psalm 91 commentary john macarthur

All Rights Reserved. That he will exalt and dignify them: I will set him on high, out of the reach of trouble, above the stormy region, on a rock above the waves, Isa 33 16. It means delivering from danger, which is how this translation sees it. ), which the WEB has updated. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. I will be with him in trouble (v. 15ab). They shall live long enough: they shall be continued in this world till they have done the work they were sent into this world for and are ready for heaven, and that is long enough. He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Come here, Gabriel, Michael, and all the rest of you, says the great King of kings to the angels around his throne; and when they come at his call, he says, Take care of my child. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. 3. Psalms 91:14. And those who have found the comfort of making the Lord their refuge, cannot but desire that others may do so. At the height of the battle during the noonday sun there is nothing but destruction but under the protection of Gods wings there is a sure refuge and He is the shield that is faithfully there throughout. Again at the end of day. 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. Most of us have never seen a fowler or a fowlers trap. Vaccines and other medical treatments have almost eliminated them for us. Our church recently experienced a norovirus that sickened 54 of the 60 people present for worship that Sunday. 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. Psalm 91 continues to be a source of strength, hope, promise and encouragement for every generation. Nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Both night and day thou shalt be safe. Here at Grace to You Europe we take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and, as you would expect, have undertaken a significant programme of work to ensure that we are ready for this important legislative change. Purgatory: Purifying Fire or Fatal Fable? The natural life, and is often fulfilled in our preservation from those dangers which are very threatening and very near, while yet we ourselves are not apprehensive of them, any more than the bird is of the snare of the fowler. This is a daring utterance, as if the psalmist would claim for himself the choicest privileges of any child of God. There are some who come to Gods house; but the man mentioned here dwells with the God of the house. They are such as call upon him, as by prayer keep up a constant correspondence with him, and in every difficult case refer themselves to him. Yes; and he rewards that knowledge: I will set him on high.. No locks nor bars can shut out diseases, while we carry about with us in our bodies the seeds of them. The devil is called a roaring lion, the old serpent, the red dragon; so that to this promise the apostle seems to refer in that (Rom 16 20), The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet. I'm reading this passage twice a day as a prescription instruction from a Bishop. I will say of the Lord, He is my then come three mys, as if the psalmist could grasp the Triune Jehovah, my refuge, my fortress, my God; in him will I trust. What a grand word that is, My God! But the psalmist assures us that, with God at our side, we have nothing to fear. In the light of the Lord you will see light; and you will discover the limed twigs and the nets and the traps that are set to catch you: He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler.. Psalms 91:4. A great truth laid down in general, That all those who live a life of communion with God are constantly safe under his protection, and may therefore preserve a holy serenity and security of mind at all times (v. 1): He that dwells, that sits down, in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty; he that by faith chooses God for his guardian shall find all that in him which he needs or can desire. 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. Previous post: 6 Important Reasons To Bring Hidden Hurts To God For Healing, Next post: 7 Sample Prayers Before Surgery or a Medical Procedure. Hell Under Fire - CIANZ Annual Conference Address, Jesus' Teaching on Hell - Samuel G. Dawson, The Nature of Hell - Evangelical Alliance, The Origin of Hell-Fire in Christian Teaching, The Bible Verses the Traditional View of Hell - Babu G. Ranganathan, Applying the Resurrection Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. The word For connects this verse with verse 2. 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. Scriptural Evidence for the Necessity of Obedience in Salvation, The Doctrine of Immortality in the Early Church - John H. Roller, Luther's views on soul sleep and the after life, Make Good Use of Your Servitude - Observations on Biblical Slavery, The Consensus of Current Scholarship: The Soul is Not Immortal, Killing the Canaanites - A Response to the New Atheism's "Divine Genocide" Claims. neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. 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. Is My Church Really A New Testament Church? Idolaters called their idols Mahuzzim, their most strong-hold (Dan 11 39), but therein they deceived themselves; those only secure themselves that make the Lord their God, their fortress. Nay, not thy person only, but thy dwelling, shall be taken under the divine protection: There shall no plague come nigh that, nothing to do thee or thine any damage." (4.) Ought the Church to Pray for Revival? Viewing things from God's vantage point--that is true comfort. A soherah (more often translated buckler) is a small round shield. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. "He, his shadowy plumes outspread. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This, however, is not a book that helps in grappling with problem verses; it simply helps a preacher or teacher come down to earth. 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. Psalm 91 God's Protection 911: Christians are under attack! (2.) The ASV, which is also in the public domain due to expired copyrights, was a very good translation, but included many archaic words (hast, shineth, etc. If he does not immediately put a period to their afflictions, yet they shall have his gracious presence with them in their troubles; he will take notice of their sorrows, and know their souls in adversity, will visit them graciously by his word and Spirit, and converse with them, will take their part, will support and comfort them, and sanctify their afflictions to them, which will be the surest token of his presence with them in their troubles. 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. Watch over him today. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Even if he should have but few years, yet he shall have a long life; for life is to be measured by the life that is in it, not by the length along which it drags. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot (v. 13). How could cholera or fever get into the secret place of the most High? Christ has broken the serpent's head, spoiled our spiritual enemies (Col 2 15), and through him we are more than conquerors; for Christ calls us, as Joshua called the captains of Israel, to come and set our feet on the necks of vanquished enemies. There is need to fear the night filled with terror or the arrows that are visibly seen flying during the day. Jesus countered, Again, it is written, You shall not test the Lord, your God.'. The charge is to keep thee in all thy ways; here is a limitation of the promise: They shall keep thee in thy ways, that is, "as long as thou keepest in the way of thy duty;" those that go out of that way put themselves out of God's protection. Because he has set his love (Hebrew: hasaq) on me, therefore I will deliver him (v. 14a). Many people have told me that only the supernatural intervention by angels commanded by God could explain certain miraculous situations that they were involved with, some having their lives being spared. He brings in God himself speaking words of comfort to the saints, and declaring the mercy he had in store for them, v. 14-16. - James P. Shelly, Genesis Week - Refuting Evolution - 100 Videos, The Enormity of the Error of Perverting the Gospel. 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. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, The Hebrew word sel means shadow of shade. Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More. Pastor John MacArthur interview in Servant 991 tells about being on a Christian talk show where he said to the host Dont you believe that the Holy Spirit the Word of God and . That he will, in the mean time, be with them in trouble, v. 15. Those who have themselves found the comfort of making God their refuge cannot but desire that others may do so. Surely, oh, blessed word! Whatever is done our heavenly Father's will is done; and we have no reason to be afraid of that. 9-10). 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.