Psalm 91: Confidence in the Lord’s Protection

[Preliminary Comments: There is a repeated picture that staying close to the Lord means we will be able to rest secure in His protection. It does however, it seems, need the personal commitment of the individual to make the Lord their protection [v.2,9,10]. A confidence comes throughout the psalm that the Lord WILL protect us when we come close [v.3-10] and on top of that assurance comes the assurance that He will send His angelic forces on our behalf [v.11,12] who will bring us victory [v.13]. In addition, there is confidence in His assertions that He is for us [v.14-16]. A psalm of confidence in the Lord’s protection.]

v.1 Promise of security close to the Lord

v.1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

v.2 Personal declaration of that security

v.2 I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.’

v.3 Confidence in His protection from attack & illness

v.3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.

v.4 Assurance of God’s faithfulness acting as protection for us

v.4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

v.5,6 This will translate into peace in the freedom from fear

v.5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,

v.6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.

v.7,8 It includes freedom from fear of judgment

v.7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.

v.8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

v.9,10 Making God your security will make you secure

v.9 If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,

v.10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.

v.11,12 Why? Because He will send His angelic forces to protect you

v.11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;

v.12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

v.13 This will include defeating the enemy

v.13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

v.14-16 There is total confidence in God’s promises of protection

v.14 ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

v.15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.

v.16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.’

[Additional Comments: A psalm that brings a sense of peace in the knowledge that as God’s children, when we draw near to Him, we may know the wonder of His protection. A psalm to be read out loud in faith declaration.]

For those who may wish to make a study of this chapter, to perhaps think some more about what you have been reading, use the link below: