, too. Crescents have been removed from mosques and Tibetan children removed from Buddhist temples and placed in public schools.
One Christian named Guo described an incident in which Chinese officials interrupted a church meeting and told everyone to leave. They then ordered church leaders to remove a cross, a Bible verse and a painting of the Last Supper off the wall. Guo didn’t give his full name out of fear of government repercussions.
“I’ve always prayed for our country’s leaders, for our country to get stronger,” he told AP. “They were never this severe before, not since I started going to church in the 80’s. Why are they telling us to stop now?”
In recent months, Chinese authorities have:
Shut down hundreds of Christian house churches.
Seized Bibles and forced e-commerce retailers to stop selling Bibles.
Prevented children from attending church in some areas.
Urged Christians in one location to replace posters of Jesus with pictures of President Xi Jinping.
Raided church meetings and interrogated hundreds of Christians from one congregation.
The AP story further said that under Xi, Christians “are seeing their freedoms shrink dramatically even as the country undergoes a religious revival.” Experts said Xi is “waging the most severe systematic suppression of Christianity in the country since religious freedom was written into the Chinese constitution in 1982,” according to AP. The goal is to “Sinicize” the nation’s religions with “Chinese characteristics.” First among these is loyalty to the Communist Party.
(Michael Foust – ChristianHeadlines.com)
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Isaiah 40
The Lord gives strength to those who wait on Him.
INSIGHT
God has given us the Christian family as a picture of the relationship between Him and His children. We are given earthly fathers, that we might more fully understand our heavenly Father. Just as an earthly father takes no delight in disciplining his children, so our heavenly Father takes no delight in disciplining His children. Hear the tenderness in these words: “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” (v. 1). God tenderly loves us and takes no pleasure in our pain, although He desires our spiritual growth as a result.
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THE EXTENT OF REVELATION
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12
There are certain things in the Scriptures about which we cannot speak with finality. There are certain things about which equally good and capable men and women are not agreed and cannot agree. When we come to such matters, surely it is our business to say that we do not know. We cannot prove them, and we are content to wait until we arrive in glory, and all things are made plain and clear to us. At the moment we see and understand only in part, “through a glass, darkly.” Our knowledge is not full. It is not final. Let us be content with the revelation that is given.
But there are certain doctrines about which we are and must be absolutely final, and they are the doctrines that are essential to the way of salvation. I am not referring to the mechanism of salvation. When you come to that, you find good people often differing. I accept that. I am prepared to say, “I believe this, and I am not prepared to believe that.” And another man says, “All right–as long as we both agree about the way of salvation.” But there must be no disputing about the person of Christ, about the miraculous and the supernatural, about Christ’s substitutionary death upon the cross, and about His literal, physical resurrection. There is no argument here. This is final; this is absolute.
But with regard to all other matters, where we cannot be final and absolute, let us be sympathetic. Let us be tolerant. Let us admit our inability to prove, and let us together enjoy the great salvation in which we all participate and look forward to the day when the hidden things shall be made plain, and we shall know even as we are already known.
A Thought to Ponder: Our knowledge is not full. It is not final. Let us be content with the revelation that is given. (From God the Father, God the Son, p. 46, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Vessels of the House
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.” (2 Timothy 2:20)
The “house” referenced here by Paul to young Timothy is the “house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). In the Old Testament, the tabernacle and temple were the dwelling place of God and the center of worship led by a high priest from the tribe of Levi.
Now, we are members of the Lord’s “house” (Hebrews 3:6) and are like “lively stones” that are being “built up a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5), led by Jesus, who is the “high priest over the house of God” (Hebrews 10:21).
This “great house” has many “vessels” in it of different values. Some are “honorable” instruments (vessels of high value) that serve in the New Testament economy in some parallel function to that of the vessels of the inner court of the tabernacle and temple. Those instruments of gold, silver, and brass (Exodus 25; 2 Chronicles 4) each played a part in the liturgical worship, designed as part of the “schoolmaster” to teach us about the law of God (Galatians 3:24). The more public and formal the use, the more valuable the vessel. The most valuable were set closest to the Holy of Holies.
There are also vessels of “dishonor” in the great house. The tabernacle and temple had “earthen” vessels for certain functions (Leviticus 14). These were expendable—necessary, perhaps, for some short-term need, but not valuable. Since the church now functions as the “pillar and ground” of the truth, the “honorable” vessels are expected to purge themselves from that which is “dishonorable.” (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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