Jesus in the Psalms. Psalm 91, a song about Jesus Jesus in the Psalms, Psalm 91 God's promised protection

Jesus in Psalm 91

Jesus in Psalms 91

A Personal Study Version by R.C. Wagoner,

adapted from the Zondervan Interlinerar Hebrew and English Psalter, 1970.

Original Translators unknown.

 

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PSALM 91


(Announcer to everyone)

1. He that lives in the hidden place of the Highest One will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

(Jesus Answers)

2. I will declare to Yahveh, My Refuge and My Fortress: He is My God, I will be confident in Him.

(Announcer to Jesus)

3. He will deliver You from the trap of the fowler, from the pestilence of wickedness

4. With His feathers He will cover You, and under His wings You will trust, His truth is a shield and buckle.

5. You will not be afraid of the terror of the night, or because of the arrow that flies by day.

6. From the pestilence which walks in darkness or from the destruction which comes at noon

7. A thousand will fall at Your side, ten thousand will die by Your hand, but it will not come near You.

8. You will only observe it with Your eyes.  The payback of the wicked You will see.

(Jesus to God)

9. You, Yahveh, the Highest One, Are My Refuge, and have established Your palace

(Announcer to Jesus)

10. Evil will not fall on You, and plague will not enter into Your tent.

11. For He will command His angels concerning You, that they will protect You in all Your ways.

12. With their hands they will lift You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against at stone.

13. You will walk on the lion and the asp. You will trample down the young lion and the dragon

(God, declaring His love for Jesus)

14. Since He fixed His love on Me, I delivered Him. I will establish Him in the highest realms Because He knew My name.

15. He will call to me, and I will answer Him. I will be with Him in His distress I will deliver Him and glorify Him

16. I will satisfy Him with unending days.  I will make Him see My salvation.

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Introduction to Psalm 91

 

I know that verse seven sounds like King David, but that does not affect the reality of this Psalm. David was a man “after God’s own heart” and we should not be surprised whenever we find similarities between David and Jesus. Since Jesus has yet to literally rule over the earth as a “Son of David,” I see room for the fulfillment of some of these promises there, if that is necessary.

The key to this passage is in Matthew 4:5-7 and Luke 4:9-12. Satan knew that Jesus was familiar with Psalm 91. Satan also knew that Jesus understood it to be about Himself. This entire event would have no meaning unless these two assumptions were true. Satan has only three opportunities to directly tempt Jesus into sin, and he chose to quote Psalm 91:11-12 in his attack on Jesus. Satan wants to see if he can get Jesus on the defensive by testing His faith in this promise. Satan seems to want to make Jesus doubt the reality of His own faith in God’s promised angelic protection. It may also have been a test of Jesus’ knowledge and faith in the Scriptures themselves. Satan may have seen some other ways in which this could have created a dilemma for Jesus.

Regardless, in that temptation, Satan says that these verses are directly about Jesus. Jesus, in response, did not deny this interpretation. Satan would have been really stupid to have made such an assertion wrongly. Jesus would simply have said, “You have misinterpreted that Scripture.” Instead, Jesus accepts Satan’s premise but redirects him to another Scripture that completely sets aside Jesus’ need to respond to the implications of Satan’s request. This means that Jesus knew Psalm 91 very well and had put much thought into its application to His own life. Jesus already had a balanced understanding of the prophecies embedded here, and Satan did not confuse Him for a moment.

Psalm 91 is about Jesus. If it were not so, this temptation event is nonsense.

Note: I use “Yahveh” instead of “Yahweh” for obscure reasons. This is just another spelling of the primary Hebrew name of God.

Setting: The anonymous human author seems to have observed an event in Heaven in which the pre-incarnate Jesus speaks, is blessed by someone with great spiritual authority, and finally is blessed by God the Father Himself.

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Meditation Starters…

(Ask God to help you use these thoughts to guide you into

a more personal relationship with Jesus Himself.)

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Verse #

1. Father, Your invisible home in Heaven was Jesus’ home, and when He becomes a mortal, You will protect Him as a cloud protects someone wandering in a burning desert. This was revealed to Your people hundreds of years before Jesus was born. But it really was written to remind Your Son of His relationship with You when He becomes a man. Help me to see what it was like when Jesus, the young boy, heard these words for the first time. And help me to comprehend what was really happening in Your presence as these things were said.

2. When Your Son declared His faith in You, was all heaven watching? Was Satan there as an eyewitness? Was Moses there? Why would Jesus, before the incarnation, need a refuge or fortress in heaven? He declares that He will be dependent on You as a human, but He was already trusting in You. Please help me to understand what Jesus’ relationship with You was like before He was born.

3-8. Jesus was promised protection from enemies, from disease and pestilence, and victory and final judgment of the wicked. It seems to me that Jesus was never sick, never subject to pestilence, and escaped periodic violence and numerous traps, just as these verses describe. But He did not see the military victory or the judgment of the wicked in His human days. Please open my eyes to see how this relates to Jesus, as a mortal, as the glorified Lamb of God in heaven the last 1900 years, and when He returns. Could the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD have something to do with v. 7,8?

9. In John 14, some translators have Jesus saying: “In My Father’s house are many mansions…” Jesus in Psalm 91:9 mentions the creation and establishment of Your house. I do think Palace is the best word, even if it creates a mental image that is too literal. But this relates to v. 1 also, Your home is a great refuge, a great fortress, a great palace, with room for many, but it is hidden from man’s perception. When Jesus was with us, was He homesick? Is Your heavenly home the “City” that Abraham was longing for? Did Jesus, the Man, remember anything about Your home, or did He learn it from the Bible the same way we do? Did He then go on to learn more from You in a direct way beyond what the Bible records? Please help me to have a well informed mental image of Your heavenly home, and to at least see in the Bible all that He saw.

10-13. Satan picked out the two verses that were about Jesus being protected by angels. He did not mention anything else. Why these two in particular? What was Satan trying to get Jesus to think? Wasn’t Satan some kind of bad angel? Wow… What if Satan was implying that some of the angels assigned to protect Jesus were on Satan’s side… and that Jesus should have considered this, and been unwilling to trust Your promise because Your angelic servants might not be on Your side. What a mess! And Jesus didn’t take the bait. Satan was trying to make this promise subject to himself and his own evil influence among the angels of heaven. Father, please help me to see if Jesus’ enemy has pulled this same stunt on me, and succeeded. The promises You have made to those who believe in Your Son are out of Satan’s reach, but he has found other ways to keep us from depending on them as You intended. Please help me to remember this when I recognize in the Bible Your promises that I am to claim as one redeemed by Jesus’ blood.

14. You promised salvation, eternal life, and glory to Your Son and through Him to all who believe in Him. Your promised Him a throne in the highest realms. Help me to fix my love on You! Move my heart to be so focused on You and attached to You that it would bring You great pleasure and joy to include me in these promises. Help me to know all that Jesus has received from You, and all thatYou wish to give me.