Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Psalms 5 (3)
Pray Psalm 91.1-3.
He who 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 I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
Sing Psalm 91.1-3.
(Lauda Anima: Praise My Soul the King of Heaven)
All who dwell within God’s shelter in His shadow will reside.
He our Tow’r, our Fortress ever, in Him we our trust confide.
From the trapper’s snares He saves us; safe from sickness we abide.
Read Psalm 91.1-16; meditate on verses 14-16.
Preparation
1. What benefits did the psalmist see from sheltering in the Lord?
2. What does this require of us?
Meditation
A problem that occurs with folks who read their Bibles faithfully is that we get used to it. That is, we read passages that make incredible, impossible statements without pausing or considering what we’ve read. We just move on.
I mean, how unbelievable is it that we can dwell in the secret place of the Most High, abiding in the shadow of His wings (v. 1)? Or know His Presence throughout the day, guiding and protecting and delivering us from all sorts of temptations and evils (vv. 3-8)? It is astonishing to think that angels are sent from God to keep us in all our ways and to protect us from bodily harm (vv. 1-13). All this and more is ours because, having first been loved by God and established in heavenly places with Him (Eph. 2.6), we love Him, know Him, call on Him, and depend on Him so that, day by day, we know more of His great salvation (vv. 14-16).
God is our dwelling place, in the then and there and the here and now. We are with God in the then and there, seated with Jesus in heavenly places—with Him where He is. And He is with us in the here and now, right where we are—Immanuel—to hear and answer our prayers and fill our lives with Himself.
And all because of Jesus.
Yeah. Unbelievable. Think on these things.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162Knowing that the devil used this psalm to taunt Jesus should make us love and cherish this beloved psalm even more. Our enemy must fear our absolute trust in God, come what may. As per usual, he twisted the idea, and extrapolated meanings that are inconsistent with the written word, but that is nothing new. He was a liar and murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8.44).
“If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you’, and ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone’” (Matt. 4.6)
And Jesus responded to him with great wisdom saying, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God’” (Matt. 4.7).
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were in a perilous situation with Nebuchadnezzar. They would not bow down and worship another god, so their punishment was to be thrown into a fiery furnace. And their response when asked, “who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliverer us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Dan. 3.14-18).
They were winners either way they looked at it. As Paul said, “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord” (2 Cor. 5.6). “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1.21).
So, we can dwell confidently with God in His secret place, knowing that we have made Him our refuge. “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (Ps. 91.11). Here, there, and everywhere. We are always His. Covered perpetually under His wing—As Jesus said, “How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” (Matt. 23.37).
“The Lord Our Dwelling Place” speaks through the psalmist to say to us:
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will 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 I will satisfy him,
and show him My salvation” (Ps. 91.14-16).
As Daniel’s friends declared, He will deliver us either here and now, or into the there and then.
But make no mistake, He will deliver us, for “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33.27) that delivered Jesus, and His sacrifice will most assuredly deliver us. Winners, any way you look at it!
Reflection
1. What does it mean for you to enjoy the Presence of God in His dwelling place?
2. What should be your response to know that God sends angels to guard you along your path?
3. Psalm 91.14-16 is God speaking about you. What do the two “because” clauses require of you? What does God promise when you do this?
In this psalm we are taught that God watches over the safety of his people, and never fails them in the hour of danger. They are exhorted to advance through all perils, secure in the confidence of his protection. The truth inculcated is one of great use, for though many talk much of God’s providence, and profess to believe that he exercises a special guardianship over his own children, few are found actually willing to intrust their safety to him. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Psalm 91
Pray Psalm 91.4-16.
Thank and praise the Lord for His constant care and provision. Call on Him to increase your love for Him—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Ask Him to be with you throughout the day, to make His Presence known to you, and to strengthen you with His grace for the work of the day.
Sing Psalm 91.4-16.
(Lauda Anima: Praise My Soul the King of Heaven)
He will shade us with His pinions, ’neath His wings we safety find.
From night’s terror, from day’s arrow, from the fears that stalk our mind.
When destruction falls at noon time, safe in Him shall we abide.
Thousands at our sides may falter—it will not to us come near!
We instead shall see the end of all who at God’s mercy sneer.
Evil shall no more befall us for we hold the Lord most dear.
He shall give His angels charge to bear us up, lest we should fall;
they will guard and carry all who on the Savior’s mercy call.
Cobra, mighty lion, serpent: We shall tread upon them all!
Save us, Lord! We love You only; set us up secure on high!
You we know, on You we call in trouble: Hear us when we cry!
Show us Your salvation, let long life forever satisfy!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
For more teaching about the subject of this series, “Jesus throughout the Scriptures”, download our free ReVision study, “We Would See Jesus”, by clicking here.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
