9/20/17

Tom Lowe

 

Psalm 91

(A Messianic psalm, and gives a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.)

 

Title: THE HIDING PLACE

Theme: Song of life and light

 

Scripture

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

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

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

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.

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.

 

INTRODUCTION

The emphasis in Psalm 91 is on the dangers in life. The anonymous author (though some think Moses{6] wrote it as well as Psalm 90, and that both are an exposition of Deuteronomy 33:27{8]) mentions traps, deadly plagues, terrors at night and arrows by day, stumbling over rocks, and facing lions and snakes! However, in view of terrorist’s attacks, snipers, reckless drivers, exotic new diseases, and Saturday night handgun specials, the contemporary scene may be as dangerous as the one described in the psalm. The saints who abide in Christ (vs. 1, 9) cannot avoid facing unknown perils, but they can escape the consequences. Moses, David, and Paul, and a host of other servants of God, faced great danger in accomplishing God’s will, and the Lord saw them through. However Hebrews 11:6 cautions us that “others” were tortured and martyred, yet their faith was just as real. But generally speaking, walking with the Lord does help us to detect and avoid a great deal of trouble, and it is better to suffer in the will of God than to invite trouble by disobeying God’s will (1 Peter 2:18-25). The psalmist described the elements involved in living the life of confidence and victory.

One of the most interesting things about this psalm is that Satan knew it, memorized it, no doubt hated it, but employed it (in the usual distorted and devious way he always handles the Word of truth) to try to tempt the Christ of God to leave the path of obedience to His God. The Devil is a great student of Scripture. The devil studies the bible. He studies it for his own twisted ends. And he is a very diligent student of the Bible, far more diligent than we. His use of this psalm shows us how well he had mastered God’s Word.

This lovely psalm was first written in Hebrew, but before the coming of the Lord Jesus into this world the whole Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament) was translated into Greek.  In that translation, the Greek Septuagint version, verse 12 has an addition: “He shall give His angels charge over thee…they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Then the words “at any time” are added.  They do not appear in the Hebrew Bible, but have been added in the Greek translation.  That addition suited Satan perfectly.  When he quoted from Psalm 91 in the temptation of our Lord he did not quote the Hebrew, but the Greek.  That’s how good a student he is of the Bible.  He found a version which suited his purpose and quoted from that one.  The Lord Jesus refused to fight Satan over which version should be used.  He sidestepped that issue by countering Satan’s quotation with another and so disarmed the evil one entirely.

Although, authorship of this psalm is uncertain, we can be sure that God wrote it.  We cannot say with certainty on which occasion it was written, but one view is that it was written to keep in mind that great pestilence recorded in 2 Samuel 24. We know it contains truth and that it works.  So then, let us examine this short but potent psalm. But before that I want to point out that the psalm contains nine promises of security:

  1. Deliverance from hidden dangers (91:3)
  2. Immunity from fatal disease (91:3)
  3. Shelter and refuge (91:4)
  4. Protection in the faithfulness of God (91:4)
  5. Freedom from fear (91:5)
  6. Safety even in the midst of massacre (91:7, 8)
  7. Insurance against calamity (91:9, 10)
  8. Guarded by Angelic escort (91:11, 12)
  9. Victory over the lion and cobra (91:13)

 

 

COMMENTARY

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

The most important part of a believer’s life is the part that only God sees; the “hidden life” of communion and worship that is symbolized by the Holy of Holies in the Jewish sanctuary (Exodus 25:18-22; Hebrews 10:19-25).

The author of the psalm had two “addresses”; his tent (v. 10) and his Lord (vs. 1, 9). The safest place in the world is a shadow, if it is the shadow of the Almighty.

The names of God used in these verses (2 in v. 1 and 2 in v. 2) encourage us to trust Him. What a great collection of divine names, each having its own special meaning of promise or of power.

  1. Elyon, “The Most High”: Possession

He is Elyon (vs. 1, 9), “the possessor of Heaven and earth” a name found first in Genesis 14:18-20. He is higher than the kings of the earth and the false gods of the nations and He owns everything.  That is the thought connected with this name. Thirty-six times in the Bible God calls Himself by this name.  I find in Him both refuge and fortress, One who gives both safety to those who trust and safety from the danger which threatens. How about that for a hiding place!

     2. Shaddai, “The Almighty”: Provision

God is Elyon, the possessor of everything, but He is also Shaddai. The thought behind that name is that God is not just a living God, but a giving God. He is the one who supplies all our needs; the all-sufficient God who is adequate for every situation. (See Genesis 17:1; 28:3)

 The thought is that of provision. How about that for a hiding place!

 

Here and in the following verse, the poet expresses his confidence in the security afforded by “the secret place of the Most High{7]” (v.1), who is his “refuge” and his “fortress” (v. 2).  Our security rests, first, on the nature of God.  He is the Most High, the all-ruling God (Genesis 14:19); He is the Almighty (Hebrew Sadday), the God who intervenes in saving power when man’s strength is quite gone (Genesis 17:1; 28:3).

The “secret place” is the hiding place provided by God’s sheltering care. To dwell in God’s shelter refers primarily to frequenting the temple, but it alludes also to the worshipping attitude of heart which finds its security in God (27:4{9]). The “shadow” is God’s protection; the titles “Most High” and “Almighty” are allusions to the sovereign power of God to protect and provide for His own.  He makes us His protected guests (Genesis 19:2), because it is His duty to keep us safe.  He that by faith chooses God for his guardian shall find all that in him which he needs or can desire.

The words “shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” imply a consistent and continuous dwelling and not just a temporary visitation during trouble or calamity.  Psalm 91 is a promise to those who take up residence in the secret place.

 

All the Rivers of Thy grace, I claim;

Over every promise write my name.

 

Jesus is the One who in a preeminent way dwelt in “the secret place of the Most High,” and abode under “the shadow of the almighty.” There never was a life like His.  He lived in absolute, unbroken fellowship with God, His Father.  He never acted in self-will but did only those things that the Father directed.  Though He was perfect God, he was also perfect Man, and He lived His life on earth in utter and complete dependence on God.  Without equivocation He could look up and say, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him I will trust (v. 2).”

 

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

Dear reader, this is beautiful language. I am glad I can say, along with the psalmist, “Jehovah is my God, my refuge and fortress.”  Others will make idols their refuge, but I will say of Jehovah, the true and living God, He is my refuge; any other is a refuge of lies.  He is a refuge that will not fail me; for he is “my fortress and strong-hold.”  He is neither fickle nor false, neither weak nor mortal; He is God and not man, and therefore there is no danger of being disappointed by Him.  We know whom we have trusted.  The One who is depicted for us in these verses is the same Man who was the blessed Man in Psalm 1the Lord Jesus Christthe perfect, holy, sinless Man. He always dwells in the secret place of the Most High.

The names of God used in verse 2 are:

  1. Jehovah, “The Lord”: Promise

This was the greatest name for God among the Hebrew people. He is the God who exists because He exists, the I AM, the eternal, immutable, unchangeable One. Especially, He is God in covenant-relation with His own. The thought here is that of promise. He is the God who has pledged Himself to do certain exceedingly great and wonderful things for His own, things which cannot be thwarted by any demon in hell, any adversary on earth, or any failure on our part. He is our refuge and fortress (strength, 46:1{10]). He hides us so that He might help us and then send us back to serve Him in the struggles of life (see 27:5{11]). He is Lord (vs. 2, 9, 14), Jehovah, the covenant-making God who is faithful to His promises. How about that for a hiding place!

     2. Elohim, “God the Creator”: Power

Elohim is God as creator. The thought is that of power. He is God (Elohim), the powerful God whose greatness and glory surpass everything we can imagine. This is the God who invites us to fellowship with Him in the holy of Holies. The hidden life of worship and communion makes possible the public life of obedience and service. How about that for a hiding place!

 

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

In verses 3-6, enemies are presented symbolically: bird hunters who have set traps, widespread plague and pestilence, night terrors, and incoming arrows. These are not theoretical dangers; indeed such threats have the capability of killing tens of thousands (v. 7).

The psalmist sees trials arising from two sources; first from a person, then from a pestilence. We are in a wicked world. Its forces of wickedness are led by the father of lies.  The devil, like the one who traps birds, skillfully prepares a snare for God’s servants. We never know from moment to moment what snares are being set for our feet, but we have a God who can deliver us from the snare of the fowler. If we trust Him He will keep us. The spiritual life of God’s children is protected by Divine grace from the temptations of Satanwhich are like the snares of the fowlerand from the contagion of sin, which is a “noisome pestilence.”

There were a number of different techniques used to snare birds. Although hunters might simply use a sling, throwing stick or a bow to take down individual fowl, the majority of instances in the biblical text and in ancient art depict large flocks of birds being captured in nets or cages. For instance, the tomb of Ka-Gemmi at Saqqarah (Sixth-Dynasty Egypt) portrays the fowler using a net. Apparently some fowlers also used decoys in their snares to attract the birds along with bait food (attested in Ecclesiastics 11:30).

The “noisome (deadly or destroying) pestilence,” possibly referred to again in verses 6-7, may indicate an epidemic raging at the time.  “Pestilence” comes from the Hebrew (Heb. Dabar), which signifies to speak or speak not, so the pestilence may be something spoken, something proclaimed by God among the people.  The LXX renders it “death.”

 

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Through Jesus Christ we find safety and satisfaction under the “wings” of God (Matthew 23:37{1]). He will be their Shelter in the way the eagle protects its young (Deuteronomy 32:11{12]). No enemy can get at us there. He is our hiding place in times of trial. That is why taking refuge in God is so important; it’s what makes the difference between security and susceptibility to danger. God covers His people like a mother bird covers her chicks with her feathers.

Jesus pictured salvation by describing chicks hiding under the wings of the mother hen (Matthew 23:37{1]; Luke 13:28), and the psalmist pictured communion as believers resting under the wings of the cherubim in the tabernacle, but He also gives us the spiritual armor we need (Ephesians 6:10-18). His truth and faithfulness protect us as we claim the promises and obey Him. The “shield” is the large shield that covers the whole person. (See Genesis 15:1; Deuteronomy 33:29.) Some translations give “bulwark” or “rampart” instead of “buckler{4].” The Hebrew word means “to go around” and would describe a mound of earth around a fortress. But the message is clear: those who abide in the Lord are safe when they are doing His will. God’s servants are immortal until their work is done (Romans 8:28-39).

 

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

In the ancient Near East, travel was dangerous, unless you were protected by armed guards. (It is not much different in some large cities today.) “Terror by night” perhaps referred to the swift night attacks common to the warfare of the times or it might be fear of darkness, of defeat, of robbers, of the night demon Lilith, of disease, of destruction at high noon; and it could mean simply “the fear of the dark and of what can happen in the darkness.” [At night is when most evil accidents occur and are least avoidable.] But the believer doesn’t flinch, because his life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3{2]).!  There is a hiding place: “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee” (v. 7).

The “arrow” represents pestilence, or any such common or destructive calamity such as open warfare (Job 6:4); for such are frequently called God’s arrows (Deuteronomy 32:23, 12).  It may also refer to demonic activity; the devices of the wicked demons. “By day” indicates the time for shooting arrows.

The interplay of words for night and day in verses 5 and 6 indicate the universal nature of God’s protection. Terror, arrow, pestilence, and destruction together refer to evil in general. The sense of the verse is⸻he shall be kept from secret and open danger at all times.

This is a psalm that will come into its own, in full fruit and flower, during the Great Tribulation. It anticipates the needs of the small believing minority in Israel during that coming reign of terror.

Note, verse five represents dangers from men, and six dangers from disease, epidemic, or plague.

 

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

Another translation: “Neither the plague that stalks at dead of night, nor the epidemic which devastates at midday.” Nowhere in the psalm does it say what the plague, epidemic, or destruction consisted of and perhaps it is best to leave it that way, so that the promise may have a more widespread application.

“In darkness” either means invisibly, so we can neither foresee nor prevent it; or by night as in verse 5. The “pestilence that walketh in darkness” gives a poetic picture of the grim reaper stalking the night looking for victims. “That wasteth at noonday” indicates a bold enemy that assaults us openly, and though discovered he cannot be resisted.

Contaminated water and food, plus an absence of sound health practices, made it easy to contact diseases by day or by night, although, “the destruction that wasteth at noonday” could refer to the effects of the burning rays of the sun—the LXX has rendered it “the demon of the day,” i.e., sunstroke (Psalm 121:6)

This security (vs. 5-6) is effective at all times, night… day; all circumstances, darkness… noonday; all dangers, the arrow of the human foe, the unseen foe of pestilence and possibly the demonic foe, destruction (so the Hebrew may be understood). God is the effective answer to all such fears, whether rational or irrational.

The Hebrews were accustomed to dividing the twenty-four hours of a day and night into four equal parts, i.e., evening (6 P.M.-12 AM), midnight ( 12AM.-6 AM.), morning (6 A.M.-12 P.M.), and midday (12 P.M.-6 P.M.). When we are ready to take up our residence in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty, we are assured of round-the-clock, twenty-four hour protection from the devil and his angels.

 

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

“A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand.” The scythe of death shall reap a mortal toll all around, “but it shall not come nigh thee.” This promise was graphically etched in Israelite memories that bloody Passover night in Egypt, when the death angle passed through the land and the first-born was executed by the judgment of the Lord.

The Old Testament blessing for Israel included national prosperity and divine protection.  So long as Israel walked in step with God there was not a nation that could defeat her in battle or successfully invade her land.  The godly Jew could legitimately claim the promises of Psalm 91 in an hour of danger and could expect that, although people fell all around by the thousands, neither the flying arrow (v. 5) nor the sinister pestilence (6) could come near him. 

But we are not Old Testament Hebrews.  We are New Testament Christians.  For us God’s blessings are essentially spiritual rather than national and temporal.  We have no unconditional guarantee from God that so long as we all live godly lives, we shall escape the ordinary terrors of life.

None of these expressions, of course, should be understood as saying that the believer will be untouched by worldly calamities.  They are to be understood in the light of Psalm 73, that the believer always possesses a wealth and security in God unknown to the world.

 

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

“Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see” without any terror or danger to thyself, and with a delightful and thankful reflection upon God’s goodness to you. While the wicked fall, in contrast the man who trusts in God (the righteous) has Him as his shelter, his refuge. He is under the guardianship of angels. It is the conviction of the psalm writer that in a moral universe governed by a holy God, it must finally be well with the righteous and bad for the wicked. “The reward of the wicked” is the just reward of their sins, or the vengeance of God upon them. The punishment of the wicked is as sure as the deliverance of the righteous. Whatever is done, our heavenly Father’s will is done; and we have no reason to fear.

 

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

We have a hiding place from the terror. Indeed we do! God does not keep us from terror; He keeps us in the terror. Verse 9 is crucial to the understanding of the promises in this psalm. No ultimate harm will befall someone if he or she takes refuge in the mighty God.

Because this trusting believer has made Yahweh his place of security, the Most High his refuge-dwelling, misfortune will not happen to him and the judgment-touch will not even come near where he lives.  For God will command his heavenly messengers (angels) to keep a close watch on him in all his travels, and they will lift him upon their palms lest even his foot should strike against a stone (vs. 11, 12).  He may step on a snake or and adder and trample unwarily a viper or a dangerous serpent (v. 13); he may do so with impunity, for he is in protective custody. 

In verses 14-16, God describes the same person addressed by the psalmist in verses 9-13. This person is the coming One. The psalmist indicates that the coming One’s faith in God is the same as his.

 

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

God has not promised us immunity from persecution, but He has promised us that He would go with us through fire and flood and fear: “Lo, I am with you always.” Someone may ask, “Is there persecution today?” The Christian martyrs of the 20th century are the forgotten martyrs. Most Christians who live in countries where Christians are not martyred know little about the extent of persecution their fellow-Christians have to endure. It has been estimated that there have been more Christians martyred in the 20th century than in all the previous centuries put together.

 

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.

God has promised us an escort home. That does not mean that we can make daring experiments with God and do foolish, unscriptural things on the assumption that no matter what we do nothing can go wrong. “ His angels,” says the sacred writer of Hebrews are “powerful and watchful ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those of this lower world who will be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14{3]) We shall not know until we get to Heaven how much we owe to these mighty ministers who care for us on the way home. Do we make enough of the gentle, careful ministry of the “angels” (Hebrews 1:14{3])? And it is comforting to note that the word is not singular but plural: “angels.” Caring properly for us is more than a one angel job.

It rests upon the angels “To keep thee in all thy ways,” in the whole course of thy life, and in all thy lawful undertakings. Angels protect from physical harm and give believers strength to overcome difficulties, pictured in verse 13 as wild Lions and dangerous snakes.  “They shall bear thee up in their hands”; sustain or uphold thee in thy goings, as we do a child or a weakly man, especially in uneven or deadly paths. Or, they shall carry thee as upon eagles’ wings, when it shall be necessary for your protection.  They even prevent the godly from stubbing a toe: “Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone”; so as to hurt thy foot, or to cause thee to fall.

Satan quoted parts of verses 11-12 when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:6), and the Lord responded with Deuteronomy 6:16. If the Father had commanded Jesus to jump from the temple pinnacle, then the angels would have cared for Jesus, but to jump without the Father’s command would have been presumption, not faith, and that would have been tempting the Father.

It is interesting that Satan stopped before coming to this verse.  If he had quoted it, he would have been describing his own doom! 

 

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Here comes the “dragon,” that old serpent, the “adder.” Three chapters in from the beginning of our Bible we meet that serpent for the first time; three chapters from the end of the Bible we meet that serpent for the last time. He does not appear often in person on the sacred page. He only speaks three times in all the pages of sacred Scripture. But his influence is everywhere.

In scripture, the lion and serpent (cobra) are images of Satan (1 Peter 5:8{13]; Genesis 3). They vividly symbolize the destructive and poisonous powers of evil over which the Lord causes His people to triumph. [Some believe they symbolize human attackers.] This is the blessing of victory, the twice mentioned lion representing every opposition of strength, and the doubly mentioned serpent every opposing subtlety (Genesis 3:1). As a (roaring) lion (1 Peter 5:8{13]), he is the loud, horrendous persecutor using physical violence.  As a serpent (Revelation 12:9{14]), he employs wily schemes to deceive and to destroy. There is perhaps an allusion here to the religious lore of the ancient Near East which spoke of gods killing dragons and other beasts (74:13).

 

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.

God Himself speaks in the last three verses, and adds His pledge to the assurances of the poet. The condition upon which everything depends is simple: “Because he hath set his love (the most ardent kind) upon me.” The expression means to cleave to God in complete devotion.

There is not just one promise, but a triple promiseone of those threefold cords of Scripture which are not easily broken. It sets before us a reciprocal kind of love. Obedience and faith are both the natural outflow of the love shed abroad in human hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; John 14:15; 1 John 4:18). “Known by name” means more than information about the name of the true God. It implies a personal acquaintance with the God whose nature is revealed in His name.

“I will set him on high” means either far above the dangers which plague this world or to exalt him above his fellows and bring honor to him. The reason is “because he hath known my name,” with a true and saving knowledge, so as to love me and put his trust in me. Knowing the name of God is equivalent to knowing Him personally.

The authority behind the idea of reward is heightened by the revelation from God. The promise includes the blessings of deliverance, exaltation, and answer to prayer, long life, and victory. These blessings and more are promised to the one who has come to love and trust God.

 

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.

“He shall call upon me, and I will answer him,” that is, when he is in trouble, which is expressed in the following clause. As he knoweth and loveth, so he will offer up sincere and fervent prayers to me upon all occasions, “and I will answer him”

“I will be with him in trouble,” to keep him from sinking under his burden. The results that follow such love and understanding are deliverance, exaltation, answered prayer, His presence in trouble, honor, long life (v. 16), and salvation. (v. 16). The salvation mentioned here may mean help and deliverance during life, as in 50:23{15], or the joy of beholding the glory of God after a long and satisfied life.

“I will deliver him, and honor him” refers to the man who honors God with his love and willingness to forsake the worldhe will ultimately be honored by God. The promise here sets before us a rewarding kind of life when they call on God, He answers. When trouble strikes, He delivers them. And as a result, such people tend to experience longer, more satisfying lives. God by His grace shall wean them from the world and make them willing to leave it.

 

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew{5] him my salvation.

In the last three verses, God has promised us a rewarding kind of life. There are eight promises in all: rescue (intervening action, 14), security (protect, set on high out of reach of danger, 14), answered prayer (15), companionship in need (15), deliverance (from threat, 15), vindication (humor, 15), personal fulfillment (satisfy, 16) and the enjoyment of salvation (16).  Note how these reach from initial saving actions (rescue) right through to fully enjoyed salvation and cover all intervening needs.  There are three conditions to be fulfilled: “loves me” (the yearning love which clings to the loved one, 14), “knows my name” (lives with the Lord in the light of what he has revealed about himself, 14) and prayer (he will call, 15).

The Lord will manage all his worldly concerns, and preserve his life on earth, so long as it shall be good for him.  For encouragement in this he looks unto Jesus.  He shall live long enough; till he has done the work he was sent into this world to do, and he is ready for heaven.  Who would wish to live a day longer than God has some work for him to do, either by him or upon him?  A man may die young, yet be satisfied with living.  But a wicked man is not satisfied even with long life.  At length the believer’s conflict ends; he is done for ever with trouble, sin and temptation.

 

It’s one thing for doctors to add years to our life, but God adds life to our years and makes that life worthwhile.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

Such is the ministry of temptation. The devil attempts to bring out the worst in us; God permits it so that it might bring out the best. And with every victory gained another step is taken toward the victor’s crown.

 

 

SCRIPTURE AND SPECIAL NOTES

[1} (Matthew 23:37; KJV) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

[2} (Colossians 3:3; KJV) “ For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

[3} (Hebrews 1:14; KJV) “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” But certainly we must be a child of God before we can ask for angle-help.”

[4} Buckler: lit. “surrounding”⸻i.e., a kind of shield covering all over.  The term has also been used for the coat of mail giving protection to every part of the warriors’ body.

[5} Shew (Show) him⸻lit., make him see (Psalm 50:23; Luke 2:30).

[6} It was the practice of Jewish interpreters to assign the authorship of an unnamed psalm to the writer of the last named psalm.  If this is the case here, then this is another psalm of Moses, the man of God.

[7} The title “Most High” emphasizes God’s majesty and is parallel to the term Almighty. The Lord Jesus Christ is “the secret place of the most high.”

[8}  (Deuteronomy 33:27) The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

[9} (Psalm 27:4)  One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

[10} (Psalm 46:1) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

[11} (Psalm 27:5)  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

[12} (Deuteronomy 32:11) As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:

[13} (1 Peter 5:8)  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

[14} (Revelation 12:9)  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour

[15} (Psalm 50:23) Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.