In the shadow of the Almighty
Sometimes things can get really personal when reading, studying and applying God’s Word. Psalm 91 does that for this writer in several different ways. First off, it has the distinction of being a part of Scripture that Satan tried to use on Christ after His 40-day fast in the desert! Chapter four in both Matthew and Luke record the incident. Satan and Christ are atop the temple in Jerusalem when Satan says that Jesus should jump off the roof. It was a not so subtle jab at Jesus to get Him to show off His power as the Christ. Satan thought he could prod Christ’s ego into showing off by quoting verses 11 and 12 of the psalm out of context. “And he said to
Him, If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. For it is written, ‘He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and in their hands they shall bear You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:6, Ps. 91:1112). It was a face-to-face, up close and personal encounter that could have destroyed any chance of humanity being redeemed and reconciled to God. Each one of us would have been lost.
Secondly, Donna and I have found that this psalm gives great encouragement when we visit folks when they are sick in the hospital or needing consolation for other situations. The reason is simple. It is the nature of the psalm itself. Scholars feel that it was written by David expressly for his son, Solomon. Verses one through 13 speak of David’s absolute trust in God. Obviously, that trust has been nurtured through all the many extreme situations in which David found himself, something with which Solomon had to have been familiar. So rather than reiterating each specific incident, David lists several hard, dangerous and deadly general situations that amplify and encapsulate all of his experiences.
But in each of them David says, “You.” “You shall not fear. No evil shall befall you. He shall cover you.” It encourages people greatly when, in realizing that God cares for them, individually, that it is possible to put their own names in place of the you, without altering the meaning of the words. Paul shall not fear. No evil shall befall Timothy. Or, He shall cover me.
The final aspect of just how personally meaningful this psalm is comes in the last three verses. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David’s heart and words fade briefly into the background. It is as if the witness of the promise gives place to the person who has made the promise. We hear, not David’s voice, but God’s. He speaks directly to David about Solomon and by extension, us.
This application to us is a given due to the coming of Christ and the redemption He obtained for us. “Because He has set His love on Me, therefore I will deliver Him; I will set Him on high, because He has known My name. He shall call on 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” (Psalms 91:1416).
Those are powerful promises!
As we prepare for the coming of Christmas, the birthday celebration of Christ’s human entry into history, Psalm 91 is a personal reminder of the reasons Jesus came. He came to redeem us, reconcile us, assure us, protect us and sustain us. All we have to do is accept His actions and demonstrate that we return to Him the love that motivated Him to do what He did for us.