Psalm 91:
“Jehovah: The Refuge for the Godly”
“For He shall give His angels charge over you,
to keep you in all your ways.”
“Refuge” appears 18 times in the Psalms (in the King James Version). Four different Hebrew words are used. The first word means “an inaccessible impregnable situation; a high place or tower”; it is used in Psalms 9:9 (twice); 46:7,11; and 48:3. The second word means (in its verb form) “to flee, to take refuge; to trust”; and as a noun, “a refuge, shelter”; it is used in Psalms 14:6; 46:1; 62:7, 8; 71:7; 91:2, 9; 94:22; 104:18; and 142: 5. The third word is the same in meaning as the second, and appears in the future tense in Psalm 57:1. The fourth word means, “escape for life, or from immanent danger”; it is used in Psalms 59:16 and 142:4.
Two of these 18 occurrences are in Psalm 91. In verse 2, it is used as the writer vows to claim the Lord as his refuge. In verse 9, he is rewarded by the One Who is his refuge for living up to his vow!
With this important and useful information before us, we are in a good position to study the three mains points of the poem.
ONE: TRUSTING IN THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD (91:1,2)
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust."
The truth about God—ah, yes, what a great thing to know! He has a “secret place” in which all can dwell. He is the “Most High”—a name of God that cannot apply to any other being than the One Who has no equal. He, as the Almighty, has the ability to provide shelter “in the shadow of His wings.” He is the LORD (Jehovah), a maker of covenants due to His love for our souls. He is the One and only One Who can be refuge and fortress in all circumstances. He is My God—and the “my” can be anyone—even me!
Therefore, He deserves my trust.
TWO: SAFETY UNDER HIS WINGS OF REFUGE (91:3-13).
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
This long section has three parts, all of which illustrate the point that there is safety under God’s wings of refuge. In verses 3-6, he writes of safety from the “fowler”. A fowler is one who lays snares to catch birds. This is done in such a way as to trick the prey so that it is caught without even sensing the danger. In view of the fact that life has a wide variety of snares in it, God has revealed Himself as the One Who can take care of us in these situations. That does not mean that we will never have problems. What it means is that He is there to not only protect and deliver, but to rescue when we are in different and dangerous circumstances. In the middle of this group of verses, we are told that there is one thing that serves as our shield and buckler: HIS TRUTH. This refers to the idea of defense. God’s truth, and His faithfulness to His truth, are always dependable.
In verses 7 and 8, he writes of safety from circumstances. When large numbers of people are falling, those who have God as their refuge will not be touched by the devastation. We can see examples of this in the flood from which Noah and seven others were spared, the closing of the Red Sea from which the Israelites were spared, and other such examples. We who have come to the Most High for refuge will see others reap as they have sown, but by the grace of God, we will be spared.
In verses 9-13, he writes of safety from all evils. This is not to be taken as a universal statement implying that the faithful will not suffer, or that we are not subject to the laws of the physical universe. It was this very misapplication that led to Satan’s abuse of this scripture when he tempted Jesus (Matthew 4; Luke 4). The life of the faithful child of God is a life of victory. Under the law of Moses, God promised many earthly blessings for those who would adhere to His ways. Sadly, Israel’s history has few examples of their long-term faithfulness—but there are no examples of God’s unfaithfulness!
THREE: BECAUSE HE LOVES US (91:14-16)
"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation." (NKJV)
As the poem ends, the Lord speaks. His closing comments include the idea that God has revealed Himself as a refuge because of His love. And if we return that love by coming to Him through obedience, He will keep all of His promises. Our humble obedience will lead to the following: the Lord “(1) will deliver him from trouble, (2) exalt him and honor him, (3) give him the privilege of prayer, (4) satisfy him with long life, and (5) show him God’s salvation! What a mountain of motivation there is here for humble and faithful service of God! (Coffman, Volume 2, p. 158).
Tradition has it that this psalm was written by Moses. Whether it was or not, there are certainly many examples of the refuge lesson in the life of the great prophet.
Are you willing to come to the Lord for refuge? Will you come to His truth and obey the will of His Son (Hebrews 9:15-17)? All that He requires of you is to learn and obey His commandments (John 6:44,45; 3:5; Mark 16:15,16).
— Skip Andrews
Next Week:
Psalm 92:
You are Responsible
for all good things
Listen to our Sunday services on the Web.
Just go to
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and follow the instructions.
SICK LIST:
Theresa Heilman was in a car accident last week. She has some injuries
but was able to be with us Sunday. Stanley Crews, minister of the
Williamston Church of Christ in North Carolina, has had two brain surgeries
and is in critical condition. Wayne Kendrick’s brother, Gene Kendrick,
has cancer. Daryl Callender’s brother remains in ICU recovering from
a fungal infection in his blood following by-pass surgery. Skip is
scheduled for a biopsy Friday, August 17. Electa Wilson is
at Gwinnett Extended Care. Let’s remember those who are ill and their
families in our prayers.
PLANTATION SOUTH: Group 3 is in charge of the services today at 1:30.
FOR THE RECORD:
AM Class
138
AM Worship
165
PM Worship
114
Wednesday Class 125
Contribution
$4733
BRIDAL SHOWER:
There will be a salad luncheon/bridal shower honoring Tish Callender Sunday,
August 26, immediately following morning worship. All the ladies
of the congregation are invited to attend. Tish is registered at
Target, Rich’s, and Service Merchandise.
BACK PEWS FOR OUR VISITORS: The elders are asking our members to leave the center two back pews for our visitors who may arrive late. Your cooperation is appreciated.
OPEN HOUSE: The open house for Truth for the World’s new facility was well attended. Sixty-nine signed the guest book during the tours. We are so thankful we can reach people all around the world with the gospel.
MISSION WORK: Jimmie Hill, Paul Meacham, Jr., and Thomas Reid left Tuesday afternoon for Ghana. Our prayers are with them as they work spreading the gospel and their families as they are separated.
EVENING LADIES’ CLASS: Monday, August 27, at 7:30—this will be the last lesson in our “Daughters of Eve” study. Please make plans to attend.
VOLUME 3:18 AUGUST 19, 2001