under god’s wings psalm 91:1-16 - bible study...

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Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell

Under God’s Wings

Psalm 91:1-16

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

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Under God's Wings

Commentary

by

Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 91:1-16, 1. He who 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 make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge- 10. then no harm will befall 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 upon 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 upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." NIV Introduction: I. Although the Hebrew has no title, the LXX attributes the psalm to David.

A. Literary correspondences with Deut. 32 have caused some to attribute the psalm to Moses, and have concluded that it is a happy sequel to the gloomy picture presented in Psalm 90.

1. Deuteronomy 32:1-52, 1 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation. Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell




you, your elders, and they will explain to you. When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. The LORD alone led him; no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape. Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior. They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons, which are not God— gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear. You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. The LORD saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daugh-ters. "I will hide my face from them," he said, "and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful. They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry




by a nation that has no understanding. For a fire has been kindled by my wrath, one that burns to the realm of death below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set afire the foundations of the moun-tains. "I will heap calamities upon them and spend my arrows against them. I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague; I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust. In the street the sword will make them childless; in their homes terror will reign. Young men and young women will perish, infants and gray-haired men. I said I would scatter them and blot out their memory from mankind, but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest the adversary misunderstand and say, 'Our hand has triumphed; the LORD has not done all this.'" They are a nation without sense, there is no discern-ment in them. If only they were wise and would un-derstand this and discern what their end will be! How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thou-sand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede. Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are filled with poi-son, and their clusters with bitterness. Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras. "Have I not kept this in reserve and sealed it in my vaults? It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them." The LORD will judge his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free. He will say: "Now where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in, the gods who ate the fat of




their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink of-ferings? Let them rise up to help you! Let them give you shelter!"See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand. I lift my hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen my flash-ing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy lead-ers." Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take venge-ance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people. Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey care-fully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." On that same day the LORD told Moses, "Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own posses-sion. There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among




the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giv-ing to the people of Israel." NIV

2. Psalm 90:1-17, Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the moun-tains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn men back to dust, saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men." For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning- though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered. We are consumed by your an-ger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands. NIV




B. However, there are no clues in the psalm that identify the au-thor or time of writing.

1. The viewpoint of Rashi, a medieval Jewish commen-tator, that Moses authored the whole series of Psalms 90–100, is untenable.

II. The psalm can be designated as a psalm of confidence or an affir-mation of trust.

A. First, the psalmist states his personal trust (Psalm 91:1-2), and then teaches others to trust in God (Psalm 91:3-13).

1. Psalm 91:1, 2, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my for-tress, my God, in whom I trust." NIV

2. Psalm 91:3-13, Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that de-stroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will




not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. NIV

B. Finally, God responds with a solemn promise of protection and salvation (Psalm 91:14-16).

1. Psalm 91:14-16, "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will 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 sat-isfy him and show him my salvation." NIV

C. This is a beautifully constructed psalm that compresses many wonderful thoughts into a small amount of space.

Commentary:

A Declaration of Trust Psalm 91:1, 2, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." NIV I. The syntactical relationship between Psalm 91:1-2 in the Hebrew is difficult.

A. The verses could be literally translated as follows:

1. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High abides (or, will abide) in the shadow of the Almighty.




2. I will say of the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust”.

II. In well-balanced poetic strains, the psalmist employs four fre-quently used metaphors to describe divine protection.

A. “Shelter” refers to a covert or secret hiding place that evil forces and personalities cannot invade.

1. “Shadow”, an expression frequently used in the phrase, “the shadow of your wings”, (Psalm 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 63:7), suggests the picture of a mother bird shelter-ing her young (cf. Psalm 91:4).

a. Psalm 17:8, Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. NIV

b. Psalm 36:7, How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find ref-uge in the shadow of your wings. NIV

c. Psalm 57:1, Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. NIV

d. Psalm 63:7, Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. NIV

e. Psalm 91:4, He will cover you with his feath-ers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and ram-part. NIV




2. God is a “refuge” in which are all necessary provi-sions and where evils that would harm are not allowed to enter.

3. God is a “fortress” that withstands the battering as-saults of the enemy.

III. Four divine names fortify this portrayal of divine protection.

A. “The Most High” is an ancient name for the deity (cf. Gen. 14:17-24), and emphasizes the supremacy of God as Creator and Sustainer of the world.

1. Genesis 14:17-24, After Abram returned from de-feating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). Then Melchize-dek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Crea-tor of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself." But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing be-longing to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share." NIV




B. Almighty”, another ancient name used by the patriarchs, also emphasizes the power of God (cf. Ex. 6:3).

1. Exodus 6:3, I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. NIV

C. “LORD” (Yahweh) is the covenant name by which God made Himself known to Israel.

1. This word indicates both the eternity and the provi-dential working of the God who keeps covenant loyalty (cf. Ex. 3:13-22; John 8:58).

a. Exodus 3:13-22, Moses said to God, "Sup-pose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Is-raelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remem-bered from generation to generation. "Go, as-semble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaan-ites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and




Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.' "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacri-fices to the LORD our God.' But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this peo-ple, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians." NIV

b. John 8:58, "I tell you the truth," Jesus an-swered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" NIV

D. The name “God”, Aelohim, a plural form, magnifies the manifold expressions of the divine power.

1. Though this word was also used by the Canaanites of their pagan deities, the singular pronoun, “my” shows that the psalmist refers to the unique God of Israel.

Protection from Every Foe

Psalm 91:3-13, Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be




your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwell-ing— even the LORD, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. NIV Note: Vivid metaphors portray potential dangers that lurk unseen on every hand and which may strike without warning. Psalm 91:3, Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. NIV I. “The fowler’s snare” suggests evil schemes and plots which evil men may execute against us (cf. Psalm 119:110; 124:7; 140:1-5).

A. Psalm 119:110, The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. NIV

B. Psalm 124:7, We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler's snare; the snare has been broken, and we have es-caped. NIV

C. Psalm 140:1-5, Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; pro-tect me from men of violence, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day. They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers is on their liP-salm Selah Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from men of violence who plan to trip




my feet. Proud men have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path. Selah NIV

II. “The deadly pestilence” refers to a plague that suddenly destroys men in large numbers (cf. Psalm 78:50).

A. Psalm 78:50, He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague. NIV

Psalm 91:4, He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. NIV I. “Shield” is here a metaphor of protection, just as “rampart” is a metaphor of security. Psalm 91:5,6, You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. NIV I. Synonymous parallelism is employed here.

A. “The terror of the night” and “the arrow that flies by day” may refer literally to attacks at night and in the daytime, or they could be metaphors for secret and open attacks respectively.

1. It is not necessary to assume that attacks by demons are here considered, as the LXX and later Jewish exe-getes supposed.

Psalm 91:7,8, A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only ob-serve with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. NIV




I. Psalm 91:7-8 may well be an allusion to the exodus from Egypt when the Israelites witnessed the destruction of the Egyptian armies in the Red Sea. II. “Thousand” and “ten thousand” are synonymous, referring poeti-cally to a great multitude.

A. A poetic device called “ascending numeration” is employed.

1. In some examples, the second numeral is to be taken literally, the first numeral merely providing poetic bal-ance (cf. Proverbs 30:18-19,21-23,29-31).

a. Proverbs 30:18, 19, 21-23, 29-31, "There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden. "Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: a servant who becomes king, a fool who is full of food, an unloved woman who is married, and a maidservant who displaces her mistress. "There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing; a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king with his army around him. NIV

2. In other cases, neither numeral is to be taken literally (cf. Amos 1:3-2:8).

a. Amos 1:3-15, This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I




will not turn back my wrath. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, I will send fire upon the house of Hazael that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad. I will break down the gate of Damascus; I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir," says the LORD. This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom, I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortresses. I will destroy the king of Ashdod and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn my hand against Ekron, till the last of the Philistines is dead," says the Sovereign LORD. This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Be-cause she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses." This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because he pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion, because his anger raged continu-ally and his fury flamed unchecked, I will send fire upon Teman that will consume the for-tresses of Bozrah." This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders, I will set fire to the




walls of Rabbah that will consume her for-tresses amid war cries on the day of battle, amid violent winds on a stormy day. Her king will go into exile, he and his officials together," says the LORD. NIV

b. Amos 2:1-8, This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. Because he burned, as if to lime, the bones of Edom's king, I will send fire upon Moab that will consume the for-tresses of Kerioth. Moab will go down in great tumult amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet. I will destroy her ruler and kill all her officials with him," says the LORD. This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. Because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees, be-cause they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire upon Judah that will consume the for-tresses of Jerusalem." This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name. They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines. NIV




3. Large numerals, such as those employed in this psalm, indicate large numbers of people, but not the precise number indicated.

4. In some cases, a contrast is indicated by the numerals employed (cf. 1 Samuel 18:7).

a. 2 Samuel 18:7, There the army of Israel was de-feated by David's men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. NIV

Psalm 91:9, 10, If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. NIV I. Those who trust in the Lord and abide in him are protected from evil.

A. A textual problem is created in the Hebrew text by a change in pronouns from “your dwelling” to “my refuge”.

1. The verb translated “you make” requires the second person pronoun in Psalm 91:9b.

a. Psalm 91:9, If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge- NIV

2. Other psalms (cf. Psalm 37; Psalm 49; Psalm 73) deal with limitations of the sweeping promise made here.

a. Psalm 37:1-40, Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the




LORD and do good; dwell in the land and en-joy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your right-eousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke. The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the




righteous give generously; those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stum-ble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. The wicked lie in wait for the right-eous, seeking their very lives; but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial. Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off. The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from




the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. NIV

b. Psalm 49:1-20, Hear this, all you peoples; lis-ten, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike: My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my rid-dle: Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me- those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him- the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough- that he should live on forever and not see decay. For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands af-ter themselves. But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that per-ish. This is the fate of those who trust in them-selves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah Like sheep they are des-tined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not




descend with him. Though while he lived he counted himself blessed— and men praise you when you prosper- he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life . A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish. NIV

c. Psalm 73:1-28, Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, "How can God know? Does the Most High have knowl-edge?" This is what the wicked are like— al-ways carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place




them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies. When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. NIV

II. The righteous may suffer, but God will grant deliverance (Psalm 34:19).

A. Psalm 34:19, A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; NIV

Psalm 91:11,12, For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. NIV I. God will intervene on behalf of His saints.

A. Whether this means to suggest miraculous intervention or divine providence is not clear.




1. Since it appears to be a universal promise to the right-eous, divine providence is probably intended.

B. Jesus' encounter with Satan shows how this promise could be abused (Matthew 4:6).

1. Matthew 4:6, "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

2. Angels attended Christ when he needed them (cf. Mat-thew 4:11; 26:53-54), just as they sometimes came to the rescue of Old Testament worthies (cf. Daniel 3:24-28; 6:16-22).

a. Daniel 3:24-28, Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, gover-nors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar




said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Me-shach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were will-ing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. NIV

b. Daniel 6:16-22, So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!" A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve con-tinually, been able to rescue you from the li-ons?" Daniel answered, "O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king." NIV

Psalm 91:13, You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. NIV I. The “lion” and “great lion” doubtless are metaphors of strong ene-mies, while the “cobra” and “serpent” suggest stealthy foes.




The Divine Response

Psalm 91:14-16, "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will 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 sat-isfy him and show him my salvation." NIV Note: This response may have come by means of a prophetic or priestly oracle at the temple, or the psalmist may have sensed divine response by meditating upon the Scriptures as he heard them read and proclaimed in the temple exercises. Psalm 91:14, "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will res-cue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. NIV I. The inverted synonymous parallelism indicates that the statement, “he acknowledges my name” means “he loves me”.

A. This love is the effectual cause of God's deliverance. Psalm 91:15, He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. NIV I. The climactic triplet lays stress on the manner in which God will an-swer him; He will “deliver him” from his trouble and “honor” him. Psalm 91:16, With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." NIV I. “Salvation”, in light of the psalm, means protection and deliverance. II. The promise of “long life” is dependent on one’s submitting to God’s will and the absence of disease and tragedy.




A. It is not an inclusive promise that has no exceptions.

Application: I. It is always good to know that God takes special interest and often provides complete protection for those who acknowledge Him and walk in His ways.

A. There are exceptions, however.

1. Christians may die in battle, as do unbelievers, or car crashes or other common occurrences may take the life of the faithful or unfaithful.

II. Spiritual blessings, however, are dependent on one’s spiritual rela-tionship with the Lord.

A. Keeping these matters properly in mind will help one trust the Lord and never feel that he is being forsaken as long as he is faithful to God.




Questions

Psalm 91:1-16

(Questions based on NIV text.) 1. “He who __________________ in the _________________ of the _______________ _______________ will _______________ in the _______________ of the__________________. I will say of the __________________, ‘He is my _______________ and my _____________, my _____________, in whom I ____________.” 2. “Surely, he will _____________ you from the _____________’s _____________ and from the _____________ _______________. He will _______________ you with his _______________, and under his _______________ you will find _______________; his _____________ will be your _____________ and ____________. You will not ____________ the ____________ of ____________, nor the _____________ that _____________ by ______________, nor the ____________ that ____________ in the _____________, nor the _____________ that ____________ at _______________. A _______________ _______________ may _______________ at your _______________, _______________ _______________ at your ___________ _____________, but it will not _____________ _____________ _____________. You will only _____________ with your ______________ and see the _______________ of the _________________.” 3. “If you make the __________________ _______________ your ___________ - even the ____________ who is my ____________ - then no _________________ will _________________ you, no _______________ will _______________ _______________ your _____________. For he will _____________ his ____________ concerning you to _________________ you in _______________ your __________________; they will _________________ you up




in their _______________, so that you will not _______________ your _________________ against a _______________. You will _____________ upon the _____________ and the ____________; you will ____________ the _______________ _______________ and the _______________.” 4. “‘Because he ____________ me,’ says the _______________, ‘I will _______________ him; I will _______________ him, for he _______________ _______________ _______________. He will ____________ upon ____________, and I will _______________ him; I will be with him in ______________________, I will ____________ him and ____________ him. With ____________ _________________ will I _______________ him and show him my _______________.’” 5. When and by whom was Psalm 91 written? ________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. How can Psalm 91 be classified? Give reasons for your answer. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. What four metaphors does the psalmist use to describe divine protection? ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. What words are used in Psalm 91 to describe God’s relationship to the faithful? _________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. What four divine names designate diety and the portrayal of his divine protection? Tell why each name is appropriate. _________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. List metaphors that portray potential dangers that lurk unseen on every hand and which may strike without warning. __________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. What is “ascending numeration” and how is this poetic device used in Psalm 91? _______________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




12. Those who trust in the Lord and abide in him are protected from evil. Why, then, do bad things happen to good people? ____ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Give biblical examples of how God has intervened on behalf of his saints. _____________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. What is meant by lion, great lion, cobra and serpent in verse 13? __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. Upon what does the promise of long life hinge? ___________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



under god’s wings psalm 91:1-16 - bible study...

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