The Secret Place(Psalms 91)

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I found this really awesome thread about psalms 91, it really blessed me and this is one of my favorite scriptures. Please share you thoughts.

The Secret Place: Psalm 91

By

Shiloh357




INTRODUCTION


As the titles indicates I am embarking upon a new study of the 91st Psalm. It is an extremely encouraging and edifying Psalm. It is by far, a favorite of many, and rightly so.

It is not clear who the author of this Psalm is. Many believe that it was written by Moses given the Tabernacle imagery coupled with imagery consistent with Israel's deliverance from Egypt. Some believe that it was written by David after his words to Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:1-21. It would have also been fitting for David to be the author as it talks about God's protection from those enemies who seek our demise. David's life was besieged by attempts upon his life from a jealous King Saul, and of course his embattled reign of Israel, in a constant state of war with the Philistines and his own son Absalom's attempt at overthrowing him. Surely David could speak much about God's protection over his life, and such a Psalm would be fitting for David to write. It is worth noting that the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions do ascribe this version to David. Still, there is no indicator as to the author at the beginning of the Psalm, and no internal clues from the Psalm itself that would help us arrive at pinpointing its author.

One of the most interesting things about how this Psalm is written, is the constant change of "persons" in the text. You will notice in a simple cursory reading, that the author speaks of "you" "he" and "I" when speaking of the Lord's protection and deliverance. This leads some to believe that this Psalm might have been used in a responsive fashion by a choir. Certain parts of the choir taking up the different "persons" would have essentially been singing to each other.


By way of outline, given the structure relative to the different "persons" used, the Psalm can be divided in the manner as prescribed by Barnes citing Tholuck:

I. The general statement of the safety of those who put their trust in God, Psa 91:1.

II. A responsive declaration of the author of the psalm, that he would make the Lord his refuge, and the Most High his habitation, Psa 91:2.

III. A statement of the security or benefit of doing this, Psa 91:3-8.

IV. A responsive declaration - repeated - by the author of the psalm that he would do this; that God “was” his refuge, Psa 91:9 (part first).

V. A further statement of the benefit of this, Psa 91:10-13.

VI. A general declaration embracing the sum of all that is said in the psalm, as coming from God himself, containing assurances of his protection to those who thus put their trust in him, and confide in him, Psa 91:14-16. (Retrieved from Barnes Notes on the Whole Bible)

I find this to be a very useful outline and have chosen it to be format for our study here.

This post has been edited by shiloh357: May 16 2006, 06:09 AM

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I. The general statement of the safety of those who put their trust in God, Psa 91:1.


He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
(Psalms 91:1)

"He that dwelleth..."

This is not a reference to just anyone, but to a specific person or kind of person. It is he that dwells. The word for dwell is is y'shahv in Hebrew. It means "to sit." More to the point, it means to sit in confidence or calm repose. "He that dwelleth at ease in full assurance of safety, wanting nothing." It hearkens to those Scriptures that speak of resting and waiting on the Lord. One who has made the Lord his dwelling place, has put the full weight of His trust and faith in the Lord and may, with full assurance lean upon the Everlasting Arms.

"...in the secret place of the Most High..."

What exactly is the "secret place" being referenced here? It is the presence of God, as it is written:

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
(Psalms 31:20)


Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
(Psalms 32:7)

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
(Psalms 37:7)

God, Himself, is our "secret place." He is our habitation, our hiding place. He is our strong tower, the One in Whom we rest and find our peace and strength, as it is written:

Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
(Psalms 71:3)

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
(Psalms 91:9)

Notice that this is the secret place of the "Most High." The word used for "Most High," is elyon and refers to God as the unreachable, inaccessibly High God. Yet, we are able to dwell in His presence. God who is beyond our reach loves us enough to condescend and make Himself accessable. Jesus made the Father accessable to us. Salvation is not about us being good enough to finally make it to God's level. It is about God coming down to our level. It is about God in Christ literally getting down on his knees as a Father does to his child to relate to that child face to face. The Most High God who had every justifiably righteous reason to ignore and reject us, didn't.

All throughout the Bible from the Garden of Eden, to the Tabernacle in the wilderness, to the Temple in Jerusalem, to the Cross on Calvary, showed His desire to dwell among us, to be with us. His love is unconditional, and whosoever will may partake. Did you know that you are God's chief desire? Did you know that He rejoices over you?

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
(Zephaniah 3:17)

God rejoices over His people!! We are His chief desire, the joy of His heart, and all He asks of us, is that He be our chief desire, our habitation. He wants to be our habitation. He wants us to live in His Presence, not just when things are rough, not just when we are in trouble, but all of the time. It is when times are easy, when we are not under attack, that we need to seek His face, to dwell in His presence continuously. How often we forget about Him when the money flow is good, when the children are getting good grades, no one in the family is sick, and life is treating us well. It is then that we need to be in a state of preparation, a time of seeking to enter into more intimate fellowship with the Lord.

As Christians we really do have a double blessing. Not only do we full access to the Most High to make Him our dwelling, but He has taken up residence in us who have received Him as Savior and Lord. He is in us, and we are in Him. The true Temples of worship are in the hearts of men. God does not dwell in a Temple made by hands. We are both individually, and corporately, the Temple of the Lord, as it is written:

In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.
(Ephesians 2:22)

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
(2 Corinthians 6:16)

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
(1 John 4:15-16)

"...shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty."

The word for "shall abide" is, yitlonav and literally means "to lodge" or, "pass the night." Both y'shahv and yitlonav signify a continuous dwelling, not an occasional or temporary visitation during times of trouble.

"In the Shadow" is b'tzale, and refers to God's defense, or protection. Dwelling in the Secret Place of God's presence will keep us safely under His protection.

He is the "Almighty," Shaddai. He is the all sufficient one. God is more sufficient than we are needy. There is more power in God to meet the needs of His people, than His people have need of. There is more salvation available, than there are sinners that need saving! There is more forgiveness in God than there is depravity and sinfulness in man. Whatever the need, God is more than enough.

God is more than enough to be our defense! It says in Isaiah:

So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
(Isaiah 59:19)

The enemy may look like he is coming in like a flood from our perspective, but God is more than sufficient to defend us from His onslaught. Next to God, our enemy, Satan, isn't' a flood; he isn't even a drip!!! (IMG:http://www.worthyboards.com/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

I want you to pay careful attention to this verse. The blessing here is conditional. This is verse does not apply to all believers, but applies only to those who make the Lord their habitation. It is those who seek to dwell in His presence, and make it a priority in their lives. This is not for those who are satisfied to be outer court worshippers, but those who press in closer receive special and rare blessings. Surely those who remain in the outer court, if they knew what was available to them, would come closer and attain intimate familiarity with the Lord.

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II. A responsive declaration of the author of the psalm, that he would make the Lord his refuge, and the Most High his habitation, Psa 91:2.



I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
(Psalms 91:2)

"I will say of the LORD..."

The author is taking a general truth and making it personal. "I will say of the LORD..." What we say is important. It is especially important what we say about the Lord. I am not referring to the "name it and claim it," positive confession stuff, but it is important that our speech line up with what the Bible says, as it is written:

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
(Psalms 19:14)

It comes down to our testimony. "I will say of the Lord..." What are you saying of the Lord in the presence of your friends and co-workers? We are so quick to speak of our doubts, our discouragements, our disappointments. We are quick with the criticisms and curses, but what do we say of the Lord? Have we indeed descended to a level that any testimony of God we could offer would be a reproach? We need to say less of our favorite sports teams, less of our politicians, less of what the world is doing, and more about the Lord. I am not saying that we should not address world issues, political issues, but we need to temper our remarks in such a manner that they do not undercut our testimony.

The word for LORD in Hebrew, as most of you know, is YHVH. This is known as the Tetragrammaton. It is the supreme Name of God. It is considered by Jewish people to be the ineffable Name. Therefore it is usually written without vowel points in Hebrew literature.

It is interesting because it is the most supreme Name in the universe, but it is also God's redemptive Name as well. For example:

YHVH Tzidenu - The LORD our righteousness
YHVH Kidshanu - The LORD our sanctifier.
YHVH Rophe - The LORD our healer
YHVH Nissi - The LORD our banner
YHVH Rohi - The LORD our shepherd
YHVH Shammah - The LORD is here
YHVH Shalom - The LORD our peace

Those are just a few examples of how YHVH appears as God's redemptive Name. This is important because it relates to what I said earlier about the word Elyon being a reference to the "Most High" God. Just as the inaccessible God has made Himself accessable, God has also chosen to relate to man through His most high, and most supreme Name. The first time God is ever mentioned as YHVH is after the creation of man in Gen. 2:4. To the rest of the world, He is Elohim, but to mankind, He is YHVH. Again, we see a similar condensension on God's part to relate to us not only as Father but as redeemer.

Now the Psalmist evidently sees Him as YHVH Mahkasehti (The LORD my refuge) and YHVH Metsudati (The LORD my fortress). It is important for us understand how the LORD has revealed Himself to us, and for us think and speak accordingly. These are not theological concepts, they are the reality of who God is, and how He wants us view Him.

"He is my refuge, and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. "

This is the testimony of the one who has made the quality decision to dwell in the secret place of God's presence. Religion is not my refuge. My church is not my refuge, my job is not my refuge, a spouse cannot be my refuge, Jesus Christ is MY refuge; how about you? Too often we put waaaay too much pressure on other people to be what only God can be for us. I have seen too many marriages fail because one or both spouses expected the other person to make them whole. No one else can do that. No one else can be your refuge. No one else can support you, sustain you, protect you, like Jesus. Too often relationships are on the rocks because someone held their spouse or friends to an impossible standard, and when they did not measure up, the relationship died.

Only the Lord is our refuge. Only He is our habitation. How can we in practical ways make the Lord our habitation? How do we dwell in calm repose, in the Lord? The Bible has the answer for that:

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
(Psalms 37:3-7)
The Bible also says,

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
(1 Peter 5:7)

The Psalmist says that God is both a refuge AND a Fortress. He is not only our shelter but an unassailable fortress. As long as we are dwelling intimately in Him, as long as we are the enemies plans will always fail. That does not mean that we will not have problems, but it means that all the attacks and assaults the enemy can throw at us will ultimately be for naught, as it is written:

A Song of degrees. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even forever.
(Psalms 125:1-2)

The Lord is your fortress. He loves you and surrounds you like the walls that surround Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a testimony of God's faithfulness. God says in Zechariah, that God will be wall of fire around Jerusalem. He says this in spite of her unfaithfulness, in spite of her disobedience. God is faithful to Word, and cannot deny Himself. God will be a wall of fire to you as well. He will compass round about you when you run to Him for protection. He is your refuge, your fortress, your strong tower. When the bills are too high, he is your refuge, when the boss lays you off, he is your refuge, when it seems that everything in your life is falling apart, when the enemy seems to be unleashing everything in his arsenal against you, the Lord is your fortress, your shield. As it is written:

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
(Psalms 46:1)

This needs to be our testimony of the Lord beginning now. This is what the world needs to be hearing from us. They need to see a difference. We live in a generation where Christians are trying too hard to look, act, dress, and talk like the world and then wonder why they are not able to rise above the world in their daily walk. It is time for we as believers to be leaders, to be different than anything the world has seen. So many are crying out for something to believe in. That is why our testimony is so important. That is why, when they are scratching at the ground for their next meal and worried sick about what is going to happen next, too afraid to live, and too afraid to die, they need to hear and see our testimony of Jesus Christ our Refuge, our Hope, and our Help in days of turmoil. They need to see our calm repose and our confidence. When they do, they will want to know where we got it! They need to see, that even though we are going through some of thesame crisis, we are not going through them alone, and without hope. We need to point them to Jesus, and invite them into our Refuge. (IMG:http://www.worthyboards.com/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) (IMG:http://www.worthyboards.com/style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.gif)

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III. A statement of the security or benefit of doing this, Psa 91:3-8.



Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. (Psalms 91:3)

"Surely..." Consequently... We see before us the results of pressing into the secret place, of abiding in His shadow.

"...He shall deliver thee from the snare of of the fowler..." Here, we have the 1st result of dwelling intimate fellowship with the Lord. The snare of the fowler is a figure of speech derived from the traps that were layed to catch game birds. The Psalmist tells us that we can have the assurance that God will deliver us from the devices and purposes of Satan, our sworn enemy.

We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
(1 John 5:18)

John is telling us that whosoever is born of God does not habitually sin. He does not sin and enjoy it. It is not in his character to sin. He keeps himself, not by his own strength, but he puts forth a conscious effort with Divine assistance to keep himself pure, as it is written:

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
(1 John 3:2-3)

This goes back to verse one, really. He that dwells in the secret place does so, habitually. It is a quality decision to live in God's presence, to do those things that please the heart of the Father. This is not about moral reform or, behavior modification. It is about finding that secret place, the place of God's protection. That is how we keep ourselves. We keep ourselves from sin, by taking up residence in the presence of our Heavenly Father!! When we focus on God instead of ourselves, and have our eyes fixed upon Him, holiness is not something we labor at but, becomes a natural expression of who we are in Christ. When are focused upon living in close, loving intimate fellowship with God, we will naturally do those things that please him. Obedience from the heart is never a chore, but a rejoicing of the heart.

I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
(Psalms 119:14)

Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.
(Psalms 119:24)

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
(1 John 5:2-3)

So, as we seek to keep ourselves in His presence, we will find that Satan's purposes and plans will not avail him anything.

"...and from the noisome pestilence."

"Noisome" means "fatal or "destructive," both in Hebrew and English. "Pestilence" obviously can be rendered as "plague." It is that which spreads death and calamity whereever it goes. We see that God promises deliverance from two things: First, He promises delieverance from the traps and snares layed for you particular. Second, He delivers you from the plagues misfortunes that ravages those round about you.

We as believers have already taken part in this amazing promise. We have been delievered from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. We have been delieverd from the enemy's purposes and from the noisome, fatal pestilence of sin. We have been delivered form the curse of the law, and from the spiritual death that comes from sin. It is simply up to us to appropriate what has already been provided for us by Christ on the cross. We, more than the Psalmist, have the ability to enter into a deep level of intimacy and familiarity with God, and yet we seem satisfied to stand in the outer court. We are content to stand afar off. Often the failure to see descriptions like what we find in Psalm 91:3 occurring in our lives is because we don't press in closer to our Father.

Charles Spurgeon wrote of this verse:

"There is a deadly pestilence of error, we are safe from that if we dwell in communion with the God of truth; there is a fatal pestilence of sin, we shall not be infected by it if we abide with the thrice Holy One; there is also a pestilence of disease, and even from that calamity our faith shall win immunity if it be of that high order which abides in God, walks on in calm serenity, and ventures all things for duty's sake. Faith by cheering the heart keeps it free from the fear which, in times of pestilence, kills more than the plague itself. It will not in all cases ward off disease and death, but where the man is such as Psalm 91:1 describes, it will assuredly render him immortal where others die; if all the saints are not so sheltered it is because they have not all such a close abiding with God, and consequently not such confidence in the promise."

In the wilderness, the closer you were to the pillar of fire and the pillar of smoke, the more protected you were. The Children of Israel had to remain under the fire and smoke. If one ventured out into the wilderness and away from the presence of God, they fell prey to whatever was lurking in the darkness. It may have been this very imageary that entered into the mind of the apostle John when he said:

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
(1 John 1:6-7)

We must remain in His presence. That is what walking in the light, I believe is all about. You will find that walking in love, walking in the light, walking in the Spirit, are just three ways of saying the same thing. It is interesting, because the more we are in the presence of God the more we seek to please Him, which brings us closer to the Lord, which causes us to please Him more, which draws us closer to Him, which causes us to please Him more... it could go on and on. This is what we need. We don't need more behavioral modification, we need more of God, we need to press in to be close to Him. That is where the power, and the protection is. That is where we find the joy, and the peace (shalom) that passes all understanding.

This post has been edited by shiloh357: Nov 8 2005, 09:40 PM

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Here is some more on that Bible Study on Psalms 91...

Feb 19 2006, 02:39 PM Post #13


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Group: Worthy Watchman
Posts: 13082
Joined: 22-August 03
From: Missouri
Member No.: 1888



He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. (Psalms 91:4)

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:

The obvious imagery here, is that of a mother bird who watches closely over her young. She protects them from the elements, and from danger underneath her wings.

There was a story I heard not too long ago about a forest that had been caught on fire. It took a few hours before the fire had been fully extinguished. Upon examining the damage, firefighters and other officials were walking through the burned out area attempting to ascertain just how the fire had been started.

Some time had passed and one of the men came upon the body of a dead bird laying on the ground with its wings outstretched. The man jostled the bird a bit with the tip of his boot, and from underneath the bird hobbled two little birds just barely old enough to walk. It became apparent that this was the mother bird and she had died protecting her babies. The mother bird overrode her instinct to fly away from danger, and chose to instead to protect her young.

You know, Jesus did not have to save us. He did not have to go to the cross. The justice of God demanded that each of should perish for our sin. He didn't, though. Instead of reacting in judgement against us, which he was well within His rights to do, He chose to protect us from the death His justice demanded in the presence of our sin. He died that we would have eternal life. Just as that mother bird endured the pain and agony of that forest fire for her babies, so our Lord took his wings and covered us, and shielded us, while He endured the heat, the pain, the suffering of sin until He had completely given his life on our behalf.

I want to speak just a moment on the word "wing," as this has special meaning for Jewish people. The word for wing is kanaph in Hebrew, but it used in reference to garments especially the borders or corners. Many observant Jewish men wear what we call the arbah kanaphot. It is a four-cornered garment worn underneath the shirt (or over the shirt in Orthodox communities) and on these four corners are the tzit-tziot (tassels) commanded in Numbers 15:38-41. We also have these tassels on the Tallit (prayershawl) that many observant Jewish men wear during morning prayer. The purpose of these tassels is to remind us of the commandments of God, and they are tied in with windings and knots in such a way as to be symbolic of the Torah, itself.

When a Jewish man wears this Tallit or even the arbah kanaphot, he is reminded of the presence of God. When he takes the Tallit and wraps himself from head to toe in it, he imagines that he is enveloped in the presence of the Lord, the very Shekinah (glory) of God. He pulls it over his head to remove any distractions, and during this time, he feels that he and God are alone together inside this Tallit, and that he is communing with His God and Creator. It is the secret place where He and God meet together every day. When a Jewish man thinks of being underneath God's wings, he thinks of the Tallit, but more than that; he think of the commandments that this Tallit symbolizes. The place of protection, the secret place of his presence is found living in the obedience that Tallit is designed to be a reminder of. A Rabbi once said that the Torah is the Jew's golden edged security. If you want to stay in the Secret Place of God's presence, seek to please His heart.

...his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. This is almost the same as the first part of the verse simply using different imagery. It is His truth, His promise, His very Word that is both our shield to the front and our buckler, our coat of armor that protects us round about. The Christian who walks in the Scriptures who eye is fixed upon God and whose faith is firmly grounded in His promises is impervious to Satan's onslaught. It doesn't mean that we won't face setbacks and problems, but we have His promise that nothing the enemy brings to us can spell our demise when we are faithfully, and aggressively seeking to abide in that Secret Place.

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Here is somemore, I will post more later be blessed

Jessica

Post #16


Royal Member


Group: Worthy Watchman
Posts: 13083
Joined: 22-August 03
From: Missouri
Member No.: 1888



Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
(Psalms 91:5-7)


Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Such complete protection we are promised, here! It is interesting to note the finality the absoluteness of this verse. Thou shalt NOT..." It is impossible to, one the hand, dwell in God's presence and, at the same time, live in fear. We shall not live in fear of what lies in wait either by day or by night. God's presence is the place of safety. The children of Israel while under the pillar of fire by night and the cloud of smoke by day, were under God's protection. If they left the safety of that covering of smoke or fire, they would fall prey to whatever lay in wait in the desert wilderness.

When we dwell in His Presence, when we make the Lord our habitation (Ps. 37), we can rest with the calm assurance that no matter how the enemy rages, the Lord holds us safely near, and will not let the enemy come near our dwelling.

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. (Isaiah 54:17)

This is the result of a vibrant and living faith in Christ. It is not a mere religious profession, but a living, daily trust in God that springs from an intimate relationship with Him in Christ. The one who truly rests in God will be able to say along with the Psalmist,

A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
(Psalms 27:1-5)

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
(Psalms 46:1-2)

I think we should all keep this promise in remembrance:

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
(Isaiah 43:2)

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

I believe that darkness and noonday to be metaphorical here. The Psalmist is not saying that there are specific plagues that only occur at night or during the day. "The Pestilence that walketh in darkness" refers to those things that happen for which we cannot explain their source. It is those things that take us unaware. It is said to "walk in darkness" because it arises from unknown causes. I say that, because the word used for darkness in Hebrew for this particular word is ophel and refers to obscurity or ambiguity. Yet, God also says that we are protected from those things that are readily apparent as well. Whether the danger is apparent or not, the man who rests in God is assured protection from them both.

You see, unlike other people, we are not tied to days and seasons. Our rest in God is not shaken by what happens around us. It does not depend upon stock market, the health of our economy, by what we feel, hear or see. It is based upon God Himself. I absolutely love how C.H. Spurgeon puts it:

Upon the child of the Lord's own heart, pestilence has no destroying power, and calamity no wasting influence: pestilence walks in darkness, but he dwells in light; destruction wastes at noonday, but upon him another sun has risen whose beams bring restoration. Remember that the voice which saith “thou shalt not fear” is that of God himself, who hereby pledges his word for the safety of those who abide under his shadow, nay, not for their safety only, but for their serenity. So far shall they be from being injured that they shall not even be made to fear the ills which are around them, since the Lord protects them.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

The rest of the world may fall to these things, but the one who has made the Lord his habitation, who has aggressively sought His presence to enter in and rest is calm repose against His breast, will escape the calamity that befalls those who have sought protection in houses built upon sand. They built their lives around their investment portfolios, around their jobs, their fortunes only to be betrayed in the end. They spent their lives to build their fortunes only to see it collapse all around them.

These are the people who scoffed at the servants of God, who saw our faith as foolish, who reproached the Name of our God. These are also they, who claimed to know God, but who cared too much for the pleasures and comforts of this world, and when calamity strikes, and they come to their senses, it is tragically too late. So many believers put God on the back burner of their lives. They left God out of almost every major decision they made, and then wonder why they have to spend so much time in damage control. Christians too often spend so much time cleaning up after themselves, that they never get to experience that true double portion of peace that awaits them.

I cannot help but quote Spurgeon again:

Whole nations are infected, yet the man who communes with God is not affected by the contagion; he holds the truth when falsehood is all the fashion. Professors all around him are plague-smitten, the church is wasted, the very life of religion decays, but in the same place and time, in fellowship with God, the believer renews his youth, and his soul knows no sickness.

[zelica]

*BUMP* This thread goes along with ASWSU's thread on the SECRET PLACE>>.