THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: God's Nurture Of The Inner Man In The Life Of Faith

XCI: The Rich Rewards Of Fellowshiping With The Lord

(Psalm 91:1-16)

I. Introduction

A. The Apostle John wrote of the value of personal fellowship with the Lord in 1 John, and the author of Psalm 91:1-16 gave his own description of that blessed fellowship in a different cultural and linguistic medium.

B. We thus view Psalm 91:1-16 for its instructive insight for our learning and edification (as follows):

II. The Rich Rewards Of Fellowshiping With The Lord, Psalm 91:1-16.

A. There are no introductory remarks, so we translate Psalm 91:1-16 as follows:

1. "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty," Ps. 91:1.

2. "I say of Jahweh, 'My Refuge and my Fortress; my Elohim!' I will fully trust (batah, B. D. B., A Heb. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 105) in Him," Psalm 91:2. (H. C. Leupold, The Psalms, 1974, p. 651, 656)

3. "For it is He (emph. pron.) Who will free you from the fowler's snare, from the deadly disease," Psa. 91:3.

4. "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and fortification," Psalm 91:4.

5. "You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day," Psalm 91:5.

6. "nor the disease that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday," Psalm 91:6.

7. "A thousand will fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand (the hand of personal talent, ability), but it will not come near you," Psalm 91:7.

8. "You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked," Psalm 91:8.

9. "For it is You (emph. pron.), O Jahweh, Who is my refuge. (The psalmist to himself) You have made your dwelling (to be) the Most High," Psalm 91:9.

10. "No harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent," Psalm 91:10.

11. "for He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;" (Psalm 91:11)

12. "they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone," Psalm 91:12.

13. "You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent," Psalm 91:13.

14. "Because he exercises an attached love (kashaq, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 365-366) for Me, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name," (says Jahweh), Psalm 91:14.

15. "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; with him (emph. pron.) I Myself (emph. pron.) will be in (his experience(s) of) trouble. I will deliver him and honor him," Psalm 91:15.

16. "With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation," Psalm 91:16.

B. We note significant observations and applications regarding this psalm (as follows):

1. J. A. Alexander (The Psalms Translated and Explained, 1975, p. 384) noted there exists an unusually sudden series of interchanges between the persons of God and of the psalmist, a literary device to draw close ties between the two parties, demonstrating the blessings of one's close fellowship with God.

2. The unique word for "love" in v. 14 (kashaq, an attachment kind of love usually reserved of a man's love for a woman, Ibid., B. D. B.) indicates that the blessings of fellowship with God grow out of a whole-hearted commitment of the believer to the Lord Himself.

3. We know from John 14:21, 23 and 15:7 and 1 John 5:3 that this "love" attachment is measured in terms of the degree to which one obeys God's Word. In other words, the believer who thoroughly heeds the written Word of God out of devotion to the Lord will enjoy experiential fellowship with God measured in the ways described in this psalm. [Of course, since we do not live under the Mosaic Covenant where physical and material well-being were promised to be a direct, automatic blessing of obedience, we note that in a relative sense, a believer today knows significantly better well-being if he fellowships with God.

Lesson: Since the psalmist fully heeded God's Word, signifying thereby his deep loving attachment to the Lord, God reciprocated by providing comprehensive, intimate, practical blessings in his life such as protection from harmful enemies (v. 3a), from diseases (v. 3b, 6a), from terrors (v. 5a), from war (v. 5b), from judgment (v. 7-8) or from any other typical disaster or harm (v. 10). God also promises to answer one's prayers for deliverance (v. 15a, b) and to honor him (v. 15b), to give him long life and to show him God's deliverance (v. 16).

Application: May we fully heed the Word of God, exhibiting an attached love for Him, to enjoy His rich blessings.