psalm 91 commentary john macarthur

One is that often God amazingly delivers them physically when others around them are falling. Yahweh is the psalmists manseh (refuge or shelter). The angels keep the charge of the Lord their God; and this is the charge they receive from him. We know that death and taxes are the two certainties in lifedeath being the most certain of the two. How could cholera or fever get into the secret place of the most High? Thanks for stopping by! In my father's house there are many mansions, one needs not crowd another, much less crowd out another. The young lion and the dragon, but the child of God shall overcome them. Some of the most powerful evidence that proves Jesus to be Whom he claimed to be is found in the historical fulfillment of the prophsies He foretold in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a.d. We ought to ask ourselves, Now, am I in Gods way? Guest. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot (v. 13). Assuring glimpses of a future "God's day" bolsters the call for perseverance to the end. Yahweh is promising to bless the person who knows him in this intimate way. and the Most High your dwelling place, Commentaries for Psalm Chapter 91 The safety of those who have God for their refuge. It is the character of a true believer that he dwells in the secret place of the Most High; he is at home in God, returns to God, and reposes in him as his rest; he acquaints himself with inward religion, and makes heart-work of the service of God, worships within the veil, and loves to be alone with God, to converse with him in solitude. The pestilence is something that you cannot see. Psalms 91:4. Try it free for 30 days. Yahweh does David an honor by using this word for David, where he refers to David as the elyon (highest) of the kings of the earth (Psalm 89:27). Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, If you dwell near to God, you will not be deceived by Satan. Psalms 91:10-11. Psalms 91:14. Here are more promises to the same purport with those in the foregoing verses, and they are exceedingly great and precious, and sure to all the seed. He is neither fickle nor false, neither weak nor mortal; he is God and not man, and therefore there is no danger of being disappointed in him. He who is the Lord of the angels, who gave them their being and gives laws to them, whose they are and whom they were made to serve, he shall give his angels a charge over thee, not only over the church in general, but over every particular believer. He will live as long as he wants to live. There are some who come to Gods house; but the man mentioned here dwells with the God of the house. Some make this to be spoken to the angels as the reason of the charge given them concerning the saints, as if he had said, "Take care of them, for they are dear to me, and I have a tender concern for them." This is a daring utterance, as if the psalmist would claim for himself the choicest privileges of any child of God. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. (6.) 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Log In A Protest - Joseph Agar Beet D.D. That seems to overstate the case. The imagery here is that of God being a protective parent bird like the eagle which covers His young under their wings and shades them from the elements and any prey that might attack them. Psalms 91:1. 45MBC. Seneca De Providentia. I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. A man may die young, and yet die full of days, satur dierumsatisfied with living. As you may be aware, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into full effect on 25th May 2018. The Christian & Politics: Has the Contemporary Church Become Obsessed With Political Solutions? Read them in the archive below. See Ps 34 19; 2 Tim 3 11; 4 18. and show him my salvation.. A soldier would be equipped with one shield or the other, but the psalmist perceives Yahwehs truth as embodying the advantages of both. Psalms 91:6-7. Viewing things from God's vantage point--that is true comfort. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High. Aye, that is true, you will say, who makes any doubt of it? ", Counterfeit Cross - Bear or Burn: The Fruit of Obedience in the Parables of Christ - updated, Counterfeit Cross - What is a "Carnal Christian"? Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; Nervous as you are, and naturally timid, when you dwell near to God, your fears shall all go to sleep. Being under His wings and in His fortress and Him as the refuge, the fear evaporates during the terror at night,noon, or any part of the day. They shall be taken under the peculiar care of Heaven, Ps. I. It is also nimble enough to deflect blows from unexpected directions. That they shall have a sufficiency of life in this world (v. 16): With length of days will I satisfy him; that is, [1.] (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006-2009), VanGemeren, Willem A. i. I will be with him: So, no man need add solitude to sadness, but may have God sitting with him, like Jobs friends, waiting to comfort him with true comfort. (Maclaren), ii. That is a wonderful promise: Thou shalt not be afraid. If it had said, Thou shalt have no cause for fear, it would have been a very comforting word; but this is even more cheering, Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night.. Champions of Conditional Immortality in History, Conditional Immortality - Its Relation to Final Retribution, Conditional Immortality - Samuel M. Ohmart, Fallacies In The Annihilationism Debate: A Critique Of Robert Peterson, Important Forgotten History - Roots of Opposition to Conditionalism, Life in Christ - A Summary of Conditional Immortality, Summing Up the Case for Biblical Conditionalism - Froom, The Hypothesis of Conditional Immortality - William R. Huntington - 1878, Why I Believe In Conditional Immortality - by Sidney A. Hatch, Death and the Afterlife by Robert A. Morey - A Review by Edward Fudge, Martin Luther & William Tyndale On the State of the Dead, Near Death Experiences - Samuele Bacchiocchi. 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. Talk of St. George and the dragon! The MacArthur Bible Commentary treats every passage of the Old and New Testaments phrase by phrase, with hundreds of word studies as sidebars throughout. In this study, Dr. MacArthur examines the book of Psalms and reveals how the hymns it contains points to an all-powerful God who is to be respected, worshiped, and praised for his loving care of his peopleand to whom we can turn to help in times of need. We are all, by nature, God's enemies, and we deserve His wrath. MacArthur is a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969 . Resource Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version(ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 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! When multitudes die round about us, though thereby we must be awakened to prepare for our own death, yet we must not be afraid with any amazement, nor make ourselves subject to bondage, as many do all their life-time, through fear of death, Heb 2 15. Can True Christians Commit Apostasy? Can any language be loftier? The Great Lie: What about the Immortal soul? 3. Those who have themselves found the comfort of making God their refuge cannot but desire that others may do so. Final Judgment, Identifying True Israel: Following God's Faithful Down the Ages, The Significance of A.D. 70 in the Prophecies of Christ, Biblical Hermeneutics - Qualifications Of An Interpreter - M. S. Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics - Special Hermeneutics - M. S. Terry, Of Justification by Faith and Works - William Law, Sanctification - Its Nature - by J.C. Ryle, Sanctification - The Growth of the New Man, Scriptural Evidence for the Deity of Christ, The Carnal Christian - by Ernest C. Reisinger, The Christian's Relationship To The Mosaic Law w/audio, The Lordship Controversy and Repentance - Ernest Reisinger, The Word-Faith Movement - Christian Research Institute, A Treatise of Earthly-Mindedness - Burroughs, Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross - James P. Shelly. He will cover you with his He will cover you with his pinions,and under his wings you will find refuge;his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. I will honour him; those are truly honourable whom God puts honour upon by taking them into covenant and communion with himself and designing them for his kingdom and glory, John 12 26. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,nor the destruction that wastes at noonday,and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Hebrews 6:4-8 on Apostasy - In verses 1-2, the psalmist uses four names for God: The Most High (Hebrew: elyon). Life and Immortality - Basil Atkinson, M.A., PhD. Used by permission. . Vaccines and other medical treatments have almost eliminated them for us. Jack has written 1285 articles on What Christians Want To Know! The Unholy Trinity: The World, The Flesh, The Devil Psalms--BASICS Psalm 91 OUTLINE vs. 1-2: Assurance of God's Protection vs. 3-8, 11-13: The Ways God Protects vs. 9-10: An Invitation to Receive God's Protection vs. 14-16: Promises from the Lord for His Protection "Here, after the carefree delight of Psalm 98, we recollect how exalted and holy he is, and how profound is the reverence we owe him." (Derek Kidner) A. In 1969, after graduating from Talbot Theological Seminary, John came to Grace Community Church. Even there, God is present. His faithfulness (emettruth) is your shield (Hebrew: sinnah) and rampart (Hebrew: soherahbuckler) (v. 4c). Nay, it is promised to God's people that they shall have the satisfaction of seeing, not only God's promises fulfilled to them, but his threatenings fulfilled upon those that hate them (v. 8): Only with thy eyes shalt thou behold and see the just reward of the wicked, which perhaps refers to the destruction of the first-born of Egypt by the pestilence, which was both the punishment of the oppressors and the enlargement of the oppressed; this Israel saw when they saw themselves unhurt, untouched. They shall be delivered from the malice of the powers of darkness (ver 3, 5, 6), and that by a distinguishing preservation, ver 7, 8. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. 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. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. It is not every man who dwells there; no, not even every Christian man. 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. That they shall be preserved in common calamities, in a distinguishing way (v. 7): "When death rides in triumph, and diseases rage, so that thousands and ten thousands fall, fall by sickness, or fall by the sword in battle, fall at thy side, at thy right hand, and the sight of their fall is enough to frighten thee, and if they fall by the pestilence their falling so near thee may be likely to infect thee, yet it shall not come nigh thee, the death shall not, the fear of death shall not." He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 8 You will only look with your eyes, That he will, in the mean time, be with them in trouble, v. 15. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling placethe Most High, who is my refuge no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.. Globally, we are faced with wars and rumors of warplagues and pestilenceenemies equipped with the Bombtyrants and corrupt politiciansa world changing so rapidly that it makes our heads spinand a host of other problems. Elohim is plural, so it can apply to any gods. The promises that are sure to all those who have thus made the Most High their habitation. 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. my God, in whom I trust.. The Hebrew word batah (trust) means to feel secure or to have confidence in. The psalmists faith in God gives him confidence and a feeling of security. In this verse, resting in the shadow of the Almighty is the blessing that the faithful person experiences for dwelling in Yahwehs presence. His nature we cannot fully know; but by his name he has made himself known, and with that we must acquaint ourselves. The Septuagint (LXX: Greek version of the Old Testament) attributes this psalm to David, but that remains in question. I will deliver him, and honour him. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. We owe it, more than we are sensible, to the care of the divine Providence that we have been kept from infectious diseases and out of the hands of the wicked and unreasonable. 2 I will say of Yahweh, "He is my refuge and my fortress; Biblical and Practical Advantages for Meeting Within Homes. 2. Bible Verses, Quotes, Christian Answers, Songs and More. 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 eyesand see the recompense of the wicked. The sprinkling of blood secured the first-born of Israel when thousands fell. Yahweh was Gods personal name for the Israelites. Is Sovereign the Best Descriptor for God? We ought to think more of the saint and the dragon. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand. The Life-Giving Shepherd (John 10:1-11) Pastor John MacArthur. 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. Enter your email address and we will send you instructions on how to reset your password. You who know the Lord, pray that you may attain to this high condition of dwelling in the inner shrine, always near to God, always overshadowed by those cherubic wings which indicate the presence of God. The word elyon is usually translated Most High, and is usually used for God. I will be with him in trouble; Whatever that trouble is, I will be with him in it. Of course He did. Yes; and he rewards that knowledge: I will set him on high.. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. When the child is in perfect health she can leave it in the hands of the nurse; but when it is sick she will attend it herself; she will say to the nurse, You may attend a while to some other business, I will watch over the child myself. (Dawson, cited in Spurgeon), (c) 2020 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik ewm@enduringword.com. Yahweh is like that. It would have served them well when King Cyrus of Persia defeated Babylon and freed Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city, where they found a ruined city and were faced with many enemies. When we meet with trouble and accident, we ought to inquire whether we are in Gods way. 13 You will tread on the lion and cobra. 4. The Nature of Man - Dualistic or Holistic? 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. ), The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, 5 vol. Once at the beginning of day. He is a refuge that will not fail me; for he is my fortress and strong-hold." The MacArthur Bible Studies provide intriguing examinations of the whole of Scripture. They shall be enabled, by the grace of God, to look down upon the things of this world with a holy contempt and indifference, to look up to the things of the other world with a holy ambition and concern; and then they are set on high. There being no reason to question his sufficiency, fitly does it follow, In him will I trust. - Darryl M. Erkel, Church Leaders and the Use of Honorific Titles, Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats - Charles Spurgeon, House-Churches? Lions serve as a metaphor for powerful forces that can take us apart with one swipe of their claws. I saw newspaper pictures of children confined to iron lungs that helped them to breath. The Hebrew word qeteb means destruction, but can also mean sting (Hosea 13:14). Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. This psalm is a powerful chapter when a believer is in a time of crisis. Why is the church losing its young people? It is to know relationally or by experience, and is therefore an intimate kind of knowledge. A sinnah is a large rectangular shield. The verb yada (has known) means to knowbut more. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings God dispatched angels to help Isaac find a wife (Genesis 24:7)and to protect Israel in the Exodus (Exodus 23:20-23; 32:34; 33:2)and to sustain Elijah in his flight from Jezebel (1 Kings 19:5-8)and to carry people to heaven (Luke 16:22)and to release apostles from prison (Acts 5:19). It is only because they have made the Lord God their dwelling place, dwelling in safety and abiding in Him, therefore as their refuge, nothing evil will befall them and no plague will come close to their tents. I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. I am one of those. Psalms 91:15. Whatever is done our heavenly Father's will is done; and we have no reason to be afraid of that. Let us come boldly there; and, when we once enter, let us dwell there. When you hear a glorious doctrine preached, it may be very sweet to others; but the honey lies in the particular application of it to yourself. ", You must enable JavaScript to view all available content on this page, Counterfeit Cross updated - We Walk by Faith Pt II - Taking Up Our Cross. 91:1, 4. Verse 1 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High." The blessings here promised are not for all believers, but for those who live in close fellowship with God. (2.) 2. He who dwells in the secret place (Hebrew: seter) of the Most High (v. 1a). But the psalmist assures us that, with God at our side, we have nothing to fear. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. We can count on it. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. He did his graduate work at Moody Theological Seminary. (General Editor), New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, 5 vol., (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), Again, it is written, You shall not test the Lord, your God. However, I am confident that God is with us in life and in death. The care which the angels take of the saints, pursuant to this charge: They shall bear thee up in their hands, which denotes both their great ability and their great affection. You can check these in your browser security settings. 4. In singing this we must shelter ourselves under, and then solace ourselves in, the divine protection. Again at the end of day. III. . And from the noisome pestilence. - Curtis Dickinson, Do we have an immortal soul? Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. But we must also acknowledge that not all prayers for healing are answered. 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. (2.) Hardcover. They sometimes appear in human form (Genesis 18:2; Ezekiel 9:2). When we are retired into our chambers, our beds, and have made all as safe as we can about us, yet there is terror by night, from thieves and robbers, winds and storms, besides those things that are the creatures of fancy and imagination, which are often most frightful of all. Psalms 91:5. Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection? God (Hebrew: elohim). Growing Up With Two Moms: The Untold Childrens View. (3.) - Bullinger, Rise Of The Theory Of Universal Restoration - Henry Constable, Universal Restoration Substituted for Eternal Torment, Absent From The BodyPresent With The Lord, Cross Purposes: Atonement, Death and the Fate of the Wicked. By far the most common name for God in the Old Testament is Yahweh, which means I am who I am (Exodus 3:14)but elohim is the next most common. In this case, the psalmist emphasizes its deadly character. 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. 11 For he will put his angels in charge of you, We know whom we have trusted. Theologian Paul on Life, Death, and Immortality - Froom, Gravity of Ascribing False Teachings to Christ - (refernce to Dives and Lazarus), The Old Testament Use of the Word Sheol (Hell), The Rich Man and Lazarus: An Intermediate State? Can any thought be more profound? We, dear friends, may have secret enemies, who shoot at us, but we shall not be afraid of the arrow. Gender Revolution - What are they teaching your kids? Surely, oh, blessed word! (1.) It goes beyond head-knowledge to heart-knowledge. Prayer: The Believer's Constant Conversation (Ephesians 6:18-24) Pastor John MacArthur. 14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. And those who have found the comfort of making the Lord their refuge, cannot but desire that others may do so. There is need to fear the night filled with terror or the arrows that are visibly seen flying during the day. D, The Duration And Nature Of Future Punishment - Henry Constable. God by his grace will keep thee from disquieting distrustful fear (that fear which hath torment) in the midst of the greatest dangers. His books are include: Teaching Children The Gospel/How to Raise Godly Children, Do Babies Go To Heaven?/Why Does God Allow Suffering?, "The Great Omission; Reaching the Lost for Christ," and Blind Chance or Intelligent Design?, Empirical Methodologies & the Bible.". I have often noticed how long Gods people live. Romans 12:2 [3.] Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. Tagged as: Truth is faithful. Dec. 25, 2022. It is he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High, who, by Gods help, treads upon the lion and adder, and of whom it is written, The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.. The Immortality of the Soul: A Protest - Joseph Agar Beet D.D. 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. will rest (Heb. HELL: will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. What the promises are which God makes to the saints. Towns across the country closed their swimming pools. Anderson, A.A., The New Century Bible Commentary: Psalms 73-150 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), Broyles, Craig C., New International Biblical Commentary: Psalms (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999, Brueggemann, Walter, The Message of the Psalms A Theological Commentary (Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1984), Clifford, Richard J., Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Psalms 73-150 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003), DeClaisse-Walford, Nancy; Jacobson, Rolf A.; Tanner, Beth Laneel, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Wm.