In today’s program, dear readers, we are going to begin by considering Psalm 91. In our previous program, we studied Psalm 90, and with that Psalm began a new section of this Book of Psalms. This new one corresponds to the book of Numbers in the Pentateuch. Just as Psalm 90 was a psalm of death, so Psalm 91 is a psalm of life. It is a messianic psalm that offers us an image of the Lord Jesus Christ. It reveals a wonderful place of protection and safety for us. It is a very popular psalm among God’s people, appreciated by people of all ages, young and old. Many have been blessed by him.
Psalm 90 showed us a figure of the first man, Adam. And in Adam we all die, that is why we have said that it was a Psalm of death. But the Psalm 91 tells us about the Lord of heaven, and it is truly a Messianic Psalm. It is a Psalm of life.
Now, on the other hand, this is a Psalm that has been quoted by Satan and a Psalm that he knows very well, and we will see this later. In the first two verses of this Psalm 91, we are told the following:
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will dwell under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to Jehovah: My hope and my castle; my God, in whom I will trust.”
This is a very beautiful language. The person described to us is the same man who was called blessed or happy in Psalm 1. The Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect, sinless and holy man. And He always dwells in the shelter of the Most High. The problem we have is that we are there sometimes, but we don’t stay there for long. Let us now notice what verses 3 to 5 of this Psalm 91 say:
“He will free you from the hunter’s snare, from the destructive plague. With his feathers he will cover you and under his wings you will be safe; shield and protection is his truth. You will not fear the night terror or the arrow that flies by day.”
Some have remembered these words in times of war and believe they have found protection in very dangerous situations. Also in verses 6 to 8, which say:
“Neither the pestilence that walks in the dark, nor the plague that destroys in the middle of the day. A thousand and ten thousand will fall at your right hand; but they will not come to you. Certainly with your eyes you will look and see the reward of the wicked. “
We believe that these verses can be used by God’s people, and God has made them truly real to many of His children. But here we have a picture of our Lord. Let us now introduce you to a quote from Dr. AC Gaebelein, a past generation Bible teacher. He said the following about this passage: “Let us think of the Lord first; in Him there was no sin, and that which was the result of sin, disease, and death, could not demand anything of Him. From every point of view, He was always the Perfect Man, and since He trusted God, His Father, He walked and lived in perfect obedience, so the great hunter, Satan, could not seize Him, nor could destructive disease.
Covered by His feathers and under His Alas, the Perfect Man in this world found His permanent refuge. He did not experience fear, because what happened to others could not draw near to Him. And those who are His, follow Him in a life of trust and obedience, claiming protection for themselves. “So far, the words of Dr. AC Gaebelein. Those who throughout history have regarded these verses as their own had a right to do so. God made these words a real experience in their lives.
Let’s hear what Dr. Gaebelein went on to say: How true it is, that our body is dead because of sin. Now, fanaticism can claim all these statements as having absolute meaning for the child of God. And experience very often teaches us otherwise because we fail, we are wrong creatures, we need discipline, and pass the test of faith. However, in all this the believer can have perfect peace, knowing that everything will end well. Even if he kills me, I will wait for him, said Job. (Job 13:15) That phrase can represent the climax of true faith and trust in God. Let’s continue now, our reading in Psalm 91 with verses 9 and 10:
“Because you have put the Lord, who is my hope, the Most High for your room, no harm will come upon you or plague will touch your dwelling.”
These words point to the person of Christ. Let’s read the next verses, verses 11 and 12, which say:
“For he will command his angels about you to guard you in all your ways. They will carry you in their hands so that your foot does not stumble on a stone.”
This is the passage that Satan quoted, when he tempted the Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness, and it is interesting to see that Satan knew that this Psalm applied to the Lord Jesus. Satan had already learned something that some of today’s theology professors are unaware of. According to Luke 4:19, Satan said, “For it is written, he will command his angels to keep you safe.” And here it seems that Satan quoted the Scriptures for his purposes and then misquoted them because he omitted the phrase “may they keep you in all your ways.”
The Lord Jesus Christ said that He had come to do His Father’s will and that meant to walk in His ways. He would have gone out of God’s will, if he had tried to make bread from the rocks, or if he had accepted the kingdoms of the world offered by Satan, or even more, if he had thrown himself into the void from the pinnacle of the temple. The full promise was to his angels that He will command about you, to keep you in all your ways, as it says here in Psalm 91.
Now in verse 14, we notice that the expression “because” is repeated twice; Let’s listen to what verses 14 and 15 say:
“Because he has placed his love on me, I will also deliver him; I will lift him up, because he has known my name. He will call on me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and glorify him.”
It is that the Perfect Man was between the jaws of death, and He descended into the depths of this world, which was death and the grave. And he was delivered on the third day, when God raised him from the dead and gave Him the glory. Here it says: “I will lift him up, because he has known my name.” What a great picture of Christ we have here in this Psalm!
And we now turn to:
Psalm 92 Commentary
It has an inscription that says: Psalm - A song for the Sabbath. We find here a song of praise that naturally follows the Messianic Psalm we have just discussed. It speaks to us of praise and adoration, and for this it was given on Saturday or the Sabbath. Yet the worship in this psalm is in relation to an earthly sanctuary, and in reality, it is looking forward in time to that day when, once again, there will be a sanctuary established in Jerusalem, and God’s redeemed people will worship there. The worship of believers today is something different. In John 4:21 and 23 we see that the Lord said to the Samaritan woman: “Woman, believe me that the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 4:23 - But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
And now we see that the psalm begins on a glorious note. Let’s read verse 1 of this Psalm 92:
“It is good to praise you, Lord, and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.”
Do you want to do something nice today, dear listener? So thank the Lord right now, wherever you are. Let’s read verse 2 of this Psalm 92:
“Announce your mercy and your faithfulness every night.”
You can thank Him morning or evening for His loving kindness and faithfulness. I always thank Him in the morning; In the early hours of the morning I thank Him for a new day, because thanks to His goodness He has given me that new day of life. But when one goes to bed at night, it would be good to thank Him for His faithfulness in allowing us to go through the experiences of that day. Turning now to verse 6, we read:
“The foolish man does not know and the fool does not understand this.”
Foolish people do not understand the love and faithfulness of God. Let’s continue reading verse 8:
“But you, Lord, are forever so high.”
“The Most High” is a millennial term to refer to God. But some verses look back at earthly conditions. The man is described as a foolish being. It is as if spiritually he does not walk upright. He does not look at God. Some think they do but they don’t. The foolish man looks down and enjoys the filth of sin. He is a fool. Such people lack common sense. They cannot understand, because as God said through Paul in Romans 1:21 his foolish heart was darkened. And that foolish man denies God and in a spiritual and moral sense, he lives like an animal, following his natural instincts. There are many who live as if God does not exist. They simply eat, sleep, work, rest, and play; and that’s it. For them, this is life.
“The righteous will flourish like the palm tree; they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”
The palm tree has been like the emblem of victory, and the cedar represents strength and seriousness. This is a figure of the righteous, of those who are living in communion with God, even in the times we live in.
And so we come to:
Psalm 93 Commentary
This is a very short Psalm, having only five verses. In him we see an expression of great joy because the Lord has come to reign gloriously on earth. Let’s read verse 1:
“The Lord reigns! He has clothed himself in majesty! The Lord has clothed himself, he has girded himself with power! He also established the world and it will not be removed.”
The Lord appears here clothed in splendor. This Psalm will reach its true meaning when He comes to reign on earth. All rebellious opposition will be broken, and all those who have opposed God will be dethroned. Let’s listen to what verse 3 of this Psalm 93 says:
“The rivers lifted up, Lord, the rivers lifted up their voices; the rivers lifted up their waves.”
The tide of sin has stopped. Satan’s head has been crushed, And verses 4 and 5 say:
“The Lord in the heights is more powerful than the roar of many waters, more than the mighty waves of the sea. Your testimonies are very firm; holiness befits your House, Lord, forever and ever.”
And so we come to:
Psalm 94 Commentary
Starting with this Psalm 94 through Psalm 100, we have a series of Psalms that tell a consecutive story. These 7 psalms are kingdom songs that celebrate the Messiah’s reign. They are a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom on earth after the great tribulation period and all the very serious difficulties experienced by human beings at that time.
Psalm 94 is a call to God to intervene with justice against the wicked. It is a cry of the faithful remnant in a time of trouble that precedes the kingdom. And he begins by saying in his first verse:
“Lord God of Vengeance, God of Vengeance, show yourself!”
There are many who today say, “Ah, if only the Lord would return.” Well, He is coming, dear listener, but He will come according to His own plan, not according to human prognoses or schedules. And when Jesus Christ comes, then He will fix all these things that have caused us suffering. For the present day He has asked us to walk in faith, holding His hand. Vengeance belongs to Him and He will act justly. There are many things that need to be straightened out. And when Jesus returns to earth in great power, he will put each and everything in its proper place. In the meantime, we do not have to avenge ourselves, but leave these matters in His hands. Let’s read verses 8 and 9…
“Understand, you fools of the people! And you fools, when will you be wise? He who made the ear, will he not hear? He who formed the eye, will he not see?”
And again God is speaking to foolish man. God is Spirit. He doesn’t have ears like ours, but He hears; He doesn’t have eyes like ours, but he sees. And the sinner here in this world for some reason thinks that he is getting away with it, and that he can sin with impunity.
However, God hears it, sees it, and takes note of everything that human beings do. And dear listener, there are only two places for your sins: either they are in Christ, or you carry them. If your sins are in Christ, then judgment has already been executed on them, if they are on you, you can only wait for future judgment. Those who are united to Christ have the glorious prospect of life with Him now and in eternity. But, dear listener, if you have not come to Christ, then you will have to stand before God to be judged.
“When I said: My foot is slipping, your mercy, Lord, supported me. He will make their wickedness return upon them and destroy them in their own malice. The Lord our God will destroy them.”
And the Psalm concludes by expressing confidence that God has heard and will judge the wicked. And then we arrive at:
Psalms 95 to 99 Commentary
These Psalms are happy songs. Psalm 95 is a delightful hymn of praise. Verses 1 to 3 of this Psalm 95 say:
“Come, let us joyfully acclaim the Lord! Let us sing with joy to the rock of our salvation! Let us come before his presence with praise! Let us acclaim him with songs! For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.”
And furthermore, He is worshiped as Creator. Let’s read verses 4-6:
“In his hand are the depths of the earth and the heights of the mountains are his. The sea is his also, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our maker.”
Psalm 96 is another beautiful song of praise, when the Lord Jehovah, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, will reign over all the earth. Says verse 1:
“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.”
We have already seen before that this new song is the song of redemption. In the Book of Revelation, we are told that we are going to sing it. Let’s also read verses 4 and 5:
“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; awesome above all gods. All the gods of the peoples are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.”
Here idolatry is mentioned again because the millennium will end in idolatry. Today there are people who consider themselves extraordinarily wise because they resort to all kinds of religions. The day will come when atheism, deism, polytheism, and all cults will be eliminated. And verse 7 of this Psalm 96 says:
“Ascribe to the Lord, families of the peoples, give the Lord glory and power.”
The Lord Jesus Christ will fulfill prophecy, end idolatry, and cast out Satan. Then all creation will rejoice.
Psalm 97 is very similar to the previous one due to its expression of joy that the Lord has arrived. Says verse 1:
“The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice! Let the many shores rejoice!”
This is not a hymn dedicated to the first coming of Christ to earth, but to His second coming. Says verse 7 of this Psalm 97:
“Let all those who serve carved images be ashamed, those who glory in idols. Let all the gods bow down before him.”
“Gods” here should be translated angels (compare Hebrews 1:6). Then we come to Psalm 98, which is like the second verse of this new worship song. Let’s read the first verse:
“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wonders; his right hand has saved him and his holy arm.”
Psalm 99 is a song dedicated to the King whose throne is a throne of grace and mercy. Says verse 1:
“The Lord reigns! The peoples will tremble. He is seated on the cherubim; the earth will be shaken.”
If you are not in the habit of praising our God, it would be better for you to get used to it if you are going to go to heaven. It is better that you get in tune now because you will spend a lot of time there praising God. And the best thing is to get ready here on earth. The Psalm looks to the future, when we praise him in the millennium. That kingdom has not yet arrived, but there is no reason why you and I should not praise him today. Do you know why we should do it? Because He is wonderful, He is good, He is faithful, and His mercy will last forever. He will always be very good to me. He will always be good to you. Dear listener, don’t you feel that this truth affects you in some way?
