Under The Shadow Of His Wings (Part 2)

Last week, I introduced Part 1 of our message by saying that we have endured some crazy events in America during the first six months of 2020, with the impeachment trial; the Corona Virus pandemic; and then racial and civil unrest, accompanied with looting, rioting and terrible violence. And I mentioned how, 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; and that passage is Psalm 91. I’ve entitled this two-part sermon, “Under the Shadow of His Wings,” and today we will finish up with part 2.

Last week, when we looked at verses 1-8, we learned that even though we are witnessing some frightening things in our nation, that God will protect us. We discovered that when we dwell in the “shelter” or “fortress” of the Most High, that we can have peace of mind when wars and enemies rage all around. We saw how God will deliver us from the snares of the devil; and how He will shelter us from both physical and spiritual attacks, as long as we abide in Him. The Lord will protect us from terrorism and enemies, even plague or pandemic, when we wholly immerse ourselves in truth, which is found in the Word of Truth. So, with these assurances in mind, let’s continue looking at the benefits we have when we “dwell in the secret place of the Most High” (v. 1).

Kept Safe from Evil by His Angels (vv. 9-13)

9 Because you have made the LORD [Yahweh], who is my refuge, even the Most High [Elyon], your dwelling place, 10 no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

In verse 9, we are told that we need to make the LORD our refuge and dwelling place; or rather, we are to rest in Him. The word “LORD” is derived from another one of the Hebrew names for God, which in this verse is Yahweh. “His name is composed of four Hebrew consonants (known as the Tetragrammaton), which the prophet Moses . . . revealed to his people. As the name of the supreme being was considered too holy to be spoken, the consonants YHWH were used to remind one to say the word Adonai (LORD) in place of [God’s] name.”(1) So, the One whose name is so holy that it is above description is the one in whom we are to take refuge; and as a result we receive protection beyond words.

“We see in Exodus 3:14 that God uses ‘I AM’ and ‘Yahweh’ interchangeably, which tells us that ‘I AM’ is one way for us to translate the name ‘Yahweh.’ But why is it so significant that God’s name is ‘I AM’?”(2) In John 8:58, Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Jesus identified Himself as “I AM.” He is Yahweh; Jesus is LORD. So, when we rest in Yahweh, we also rest in Jesus. In John chapter 15, Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit . . . If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:5, 7). One thing we might choose to ask for in these uncertain times is protection, and Jesus is saying that as long as we abide in Him and abide in Yahweh, we will be given what we ask; we will be given divine protection.

So, what might we ask protection from? Well, verse 10 gives us an idea. The word “evil” means, “misery, stress,” and “injury” (Strong’s). So, we can ask for protection from the harms of evil. For example, we can pray that rioting and civil unrest does not come to our town; and if we happen to be in a place where these things are occurring, we can pray that our family or business not be harmed. We can pray that racism would not lead to crimes against those with another skin color; and on the flip side, we can pray for ourselves and our family that they would not become victims of racism.

We might also ask for protection from the plague, according to verse 10. The word “plague” refers to “calamities which God inflicts upon men”(3) Now, the word “pestilence” used back in verses 3 and 6 is derived “from a word that signifies to speak, and speak out. The pestilence is a speaking thing; it proclaims the wrath of God amongst a people.”(4) This information tells us that some plagues are actually sent by God as punishment; but you will be spared. Do we believe that we will be spared from pestilence; that God can and will protect us? Allow me to share an illustration: