Psalm 91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and
adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
I think this is the
psalmist’s expression of the invincibility of a person who is under the
protection of Almighty God. The lion is
the king of beasts and references a mighty fearful enemy. The adder references the asp, a poisonous
snake whose bite causes death in a few hours.
The dragon references a sea monster.
Isn’t it interesting that all of these images are also used in reference
to Satan in scripture.
· Lion - 1Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour….”
· Adder/serpent
- Revelation
12:9 “And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the
Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
· Dragon – Same verse as above. It’s also interesting that the future
Antichrist, the beast that comes from the sea, also falls into
this description; and John specifies that he gets his power and
authority from the dragon, Satan.
Revelation 13:1-2 “And I stood upon
the sand of the sea, and saw a beast
rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his
horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which
I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his
mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the
dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
In other words, the psalmist
tells us that the person of faith has nothing to fear from the attack of the
spiritual forces of evil. Why? The answer follows.
Psalm 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon
me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known
my name.
The psalmist at this
point becomes a prophet; he is speaking the words of the Lord. The Hebrew for love states, “to cling, delight in, desire.” To know God’s name is to understand the
power behind that name. In context with God’s
love it made the reference to “familiar friend” in the Hebrew for known stand out as well. God delights in honoring those who honor
Him. Jesus was very clear as to the
greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:36-38 “Master, which is the
great commandment in the law? Jesus said
unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind. This is the
first and great commandment.”
He was
equally clear that the Father responds in love to those that love Him.
John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a
man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will
come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
The Lord comforted
Jeremiah with this same truth.
Jeremiah 39:18 “For I will surely
deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a
prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.”
Psalm 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will
answer him: I will be with him in
trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
The person who delights
in the Lord and has placed his life in His hands by faith can be assured that
God will answer when he calls.
The next phrase is
important—He will be with him in trouble.
In other words, we aren’t promised that we will never experience
trouble, but that God will always be with us in our time of trouble. Then He promises deliverance from that
trouble—according to His wisdom and His timing. He also promises to honor the believer, and that speaks of glory and riches beyond our
imagination.
God always hears the
prayer of His child and He always answers.
Sometimes the answer is yes,
sometimes no, sometimes wait a while or not yet. His presence,
provision, deliverance and honor are sure. His word never fails.
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of a good courage,
fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go
with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth
out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Psalm 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him,
and shew him my salvation.
I thought it was
interesting that the Hebrew for long
referenced “forever.” That is the
proper perspective. We all know of
people of faith who have died young. The
only way this verse makes sense is in reference to eternity. Scripture is clear in stating that our lives
here are but a vapor and that we cannot be sure of tomorrow.
James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on
the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a
little time, and then vanisheth away.”
Isaiah 40:6-8 “The voice said, Cry. And he said,
What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the
flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit
of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but
the word of our God shall stand for ever.”
1Peter 1:24 “For all flesh is as grass, and all
the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower
thereof falleth away….”
This verse also fits
right in with the truth stated by Jesus.
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said unto her, I
am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die.”
The Hebrew
for salvation references
“deliverance; hence, aid, victory, prosperity:—deliverance, and health.” Salvation includes both deliverance from and
victory to. Deliverance from everything
evil and wicked and victory to prosperity, health and everything associated
with the blessings of God.
This is a
most important point of focus for the child of God today as the times
continue to grow spiritually darker. We
will enjoy eternal life in the presence of the LORD. Our present life is but a tiny dot on the line
that represents eternity. Death is only
a transition to a better life.
Come Lord
Jesus!!
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