Bible Study - Psalm 91

God promised Abraham, at his great age, that he would be the father of all nations. The Lord faithfully fulfilled that promise with Jesus Christ! That is just one example of the faithfulness of God in spite of the circumstances. There are many many more.

Verse 4 says God “will cover you with his feathers”. This alludes to the cherubim surrounding the ark of the covenant. The Lord covers the psalmist protecting him from any danger.

God promises to protect us from terrible things. The greatest of these protections is He will protect us from eternal separation from His presence through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. We can also list ways He has shielded us from harm in life. The biggest one for me is that He saved my physical life, & subsequently my spiritual life, on June 4, 2006 when I didn't die in that wreck. Would anyone else like to share examples of how God has been a protective shield for you?

He then says that we will be protected from dangers that are seen & unseen. Verse 5 talks about the terror of the night & the arrow that flies by day. The night is when terrible things are prone to happen. To name a few there are wild animals hunting prey, invasion of enemies, murders, thefts, and, robberies. When a man has committed himself and his family to the care and protection of God he has no reason to be anxious or worried because of these things. We are under the impenetrable shield & protection of almighty God! As for “the arrow that flies by day” it is reference to the attack of the enemy's weapons of of war. Arrows & weapons like that were commonly used in those times.

In verse 6 we see “a plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon”. This is reference to the terrors of night & arrows by day in the preceding verse. The plague that stalks in darkness could be called the “terror of the night”. “Pestilence that ravages at noon” is a description of a battle, and parallel to the “arrow that flies by day,” The author of this Psalm wanted the people to know that no matter what threat may be out there we can rely on God to be there to protect us. There is nothing in existence from which He cannot protect His people! NOTHING!

The psalmist then writes, “Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you.” We can rely on our Heavenly Father to protect us when a virus is crippling the world. He will be our shield & safety. This promise of protection does not give us the right to act irresponsibly. God gave us what we need to do as much as we can to to preserve our own life.

“(9) Because you have made the Lord—my refuge, the Most High—your dwelling place, (10) no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. (11) For he will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. (12) They will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (13) You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent.”