The book of Psalms has encouraged the Lord’s people over the years. It confronts the reality of this life in light of the sufficiency of our God. In good times and bad times, the saints are encouraged to trust in the Lord. And, when we are in trouble, the Psalms call us to take refuge in God. His love never fails. His presence and His almighty power will redeem us from all our afflictions. He will be with us; He will protect us. The promises of God pertain to every possible circumstance we face in life. It is no wonder that we delight so much in the Psalms.
Take, for example, Psalm 91. This psalm begins with an invitation to recognize who God is and to pledge your faith and trust in Him.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust” (1-2)!
To dwell, abide and trust in God – we must know who He is. Did you notice names of God that are revealed in this opening statement? The names of God reveal His nature. The nature of God indicates the kind of behavior that we may expect from Him. The opening two verses of this Psalm set forth four names of the God in whom we trust.
1. “Most High” = Hebrew: EL ELYON = “God Most High” = the sovereignty of God = the God with whom there is no greater being = the Owner and Ruler of all His creation.
2. “Almighty” = Hebrew: EL SHADDAI = “God Almighty” = the Mighty God = the God who possesses all power = omnipotence = none more powerful than this God.
3. “LORD” = Hebrew: YAHWEH = “to be” = “I am” = “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14) = the God who always exists = omnipresence = the God whose existence is eternally self-derived from Himself = the aseity (self-existence) of God = He is forever the great I AM.
4. “God” = Hebrew ELOHIM = God = the first name of God revealed in the Bible (Genesis 1:1) = the Creator God = the powerful God who speaks things into existence.
This is the amazing God who takes care of us. He is the sovereign, all-powerful, always existing, Creator God. He is with us – walking with us in all the circumstances of our lives – walking so closely to us that we are in His shadow. He is the One in whom we take refuge when life gets tough – He is the One we trust. He is all-sufficient for our every concern.
Then, the psalmist expands upon what this God will do for all who trust in Him. It is a promise for the Lord’s people – for you and me. Here we find astounding promises to all who take refuge in the LORD – especially in the presence of adversity.
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark (3-4).
You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the LORD, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent (5-10).
For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent
you will trample down (11-13).
These promises describe in detail what this wonderful God will do for you. Notice the progression of the promises in the above three sections of verses.
- verses 3-4 “He” = what He does – the description of the Lord’s actions – what the Lord will do for all who trust in Him – He delivers and covers them as a refuge, shield and bulwark.
- verses 5-8 “you” = what you can expect – the promised expectation of all who trust in Him – you will be under His care – no fear, no evil, no plague.
- verses 9-13 “He” = what He charges the angels to do – to protect you, to guard you, to guard, to bear you up, that you may tread and trample down your foes.
These indeed are great and mighty promises. But, are these promises too good to be true? Apparently Satan thought so. He used this passage of Scripture to tempt Jesus to test God and His Word (Matthew 4:6-8). Would the angels truly bear Jesus up if He cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple? And, what about some of the saints in the past – like Jan Hus and William Tyndale – who were martyred for their faith? They were trusting in the Lord, but He did not spare them from the fiery stake. Were these promises for them too?
As we ponder the relevance of these promises, the LORD God doubles down on His Word by speaking for all to hear. It is as if the clouds part in the heavens above and God’s booming voice is heard on earth. Behold the Word of God!
Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I (will be) with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and (I will) honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and (I will) let him behold My salvation (14-16).
Finding refuge in Him and trusting in Him is so important to the LORD God that He interrupts the psalmist and speaks directly to us. These are His words – His promises for all who love Him and know Him. The “Me” and “My” pronouns should all be capitalized because they refer to the Speaker – who is the Lord God Almighty Himself. He makes eight promises. God always keeps His Word – here, He personally obligates Himself to do these things.
- “I will” – deliver … him
- “I will” – set on high … him “… because he has known MY NAME” – “My name” = the four names mentioned in verses 1-2
- “I will” – answer … him
- “I (will)” – … be with him
- “I will” – deliver …him
- “I will” – honor … him
- “I will” – satisfy with long life … him
- “I will” – show my salvation … him
All of this because we “dwell, abide, and trust” in our God! These mighty promises uttered from the mouth of God comfort and encourage our hearts. We are to be confident in Him when we face affliction and adversity. He will take care of all who trust in Him.
Now, having examined Psalm 91, let us return to our question: Are these promises too good to be true? How are we to take the promises of no destruction by arrow or pestilence? Will no evil ever fall upon us and no plague come near our dwelling? God always cares for His people. This was especially emphasized for the children of Israel living under the Mosaic covenant. God specifically promised to provide and protect them in every way if they would only love Him and love one another. It was a conditional promise of divine blessing for human faithfulness to God and obedience to His Law. Some have observed that Psalms 90-92 are related. If this is the case, then these three psalms would have been written by Moses. There is no assurance that this is true, but Moses indeed saw the Lord’s deliverance from every danger. And, so did David. But both of them eventually died. Every Old Testament saint eventually died of something. So, clearly these are not promises of immortality in this life.
Always, the Bible interprets the Bible. If we take this question regarding these promises to Romans 8, we find another reference to the Psalms. Paul is addressing the never-failing love of God when he writes, “For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered” (Romans 8:36). This is a quote from Psalm 44:22. Here the psalmist laments the designated slaughter of the Lord’s people. But, Paul continues, “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus the Lord” (Romans 8:37-39). Neither Psalm 44 nor Romans 8 indicate that God will keep His sheep from the slaughter. Rather the hope is that God keeps His people in all these things. Psalm 91 gives us every reason to hope that God will keep us safe in all of life. Romans 8 promises that God will keep us safely all the way into His presence and eternal life. Someday in heaven, you will have opportunity to visit with the martyrs – who witnessed their faith in the flames of persecution. All of them will testify of the Lord’s faithfulness to them in life and death. His love never failed them. His love saw them through the trials of life into His very presence. Grace and mercy abounded to them. People living on earth tend to define their existence from birthplace to tombstone. Christians define eternal life from new birth to everlasting life in the very presence of the Lord God Almighty.
We should live our lives in expectation of the Lord’s presence with us and His protection over us (Psalm 91). We should also live in expectation that the Lord’s love can never fail – even when we experience physical death. He will bring us through life and death into His glorious presence. The Lord’s sheep may at times be led to the slaughter (Psalm 44), but the Good Shepherd promised, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and My Father are one” (John 10:27-30). We have absolute confidence in the El Elyon, El Shaddai, Yahweh, God. He cares for us in all of life – and will bring us safely into His glorious presence for all eternity. No one who trusts in God will ever be disappointed. He is always faithful. His love never fails. We rest in His shadow forever. Glory be to God.
Gary William Custis