Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 91:1 and following. Indeed, if gratitude is the feeling that suits us for the elapsed time (Ps 90:1-17), the one that must dominate in us for the future is trust in God. Great are indeed the moral dangers that threaten the believer. Who is the birder, the lion, the aspic, the dragon…, if not Satan himself? “The calamitous plague… who walks in darkness” does she not speak to us of sin, something far more serious than a disease? “The arrow that flies by day” suggests such bad thought springing up unexpectedly from an image of the street, a reading or a dubious conversation. The “fears of the night” are the worries that often prevent us from experiencing the peaceful sleep prepared by the Lord (Ps 4:7-9). Whatever the trap or threat, we have a strong place, a refuge: Almighty God Himself. Let’s imitate the One who in the midst of the same dangers has perfectly realized this trust. Christ in the desert knew how to confuse and bind the Tempter who had dared to quote this psalm. From verse 9, God’s promises come to answer the prayer of the perfect Man. We will also enjoy it to the extent that we, like Jesus, put our faith and “affection” in God.
For in contrast to the moral weakness of man, considered in the previous psalm, he celebrates the rights and prerogatives of this perfect Man, in whom there was no weakness. For all men are under the death penalty because of sin, but Jesus did not know sin. His nature was spotless. He has always perfectly fulfilled god’s good pleasure, and has acquired the right to full security and blessing. We have here the charter that recognizes such privileges. This psalm was a true city of refuge for Christ, if he had at any time chosen to flee there. But he agreed to have no refuge, and, although sinless, to be made sinful for us. He stripped himself of these rights which belonged to him as a man as he had previously stripped himself of his divine glory. Phil. 2 shows this double lowering.
What an immense contrast between the whole life of Jesus and the way of Adam! Adam was nothing, but sought to be like God. Jesus was everything, consciously equal to God and yet he annihilated himself and stripped himself. The condition in which he came – he took the form of a slave; the rank he held here on earth – son of the carpenter; his life, his way of acting, his testimony – all were in absolute contrast with the one who distanced himself from God out of pride and thus determined the course of the “present evil century” (Gal. 1:4). Constantly he hid, constantly he stripped himself. He could have called legions of angels (as this very psalm entitled him to (Mat 26:53), but he was the silent prisoner of his iniquitous persecutors. If he taught, drawing the admiration of the crowd, he would say, “My doctrine is not mine, but of him who sent me” (John 7:16). If he performed miracles, he said, “The Son cannot do anything of himself” (John 5:19).
What incense, what a perfume of good smell was for God this life of Jesus! This good divine pleasure is expressed here (verses 14-16). And what rest and consolation for the heart, much more, what peace for the conscience, to know that God has received such honor, such satisfaction in a world such as ours! What value does the life of Jesus give to death, to the blood of Jesus! His blood is the ransom of the sinner, his only title; but all the delight that God has found in Him helps to confirm the right of this blood to the trust of the poor sinner. What a contrast, all to the glory of Christ, presents to us, when we read Ps. 91 following Ps. 90: “the man of God” confesses the moral weakness of man, finds the cause in the iniquity of man, and recognizes that the only help he can hope for is in a new creation of which God himself must be the foundation at the same time as the craftsman, the cornerstone mistress as well as the head of the angle.
For in Psalm 91, a divine oracle is addressed to the Messiah, telling him that because of the perfection of his trust, his moral glories, God would be his “strong place”, guaranteeing him against all that would be weakness, accident, subject of fear, danger, damage of all kinds; and the voice of God himself confirms this, and recognizes the perfection of the Messiah’s affection, as the oracle had recognized the perfection of his faith and his walk. But there is more, although this psalm does not express it: in his day, the anointed of the Lord abandoned those rights and this safeguard which were recognized and assured by a divine declaration as belonging to him, to him the Son of man. It is a mystery that confuses us, that he has accepted to be made sin for sinners, and to claim and manifest the glories of God in their fullness (Mat 26:53-54). Thus, man’s weakness can only expect his remedy from God.
For the Messiah has perfections, and has no weaknesses, but he surrenders to God all the rights that these perfections confer on him. This is why theark of Christ in perfect submission to God, assures the blessing to His people: We have to notice that everything – the character of God in all its aspects is considered here from the point of view of the earth. As for the question of how Christ was able to make the abandonment of all earthly blessings, as a present thing, in order to take 1st position of perfect obedience, trusting in an absolute way in his Father, it leads us to deeper views on God’s purposes and on the path of the Beloved himself. For Satan would have wanted to use precisely what is said here to divert him from the path of obedience, and bring him into that of defiance and self-will (Luke 4:9-12).
But God be blessed, it was in vain, as we know. The gratuities granted to David (Isa 55:3) were to be found in an obedient and risen Being, and deeper blessings and higher glories were thus to be introduced. But he who has followed this perfect march of submission, has nevertheless ensured all the fruit to those who will walk after him in this position of trust in the Lord on earth. This principle is manifested in various forms throughout the book of Psalms: and even Christ’s atoning work, implying that he personally renounced earthly blessing, was necessary for others to follow this path in which he could, naturally, walk personally without it. We find, in Ps. 21, a divine revelation as to how the promise of life was fulfilled for the Lord.
The following verses have been compiled for our edification and grouped together for our better understanding.
Under the protection of the Most High:
· Providence sustains, it preserves the faithful
Dt 6:24 Jehovah commanded us to put all these laws into practice, and to fear Jehovah, our God, that we might always be happy, and that He would keep our lives, as He does today. Ps 31:24 Love the Lord, you who have godliness! The Lord guards the faithful, and He severely punishes the proud. Ps 37:28 For the Lord loves righteousness, and he does not abandon his faithful; They are still in his custody, but the seed of the wicked is entrenched. 2 Tim 4:18 The Lord will deliver me from all evil work, and He will save me to bring me into His celestial kingdom. To him be the glory to the centuries of the centuries! Amen!
· Safety of the Saints, General References
Ps 91:5 Thou shalt fear neither the terrors of the night, Nor the arrow that flies by day, Ps 112:7 Thou shalt not fear bad news; His heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. Pr 3:24 If you go to bed, you will be without fear; And when you go to bed, your sleep will be soft. Hb 13:6 So we can confidently say: The Lord is my helper, I will fear nothing; What can a man do to me? 1 Pet 3:13 And who will mistreat you, if you are zealous for good?
· Most High, title given to the Lord
Dt 32:8 When the Most High gave an inheritance to the nations, When He separated the children from men, He fixed the limits of the peoples According to the number of children of Israel, 2 Sam 22:14 The Eternal Thundered from heaven, The Most High made His voice sound; Ps 7:18 I will praise the Lord because of his righteousness, I will sing the name of the Lord, of the Most High. Ps 83:19 Let them know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High on all the earth!
· Longevity, promised to those who obey
1 Kings 3:14 And if you walk in my ways, keeping my laws and commandments, as david your father did, I will prolong your days. Ps 91:16 I will satiate him for many days, and I will make him see my salvation. Pr 10:27 The fear of Jehovah increases the days, but the years of the wicked are shortened. 1 Pet 3:10 If anyone, in fact, wants to love life and see happy days, let him preserve his tongue from evil and his lips from deceptive words,
From all the above, we note here another very important principle: By taking place with Israel, in the position of trust in the Lord, the Messiah became the channel that must bring the full blessing of the people. Three names ofGod are presented to us in this Psalm: the one by which he was in relation to Abraham, the name of Almighty; then another name, of which Abraham may have known prophetically through the testimony of Melchizedek, the millennial title of Elohim, when he takes his highest title on earth (Gen 14:18-20), the name of the Most High. These two names, like all the names of God, both have their own meaning: one recalls his perfect power, the other his absolute supremacy. The third name is that of Jehovah. Then the question arises: Who is the God to whom this place belongs? Who is this supreme God above all else on earth? Who will find the secret place of his home to live there? Whoever has lodged there, will be completely protected by the power of the Almighty. The Messiah (Jesus) immediately said, “I said of the Lord: He is my trust and my strong place.” He takes Jehovah, the God of Israel, for his home. Thusverses 3-8 let us know the answer he receives: Without a doubt these things are true of every pious Israelite, and all the faithful can have them, but led by the Spirit of Jesus, the only perfect faithful, who really took this position. For in verse 9, it is Israel who speaks, that is, the Spirit personifying Israel, addresses the Messiah: “Because you have put the Lord, my refuge, the Most High for your dwelling, no evil will happen to you.” The address continues until verse 13; then verse 14, Jehovah himself speaks of the Messiah (Jesus) as the one who has placed his affection on Him and who will obtain the full blessing of Jehovah, because he has known His name. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “God’s help and protection.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.