Psalm 91

“You who live in the shelter of the Most High,

   who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

 will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;

   my God, in whom I trust.’

(Psalm 91:1-2 NRSV)

For certain Psalm 91 contains some of the most beautiful prose in the psalter. While the prose is beautiful, it certainly does not reflect our experience. I am hard pressed to think of one person in the Bible, or in the history of the church, that has experienced the Godly protection enumerated in this psalm. If we are looking for a literal interpretation of this psalm, we will wear ourselves out trying to become “You who live in the shelter of the Most High.” How can this psalm help us in our journey to the life in Christ?

When Jesus went into the wilderness after his baptism, he was tempted by Satan. For his second temptation, Satan quoted verses 11-12 of this psalm,

“Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.

And they will hold you up with their hands

    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

(Matthew 4:5-6).

I believe this points to our spiritual understanding of this psalm. In Jesus’ discussion of the vine and branches, he said “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5b). The Apostle Paul referred to our being “in Christ” over and over in his epistles. For the followers of Jesus, the opening line of Psalm 91, “You who live in the shelter of the Most High” refers to our new life in Christ: “For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). When our life is in Christ, we can rest in His promise:

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

(John 10:27-30)

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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Reading for August 1, 2012       Psalm 92