2. The psalmist's own resolution to take God for his keeper ( Ps. God does bothdelivering us and equipping us. To worship angels is to run afoul of the First Commandment, You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 2:3; see also Matthew 4:10). BibleGateway.com- Commentaries Psalm 91 Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. "Here, after the carefree delight of Psalm 98, we recollect how exalted and holy he is, and how profound is the reverence we owe him." (Derek Kidner) A. Psalm 91:1 Commentaries: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Christianity: The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Women, The Pursuit of God - A W Tozer - Complete Book. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand. so that you wont dash your foot against a stone. ), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, 6 vol. b. A quiet place where we can go to God in prayerour bedroom or prayer closet. Yahweh is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. El means god (note the small g), and can be used for any god. However, we are familiar with traps of other kinds: Spam callers try to get us to get us to reveal our credit card numbers. Wherever the saints go the angels are charged with them, as the servants are with the children. III. That the powers of darkness shall be triumphed over by them (v. 13): Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder. The Christian & Politics: Has the Contemporary Church Become Obsessed With Political Solutions? 5. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. See an excellent practice of this, Psalms 91:1, He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty; that is, he shall be safe from all fears and dangers. Verse six presents a key to understanding Psalm 1: "For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish."In this psalm, the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly are contrasted. We find this name as early as Genesis 15:2, but whether that name was familiar to Abram is uncertain. . Psalm 91 Inductive Bible Study Guide and Questions for Small Group The Nature Of The Death Threatened As The Penalty Of Sin - Edward White, The Penalty of Death for Disobedience - Froom, Traditionalism and the (Not So) Second Death - Chris Date, Biblical Examples of Everlasting Destruction, Destroyed For Ever: An Examination of the Debates Concerning Annihilation and Conditional Immortality, Eternal Destruction Is Decreed Doom of Wicked - Leroy Edwin Froom, Further Biblical Support for Everlasting Destruction, The Destruction of the Finally Impenitent - Clark H. Pinnock, Biblical Analysis of Claimed Support Texts for Eternal Torture, Challenge to the Doctrine of Eternal Torment, Future Punishment is Eternal - Henry Constable - 1875, MAJOR Problems for the Eternal Torment Position, The Doctrine Of Future Rewards And Punishments In The Old Testament - Edward White, The Final End of the Wicked - Edward Fudge - Audio Interview, The Nature of the Future Punishment of the Wicked - C. F. Hudson, Thirty Questions For Teachers Of Eternal Torment, Universal Restoration Substituted for Eternal Torment - Froom. Psalms 91:13. The angels keep the charge of the Lord their God; and this is the charge they receive from him. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart. The young lion and the dragon, but the child of God shall overcome them. He shall cover thee with his feathers, The psalmist uses a wonderful metaphor when he ascribes feathers to God, and compares him to a hen, or some mother-bird, under whose wings her young find shelter. 2. He brings in God himself speaking words of comfort to the saints, and declaring the mercy he had in store for them, v. 14-16. We are all, by nature, God's enemies, and we deserve His wrath. of The Immortality of the Soul: A Protest - Joseph Agar Beet D.D. Psalms 91 He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. Psalm 91:1. 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. Verses 1-16. (2.) Commentaries for Psalm Chapter 91 The safety of those who have God for their refuge. 2. Psalm 91 continues to be a source of strength, hope, promise and encouragement for every generation. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,but it will not come near you. Psalm 91 Bible Commentary - Charles H. Spurgeon's Treasury of David While no one died, it was a terrible illness that required weeks for recovery. God loves each of us as if there were only one of us"- Augustine. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. ), Mounces Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), Renn, Stephen D., Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words: Word Studies for Key English Bible Words Based on the Hebrew and Greek Texts (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2005), Richards, Lawrence O., Encyclopedia of Bible Words (Zondervan, 1985, 1991), Sakenfeld, Katharine Doob (ed. Life and Immortality - Basil Atkinson, M.A., PhD. I will deliver him, and honour him. Here is great security promised to believers in the midst of this danger: "Thou shalt not be afraid. 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 11-12). Truth is real, dependable, stablethat which we can trust. In that culture, as today, a persons name referred to the essential character of the personin this case, Yahweh. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91:15. ), The Complete WordStudy Old Testament (Chattanooga; AMG Publishers, 1994), Baker, Warren and Carpenter, Eugene, The Complete WordStudy Dictionary: Old Testament (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2003), Bromiley, Geoffrey (General Editor), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, 4 vols. In my father's house there are many mansions, one needs not crowd another, much less crowd out another. When I lived in New York City years ago, I learned not to walk close to buildings when I was walking at night. ): Surely he shall deliver thee. Can any thought be more profound? What Is The Evidence For/Against The Existence Of God? John F. MacArthur, Jr. is a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award winning MacArthur Study Bible. They shall be taken under the peculiar care of Heaven, ver 1, 4. We ought to ask ourselves, Now, am I in Gods way? You can also change some of your preferences. my God, in whom I trust.. 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. If I am in my way, then God will keep me. God protects believers, (1.) Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. It is the daytime equivalent of the night-stalking pestilence of verse 6a. The way of the righteous. 2. However, as noted in these verses, daylight often ushers in daily battles, whether with spear and sword or pen and PowerPointso we feel vulnerable by night or by day. 6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, They shall not only have an admittance, but a residence, under God's protection; he will be their rest and refuge for ever. Hardcover. A good read. It may be applied to that care of the divine Providence by which we are preserved from ravenous noxious creatures (the wild beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee, Job 5 23); nay, and have ways and means of taming them, Jam 3 7. 4. There being no reason to question his sufficiency, fitly does it follow, In him will I trust. Why I Don't Have a Television - John Piper, Why People Find the Bible Difficult - A. W. Tozer, Your Life is Like the Morning Fog - James P. Shelly, A Challenge to Unscriptural Traditions and Practice - Video, Are Seminaries Legitimate? The Hebrew word qeteb means destruction, but can also mean sting (Hosea 13:14). 91:1, 4. They shall be enabled, by the grace of God, to look down upon the things of this world with a holy contempt and indifference, to look up to the things of the other world with a holy ambition and concern; and then they are set on high. nor of the arrow that flies by day; 1. 2. It goes beyond head-knowledge to heart-knowledge. 4. Seneca De Providentia. 8 You will only look with your eyes, 45MBC. Some suffered mild impairment but others suffered catastrophic impairment. Talk of St. George and the dragon! - Herman Hanko, Problems and Limitations of the Traditional "Sermon" Concept, Quitting Church: Why the Faithful Are Fleeing - Ingrid Schlueter, Should One Man Be The Dominant, Focal-Point Of A Church Service. 9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befal thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. The psalmist can feel secure, because he is confident that Yahweh will deliver him from the snare (pah) of the fowler (a person who sets traps to catch birds, usually for eating). 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." Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross - James P. Shelly w/ audio, A Treatise of Earthly-Mindedness - Jeremiah Burroughs. Dec. 25, 2022. 10 no evil shall happen to you, The Hebrew word lin (rest) means to lodge or dwell or tarry or rest, and can designate either a temporary or permanent lodging. On their hands they will bear you up,lest you strike your foot against a stone. We ought to think more of the saint and the dragon. At the time that the psalmist wrote this psalm, the Israelite people had not yet developed a strong belief in eternal life, as we know it in the New Testamentso the salvation mentioned here probably meant to the psalmist only deliverance from trouble. A commonly misunderstood phenomenon in Psalms is the association that often develops between the "one" (the psalmist) and the "many" (the theocratic people). It is probable that this psalm also was penned by David; it is a writ of protection for all true believers, not in the name of king David, or under his broad seal; he needed it himself, especially if the psalm was penned, as some conjecture it was, at the time of the pestilence which was sent for his numbering the people; but in the name of the King of kings, and under the broad seal of Heaven. . Oh, yes, he values the love of his people, for he knows where it came from; it is a part of his own love; the creation of his grace! Individually, we are faced with financial challengesfears of losing a job or finding ourselves unable to compete in a rapidly changing worldchildren gone astrayaddictionsillnessdeath (our own or that of loved ones). God is willing to guard his people as the hen is to guard the chickens, and as able as a man of war in armour. When multitudes die round about us, though thereby we must be awakened to prepare for our own death, yet we must not be afraid with any amazement, nor make ourselves subject to bondage, as many do all their life-time, through fear of death, Heb 2 15. Guest. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. You who know the Lord, pray that you may attain to this high condition of dwelling in the inner shrine, always near to God, always overshadowed by those cherubic wings which indicate the presence of God. Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 1 That they shall have an eternal life in the other world. Here we read about thousands falling to the left and to the right as in the day when Israel battled ancient nationsthe land would be scattered with dead bodies so those who read this at the time it was written had a good idea what this meant. If you like what you're reading, you can get free daily updates through the RSS feed here. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence." 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. "He, his shadowy plumes outspread. It denotes the great care God takes of the saints, in that the angels themselves shall be charged with them, and employed for them. There is even the unseen threat of pestilence that seeks their victims under the cover of darkness. 91:9. The Immortality of the Soul: 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High With the greatest power and efficacy. Tagged as: II. Used by permission. It is possible to misuse passages such as this that are intended to reassure us of Gods help in dangerbut are not intended to encourage us to test God (Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:12). Twice is he armed who hath Gods truth to be his shield and buckler. Yet the Church, for the most part, has allowed it to go unnoticed. Their Worm Does Not Die: Annihilation and Mark 9:48, Evidence for the Resurrection - William Lane Craig -Text and Audio, The Evidence for Jesus - William Lane Craig - Text and Video. A believer needs not fear, and therefore should not fear, any arrow, because the point is off, the poison is out. Psalms 91:16. 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. Yet the condescension of God is such that he allows us to speak of him thus: He shall cover thee with his feathers.. . Sermons about Psalms 91 - SermonCentral.com and show him my salvation.. The buckler is also part of the protection and this device is a defensive piece of armor used in ancient times when close range attacks occurred. Growing Up With Two Moms: The Untold Childrens View. The word sillumah means punishment, but carries the connotation of deserved punishment. The MacArthur Bible Commentary treats every passage of the Old and New Testaments phrase by phrase, with hundreds of word studies as sidebars throughout. O death! 7 A thousand may fall at your side, 1. - F. F. Bruce. 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. He will live as long as he wants to live. And from the noisome pestilence. Psalms 91:15. The Immortality of the Soul: 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The imagery here is that of God being a protective parent bird like the eagle which covers His young under their wings and shades them from the elements and any prey that might attack them. We have heard of people who have attributed their recovery from serious illness to the prayers said in their behalf. Psalms 91:5. Can any comfort be surer? (1.) The Problem of Psalm 91, Part 2 - Proclaim & Defend Here is, (1.) 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. A. II. Yahweh is like that. Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him. Eternal Torment or Complete Annihilation? You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense (Hebrew: sillumahpunishment) of the wicked (v. 8b). For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. He that has given grace to be the glory of the soul will create a defence upon all that glory. That is a message that we need to hear in good times so that it will bring us strength during bad times. It would have been familiar to the author(s) of Genesis. However, we must guard against angel worship and the trivialization of angels popular in some circles today. But those promises are conditional on making Yahweh your refuge and the Most High your dwelling place. Verse 9 assumes that the reader has complied with these conditions, so the promises apply. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Previous post: 6 Important Reasons To Bring Hidden Hurts To God For Healing, Next post: 7 Sample Prayers Before Surgery or a Medical Procedure. It is he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High, who, by Gods help, treads upon the lion and adder, and of whom it is written, The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.. These thousands and tens of thousands are most likely the victims of pestilence and destruction mentioned in verse 6? Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Wisdom shall keep thee from being causelessly afraid, and faith shall keep thee from being inordinately afraid. Wings and feathers, though spread with the greatest tenderness, are yet weak, and easily broken through, and therefore it is added, His truth shall be thy shield and buckler, a strong defence. By natural instinct she not only protects them, but calls them under that protection when she sees them in danger, not only keeps them safe, but cherishes them and keeps them warm. There is need to fear the night filled with terror or the arrows that are visibly seen flying during the day. He will deliver those people. Log In One is that often God amazingly delivers them physically when others around them are falling. The MacArthur Bible Commentary - Grace to You But the psalmist wrote these verses to reassure the faithful that Yahweh will send his angels to guard themto bear them upto protect them from dangers large and small (dashing ones foot against a stone sounds small compared to some dangers). 1. Facing a Tolerant World with Intolerant Truth (Selected Scriptures) Pastor John MacArthur. 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 is no doubt about this great truth, Surely, he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.. Accordingly, we have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions in order to comply with GDPR. It is not an evil, an only evil, but there is a mixture of good in it and a product of good by it. Some make this to be spoken to the angels as the reason of the charge given them concerning the saints, as if he had said, "Take care of them, for they are dear to me, and I have a tender concern for them." and see the recompense of the wicked. 91:2 ), from which he gives both direction and encouragement to others, Ps. A sinnah is a large rectangular shield. An integrated digital Bible study library - including complete notes from the NIV Study Bible and the NKJV MacArthur Study Bible - is just a step away! We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. A soherah (more often translated buckler) is a small round shield. It would have served Israel well during Davids reign, when Israel was beset by many enemies. 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. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you (v. 7). That they shall have a sufficiency of life in this world (v. 16): With length of days will I satisfy him; that is, [1.] They shall be delivered from the malice of the powers of darkness (ver 3, 5, 6), and that by a distinguishing preservation, ver 7, 8. Wishlist +. Commentary On Psalm 91 9 16 Working Preacher From Luther Seminary John 414 Life as a Fountain.. Psalm 91 God's Protection 911: Christians are under attack! If we are to keep our equilibrium in such circumstances, we need assurance that God is with usthat God loves us and is committed to helping usthat God will redeem even our darkest day. Again at the end of day. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot. Bible Introductions - Psalms by John MacArthur - Blue Letter Bible As it will aggravate the damnation of sinners that with their eyes they shall behold and see the reward of the righteous (Luke 13 28), so it will magnify the salvation of the saints that with their eyes they shall behold and see the destruction of the wicked, Isa 66 24; Ps 58 10.