Click here to read PSALM 91 in poetic form
Background
Psalm 91 is the second in the Numbers Book of the Psalms, which goes to Psalm 106. God’s rest is a major theme of these 17 Psalms, and this specific Psalm shows that the Messiah will bring God’s rest. This is one of the most comforting Psalms to people of all ages. Just as Jesus Christ found rest in the Father, so we can enjoy the rest that our savior brings.
Structure
(Verse 1) Messiah trusts in God as his refuge
(Verse 2) Messiah speaks of his trust in God as his refuge
(Verses 3-13) God’s care for the Messiah
(Verses 14-16) God speaks of His care for the Messiah
Key Scriptures
Verse 5—”Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;” God protected the Messiah day and night, just as He does for us today.
Verses 11,12—”For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Notice how the Devil (as Satan, the deceiver) misquoted this verse about the Messiah. Matthew 4:6: “And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Luke 4:10,11: “For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” The adversary deleted “in all thy ways,” thus making God’s protection questionable in this specific situation. He also added “at any time,” implying that God could forsake the Messiah and allow his foot to be dashed. Satan is the father of all lies and doubts.
Verse 13—”Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” Note that Satan stayed clear of this next verse from Psalm 91 where he had quoted. For this showed that the Messiah, the seed of the woman, would crush the serpent’s head as promised in Genesis 3:15.
Verse 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.” It was Jesus Christ’s love for the Father that brought God’s great deliverance in his life time and time again. He trusted God would care for him and knew his Father’s name and authority as a living reality.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!
The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.
