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PSALM

CHAPTER 91

1 He that dwelleth 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 will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Here is a principal that I hope many believers will grasp. When we REMAIN in the closeness of the Lord, we come under His divine protection.

God is the "most High," the "Almighty," the LORD, and GOD. He is powerful enough to protect His people.

I was raised in the country. We had chickens. When it would begin to cloud up, mother hens would cluck to the young chicks, and they would run under the "wings" of the mother. This was their protection from the thunder, ligtning and rain.

Christians should be like those chicks. We should constantly remain in close communion with God. Then we remain in the PROTECTION of God!
God is our protection from the "fowler," or the "bird catcher" (the devil). God is a "refuge" from the storms of life. He is a "fortress" to keep us from the evils of the world.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Fear is a normal human reaction to disease, war, hurricanes and earthquakes; all of which are natural disasters.

But God gives His people, who abide in Him, an understanding that is greater than fear.

First, we must remember that as we live on this earth, God Who is in us, is greater than all that is around us (See 1John 4:4).
Second, we should remember that God gives His people a spirit of "power and of a sound mind." (See 2Timothy 1:7)

Though the fear of death is normal for human beings, God's saved people realize that death has NO STING (1Corinthians 15:55) because death simply means we go to be with the Lord!

Another blessing given to belivers is that they shall see the wrath of God upon unbelievers (verse 8). See also Psalm 58:10 and Isaiah 66:24.

9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Obviously this passage is Messianic, and applies to our Lord, Jesus. He is the ONLY ONE Who has perfectly aligned Himself with the presence and power of God in this physical life.

Satan used this passage of Scripture to tempt our Lord (Matthew 4:6). He was saying that Jesus could jump from the highest point of the steeple and be protected. But Jesus told him "..thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," quoting Deuteronomy 6:16.

God has also made His angels "ministering spirits" to the saved (Hebrews 1:14). They are ministers of God to believers for help. But that protection is given when disaster strike us. We are not to INVITE disaster with foolish actions!

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. 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. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

In 1Peter5:8, Satan is referred to as a "roaring lion." And in several passages of Scripture he is referred to as a serpent, or adder.

My friends, Christians are not under the power of the devil! Jesus has already broken the head of the serpent and stilled the roaring lion! Jesus has beaten him and is holding him down.

This means two things to the Christian. First, we have no one to blame for our sins but ourselves. We cannot say, "the devil made me do it"!!

Second, Satan has no power to deceive the Christian. Whevever there is temptation to do evil, God will make a way of escape for His people (1Corinthians 10:13).

This is AWESOME! And it presents an awesome responsibility to live in holiness!

We must be very careful to realize, however, that these promises are only to those who "submit themselves" to God (James 4:7).

And going back to the first of this chapter, that means to "dwell" in the "secret place" of the Lord. There's an old song that is written about this truth.

"When we walk with the Lord, in the Light of His Word, What a GLORY He sheds on our way.
"While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will TRUST AND OBEY!"
"Trust and Obey, for there's no other way, To be happy in Jesus, but to TRUST AND OBEY!"

CHAPTER 92

1 A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: 2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, 3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. 4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

See again how one song leads into another. For the joy of God's protection and power to live without fear, we should give Him THANKS!

It is a "good thing" to thank God everyday for His good works toward us. He has planned and brought salvation to us. He has given us "ministering spirits" (angels) to help us. He has given us His Word to teach us how to live properly and mold us into the image of Jesus our Lord. He gives us His Holy Spirit to live with us daily and be our strength. He grants us access to his throne through prayer at any moment.

These are acts of "lovingkindness" and "faithfulness" on the part of our Lord for our sake.

Truly God makes us GLAD. Let us PRAISE HIM!

5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. 6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. 7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: 8 But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.

A "brutish" man is a man who doesn't use good common sense. A "fool" is a man who doesn't believe in God.

Those people cannot understand the things of God, because they refuse to surrender to Him.

Man, wicked and sinful, is like "grass." Today he is here, and tomorrow he is not. But the end of his physical life brings him to judgment by the Lord God Who is ETERNAL!

God can and will give eternal LIFE to those who will surrender to Him. But for those who will not, He will grant them eternal DEATH -- or separation from him in a place filled with His wrath.

9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. 10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. 11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. 12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; 15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

God will indeed send all those who refuse Him to an eternal place filled with horror. But God will "exalt" the ones who surrender to Him.

After judgment, it shall be the "righteous" (saved) who shall "flourish." They will be "planted" in the house of God (heaven). They will bring "fruit" of praise for eternity.

It is God Who will accomplish this for His people. He will do it to SHOW that He is perfect in all His promises (verse 15).

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