The Secret Place: Psalm 91

[Guest shiloh357]

The Secret Place: Psalm 91

By

Shiloh357

INTRODUCTION

As the titles indicates I am embarking upon a new study of the 91st Psalm. It is an extremely encouraging and edifying Psalm. It is by far, a favorite of many, and rightly so.

It is not clear who the author of this Psalm is. Many believe that it was written by Moses given the Tabernacle imagery coupled with imagery consistent with Israel's deliverance from Egypt. Some believe that it was written by David after his words to Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:1-21. It would have also been fitting for David to be the author as it talks about God's protection from those enemies who seek our demise. David's life was besieged by attempts upon his life from a jealous King Saul, and of course his embattled reign of Israel, in a constant state of war with the Philistines and his own son Absalom's attempt at overthrowing him. Surely David could speak much about God's protection over his life, and such a Psalm would be fitting for David to write. It is worth noting that the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions do ascribe this version to David. Still, there is no indicator as to the author at the beginning of the Psalm, and no internal clues from the Psalm itself that would help us arrive at pinpointing its author.

One of the most interesting things about how this Psalm is written, is the constant change of "persons" in the text. You will notice in a simple cursory reading, that the author speaks of "you" "he" and "I" when speaking of the Lord's protection and deliverance. This leads some to believe that this Psalm might have been used in a responsive fashion by a choir. Certain parts of the choir taking up the different "persons" would have essentially been singing to each other.

By way of outline, given the structure relative to the different "persons" used, the Psalm can be divided in the manner as prescribed by Barnes citing Tholuck:

I. The general statement of the safety of those who put their trust in God, Psa 91:1.

II. A responsive declaration of the author of the psalm, that he would make the Lord his refuge, and the Most High his habitation, Psa 91:2.

III. A statement of the security or benefit of doing this, Psa 91:3-8.

IV. A responsive declaration - repeated - by the author of the psalm that he would do this; that God

Edited May 16, 2006 by shiloh357

[IslandRose]

*Pulls up chair, opens Bible, sits ready to learn*

[Avodah]

*Sits beside IslandRose*

[Guest shiloh357]

I. The general statement of the safety of those who put their trust in God, Psa 91:1.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

(Psalms 91:1)

"He that dwelleth..."

This is not a reference to just anyone, but to a specific person or kind of person. It is he that dwells. The word for dwell is is y'shahv in Hebrew. It means "to sit." More to the point, it means to sit in confidence or calm repose. "He that dwelleth at ease in full assurance of safety, wanting nothing." It hearkens to those Scriptures that speak of resting and waiting on the Lord. One who has made the Lord his dwelling place, has put the full weight of His trust and faith in the Lord and may, with full assurance lean upon the Everlasting Arms.

"...in the secret place of the Most High..."

What exactly is the "secret place" being referenced here? It is the presence of God, as it is written:

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

(Psalms 31:20)

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

(Psalms 32:7)

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

(Psalms 37:7)

God, Himself, is our "secret place." He is our habitation, our hiding place. He is our strong tower, the One in Whom we rest and find our peace and strength, as it is written:

Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

(Psalms 71:3)

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

(Psalms 91:9)

Notice that this is the secret place of the "Most High." The word used for "Most High," is elyon and refers to God as the unreachable, inaccessibly High God. Yet, we are able to dwell in His presence. God who is beyond our reach loves us enough to condescend and make Himself accessable. Jesus made the Father accessable to us. Salvation is not about us being good enough to finally make it to God's level. It is about God coming down to our level. It is about God in Christ literally getting down on his knees as a Father does to his child to relate to that child face to face. The Most High God who had every justifiably righteous reason to ignore and reject us, didn't.

All throughout the Bible from the Garden of Eden, to the Tabernacle in the wilderness, to the Temple in Jerusalem, to the Cross on Calvary, showed His desire to dwell among us, to be with us. His love is unconditional, and whosoever will may partake. Did you know that you are God's chief desire? Did you know that He rejoices over you?

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

(Zephaniah 3:17)

God rejoices over His people!! We are His chief desire, the joy of His heart, and all He asks of us, is that He be our chief desire, our habitation. He wants to be our habitation. He wants us to live in His Presence, not just when things are rough, not just when we are in trouble, but all of the time. It is when times are easy, when we are not under attack, that we need to seek His face, to dwell in His presence continuously. How often we forget about Him when the money flow is good, when the children are getting good grades, no one in the family is sick, and life is treating us well. It is then that we need to be in a state of preparation, a time of seeking to enter into more intimate fellowship with the Lord.

As Christians we really do have a double blessing. Not only do we full access to the Most High to make Him our dwelling, but He has taken up residence in us who have received Him as Savior and Lord. He is in us, and we are in Him. The true Temples of worship are in the hearts of men. God does not dwell in a Temple made by hands. We are both individually, and corporately, the Temple of the Lord, as it is written:

In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.

(Ephesians 2:22)

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

(2 Corinthians 6:16)

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

(1 John 4:15-16)

"...shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty."

The word for "shall abide" is, yitlonav and literally means "to lodge" or, "pass the night." Both y'shahv and yitlonav signify a continuous dwelling, not an occasional or temporary visitation during times of trouble.

"In the Shadow" is b'tzale, and refers to God's defense, or protection. Dwelling in the Secret Place of God's presence will keep us safely under His protection.

He is the "Almighty," Shaddai. He is the all sufficient one. God is more sufficient than we are needy. There is more power in God to meet the needs of His people, than His people have need of. There is more salvation available, than there are sinners that need saving! There is more forgiveness in God than there is depravity and sinfulness in man. Whatever the need, God is more than enough.

God is more than enough to be our defense! It says in Isaiah:

So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

(Isaiah 59:19)

The enemy may look like he is coming in like a flood from our perspective, but God is more than sufficient to defend us from His onslaught. Next to God, our enemy, Satan, isn't' a flood; he isn't even a drip!!!

I want you to pay careful attention to this verse. The blessing here is conditional. This is verse does not apply to all believers, but applies only to those who make the Lord their habitation. It is those who seek to dwell in His presence, and make it a priority in their lives. This is not for those who are satisfied to be outer court worshippers, but those who press in closer receive special and rare blessings. Surely those who remain in the outer court, if they knew what was available to them, would come closer and attain intimate familiarity with the Lord.

Edited November 9, 2005 by shiloh357

[refugepsa91]

Great study shiloh May I have permission to print this out and put it on my fridge?

Love and Blessings,

Angel

[Guest shiloh357]

Great study shiloh May I have permission to print this out and put it on my fridge?

Love and Blessings,

Angel

Go for it!!

[Guest shiloh357]

II. A responsive declaration of the author of the psalm, that he would make the Lord his refuge, and the Most High his habitation, Psa 91:2.

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

(Psalms 91:2)

"I will say of the LORD..."

The author is taking a general truth and making it personal. "I will say of the LORD..." What we say is important. It is especially important what we say about the Lord. I am not referring to the "name it and claim it," positive confession stuff, but it is important that our speech line up with what the Bible says, as it is written:

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

(Psalms 19:14)

It comes down to our testimony. "I will say of the Lord..." What are you saying of the Lord in the presence of your friends and co-workers? We are so quick to speak of our doubts, our discouragements, our disappointments. We are quick with the criticisms and curses, but what do we say of the Lord? Have we indeed descended to a level that any testimony of God we could offer would be a reproach? We need to say less of our favorite sports teams, less of our politicians, less of what the world is doing, and more about the Lord. I am not saying that we should not address world issues, political issues, but we need to temper our remarks in such a manner that they do not undercut our testimony.

The word for LORD in Hebrew, as most of you know, is YHVH. This is known as the Tetragrammaton. It is the supreme Name of God. It is considered by Jewish people to be the ineffable Name. Therefore it is usually written without vowel points in Hebrew literature.

It is interesting because it is the most supreme Name in the universe, but it is also God's redemptive Name as well. For example:

YHVH Tzidenu - The LORD our righteousness

YHVH Kidshanu - The LORD our sanctifier.

YHVH Rophe - The LORD our healer

YHVH Nissi - The LORD our banner

YHVH Rohi - The LORD our shepherd

YHVH Shammah - The LORD is here

YHVH Shalom - The LORD our peace

Those are just a few examples of how YHVH appears as God's redemptive Name. This is important because it relates to what I said earlier about the word Elyon being a reference to the "Most High" God. Just as the inaccessible God has made Himself accessable, God has also chosen to relate to man through His most high, and most supreme Name. The first time God is ever mentioned as YHVH is after the creation of man in Gen. 2:4. To the rest of the world, He is Elohim, but to mankind, He is YHVH. Again, we see a similar condensension on God's part to relate to us not only as Father but as redeemer.

Now the Psalmist evidently sees Him as YHVH Mahkasehti (The LORD my refuge) and YHVH Metsudati (The LORD my fortress). It is important for us understand how the LORD has revealed Himself to us, and for us think and speak accordingly. These are not theological concepts, they are the reality of who God is, and how He wants us view Him.

"He is my refuge, and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. "

This is the testimony of the one who has made the quality decision to dwell in the secret place of God's presence. Religion is not my refuge. My church is not my refuge, my job is not my refuge, a spouse cannot be my refuge, Jesus Christ is MY refuge; how about you???? Too often we put waaaay too much pressure on other people to be what only God can be for us. I have seen too many marriages fail because one or both spouses expected the other person to make them whole. No one else can do that. No one else can be your refuge. No one else can support you, sustain you, protect you, like Jesus. Too often relationships are on the rocks because someone held their spouse or friends to an impossible standard, and when they did not measure up, the relationship died.

Only the Lord is our refuge. Only He is our habitation. How can we in practical ways make the Lord our habitation? How do we dwell in calm repose, in the Lord? The Bible has the answer for that:

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

(Psalms 37:3-7)

The Bible also says,

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

(1 Peter 5:7)

The Psalmist says that God is both a refuge AND a Fortress. He is not only our shelter but an unassailable fortress. As long as we are dwelling intimately in Him, as long as we are the enemies plans will always fail. That does not mean that we will not have problems, but it means that all the attacks and assaults the enemy can throw at us will ultimately be for naught, as it is written:

A Song of degrees. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even forever.

(Psalms 125:1-2)

The Lord is your fortress. He loves you and surrounds you like the walls that surround Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a testimony of God's faithfulness. God says in Zechariah, that God will be wall of fire around Jerusalem. He says this in spite of her unfaithfulness, in spite of her disobedience. God is faithful to Word, and cannot deny Himself. God will be a wall of fire to you as well. He will compass round about you when you run to Him for protection. He is your refuge, your fortress, your strong tower. When the bills are too high, he is your refuge, when the boss lays you off, he is your refuge, when it seems that everything in your life is falling apart, when the enemy seems to be unleashing everything in his arsenal against you, the Lord is your fortress, your shield. As it is written:

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

(Psalms 46:1)

This needs to be our testimony of the Lord beginning now. This is what the world needs to be hearing from us. They need to see a difference. We live in a generation where Christians are trying too hard to look, act, dress, and talk like the world and then wonder why they are not able to rise above the world in their daily walk. It is time for we as believers to be leaders, to be different than anything the world has seen. So many are crying out for something to believe in. That is why our testimony is so important. That is why, when they are scratching at the ground for their next meal and worried sick about what is going to happen next, too afraid to live, and too afraid to die, they need to hear and see our testimony of Jesus Christ our Refuge, our Hope, and our Help in days of turmoil. They need to see our calm repose and our confidence. When they do, they will want to know where we got it! They need to see, that even though we are going through some of thesame crisis, we are not going through them alone, and without hope. We need to point them to Jesus, and invite them into our Refuge.

Edited November 9, 2005 by shiloh357

[angels4u]

Thank you very much for posting this wonderful article, it is just what I need to hear: )

To live a Christian life is to be very dedicated to how we walk and what we do and say,we are in the world but not of the world and if we don't have our lamps shining how will the world see Jesus?

and how I love this verse:

The Lord is your fortress. He loves you and surrounds you like the walls that surround Jerusalem

Amen, Angels

[Guest shiloh357]

III. A statement of the security or benefit of doing this, Psa 91:3-8.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. (Psalms 91:3)

"Surely..." Consequently... We see before us the results of pressing into the secret place, of abiding in His shadow.

"...He shall deliver thee from the snare of of the fowler..." Here, we have the 1st result of dwelling intimate fellowship with the Lord. The snare of the fowler is a figure of speech derived from the traps that were layed to catch game birds. The Psalmist tells us that we can have the assurance that God will deliver us from the devices and purposes of Satan, our sworn enemy.

We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

(1 John 5:18)

John is telling us that whosoever is born of God does not habitually sin. He does not sin and enjoy it. It is not in his character to sin. He keeps himself, not by his own strength, but he puts forth a conscious effort with Divine assistance to keep himself pure, as it is written:

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

(1 John 3:2-3)

This goes back to verse one, really. He that dwells in the secret place does so, habitually. It is a quality decision to live in God's presence, to do those things that please the heart of the Father. This is not about moral reform or, behavior modification. It is about finding that secret place, the place of God's protection. That is how we keep ourselves. We keep ourselves from sin, by taking up residence in the presence of our Heavenly Father!! When we focus on God instead of ourselves, and have our eyes fixed upon Him, holiness is not something we labor at but, becomes a natural expression of who we are in Christ. When are focused upon living in close, loving intimate fellowship with God, we will naturally do those things that please him. Obedience from the heart is never a chore, but a rejoicing of the heart.

I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

(Psalms 119:14)

Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.

(Psalms 119:24)

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

(1 John 5:2-3)

So, as we seek to keep ourselves in His presence, we will find that Satan's purposes and plans will not avail him anything.

"...and from the noisome pestilence."

"Noisome" means "fatal or "destructive," both in Hebrew and English. "Pestilence" obviously can be rendered as "plague." It is that which spreads death and calamity whereever it goes. We see that God promises deliverance from two things: First, He promises delieverance from the traps and snares layed for you particular. Second, He delivers you from the plagues misfortunes that ravages those round about you.

We as believers have already taken part in this amazing promise. We have been delievered from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. We have been delieverd from the enemy's purposes and from the noisome, fatal pestilence of sin. We have been delivered form the curse of the law, and from the spiritual death that comes from sin. It is simply up to us to appropriate what has already been provided for us by Christ on the cross. We, more than the Psalmist, have the ability to enter into a deep level of intimacy and familiarity with God, and yet we seem satisfied to stand in the outer court. We are content to stand afar off. Often the failure to see descriptions like what we find in Psalm 91:3 occurring in our lives is because we don't press in closer to our Father.

Charles Spurgeon wrote of this verse:

"There is a deadly pestilence of error, we are safe from that if we dwell in communion with the God of truth; there is a fatal pestilence of sin, we shall not be infected by it if we abide with the thrice Holy One; there is also a pestilence of disease, and even from that calamity our faith shall win immunity if it be of that high order which abides in God, walks on in calm serenity, and ventures all things for duty's sake. Faith by cheering the heart keeps it free from the fear which, in times of pestilence, kills more than the plague itself. It will not in all cases ward off disease and death, but where the man is such as Psalm 91:1 describes, it will assuredly render him immortal where others die; if all the saints are not so sheltered it is because they have not all such a close abiding with God, and consequently not such confidence in the promise."

In the wilderness, the closer you were to the pillar of fire and the pillar of smoke, the more protected you were. The Children of Israel had to remain under the fire and smoke. If one ventured out into the wilderness and away from the presence of God, they fell prey to whatever was lurking in the darkness. It may have been this very imageary that entered into the mind of the apostle John when he said:

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

(1 John 1:6-7)

We must remain in His presence. That is what walking in the light, I believe is all about. You will find that walking in love, walking in the light, walking in the Spirit, are just three ways of saying the same thing. It is interesting, because the more we are in the presence of God the more we seek to please Him, which brings us closer to the Lord, which causes us to please Him more, which draws us closer to Him, which causes us to please Him more... it could go on and on. This is what we need. We don't need more behavioral modification, we need more of God, we need to press in to be close to Him. That is where the power, and the protection is. That is where we find the joy, and the peace (shalom) that passes all understanding.

Edited November 9, 2005 by shiloh357

[yomotalking]

I remember I had to learn this at School.