His Truth Thy Shield: A Meditation on Psalm 91

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;

There shall no evil befall thee, 

neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, 

to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands, 

lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: 

the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

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.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: 

I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation

Psalm 91 is among those which the people of God have clung to during times of great stress and persecution. It is included in some liturgical texts and prayer books where comfort and counsel is sought by those experiencing demonic oppression, or the tyranny of wicked men.  One might also recognize that it was quoted by the devil to Jesus during His temptation in the wilderness— in a chopped up, misapplied, and deceptive way, not unlike how so many false teachers and vapid pastors do in their sermons in own time.  But taken as a whole, and understood in its context as an inspired, prophetic, liturgical song of the people of God, there is much the Church can learn from it in every age.

The first principle to remember is that it is true.  Breathed out by the Holy Spirit of the Living God through His servant David, it is as St. Paul declares to his pastoral protege Timothy:  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.  Because it is true and breathed out by God, we accept it for what it says without rationalizing it away, and engage the text as a student sits beneath his teacher’s instruction.  This true and faithful text identifies numerous promises of God given to His people, and the principles upon which He gives them.

Unfortunately, the premise of God’s Law is that all the blessings of it come by perfect fulfillment of the Law.  Who among us has always and only sought their dwelling place in the shadow of the Almighty, rather than periodically lounging about in places of sin and ill repute?  Who has trusted exclusively and completely in the Lord as their hope, strength, defense, and salvation, rather than leaning on their own faulty powers of reason and strength?  Who has set their heart in perfect love always and unceasingly upon their Creator, rather than devolving into self love and self gratification, where pride dishonors and abuses both God and neighbor?  Sadly, none of us measure up to this standard of holy perfection, and thus none of us can demand of God that we be preserved from every evil, disease, enemy, or other means of calamitous death.  We are sinful people, whose dark hearts often wander into nefarious realms, and whose hands and mouths often manifest the darkness within.

Of course, Jesus had none of these problems.  As the eternally begotten Son of God, His heart was pure and His love unfeigned.  He was always and only in the refuge of His Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit, always with the truth of His Eternal Word as His shield and buckler.  When the devil thought to impugn Jesus by suggesting He take the promise of Psalm 91 to Himself and avoid the temptation— even the Cross— that was laid before Him, Jesus alone had the power and right to demand it.  Only Jesus exhibited the pure and perfect living faith which never sinned, never wandered, and never failed.  Yet Jesus did not take this reward to Himself, preferring to receive instead the guilt and condemnation of the whole human race, that He might live, die, and rise again for the salvation of the whole world.  Rather than demand His due from the righteousness of the Law, Jesus took upon Himself the devastation of our sin and death, that He might offer to us His merits by His grace.

And so, though the people of God could not approach the promises of Psalm 91 according to the Law which they knew they had not perfectly kept, they could receive these fruits and all others given in Holy Scripture according to the grace given freely by Jesus.  This free gift of unmerited favor and blessing, offered for the sake of Jesus Christ alone, is the Gospel of salvation for everyone who will repent and believe.  This Gospel is not a demand or payment, but a gift and a calling, offering what we could never earn and could never deserve.  This gift is the forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation in the refugee of the Most High God, where no enemy can assail us, and where no calamity can separate us from the love of God in Jesus our Savior.  This is the truth which becomes our impenetrable shield, our guardian, our fortress, and our tower.  This is the truth which allows us to pass through a fallen and darkening world, even as the devil lays waste to countless souls through manifold means, knowing that such destruction will not devour us with them, but that we shall only behold with our eyes the destiny of those who reject God and surrender to the evil one.  This is the Gospel which gives us new life that can never be taken from us, even as life in this world, and this world itself, passes away.  This is the deliverance and honor we receive in Christ for His sake alone, which is our eternal life and salvation by His grace alone, received by faith in Him alone.

To read Psalm 91 through the lens of the Law can bring about terror and despair, but to read it through the lens of Christ and His Cross is to see it as the hope and joy of the Gospel.  Such faith, hope, joy, and love rejoices to return to the Lord of our salvation, to hear His Word and abide in it, not because we will thereby earn from God what Christ alone has earned for us in our stead, but in loving response to the immeasurable love which God first showed to us, rises up to be living sacrifices of thanksgiving unto our Creator and Savior.  Thus while the promises of Psalm 91 appear to us as conditional according to our keeping of the Law, they come to us as surely and irrevocably as the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ through His Gospel grace.  May your eyes be open to see the gift of God in Christ Jesus for you through His Cross, that you might also stand forth in this world with all courage and faith, trusting not in your own works to save you, nor in fear for the battle waged round you, but rather in the completed work of Jesus who calls you to repent, believe, and live.  Amen.