psalm 91 commentary john macarthur
Can any comfort be surer? I'm not talking about the question of whether God gave us an inerrant Bible. ; and Briggs, Charles A., The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1906, 2004), Doniach, N.S. It goes beyond head-knowledge to heart-knowledge. Am I really moving today and acting today as divine providence leads me, and as duty calls me? He who travels on the kings business, by daylight, along the kings highway, may be sure of the kings protection. A believer needs not fear, and therefore should not fear, any arrow, because the point is off, the poison is out. (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. We know that death and taxes are the two certainties in lifedeath being the most certain of the two. 11-12). God dispatched angels to help Isaac find a wife (Genesis 24:7)and to protect Israel in the Exodus (Exodus 23:20-23; 32:34; 33:2)and to sustain Elijah in his flight from Jezebel (1 Kings 19:5-8)and to carry people to heaven (Luke 16:22)and to release apostles from prison (Acts 5:19). A good read. With the greatest tenderness and affection, which is intimated in that, He shall cover thee with his feathers, under his wings, which alludes to the hen gathering her chickens under wings, Matt 23 37. Does God value such feeble and imperfect knowledge of his name as we possess? This psalm is a powerful chapter when a believer is in a time of crisis. I will set him on high (Hebrew: sagab), because he has known (Hebrew: yada) my name (Hebrew: sem) (v. 14b). [3.] Dec. 18, 2022. Surely, oh, blessed word! Psalms 91:4. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 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. - Oscar Cullmann, Immortality or Resurrection? b. (2.) Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. 2023 Grace to You. ", Counterfeit Cross - Bear or Burn: The Fruit of Obedience in the Parables of Christ - updated, Counterfeit Cross - What is a "Carnal Christian"? The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. He was quite right in the application; but he was quite wrong in the. This psalm, without title in the Hebrew text, is a triple proclamation of God's holiness, as Isaiah would later do ( Isaiah 6:3 ). ', All Rights Reserved | 1997-2023 Richard Niell Donovan. All rights reserved. Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. You remember how the devil misapplied this text to Christ. The buckler is also part of the protection and this device is a defensive piece of armor used in ancient times when close range attacks occurred. How about eternity? Growing Up With Two Moms: The Untold Childrens View. Nihil accidere bono viro mali potestNo evil can befal a good man. If he be dishonoured, if he be in poverty, if he be in sickness, if that sickness should drive his best friend away from his bed, still, I will be with him in trouble.. The Hebrew word batah (trust) means to feel secure or to have confidence in. The psalmists faith in God gives him confidence and a feeling of security. That, whatever happens to them, nothing shall hurt them (v. 10): "There shall no evil befal thee; though trouble or affliction befal thee, yet there shall be no real evil in it, for it shall come from the love of God and shall be sanctified; it shall come, not for thy hurt, but for thy good; and though, for the present, it be not joyous but grievous, yet, in the end, it shall yield so well that thou thyself shalt own no evil befel thee. 14 Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him. Not only does He deliver His own from trouble, He honors them and satisfies them, promises them long life and how long is the life that comes when He shows us His salvation? (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979-1988), Brown, Francis; Driver, S.R. The word For connects this verse with verse 2. $30.00. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. To the extent that we believe that, it will allay our fear. nor of the arrow that flies by day; However, when Elohim refers to Yahweh, that is called the intensive plural or the majestic plural, acknowledging that all that constitutes deity is summed in Yahweh. That they shall have a sufficiency of life in this world (v. 16): With length of days will I satisfy him; that is, [1.] Psalms 91:6-7. (4.) Verses 1-16. By natural instinct she not only protects them, but calls them under that protection when she sees them in danger, not only keeps them safe, but cherishes them and keeps them warm. God (Hebrew: elohim). This promise protects, (1.) 1. ), which the WEB has updated. He will deliver those people. We ought to ask ourselves, Now, am I in Gods way? I will honour him; those are truly honourable whom God puts honour upon by taking them into covenant and communion with himself and designing them for his kingdom and glory, John 12 26. It is the daytime equivalent of the night-stalking pestilence of verse 6a. As it will aggravate the damnation of sinners that with their eyes they shall behold and see the reward of the righteous (Luke 13 28), so it will magnify the salvation of the saints that with their eyes they shall behold and see the destruction of the wicked, Isa 66 24; Ps 58 10. The spiritual life, which is protected by divine grace from the temptations of Satan, which are as the snares of the fowler, and from the contagion of sin, which is the noisome pestilence. 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 know that God gives His angels charge over us but only at His command and they are ministering spirits assigned to minister to His own children (Heb1:14) but as Jesus said, we should not tempt the Lord by taking advantage of the heavenly host that ministers to us. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. The wonderful thing is that God is love (1 John 4:16). 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. The great encouragement he gives to others to do likewise, not only from his own experience of the comfort of it (for in that there might possibly be a fallacy), but from the truth of God's promise, in which there neither is nor can be any deceit (v. 3, 4, etc. Long life is usually a blessing (unless it involves prolonged suffering, dementia, or something else that inhibits the quality of life). The promises which are here made, in God's name, to all those that do so in sincerity. I will deliver him, and honor him. 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." 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. What Is The Evidence For/Against The Existence Of God? We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Truth doesnt shift with every passing folly. D, The Duration And Nature Of Future Punishment - Henry Constable. 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. 45MBC. That they shall be preserved in common calamities, in a distinguishing way (v. 7): "When death rides in triumph, and diseases rage, so that thousands and ten thousands fall, fall by sickness, or fall by the sword in battle, fall at thy side, at thy right hand, and the sight of their fall is enough to frighten thee, and if they fall by the pestilence their falling so near thee may be likely to infect thee, yet it shall not come nigh thee, the death shall not, the fear of death shall not." This word the devil left out when he quoted the promise to enforce a temptation, knowing how much it made against him. The "Clergy/Laity" Distinction: A Hindrance to the Church? I will be with him in trouble; Whatever that trouble is, I will be with him in it. However, we must guard against angel worship and the trivialization of angels popular in some circles today. Help Grace to You bring important resources like this to people in your community and beyond, free of charge. Lions serve as a metaphor for powerful forces that can take us apart with one swipe of their claws. They sicken millions of people every year, and often kill them. But observe the extent of the promise; it is to keep thee in all thy ways: even where there is no apparent danger yet we need it, and where there is the most imminent danger we shall have it. 16 I will satisfy him with long life, Angels are not appropriate objects of our worship. Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befal thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. He that has given grace to be the glory of the soul will create a defence upon all that glory. However, the words shadow and shade also acknowledge that the faithful person dwells in a world that is sometimes dark. One old divine calls a man a worm six feet long; and it is rather a flattering description of him. This is a daring utterance, as if the psalmist would claim for himself the choicest privileges of any child of God. That herein he will answer their prayers: He shall call upon me; I will pour upon him the spirit of prayer, and then I will answer, answer by promises (Ps 85 8), answer by providences, bringing in seasonable relief, and answer by graces, strengthening them with strength in their souls (Ps 138 3); thus he answered Paul with grace sufficient, 2 Cor 12 9. Some churches today cite Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:19; and Acts 28:1-6 to justify the handling of deadly snakes as part of their worshipand some people die while doing that. The word kabed (honor) means to give a person honor or to make them heavy (in the sense of powerful. The Nature of Man - Dualistic or Holistic? 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. 13 You will tread on the lion and cobra. ", You must enable JavaScript to view all available content on this page, Counterfeit Cross updated - We Walk by Faith Pt II - Taking Up Our Cross. - Oscar Cullmann, Immortality of the Soul - by Kaufmann Kohler, Technical Terms and Usages Preclude Innate Immortality - Froom, The Development of the Doctrine of Immortality from the Apostolic Fathers to Augustine, The Doctrine of Immortality in the Early Church. 14b (Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1973), Limburg, James, Westminster Bible Companion: Psalms (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000, Mays, James Luther, Interpretation: Psalms (Louisville: John Knox, 1994), McCann, J. Clinton, Jr., The New Interpreters Bible: The Book of Psalms, Vol. Who would wish to live a day longer than God has some work to do, either by him or upon him? Therefore the psalmist is probably saying more than he understooddeliverance from trouble and salvation to eternal life. Psalm 119:90 Psalm 119:91 Psalm 119:92 Psalm 119:93 Psalm 119:94 Psalm 119:95 Psalm 119:96 Psalm 119:97 . where is thy sting? of He will live as long as he wants to live. He assures us that we can enjoy the same confidence if we dwell in he secret place of the Most High (v. 1). But, (2.) (2.) He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: Notice, that it is, He shall, and I will. The mighty grace of God shall make us pray, and the Almighty God of grace will answer our prayer: He shall call upon me, and I will answer him. How I love these glorious shalls and wills! The word elyon is usually translated Most High, and is usually used for God. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. We often find ourselves afraid in the middle of the nightwhat I call the Three Oclock Terrors. If you dwell there, you are invincible, invulnerable, infinitely secure. That is a message that we need to hear in good times so that it will bring us strength during bad times. I am old, and expect to die within a few years. Because we dont want you to incur expenditure for which you are not prepared, could you please confirm whether you are willing to pay this charge, if necessary? Verse 1 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High." The blessings here promised are not for all believers, but for those who live in close fellowship with God. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Sadday often appears with the Hebrew word el, which is a generic word for a godany god. There are some who come to God's house; but the man mentioned here dwells with the God of the house. Psalm 91 continues to be a source of strength, hope, promise and encouragement for every generation. With long life I will satisfy himand show him my salvation.. Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling (vv. What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? If they were, no one would ever die. We need both kinds of protection, because Satan sometimes attacks us in a frontal assault, but also comes at us from unexpected quarters. The one who abides in the shelter or under the protection of the Most High God has a shadow over him or her, much like Gods providing the cloud of glory that protected Israel in her wanderings in the wilderness from the scorching sun and like a fortress, He will deliver those who face the snare or trap or the threat of a deadly pestilence or disease. We are all, by nature, God's enemies, and we deserve His wrath. Naught shall strike thee with dismay, Fear by night, nor shaft by day." Verse 7. You will only look with your eyesand see the recompense of the wicked. What royal protection we have, a guard of angels, who count it their delight and their honour to wait upon the seed-royal of the universe, for such are all the saints of God! Strength and mastery may be united. Used by permission. With his wing shall fence thy head; And his truth around thee wield, Strong as targe or bossy shield! He will call on me, and I will answer him. When we talk about trusting God to deliver us, thats the bottom lineconfidence that God is with us both in life and in death. Psalm 91:1-3 God the Deliverer "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 91:2 ), from which he gives both direction and encouragement to others, Ps. Yahweh was Gods personal name for the Israelites. 91:1, 4. Let us come boldly there; and, when we once enter, let us dwell there. The noun sem (name) means name or reputation or fame. Most of us have never seen a fowler or a fowlers trap. The end of this psalm recaps any calamity that can happen and when His children are placed in harms way He promises to deliver them, to protect them, to rescue them, and to answer them in their time of trouble.
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