Psalm 91
The Precious Promises of God
The promises of God are infinitely more valuable than diamonds and infinitely stronger than them too.
Diamonds are the hardest known material in nature yet in the right conditions can still be broken. But the promises of God are unbreakable.
The Cullinan and Koh-i-noor diamonds are valued in the billions. Yet neither comes anywhere close to matching the preciousness of the promises of God.
This is a Psalm that revels in and cherishes the radiant promises of God that are freely available for all those bound to Christ in faith.
1 Whoever 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 say, ‘The LORD is my refuge,’
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake 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 on 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 on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honour him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.’
The Psalm opens with the truth of who God is for his people. We learn that those who seek “the shelter of the Most High” find it in God himself. It is with him and within the circumference of his presence and grace that his people rest securely in an impenetrable refuge.
And from that truth is unfolded a declaration of faith. For if it is true, why would we want to go anywhere else? We need a fortress that will stand strong against the storms of this life. Only God can provide that. Only God can be that. Therefore, the only thing we can do is trust in his faithfulness and rest on his promises.
The imagery of a stronghold built from heavy and imposing rock in v2 moves to something much more personal and intimate in v4. As a mother bird shields her chicks with her wings, so God will shield his people. He draws us into his bosom and covers us with his almighty power.
His is a shield that will not be dented or blemished by the schemes of the Evil One (3). God will protect us from all kinds of danger. We need not be afraid of the terror of night (5); the arrows of the enemy (5; see Ephesians 6.16); the pestilence that robs our joy (6); the plagues that steal our future (6); or the great battles that silence life (7).
Nothing can harm us ultimately as followers of Jesus (8). As Christ himself said, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11.25). Neither arrows, nor pestilence, nor plagues nor anything else can do eternal damage to us, for if we have trusted in the gospel of grace, our souls are under the everlasting protection of God.
The following verses (9-13) are beautiful but can be easily twisted. In fact, they have been. When Jesus was led into the wilderness, Satan tried to tempt Jesus away from God by distorting the purpose of these promises (Luke 4.10-11). The Deceiver told Jesus to prove himself by throwing himself off the top of the temple, for if he was truly the Son of God, a phalanx of Angels would be sent to his aid. Yet Jesus knew that God is not to be tested, which is what throwing himself off the temple would be doing (Luke 4.12).
Later in the Gospel of Luke, we meet Jesus on the Mount of Olives, the night before his crucifixion. He pleads with his Father to take the coming cup of wrath from him, but also says, “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” After this battle against the temptation to avoid his mission, an angels descended from heaven to strengthen him (Luke 22.43).
No harm outside God’s plan will overtake us. In his wisdom, he permits suffering in our lives as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, who himself suffered greatly for us. But nothing that is against his purposes will ever harm us or damage our inheritance in Christ.
We hear directly from God in the close to the Psalm (14-16). These are promises made to the Son, who truly loved his Father and acknowledged his name. But these promises become ours when we are united to Christ by faith. Consider the promises again:
The LORD will rescue us
The LORD will protect us
The LORD will answer our prayers
The LORD will be with us in trouble
The LORD will deliver us and honour us
The LORD will satisfy us with long life
The LORD will show us his salvation
As we close this week’s devotional, take some time to dwell and meditate upon these promises. All these promises are “Yes!” to you in Christ Jesus.
Glory be to God the Father, who promises refuge for all his people.
Glory be to God the Son, who provides refuge in our hour of need.
Glory be to God the Spirit, under whose wings we find refuge.
Ever three and ever One.
Home Group: 2 John
If they are walking in the truth, why is it so necessary for them to love? How do we love according to John? John says they and we have heard this command to love before. Where from?
What truth about Jesus have the deceivers denied? Why is that truth so important to the Christian faith? What do lose if we lose that truth and what do we hold on to if we hold on to that truth?
What does it mean not to welcome a deceiver? How do we protect ourselves from them?