July 24, 2023 — Psalm 91

“You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the hunter and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and defense. You will not fear the terror of the night or the arrow that flies by day or the pestilence that stalks in darkness or the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your refuge,the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them and show them my salvation.”

Throughout this psalm G-d is presented as a refuge and a fortress. G-d is compared to a mother bird who will cover you with the feathers of her wings. The faithfulness of G-d is compared to a shield, a fortified rampart or wall.  

To put it mildly, the language of Psalm 91 is unstintingly confident.  There is no hesitation here. Nowhere does the psalmist say, “Maybe you will be OK with G-d.”  The rhetoric here is far more sure.  Listen: he will save you; you will not fear; a thousand may fall but it will not come near you; no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near you; you will not strike your foot upon a stone.

This is where we can jump to Satan’s temptations of Jesus. He is led up to a very high place and tempted to step right off the edge because, after all, G-d promise in Psalm 91, “He will give his angels charge over you so that you will not dash your foot upon a stone”?  The devil knows the Bible – and that thought should give you pause.

But Jesus refused. Jesus knew what we also need to remember: the promises we find in the Bible are not supposed to become fodder for some divine “fear factor”-like dare. We are not supposed to force G-d to come through for us – and then criticize G-d when everything crashes down on our heads. Psalm 91 is not supposed to be a type of litmus test as though you are supposed to think that if your life does not already look exactly this safe, secure, and completely snug, then there is something wrong with your faith.

What Psalm 91 does say is that no matter what happens, if God is your refuge and strength, then there are several things that will never change. G-d will always love you. G-d does not wish harm on any of G-d’s children. And G-d is able to use unhappy events to make us stronger so that we can in turn help others. G-d does not forsake us or forget us. Whatever else Psalm 91 says, it lets you know that if you make G-d your refuge, you can be assured that G-d will always receive you. When you run to embrace G-d, he is going to hug you back, not slap you in the face.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, when tempted by the devil, you remained true to your Father, who commanded his angels to watch over you. Guard your church from the plague of sin, so that we may remain faithful to you until the day when we enjoy the fullness of your salvation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Amen.