The Bible

 

Psalms 91

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1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust.

3 For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover thee with his pinions, And under his wings shalt thou take refuge: His truth is a shield and a buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, Nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 For the pestilence that walketh in darkness, Nor for the destruction that wasteth 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 For thou, O Jehovah, art my refuge! Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent.

11 For he will 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 serpent shalt thou trample under foot.

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 show him my salvation.

   

Commentary

 

Exploring the Meaning of Psalms 91

By Julian Duckworth

Psalm 91 gives us strength. It shows how the Lord is with us, lifting us up, restoring us, and blessing us when we have made Him our dwelling place, and given Him our whole trust. Every verse outlines how strongly and surely the Lord defends and upholds us, no matter what we encounter or what we are required to go through.

There are vivid images: the Lord covers us with the feathers of His wings. His truth is our shield and buckler so that we need fear nothing. The Lord gives His angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways, to bear us up lest we dash our foot against a stone.

This psalm also shows us the inner mind and state of Jesus in His life on earth. It points out particularly the times of the Lord's absolute confidence that He was God, and that His divine nature would protect Him in temptations. He could trust that all outcomes would be victorious, even when in deep anguish and conflict. (See Arcana Caelestia 2288.)

On a smaller scale, it's the same for us. We have our changing states -- our influences from heaven and from hell which lift us or oppress us. This psalm is a good one to read when we are down, but it also expresses our confidence in the Lord's power to bring us out of the "valley of despond". It reminds us, during a spiritual crisis, that the Lord has pulled us through before, and the He will do so again. (See Arcana Caelestia 5280.)

In Verse 4 the imagery is of feathers and wings. This is reminiscent of a bird hatching and sitting on its brood. Spiritually, it shows us the protective nature of all spiritual truth. Feathers are made of firmly-hooked filaments, and a feathered wing keeps dry when water (here representing falsity) lands on it. This image also evokes the Lord's love covering us and His providence over everything. (See Arcana Caelestia 8764[6])

The great theme in this psalm is the "equation" that no evil will have power over us because we have made the Lord our dwelling place. To know this, to feel this, to assert this, and to think about this is always restorative. It is the ultimate answer to all doubt and trial, to come into the presence of God in ourselves. This principle is attested in almost every phrase of this psalm. (See Apocalypse Revealed 883)

In Verse 1 the imagery is of the angels who have charge over us. Angels truly are with us, and they work with us for our spiritual wellbeing. They also represent the truths from the Word which are in our mind and heart, 'to keep you in all your ways'. The lion and the cobra stand for fierce and sudden attacks from evil spirits which aim to bring us down. The Word's truths will render them harmless. (See Heaven and Hell 391)

Note that the end of the psalm mentions the assurance of 'a long life'. This is not in terms of age or years but in dwelling in the Lord, and in the permanence, the eternity, of this.