December 5thPsalm 91
Salvation
Living in the Most High’s shelter,
camping in the Almighty’s shade,
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my refuge, my stronghold!
You are my God—the one I trust!” [CEB]
This psalm is a powerful claim that God is One whom we can trust. Four titles for God are used:
‘The Most High’ – the One who promised blessing;
‘The Almighty’ – the One who promised an inheritance;
‘The Lord’ – the God of the covenant name, Yahweh.
’My God’ – the One who gives strength and safety.
Each name is different and tells us of the core truth about this God we worship. This God is our refuge vs.4 and 9). ‘Refuge’ in fact is a key word throughout the Psalter.
In the Psalm 90.14, Moses pleads with God to ‘Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.’
Psalm 91.16 suggests that Moses’ prayer has been answered: ‘With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.’
Then something unique in the Psalter; God speaks! Seven first person verbs are used in vs.14-16:
‘I will -deliver…protect…answer…rescue…honour…satisfy… show.
Seven often symbolizes completeness or perfection. It seems that the people have been able to gain a wise heart (90.12) by entrusting themselves and their futures to God.
This psalm, however, is also open to misunderstanding. Some Christians take the promises here as a guarantee against any hardship or peril. In Matthew 4:5-7 and Luke 4:9-12, the devil cites verses 11-12 in an attempt to entice Jesus to throw himself down from the top of the Temple. While it is interesting to see that the devil knows the Psalms, his misappropriation of verses 11-12 is instructive. Jesus’ refusal to embrace the devil’s interpretation suggests that to claim the promises of verses 11-12 for self-serving purposes is unfaithful. It amounts to testing God rather than trusting God. Jesus will not claim the promises of Psalm 91 as a way to avoid suffering. Rather, when Jesus claims the promise of divine protection and help, it is from the cross (see Luke 23:46, quoting Psalm 31:5).
When I was a teenager a popular book for Christian youth was Shadow of the Almighty. It told the story of five young families who went to Ecuador to minister to the Auca people. Five men were killed after an early encounter. Some years later, Elizabeth Elliott, wife of Jim, one of the dead, wrote her book reflecting on this incident and the follow-up story of how the mission continued. She includes in her book a famous line by Jim Elliott: ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.’ The title of the book comes from Psalm 91 but the sentiment expressed by Jim Elliott seems to me to capture the heart of what the psalm affirms. This prayer invites us to meditate on God’s promises and base our lives upon them even when those promises seem to fail.
Or, like Christ on the cross, we affirm that God will give us ’a long drink of salvation’ in life even beyond death.
14-16 “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 you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
give you a long drink of salvation!” [MESSAGE]