He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I 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 fowler 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 buckler.
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.
Psalm 91, for me, has been one of the most encouraging passages during times of struggle. It paints the same picture a lot of the other Psalms do, that God is our strength and refuge. This one, though, echoes the language of the Exodus during the plagues in Egypt and promises in particular refuge from plague and pestilence. The Israelites were being oppressed by the Egyptians and preparing to flee into the desert. On the night of Passover (Exodus 12:12-13) they were instructed:
For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
Those who remained faithful to the Lord were "passed over" and did not see the angel of death. During the other plagues, the Israelites were given asylum from the horrors that consumed Egypt. Just as God protected the Israelites from the plagues, He also protected them from the "fowlers," the armies who tried to hunt them down in the wilderness. God delivered His people time and time again. When we turn back to the Psalm, we see the same message.
Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague 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, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."
Yet it's not by our own merit or righteousness that God saves us, as Titus 3:5 reminds us, "but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." Christians get sick, yes. Christians fall to armies and die, just as any other man. But through faith in God, faith in Jesus, He is merciful to us and delivers us to salvation. And that salvation is a refuge and fortress where no army can take, where no plague will come near.
Comments