But God says, I will deliver him, and honour him.. Click on the different category headings to find out more. He who dwells in the secret place (Hebrew: seter) of the Most High will rest (Heb. If these verses sound familiar, it is probably because Satan quoted them as part of Jesus second temptation. Is Hell eternal torment or eternal death. It would have served them well during the Babylonian Exile, when only the eyes of faith could see the possibility that they would ever again see Jerusalem. God (Hebrew: elohim). Aye, that is true, you will say, who makes any doubt of it? The care which the angels take of the saints, pursuant to this charge: They shall bear thee up in their hands, which denotes both their great ability and their great affection. 91:9. 91:10 There shall no [nothing comes our way God has either not decreed or not allowed] evil [that which is the opposite of good; any misfortune] befall thee, neither shall any plague [refers to some physical blow; general term for plague] come nigh thy dwelling. But the psalmist assures us that, with God at our side, we have nothing to fear. It is also nimble enough to deflect blows from unexpected directions. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. The word For connects this verse with verse 2. We ought to think more of the saint and the dragon. If I am in my way, then God will keep me. 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. We owe it, more than we are sensible, to the care of the divine Providence that we have been kept from infectious diseases and out of the hands of the wicked and unreasonable. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. The psalmist assures believers of divine protection, from his own experience; and that which he says is the word of God, and what we may rely upon. As you may be aware, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into full effect on 25th May 2018. 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. Their Worm Does Not Die: Annihilation and Mark 9:48, Evidence for the Resurrection - William Lane Craig -Text and Audio, The Evidence for Jesus - William Lane Craig - Text and Video. The Case for Conditional Immortality - J. W. Wenham, The Bible, Slavery, and America's Founders, The Biological and Biblical Dangers of Problem-Centered Counseling, The Urgent Need For Reformation in Pastoral Ministry, Problems and Limitations Observe, I. This is the verse that Satan used to tempt the Lord in the Wilderness to tell Jesus to throw Himself off the highest part of the temple (Matt 4:5) because the angels are commanded to protect Him (Matt 4:6). Facing a Tolerant World with Intolerant Truth (Selected Scriptures) Pastor John MacArthur. The Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) translates the Hebrew word sadday as the Greek word protokrator, which literally means all power or all dominion, and is usually translated Almighty One. 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. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. Prayer: The Believer's Constant Conversation (Ephesians 6:18-24) Pastor John MacArthur. 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. Bible Study, In singing this we must shelter ourselves under, and then solace ourselves in, the divine protection. It is not every man who dwells there; no, not even every Christian man. ', All Rights Reserved | 1997-2023 Richard Niell Donovan. I will set him on high (Hebrew: sagab), because he has known (Hebrew: yada) my name (Hebrew: sem) (v. 14b). 2. If Jehovah be our God, our refuge, and our fortress, what can we desire which we may not be sure to find in him? That God himself will be their protector; those must needs be safe who have him for their keeper, and successful for whom he undertakes (v. 4): He shall cover thee, shall keep thee secret (Ps 31 20), and so keep thee safe, Ps 27 5. The verb yada (has known) means to knowbut more. 5. and from the deadly pestilence. (General Editor), New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, 5 vol., (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), Again, it is written, You shall not test the Lord, your God. Yahweh is the psalmists manseh (refuge or shelter). It is not every man who dwells there; no, not even every Christian man. This, however, is not a book that helps in grappling with problem verses; it simply helps a preacher or teacher come down to earth. What is Psalm 91 all about? That is true in this verse, where we see the wicked being punished. 3 (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2016), Tate, Marvin E., Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100 (Dallas: Word Books, 1990), Waltner, James H., Believers Church Bible Commentary: Psalms (Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 2006), Baker, Warren (ed. All the Prayers in the Bible - Old and New Testaments. This psalm is a powerful chapter when a believer is in a time of crisis. We often find ourselves afraid in the middle of the nightwhat I call the Three Oclock Terrors. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. II. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, There shall no evil befall thee. It may have the appearance of evil; but it shall turn out to thy good. (3.) To this the great God is pleased to compare his care of his people, who are helpless as the chickens, and easily made a prey of, but are invited to trust under the shadow of the wings of the divine promise and providence, which is the periphrasis of a proselyte to the true religion, that he has come to trust under the wings of the God of Israel, Ruth 2 12. The character of those who shall have the benefit and comfort of these promises; it is much the same with that, v. 1. I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. John MacArthur) BRAIN GAMES. The important thing is not the place but that we meet the Most High there. There are some who come to Gods house; but the man mentioned here dwells with the God of the house. This is the name that God revealed to Moses, saying, You shall tell the children of Israel this, Yahweh (YHWH), the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations (Exodus 3:15). Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. You will only look with your eyesand see the recompense of the wicked. Read them in the archive below. Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection? He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. How about eternity? Some of the ancients were of opinion that Moses was the penman, not only of the foregoing psalm, which is expressly said to be his, but also of the eight that next follow it; but that cannot be, for Ps 95. is expressly said to be penned by David, and long after Moses, Heb 4 7. I will deliver him, and honour him. He was quite right in the application; but he was quite wrong in the. ), Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000), Mounce, William D., (ed. Surely, oh, blessed word! Who would wish to live a day longer than God has some work to do, either by him or upon him? What the promises are which God makes to the saints. The Life of Jesus: Lord, Liar or Lunatic? Individually, we are faced with financial challengesfears of losing a job or finding ourselves unable to compete in a rapidly changing worldchildren gone astrayaddictionsillnessdeath (our own or that of loved ones). Neither night nor daydarkness nor the bright light of noondayshall give the faithful cause for fear. The Immortality of the Soul: "Nothing can ultimately hurt me." If Christ's life is the interpretive lens through which we read Psalm 91, then the promises of protection found in that psalm must have something to do with resurrection. 3. Psalm 91 continues to be a source of strength, hope, promise and encouragement for every generation. GDPR is the new European privacy regulation, which will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK and the equivalent legislation across the EU Member States. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 99 - The Holy God, Present and Revealed. The MacArthur Bible Commentary. A soldier would be equipped with one shield or the other, but the psalmist perceives Yahwehs truth as embodying the advantages of both. However, now we begin to hear from Yahweh directly. 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Long life is usually a blessing (unless it involves prolonged suffering, dementia, or something else that inhibits the quality of life). I'm reading this passage twice a day as a prescription instruction from a Bishop. They shall be the special favourites of God himself, ver 14-16. The promises are that no evil shall happen to you and neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.. When multitudes die round about us, though thereby we must be awakened to prepare for our own death, yet we must not be afraid with any amazement, nor make ourselves subject to bondage, as many do all their life-time, through fear of death, Heb 2 15. to guard you in all your ways. They shall think it long enough; for God by his grace shall wean them from the world and make them willing to leave it. - updated, Counterfeit Cross - Lordship of Christ in Salvation - updated, The Credibility of the Testimony of the Apostles, Audio of "Children and the Rod of Correction", Audio of "The Origin of Dressing Up for Church", Audio of "The Origin of Hell-Fire in Christian Teaching", Examine Yourselves as to Whether You Are in the Faith, Refutation of Baptismal Regeneration - James P. Shelly, Was Jesus a Friend of Sinners? Truth is real, dependable, stablethat which we can trust. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. (2.) With his wing shall fence thy head; And his truth around thee wield, Strong as targe or bossy shield! See the comments on verse 3b (above) for an explanation of deber (pestilence). 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. He is a refuge that will not fail me; for he is my fortress and strong-hold." 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. Still, Gods children do live to a far longer age than any other people in the world; they are on the whole a long-lived race. Please respond to confirm your registration. Psalms 91:15. The "Clergy/Laity" Distinction: A Hindrance to the Church? 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High. There shall be but the appearance of evil, not the reality of it: There shall no evil befall thee.. Naught shall strike thee with dismay, Fear by night, nor shaft by day." Verse 7. When I lived in New York City years ago, I learned not to walk close to buildings when I was walking at night. It is only because they have made the Lord God their dwelling place, dwelling in safety and abiding in Him, therefore as their refuge, nothing evil will befall them and no plague will come close to their tents. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979-1988), Brown, Francis; Driver, S.R. What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? They are mighty (Psalm 78:25), and serve by doing Gods will (Psalm 103:1). And the great majority of evangelicals accept that without question. 2023 Grace to You. They sicken millions of people every year, and often kill them. But we must also acknowledge that not all prayers for healing are answered. It is to know relationally or by experience, and is therefore an intimate kind of knowledge. B. Lightfoot, Consummation of the pre-Messianic Age and the Parousia, Destruction of Jerusalem vs. Nihil accidere bono viro mali potestNo evil can befal a good man. - Bullinger, Rise Of The Theory Of Universal Restoration - Henry Constable, Universal Restoration Substituted for Eternal Torment, Absent From The BodyPresent With The Lord, Cross Purposes: Atonement, Death and the Fate of the Wicked. I am one of those. 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. Psalms 91:8-10. - Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.