Part 3 - A personal understanding of Ps 91:9-16

Although Pastor Kong didn't tell us to memorise the rest of the chapter, I feel that in order for completeness, we should or at least I should, attempt to try to remember the remainder of the verses, so that I may strengthen my spiritual vocabulary, so that when I pray, I may pray out of the Word more than out of feeling. There is power in the Word, and more so when it is prayed out from memory. 

Ps 91: 9-10

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

This is in complete agreement with Ps 91:1-3, and is a repeat of the promise that as long as you take refuge in the Lord, He will ensure that you do not fall into the trap or the "snare of the fowler", and that you will be safe from "perilous pestilence". It is a promise and not just a statement! Only that verse 10 elaborates further, and states that "nor shall any plague come near your dwelling", that means this protection not just covers you alone, but extends to your house, your dwelling place, and presumably, anyone who stays within your home, such as your family!

Ps 91:11-12

For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.

In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Now verses 11-12 are very interesting because this are the same verses which the devil used to tempt  Jesus in the wilderness, but the devil basically lifted the verses, changed them and tried to use them to provoke Jesus, or for Him to expose his vanity or boost His ego, which of course was not successful, as Jesus was secure in who He was, basically as the Son of God. (Reference Matt 4:6, Luke 4:10-11). Notice that the phrase "to keep you in all your ways" is missing from verse 11, so it seems that the angels are to do anything you ask them to, but in reality, the purpose of the angels is to "keep you in all your ways", i.e. to ensure that you walk in accordance with the will of God. 

He did not need to agree to what the devil wanted, even if it seems like it is nothing "evil" or " bad" per se, to exercise His powers in vanity or as a display of power is to show a weakness, low confidence in the being of God, that He needed to prove something to Himself or to someone else that He really was the Son of God! That would completely miss the point, because what the devil wanted was for Jesus to second-guess His identity, and thus jeopardizing His mission.

Another point to note, which several other Biblical articles have also noted, is that it is not one angel, but "angels", so more than 1, but as to how many, it is not clear. Suffice to say, we have at least TWO angels who have been charged with watching over us, to protect us and keep us safe, such that we do not even dash a foot against a stone. 

It is an interesting imagery here, because how does one dash a foot against the stone? I can think of a few answers but these include (1) when there is insufficient light for a person to see where he is going (i.e. when you are not walking in the light or not walking in the will of God, whether purposefully or not), (2) you are running so fast maybe in a race, that you are careless of where your foot treads the ground (i.e. when you are so excited about fulfilling something or focused on a mission that you become careless and ignorant of your surroundings) or (3) when you are a young child who has just learnt to walk, but your feet are unstable and you cannot control your legs properly (i.e. a person who is spiritually immature or still a "babe" in Christ, and is unable to navigate the path set before him by the Lord). There are most probably many more scenarios, but the promise here is that God will send His angels to bear you up, lift you up above the problem, such that the stone does not become a stumbling block, does not cause you to trip or fall or get injured. 

This is a reminder to pray for God to keep His angels by your side, and not only for the angels to protect you, but also for you to be ready to command the angels to do what is God's will in your life! God leaves the angels charge over you, but that also means that God has empower YOU to command His angels on what they should do! This links to spiritual warfare (not just physical stumbling blocks). You are to command the angels on what they ought to do, but only if you first are walking in God's will!

Ps 91:13-14

You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

What do the lion and cobra (snake) speak of? The lion usually speaks of authority (earthly authority in this case) and the serpent speaks of satan, or something which is out to harm you. Ever since Adam feel from the garden, God made the devil into a serpent as a punishment, that he would have to forever crawl on the ground and attempt to strike at man's heel, while man would fight back and bruise the snake's head. 

Verse 13 speaks of the authority and power that the Lord will give to you, but only if you comply with verse 14, which is to set your love upon the Lord and worship Him only. Then the Lord will "set him on high", the person who has "known My name". Interestingly, the Bible says that God has already told us His name, which is I Am. But of course it is not a literal meaning, but it means that God is whoever He needs to be (i.e. I Am who I Am) for that particular purposes, for that particular moment, at that particular place, and for that particular person!

How do you know a person's name when you meet him for the first time? Only when the person wishes to establish a personal relationship with you, and introduces himself by his name on an intimate level, would you be able to call a person by name. So again, this links back to verses 1-2, of spending time with the Lord in prayer and worship, so that you may know Him, and call Him your refuge and fortress. 

So in short, there are two things to fulfil but three promises:

- if you love God with all your heart, He will deliver you from the enemy

- if you know God's name (have an intimate relationship with Him), He will set you on high

- If you do both, God will empower you to have victory over earthly authorities and the devil himself!

Ps 91:15-16

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”

Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (reflected again in Rom 10:13). He will deliver you out of trouble and honour you, or He will be with you in the midst of trouble. This is linked to earlier verse 14 that as long as you love God and call upon His name, then God will:

- answer you

- be present with you in whatever trouble or situation

- bring you out of the trouble 

- honour you 

- satisfy you with long life

- show you His salvation

There are indeed so many benefits which a believer may reap under Ps 91, as long as he is able to love the Lord, call upon His name, and acknowledge that He and only He alone is your hiding place, dwelling place, refuge and fortress. In short, Ps 91 is a prayer for protection not just against the problems of the day or night, but against spiritual attacks, war, sickness, disease, night terror, and everything which is meant for evil, God can protect you against it, whether is it through His angels or not, and not only will you be able to weather through the storms of life, you will emerge victorious, you will trample the enemy, you will be honored by both God and man, and you will even be blessed with long life. 

Indeed, Ps 91 is a powerful prayer which can be used in almost any situation, no wonder Pastor Kong encourages us to memorize this chapter! Intriguingly, there seem to be many reflections of these verses in the Book of Romans, I can't wait for SOT and the Bible study on the book of Romans!

Father, in closing prayer, I pray Ps 91 in its entirety over my life. I pray that as I commit myself to loving You, serving You, knowing You and Your Word, You will take care of me and my family, my finances, my job, my health, my relationships, my spiritual life, and everything around me will be protected by the angels which You have charged over me. I pray that Ps 91 will be ingrained and indoctrinated into my heart and soul, and that I would be able to wield it as a master swordsman wields his weapon, that I may carve a mountainous tally against the minions of the evil one. 

I love Your Word, and I want to use Your Word for the Kingdom of God. But first, help me to memorize it, internalize it, meditate on it. I will abide in Your Word, and You will abide in me. 

Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God

91 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the [a]fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and [b]buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall [c]bear you up,
Lest you [d]dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will [e]set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With [f]long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

In Jesus might name I pray, 

Amen!