Scripture Text (NRSV)
91:1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the
shadow of the Almighty,
91:2 will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom
I trust."
91:3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the
deadly pestilence;
91:4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you
will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
91:5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that
flies by day,
91:6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction
that wastes at noonday.
91:9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your
dwelling place,
91:10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in
all your ways.
91:12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash
your foot against a stone.
91:13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the
serpent you will trample under foot.
91:14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know
my name.
91:15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in
trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
91:16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
Comments:
This is a beautiful psalm of putting our trust in God, who will
protect us from all harm. This is also a difficult passage, because
bad things do happen to Christians. Not all Christians live long
lives. This psalm does give a hint that the lives of believers are not
always smooth sailing. The psalm speaks of the need for deliverance
(v14), God's presence in times of trouble (v15). Verse 2 speaks of God
as our refuge and fortress. If our lives were free of all bad things,
we wouldn't need a refuge and fortress. Do vv 2,14-15 balance out
Psalm 21 and the idea that Christians will have a perfect life, free
of all heartaches? I know some believers feel that nothing bad will
ever happen to them. I believe bad things will happen, but God and my
family and church family will be at my side, helping me through the
storm.
Your brother in Ohio, Tim
Tim, you are right on the money! I have gone thru some really tough
personal times. A friend/supporter in my congregation e-mailed me
Psalm 91 a couple of weeks ago, and I've been sharing it with friends
in need since. Imagine my surprise to find it on this week's
lectionary list. I'll be preaching it to my elder folks at the senior
citizens residence this Sunday. Blessings-Rich in Bama
As the news covers the impending execution of Timothy McVeigh, and we
remember that terrible tragedy in OK City, it seems quite evident that
bad things do happen to good people. A great book, called "And the
Angels Wept", is a collection of the sermons preached in OK City the
Sunday after the bombing. Many of the composers of the sermons try to
deal with the question, "Why?". I've used the book to help me gather
my thoughts in several devastating incidents since the terrorist
attack.
Without getting into the politics of the death penalty, my initial
thoughts are that I'll treat this poem as a personal testimony -- of
someone who's looked back over life and seen God's deliverance. The OK
City incident might bring in opportunities to illustrate.
Like you, Tim in OH, I'm concerned about folks who think nothing will
ever happen to them, but I'm also concerned with those who've lived in
desperate situations for long periods of time, who might tend to
dismiss the psalm and its promises of God's protection. What do you
think we could say about that?
MTSOfan
"I will protect those who know my name" is an interesting phrase. To
know the name of the other was to have some power with that person
during that time. I'm just trying to figure out how that fits. Romans
seems to be talking about the name of Jesus too. Any thoughts out
there? Joy in Ind.
I appreciated the phrase, "I will protect those who know my name." It
made me recall Jacob wrestling with the spirit of the river asking to
be told its name in order to have power over it. Then too Adam was to
name all the plants and animals. The idea of nameing is significant in
the Old Testament. In even older traditions, it was thought that if
you knew the name, you could put a spell on the person but if you
didn't know their name it was impossible to do. (Wicca). Just some
random thoughts. Helen in Houston
Peterson ("The Message") paraphrases verse 14 to read: "If you'll hold
on to me for dear life," says God, "I'll get you out of any trouble.
I'll give you the best of care if yoiu'll only get to know and trust
me."
Perhaps that's good insight on knowing God's name. Also, one
commentary I was reading said that the verb in that verse, translated
"love" in the NRSV, and "clings to me" in the NJB, is literally
translated, "clings to me in love." Peterson may go a little too far
when he says, "hold on to me for dear life," but perhaps the imagery
is more of a hug?? I remember my kids, when they were toddlers,
clamping onto my leg. I used to call my second child a "Cling-on"!
MTSOfan
Helen in Houston Names are still significant. Even though most clerks
and delivery people wear their name, check out their reaction when
they are called by name by you in the line. So it is in my church.
When serving communion I call all I can by name. I have heard of some
indiginous peoples who do not name a child until age two. The native
americans add names I belive as a person gets older. When we accept
the name of Christian, we add a name to our own. Just a bunch of
musing. Maybe you can use some of it. nc-wi
I just had an elder in my church share at our session retreat that she
grew up in an abusive family and the only escape for her was church.
Psalm 91 would seem to speak to her. Sam in SC
I like verse 14 also...sort of says, "to know me is to love me."
John near Pitts, getting a really late start this week!
Date: 02 Mar 2001
Time: 21:46:50
Comment
My guess is that Ps. 91 expresses David's joy of being delivered from
some type of calamity, rather than laying out principles for how the
Lord works.
Good question: What have been the "close calls" from which you have
been delivered?
I think it says something about our need to be loved that we express
gratitude to God when we've been either delivered or spared from a
crisis or crash. I think there's something in us that perceives this
as coming from a God who loves us and blesses us.
Still trying to dig something out of this textf
John near Pitts.
Date: 03 Mar 2001
Time: 01:27:18
Comment
This is a psalm used in some monasteries at Compline, the last service
of the evening. The metric translation of the middle part we don't
have says "It is he who will free you from the snare / of the fowler
who seeks to destroy you. / He will conceal you with his pinions / and
under his wings you will find refuge." I think it's neat that we are
saved from the fowler by one who becomes a fowl! Incarnation, right?
For me, that's the only answer to bad things happening to Christians:
the vulnerability of our incarnate Lord. kbc in sc
Date: 2/25/2004
Time: 7:50:54 AM
Comment
This was the passage the devil refered to in tempting Jesus in the
wilderness. A sentence, taken out of context, could be used to
proof-text even the most evil intention. However, when study it in
context, we see a the thrust of the message in loving God, trusting
Him, and abiding in Him. More specifically, the proof-text the devil
used is about angels guarding us on our ways (as we following God),
and not guarding for jumping off the roof.
With the connection of Jesus's temptation aside; what other
implications can we learn from this Psalm? The thing that caught my
attention is the author seems to be a traveler (live in tent, your
ways, dashing foot against stone, encounter lion, adder, serpent,
etc.) As we realized that we are also traveler in this life journey
(that nothing is permanent), our focus on the shelter of the Most High
and the shadow of the Almighty will become our hope and faith for the
journey. (Abraham & Jacob's life would be good illustrations here,
too)
God Almighty and Most High, I too am a traveler. Evil come near my
fleshly tent daily, enticing me to sin and to follow the ways of the
world. The roaring lion seeks to destroy me, the serpent wants to
deceive me. Help me to love you, abiding in you, and trust in you.
Hear my call and answer me, rescue me from the temptations I faced...
Coho, Midway City
