Psalm 91 - Specially Protected
We read in Psalm 91:11-12, “He will command his angels to protect you wherever you go. Their hands will catch you so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.” (ERV)
Those who trust in the Lord are guaranteed an extraordinary protection over their lives. The Lord commands his angels to keep us safe in all our ways. Moreover, the angels will bear us up in their hands, so that even our foot will not be struck by a stone.
We will look at some of the incidents in the bible to understand how this was actualized in the lives of these people.
The angel of God stopped Balaam
In Numbers 22:12, we read, “And God said to Balaam, You are not to go with them, or put a curse on this people, for they have my blessing.” (ERV)
As the people of Israel were journeying towards the promised-land, the king of Moab, whose name was Balak, was apprehensive about the strength of the Israelites. He knew that they were a mighty power to reckon with and that it would be impossible to conquer them through war. He therefore, schemed that he would invite a prophet of God who would curse the Israelites, so that they would be ruined. With this in mind the king of Moab approached the prophet Balaam to do this job and speak a curse on the people of Israel.
When the men from Balak approached Balaam, he enquired of the Lord if he could go along with them. God replied him in the negative as we read in Numbers 22:12. God’s instruction was forthright to Balaam. God forbade him to go and also restrained him to not curse the people of Israel as God’s blessings rested on them. On hearing God’s word of caution, as Balaam sought to pull back, he was pressured by the king of Moab who sent more men and promised him with greater treasures. Balaam was eventually allured by the king’s offers.
The prophets of God were those who had access to God. God spoke to them and revealed His plans to them. Often they did not realize this blessed privilege that was theirs and sought to do their own thing. It is possible that we too can make this mistake. As we grow closer in our relationship with God, we should never forget that God is so great and awesome and never to be taken for granted.
Just like King Balak there are still some people today, who in order to beat down those who are stronger than them, indulge in various concealed evil practices. Whenever the Lord prohibits something in our lives, it is wise for us to obey and let go of it.
Balaam did not give up
We read in Numbers 22:13, “In the morning Balaam got up and said to the chiefs of Balak, Go back to your land, for the Lord will not let me go with you.” (ERV)
Also in Numbers 22:20, “And that night God came to Balaam and said to him, If these men have come for you, go with them: but do only what I say to you.” (ERV)
As Balaam persisted with God that He should be granted permission to go along with the men to Balak, the Lord gave in and allowed him to go to the king of Moab. However, the Lord cautioned Balaam that he was to only say those things that He asked him to say. Balaam was so enticed by the king’s offer that he forgot the fact that nothing that any earthly king offered would suffice when compared to the blessings that came from God above.
God’s anger was roused against Balaam
We read in Numbers 22:22, “And God's anger was kindled because he went.” (AFV)
Though God let Balaam go ahead with his own plan, the Lord was indignant with Him for doing so.
There are Christian young people who when it comes to making a choice of their life-partner, choose an unbeliever. They plead with God to let them marry that person. Often the Lord will counsel them in various ways, but when they keep on persisting the Lord will not hinder them from having what they ask for. They will invariably have to face the consequences of their decisions, and every so often end up living with regret.
The donkey saw what Balaam did not
As Balaam continued on the path of rebellion against God, this is what happened.
We read in Numbers 22:25, “And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed herself into the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall.” (AFV)
Balaam proceeded towards his destination on a donkey, and the angel of the Lord appeared to stop him, and sadly only the donkey recognized the angel. As the donkey walked down a narrow path with a wall on either side, the angel of the Lord appeared before them with a drawn sword in his hand. In fear and alarm the donkey pushed itself into the wall and thereby crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall.
A prophet can be described as on who seeks God resolutely. Nonetheless, Balaam’s willful disobedience to the word of God put him in a predicament where he could not perceive what his donkey could. The call that Balaam received from King Balak was to curse the people of God and instead of rejecting such an offer, Balaam was beguiled by the gifts that the king offered.
As children of God, we must keep in mind that we must have a mind to willingly give up those things that the Lord does not approve of. To go against the will of God and expect His protection over our lives is an impossibility.
Compare Numbers 22:25 and Psalm 91:12. Both describe the work of the angel of the Lord and also speak about the foot. The difference is that the disobedience of Balaam resulted in his foot being hurt, whereas the Lord promises protection to the feet of those who find refuge in Him.
There are so many who are wounded and wearied simply because they have decided to do their own thing and have not given heed to God’s voice or His counsel. Oftentimes when we are going down the wrong path like Balaam, in disobedience to God’s word, we may not be aware of it, but interestingly it will be quite obvious to everyone around us, like in Balaam’s case, even to a donkey.
This is a time to analyze our lives and to let go of those things God does not approve of. If we do not heed his voice, we will lose out on the blessings that are due us. We must realize that God alone knows the end and therefore walking in obedience to His counsel is always the best place to be in. When faced with a dilemma whether to choose the world or God, we should be wise to choose God. He alone knows our past, present and future and hence He is the only one who can guide us aright.
If like Balaam we have been stubborn and chosen the path that God does not approve of, we can still repent and turn back to God. The word of God assures us in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (ESV)
David obeyed God wholeheartedly
Hear the words of David in 1 Chronicles 28:2-3, “And David the king stood up on his feet and said, "Hear me, my brethren and my people. I had in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations for the building. But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.'” (AFV)
David was a man who walked with God and rejoiced in the presence of God. David remembered that God had elevated him from being an ordinary shepherd boy to becoming King of Israel. David’s heart was filled with gratitude and he yearned to honor God in a big way. He longed to build a temple for the Lord where he could place the ark-of-the-covenant. David desired a good thing, but still He sought God’s approval before he proceeded with the same.
Though David had made all necessary preparations, God forbade David from building the temple. David joyfully accepted God’s verdict and let God have His way in the matter. David understood that when God disapproved of something, it was always for his good. It was this obedient heart of David that God endorsed and therefore established his throne forever. Though David was the King of Israel, he never failed to give the honor and reverence that was due to God alone.
David and Balaam were both men of God and they even conversed with God. However, what they did was in complete contrast to each other. David willingly accepted God’s counsel and gave up his plans to build the temple, though they were good. The consummation of David’s obedience resulted in his son Solomon building a magnificent temple for the glory of God. Balaam on the other hand, rejected God’s advice and went ahead on the path of disobedience and ended up with much trouble.
The things we want to do may even be good things, but we need to seek the Lord before making every decision. The mistake many of us make is that we first decide and then go to God for approval. Generally when people come to me for counselling, one of the first things I ask them is if they are open to receive advice. The reason for this is that for those who have made up their mind about something and are unwilling for change, there is no point is spending hours together giving them any sort of counsel. At the end of the session, we will realize that we have wasted our time as the person did not budge one bit from the stance that they had taken at the beginning of the conversation. Often we do the same with God too. We go to Him for counsel but have already made up their mind as to what we would do. The consequence is that our lives are crammed with untold misery and heartaches.
The reason for the situation that entire humanity is encountering right now is that we have sought after things that God has withheld from us for our own good. This was the exact same thing that Adam and Eve did when they decided to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God knew the consequences way ahead of time, but Adam and Eve were determined to do their own thing, as they imagined they would be wise and blessed if they did so. Even today, Satan is deceiving many into accepting those things that God has clearly disapproved of. For instance, it is God’s will for a man and woman who are united in marriage to stay together till parted by death. However, people are finding numerous flimsy reasons to be separated or divorced.
This is the time for us to take stock of the decisions that we are making every day. Those that can be changed that are not in line with God’s will, need to be set aside immediately. Children for instance, must understand that God’s word commands that they be obedient to their parents. Nonetheless, the enemy is constantly stirring children’s hearts towards disobedience and rebellion to their parents. We are living in a society where grown up children detest any sort of counsel from their parents. Children are admonished by God to honor the parents whom He has graciously given us. Everything that is taught in the Holy scriptures is entirely for our good and never for our evil.
God’s promise to us as written in Psalm 91:11-12, “He will command his angels to protect you wherever you go. Their hands will catch you so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.” (ERV).
What a joy and privilege we have as those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High God. We are guaranteed that God will command His angels to be our security wherever we go and that they will protect us from all harm and danger.
In the Garden of Eden, as long as Adam and Eve walked in obedience to God, they enjoyed fellowship with God, His presence, peace, oneness and health. The moment they chose to disobey God’s command, they were expelled from the presence of God. God also set up His angel to guard the entrance of that garden, so that Adam and Eve could no longer gain entry into it.
Many people have lost the beautiful presence of the Garden of Eden in their lives. Adam and Eve had no way to get back in and regain what they had forfeited. However, after the Lord Jesus came down and lived on the earth, died for our sins and rose again for us, we who live two thousand years later have the assurance that we can receive forgiveness for our sins from the Lord Jesus if we truly repent. The Lord can restore back to us His presence that we have lost because of the wrong choices or decisions that we made. If we call on the Lord, He is willing to heed our cry and deliver us from our predicament.
There are some who are in ministry too who because of the wrong decisions they made, are in a place of loss of God’s presence and His guidance. Instead of blaming yourself, be reminded that the Lord has promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you. God is able to uphold us with His righteous right hand. To those who started off with huge visions to accomplish great things for God and have faltered along the way, got distracted by things of this world, you can still call unto the Lord, who can make you rise up and shine again for His glory. In Psalm 51, David pleaded with God for a clean heart and if that is our cry, we can be certain that the Lord will answer us and make all things new.
The sole cunning scheme of the enemy is to call good what God calls evil and to call evil all that God calls good. The Devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness and in one of the temptations he quoted from Psalm 91:11-12 and asked Jesus to jump off a highest point of the temple quoting that God had given angels charge over Him, so that He will not strike His foot against a stone. Jesus gave Him the apt response when He said ‘you shall not put the Lord your God to test’.
The Devil is constantly seeking to tempt us into wrong doing. His singular goal is to take us off the narrow way and to confuse us by posing evil as good and good as evil. Once we get on this wayward path, for a while it may seem good, but soon we will realize that everything along this path is topsy-turvy and entirely for our detriment. We must be aware that Satan is a liar and a father of lies.
God requires this of us
We read in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good? (NKJV)
All that the Lord expects of us as mentioned in the verses above, is that we fear the Lord which means that we live a life of reverence to Him. Also that we walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him and keep all of His commandments.
There may be many things that we have chosen for ourselves that the Lord does not approve of. We may have also have encountered numerous consequences for these wrong decisions. The Lord is calling us back and if we get back to Him, He can transform our lives and our circumstances. If we walk in the path that God has ordained for us, surely He will command His angels to guard us and they will keep our ways secure, uphold us with their hands so that our feet are not struck by a rock. The Lord has promised this great security for His children who trust Him and walk in obedience to Him.
Pastor F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
