Psalms 91:1

PSALM 91

THE SECURITY OF HIM WHO TRUSTS IN GOD

"Jewish tradition assigns this psalm to Moses, an assignment which Dr. Kay and others accept as borne out by the facts."[1] We fail to be impressed with the current fashion of late-dating many psalms upon considerations which, at best, are very precarious and questionable.

One rather perplexing characteristic of this psalm was mentioned by Maclaren, "There are sudden and bewildering changes of persons, from first person to second person, etc., in which `He,' `I' and `thou' alternate."[2] The context usually affords the clue to what is meant and who is the speaker, or the one spoken to.

The paragraphing that we follow here is that of Briggs.[3]

Security of the True Worshipper of God

Psalms 91:1-4

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in whom I trust.

For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,

And from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover thee with his pinions,

And under his wings shalt thou take refuge;

His truth is a shield and a buckler."

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High" (Psalms 91:1). "`The secret place' is here generally understood to mean `the temple' or `tabernacle,' but `one's dwelling there' is not a reference to persons actually living in the temple. It seems rather to mean those who consistently worship the God who is enshrined there, or to, "Those who make the temple of God their habitual resort."[4]

"He will deliver thee" (Psalms 91:3). Two perils are mentioned here, (1) the snare of the fowler, and (2) the deadly pestilence. Both of these indicate the type of peril that is unseen, striking the strong and the weak alike. "The snare of the fowler is a metaphor for evil plots,"[5] that might inflict loss or even death. The other danger here is "the deadly pestilence." The human race is never exempt from the ravages of mortal illnesses that come about from the spread of infectious diseases. The `Black Death' (the bubonic plague) of the 14th Century wiped out the majority of the population of Europe; and Durant declared that, "One-fourth of the population of the civilized world perished, the deaths in Europe alone reaching 25,000,000."[6]

The great pestilence of 1918 was the swine flu which wiped out more people in the United States than our nation lost in World War I.

The threat of such things, held partially in check by the diligence of the medical profession, is nevertheless perpetual. All kinds of fatal diseases lie submerged within the microscopic life surrounding all men, and any of these may break forth at any time. A recent example is AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

"He will cover thee" (Psalms 91:4). God's protection of his own is assured in words such as these. From the New Testament, we learn that God's children are by no means to be protected from death from every threat and at all times. What is meant is that God will protect them even "through death." Our Lord spoke of Christians who would even be put to death, saying, "But not a hair of your head shall perish" (Luke 21:18).

This does not deny that the Providence of God does indeed provide protection from the most terrible dangers for those who truly love him, doing so now in this present earthly life.