No Harm Series

Psalm 91 - Study 19 - No harm will befall you

We read in Psalm 91:7, “A thousand may fall dead beside you, ten thousand all around you, but you will not be harmed.” (GNB)

We are living in a time when we are surrounded by calamities on all sides, but the word of God assures us that these dangers will not come near us. The Psalmist explains this more distinctly that there may be thousands or even ten thousands who are quashed all around us, but we will remain unharmed. Our thoughts, emotions and circumstances keep changing, but God’s word is eternal and unchanging. God’s children must therefore, be firm and rooted on the confirmation that our God and His word are immutable.

The word of God is enduring

In Luke 16:17, “But it is easier for the heaven and the earth to pass away than one point of the Law to fail.” (LITV)

These are the words of Jesus where He established the truth that though heaven and earth pass away, not even a single dot of the word of God will ever fail. Therefore, when God’s word guarantees us that no harm will befall us, we can cling on to this. However, there is an important point that needs to be noted. Every time we take a promise from the scriptures to claim it as our own, there is a question that we need to ask ourselves, ‘For who is this promise of God applicable?’ In Psalm 91, the answer to this question is found in verse 1 which details two vital aspects that should be noted. This promise is applicable to those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High God and for those who abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Everything else that follows has verse 1 of this Psalm as its foundation.

Most of us want to be recipients of the promises of God, but are unwilling on our part to do what is required of us. On the one hand while we cling on to what God has in store for us, there is the other part where we need to realize what God expects of us. From the above mentioned verse we infer then that no harm will come nigh anyone who has made God their refuge and are totally dependent on Him for their security. This assurance of protection is also for anyone who is firmly established in God.

All of us know that Psalm 23 is one of the most familiar and most liked one universally. We may like to claim Psalm 23:4, which says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;” your rod and your staff, they comfort me.(ESV) Here again, this affirmation is for those who as Psalm 23:1 mentions have made the Lord their shepherd. It means that when God is the one who leads us and as we walk in obedience to Him, then we will have no fear of evil, even when it’s the valley of the shadow of death, for then for certain God’s rod and staff will be our comfort.

I will explain these above mentioned verses through the incidents that happened in the life of a man named Noah.

Noah was a righteous man

We read in Genesis 6:9, “This is the story of Noah. He had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Noah had no faults and was the only good man of his time. He lived in fellowship with God,” (GNB)

There are three characteristics that we can pick up from the above mentioned verse about Noah. Firstly, He was a righteous man who led a blameless life before God and men. Secondly, he had a wife and three sons which implies that he had family relationships. Thirdly, he walked with God and had God at the center of His life. However, the people who lived during the time of Noah are described this way.

The entire world was filled with evil

In Genesis 6:12, we read, “God looked at the world and saw that it was evil, for the people were all living evil lives.” (GNB)

As God observed the earth and all whom He had created, He saw a world filled with wickedness. The people of the earth were corrupted and wicked doing evil in the sight of God. It was in the midst of such a crooked generation that Noah lived uprightly, leading his family well and keeping God as the focal point of his life.

Who can remain in God and walk with Him?

The Psalmist says in Psalm 24:3-4, “Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah? And who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood, And hath not sworn deceitfully.” (ASV)