Under The Shadow Of His Wings (Part 1)

We have endured some crazy events in America during the first six months of 2020, with the impeachment trial and political drama; the Corona Virus pandemic; and now racial and civil unrest, accompanied with looting, rioting and terrible violence. During the quarantine period, the Lord laid a passage on both mine and my wife’s heart that gave us great comfort and confidence in God’s protection over our family. That passage is Psalm 91, which we’re going to begin looking at today.

This will be a two-part sermon entitled, “Under the Shadow of His Wings.” Today, of course, will be part 1. As we examine this passage, I am going to be sharing some rich observations made by Charles Spurgeon in his commentary called The Treasury of David. Bear in mind that his observations were written prior to 1885; and yet, his interpretation, though written long ago, seems almost prophetic concerning what we’re facing in America right now; and thus, proves to be very applicable.

Our Strong and Mighty Fortress (vv. 1-4)

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High [Elyon] shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God [Elohim], in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

In verse 1, the word “dwell” means, “to make one’s abode” or to “abide,” and the word for “secret place” can be translated as “shelter” (Strong’s). As Christians, we are to make our abode in the shelter of the Most High. The title “Most High” is derived from one of the Hebrew names for God, which in this verse is Elyon. Elyon means “highest” or “most,” and tells us that the Lord is “God of gods,” or rather “the ultimate God.” When the title Elyon first appears in the Scripture, the King James Version identifies it, in Genesis 14:19, with He who is “possessor of heaven and earth.” Elyon has the rightful claim to the ownership of all there is; thus, He is powerful and has the ability to protect us like none other. He is truly one in whom we can put our trust and safely abide.

In verse 2, the word “fortress” means, “the top peak of a mountain,” “a mountain castle,” or “mountain fortress.”(1) Herod the Great built a mountain fortress called Masada that “rose some 1,500 feet above the sea on an isolated mesa about two-thirds of the way down the western shore of the Dead Sea. Its summit of twenty-three acres gave space for palaces, barracks for soldiers, and storerooms for military equipment and supplies of food.” It had a double wall with towers, and inside the wall there were one hundred ten rooms, or compartments.(2)

When we dwell in the “shelter” or “fortress” of the Most High, we have a secure and spacious dwelling place to put our mind and heart at ease from the wars and enemies raging on the outside. Jesus told us, “Let not your heart be troubled . . . In My Father’s house are many mansions [or rooms]; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2).

When the text says that He is “my God, in Him I will trust,” the phrase “my God” is derived from another one of the Hebrew names for God, which in this verse is Elohim, meaning, “strong Creator.” The Hebrew name Elohim is plural. Some use this fact to support the doctrine of the trinity. It must be noted, however, that every time Elohim is used referring to the one true God, it has a singular meaning. It is often called “the plural of majesty,” or “plural intensive,” with a “singular meaning.”(3) It is God’s name magnified and multiplied, in order to emphasis His greatness, majesty and strength. This insertion of Elohim provides further consolation that we can trust the Lord, being free from fear concerning the wars that rage and the enemies that lie all around.

In verse 3, the word “snare” means “to plot and devise against anyone,”(4) and the word “fowler” can be translated as “trapper” or “bait-layer.”(5) In 1 Timothy, we read, “If a man desires the position of a bishop . . . he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:1, 7). Paul says that we must have a good testimony before those on the outside, for outside the walls of the fortress, the trapper awaits. In 2 Timothy, Paul prays that people will “come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” The Most High God will deliver us from the snares of the devil, and shelter us from spiritual attacks, as long as we abide in Him; and as Paul pointed out, one way to do that is by keeping “a good testimony among those who are outside.”