Psalm 91

1 He that dwell in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely, he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day.

6 Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation.

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him and shew him my salvation. (KJV)

I have a note in my Bible in the margin of this psalm to read Matthew chapter four where Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil as I study this psalm. It is amazing how much I have discovered the way Christ led his life here on this earth by my daily reading of the Psalms. As one reads this psalm the reader could refer both to the believer who is trusting completely in God or Christ himself when he dwelt on this earth. Note also in Matthew 4:11 “Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.” are the same angels found here in this psalm in verses eleven and twelve.

These were the verses that the devil tried to misinterpret in Matthew 4:6. However, as I look at the Lord’s answers in Matthew chapter four they come from the book of Deuteronomy (8:3, 6:16, and 6:13). We see that just as Satan twisted the words of the Lord in the Garden to Eve he used the same to Christ as he also does today against us.  This is why we must heed the words of Paul to Timothy “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 3:15)

As we go about on journey on this earth the key to this journey is found in verse fourteen. Because I love God, God will rescue and protect me and because of my love I will acknowledge God before others. The love of God is much greater than that of a father or mother toward her their own child. And the love of the believer picture here is much greater than the love a son or daughter can have for their own parent. Just as the devil tried to misinterpret these verses to Christ in the desert; the sinful nature that is found in the world around us also tries to blind us to these verses that reveals to us the truth about how close a relationship we can have with God.

The opening statement of this psalm ” he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High” sets the stage for all believers. One of the most precious teachings of Christianity is that of the priesthood of the believer. As Peter writes in his first epistle, we are not only priest, but a people of God’s own possession for the purpose to show forth the excellencies of God who call us out of darkness into his marvelous light. When we make God our refuge, our hiding place we place ourselves in his care and our faith grows. As this relationship of trusting in the Lord grew, we learn to love him more. We come to the realized of how important the first law of the Ten Commandments in our relationship with God. Having no other Gods before him truly means dwelling in his presence. This relationship with God is very important. By resting in the Lord, we become as a young chick who stays near the wings of the caring hen. We will not fear what will happen to us as we perform the daily routines that are in our lives and careers. For in the moment of danger we know we have protection under the mother’s wings. As I was studying Matthew chapter twenty-three last night this example of a hen and her chicks was used by Christ in his lament over Jerusalem’s rejection of him.  Matthew 23:37b “how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!”  The secret to living this type of life is giving up the pride we have in being able to do things my way instead of God’s way.  A surrendering to God’s shelter provides will provide the peace of God that will be upon you with the long satisfy life he gives those who walk in his way.

Verse fourteen states “Because he loves me, says the Lord” is the focus point of our relationship with God.  My relationship with God is not based upon the way I live my life, but with whom I chose to have fellowship and companionship. I might not force God on others; however, I will not deny him as my God because I will acknowledge him to all who inquiries into my faith.

As I studied Luke 2:41-52 this morning I realized that this is the only glimpse of the boyhood of Christ in the scripture. We can see from these verses that there was a purpose that Jesus had in his life and that was to be about his Father’s business. As I read this psalm, I can picture Christ in his early age as a boy, just as David was a boy that spent his time mediating on God’s Word. In this Psalm I can picture Christ reading this psalm and seeing David as the subject of this Psalm placing himself as a lamb under the care of his shepherd. It is not how great and powerful the shepherd makes the lamb, but how the shepherd protects him. David realized that God was in control no matter had difficult the situation seems to be around him. This psalm instructs us on how living a life of faith in God just as the example that Christ’s life points to the secret of living a blameless life.  And that secret is a simple trust in the Most High. In Luke chapter two verse fifty-two the simple statement “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man”, is an example of how we a believer must grow in our life. So instead of focusing on the glorification of self as Satan wanted Christ to do in Matthew chapter four, we need to be focusing on dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and growing in our love for Him.