You can check these in your browser security settings. Those of us who live in first world countries have almost forgotten the dangers of deadly diseases that spread rapidly and kill large numbers of people. It is not every professing Christian, nor every believer who attains this height of experience; but only such as believe the promise, and fulfill the heavenly condition of dwelling in the secret place of the most High. In verses 1-2, the psalmist uses four names for God: The Most High (Hebrew: elyon).
The word deber means plague or pestilence. and the Most High your dwelling place, : A Closer Look At A Popular Tradition, Audio of "Church Leaders and the Use of Honorific Titles", The Nativity Story - Download A 16min Edited Version for Christmas, Binding and Loosing (Matthew 16:19) - w/audio, What does "God blesses those who bless Israel really mean? Some think that this promise had its full accomplishment in Christ, and the miraculous power which he had over the whole creation, healing the sick, casting out devils, and particularly putting it into his disciples' commission that they should take up serpents, Mark 16 18. My God: Elohay. 2023 Grace to You. His wings and his feathers suggest both power and softness. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.. He will deliver those people. Previous post: 6 Important Reasons To Bring Hidden Hurts To God For Healing, Next post: 7 Sample Prayers Before Surgery or a Medical Procedure. If the face of such a harsh reality as this, God is placed in the position of being the protecting parent of His young as their fortress, shield, and protector. Let us come boldly there; and, when we once enter, let us dwell there. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? PSALM 91:1-2. Surely, oh, blessed word! 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. . 3. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. They are condescending in their ministrations; they keep the feet of the saints, lest they dash them against a stone, lest they stumble and fall into sin and into trouble. The psalmist's own resolution to take God for his keeper ( Ps. ; and Briggs, Charles A., The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1906, 2004), Doniach, N.S. Yes; and he rewards that knowledge: I will set him on high.. All rights reserved. 2. 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High. The word For connects this verse with verse 2. 1. Since the UK is now no longer a member of the EU, you may be charged an import tax on this item by the customs authorities in your country of residence, which is beyond our control. ), which the WEB has updated. Most of us have never seen a fowler or a fowlers trap. It would have served them well when King Cyrus of Persia defeated Babylon and freed Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city, where they found a ruined city and were faced with many enemies. The Life of Jesus: Lord, Liar or Lunatic? However, when I was a child in the 1940s and 50s, before the polio vaccine became available, I had friends who had suffered from polio. I will be with him in trouble: Again God speaks and acts like a tender-hearted mother towards a sickly child. 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." 11 For he will put his angels in charge of you, How could any arrows, how could any pestilence, ever be able to reach that secure abode of God? Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 4. I will deliver him, and honor him. "He, his shadowy plumes outspread. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. You must, like the bee, go down into the bell of the flower yourself, and fetch out its nectar. One is that often God amazingly delivers them physically when others around them are falling. Christianity: The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Women, The Pursuit of God - A W Tozer - Complete Book. Jan. 1, 2023. 10 no evil shall happen to you, But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. However, the conditional nature of the promises serve as a warning that the promises will no longer apply if we disassociate ourselves from Yahweh. In this verse, resting in the shadow of the Almighty is the blessing that the faithful person experiences for dwelling in Yahwehs presence. The Almighty (Hebrew: sadday). It might be chinks in my faith that leave me vulnerable to fearbut I dont know anyone who has no chinks in their faith. The secret place of the Most High could be: The temple. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot. I will set him on high (Hebrew: sagab), because he has known (Hebrew: yada) my name (Hebrew: sem) (v. 14b). He will be in peril; Psalms 91:12. Quantity: Cart +. b. This word the devil left out when he quoted the promise to enforce a temptation, knowing how much it made against him. Thy God will not leave thee in the glare of the sun, nor will he forsake thee when the damps of night-dews would put thee in peril. I'm not talking about the question of whether God gave us an inerrant Bible. ", Counterfeit Cross - Bear or Burn: The Fruit of Obedience in the Parables of Christ - updated, Counterfeit Cross - What is a "Carnal Christian"? 4 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), Ross, Allen P., A Commentary on the Psalms, 90-150, Vol. They are such as have set their love upon him; and those who rightly know him will love him, will place their love upon him as the only adequate object of it, will let out their love towards him with pleasure and enlargement, and will fix their love upon him with a resolution never to remove it to any rival. While no one died, it was a terrible illness that required weeks for recovery. 13 You will tread on the lion and cobra. (2.) Scriptural Evidence for the Necessity of Obedience in Salvation, The Doctrine of Immortality in the Early Church - John H. Roller, Luther's views on soul sleep and the after life, Make Good Use of Your Servitude - Observations on Biblical Slavery, The Consensus of Current Scholarship: The Soul is Not Immortal, Killing the Canaanites - A Response to the New Atheism's "Divine Genocide" Claims. I will be with him in trouble. To whom these promises do belong; they are described by three characters:(1.) It is more probably that the word refers to the better country, that is, the heavenly, which the patriarchs desired and sought: he will show him that, bring him to that blessed state, the felicity of which consists so much in seeing that face to face which we here see through a glass darkly; and, in the mean time, he will give him a prospect of it. What the promises are which God makes to the saints. The promises are that no evil shall happen to you and neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.. The Lord's Supper - A Historical Overview, Ten Indictments Against the Modern Church - Paul Washer - Video, The Bible Without Comment - William E. Cox, Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman, Everybody Loves Jesus: The Culture Cherishes a Counterfeit Christ, Historian David Barton on Jon Stewart Show, Hollywood's War on Traditional Values - Video, Homosexuals Brainwashing Our Children in Elementary Schools, The Homosexual Propaganda Campaign in America, The Motion Picture Production Code of 1930 (Hays Code), The New England Primer - First Elementary School Textbook - 1777, What same-sex "marriage" has done to Massachusetts, Why Does Socialism Always Fail? We can count on it. They are such as know God's name. If this is your position, you shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. You are not safe in the outer courts; you are not protected from all danger anywhere but within the vail. 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. The psalmist's comfortable application of this to himself (v. 2): I will say of the Lord, whatever others say of him, "He is my refuge; I choose him as such, and confide in him. Many people have told me that only the supernatural intervention by angels commanded by God could explain certain miraculous situations that they were involved with, some having their lives being spared. ', All Rights Reserved | 1997-2023 Richard Niell Donovan. The Immortality of the Soul:
I have read of some soldiers who were in a literal valley of death that read this chapter to feel a little more peace of mind. Therefore the psalmist is probably saying more than he understooddeliverance from trouble and salvation to eternal life. 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). It is the character of a true believer that he dwells in the secret place of the Most High; he is at home in God, returns to God, and reposes in him as his rest; he acquaints himself with inward religion, and makes heart-work of the service of God, worships within the veil, and loves to be alone with God, to converse with him in solitude. And the great majority of evangelicals accept that without question. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Register. You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense (Hebrew: sillumahpunishment) of the wicked (v. 8b). You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot (v. 13). Hell Under Fire - CIANZ Annual Conference Address, Jesus' Teaching on Hell - Samuel G. Dawson, The Nature of Hell - Evangelical Alliance, The Origin of Hell-Fire in Christian Teaching, The Bible Verses the Traditional View of Hell - Babu G. Ranganathan, Applying the Resurrection
4 He will cover you with his feathers. We often find ourselves afraid in the middle of the nightwhat I call the Three Oclock Terrors. Now here it is promised. With the greatest power and efficacy. 16 I will satisfy him with long life, And now, as before, we must observe. 2. 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. He that has given grace to be the glory of the soul will create a defence upon all that glory. II. The promises that are sure to all those who have thus made the Most High their habitation. Nihil accidere bono viro mali potestNo evil can befal a good man. I have often noticed how long Gods people live. View Psalm 91. To the extent that we believe that, it will allay our fear. You have probably been the victim of some sort of trap, possibly in quite recent memory. These thousands and tens of thousands are most likely the victims of pestilence and destruction mentioned in verse 6? When we meet with trouble and accident, we ought to inquire whether we are in Gods way. The Hebrew word qeteb means destruction, but can also mean sting (Hosea 13:14). ), The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, 5 vol. The character of those who shall have the benefit and comfort of these promises; it is much the same with that, v. 1. A great truth laid down in general, That all those who live a life of communion with God are constantly safe under his protection, and may therefore preserve a holy serenity and security of mind at all times (v. 1): He that dwells, that sits down, in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty; he that by faith chooses God for his guardian shall find all that in him which he needs or can desire. He who dwells in the secret place (Hebrew: seter) of the Most High (v. 1a). and Kahane, Ahuvia, The Oxford English-Hebrew Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 1998), Fohrer, Georg, Hebrew & Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament (SCM Press, 2012), Freedman, David Noel (ed. Both are appropriate in this verse. (6.) Take a look at another study and commentary: 6 Important Reasons To Bring Hidden Hurts To God For Healing, 7 Sample Prayers Before Surgery or a Medical Procedure, 25 Encouraging Bible Verses About Strength, Words of Encouragement: 30 Uplifting Quotes, Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Relationships: The Role of Gods Grace and Mercy, The Trinitarian Nature of Effectual Calling, Why So Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen, Christian Dating: A Guide to Navigating Relationships with Faith, Ice Dragon: Legend of the Blue Daisies Movie Review, Phoenix Wilder And The Great Elephant Adventure Movie Review, The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island Movie Review. Under his wings you will take refuge. But, (2.) Commentary On Psalm 91 9 16 Working Preacher From Luther Seminary John 414 Life as a Fountain.. i. I will be with him: So, no man need add solitude to sadness, but may have God sitting with him, like Jobs friends, waiting to comfort him with true comfort. (Maclaren), ii. Psalms 91:3. 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. Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection? Dec. 18, 2022. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, If you dwell near to God, you will not be deceived by Satan. The Hebrew Word Nephesh (Soul) - E. W. Bullinger. I will say of the Lord, He is my then come three mys, as if the psalmist could grasp the Triune Jehovah, my refuge, my fortress, my God; in him will I trust. What a grand word that is, My God! He was quite right in the application; but he was quite wrong in the. That he will, in due time, deliver them out of trouble: I will deliver him (v. 14 and again v. 15), denoting a double deliverance, living and dying, a deliverance in trouble and a deliverance out of trouble. After clicking 'Register', you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; nor of the pestilence (Hebrew: deber) that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction (Hebrew: qeteb) that wastes at noonday (vv. Plagues and pestilences of various kinds are still occasional threats in first world countries, and are frequent threats in less developed countries. It is the privilege and comfort of those that do so that they abide under the shadow of the Almighty; he shelters them, and comes between them and every thing that would annoy them, whether storm or sunshine. In this premiere volume, John MacArthur brings you a complete Bible commentary in one volume. Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. 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. In Hebrew thought sel is most often welcoming shade from noonday sun or protection afforded by the shadow of Yahwehs wings (Psalm 17:8). The seashore or forest where nature calms our souls and draws us to God. The other is that God often wills for his children to suffer, but forbids that the suffering hurts them in the end. Yahweh is speaking about those who attach themselves to himbind themselves to himlove himtake delight in him. It also means preparing, to include equipping for war. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. God protects believers, (1.) Until now, we have been listening to the psalmist as he conveys Yahwehs promises. It is the daytime equivalent of the night-stalking pestilence of verse 6a.