Because he has loved Me, I will save him

Psalm 91 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
³ For it is He who rescues you from the net of the trapper
And from the deadly plague.
⁴ He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may take refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and wall.

⁵ You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
⁶ Of the plague that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that devastates at noon.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
⁸ You will only look on with your eyes
And see the retaliation against the wicked.
⁹ For you have made the Lord, my refuge,
The Most High, your dwelling place.
¹⁰ No evil will happen to you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.

¹¹ For He will give His angels orders concerning you,
To protect you in all your ways.
¹² On their hands they will lift you up,
So that you do not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will walk upon the lion and cobra,
You will trample the young lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he has loved Me, I will save him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
¹⁵ He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
¹⁶ I will satisfy him with a long life,
And show him My salvation.”

In John 17:14-17, when Jesus prayed for us on the night He was betrayed, He said: “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”  Moses knew the value of the Lord’s protection and His presence. In Exodus 33:5;15 it says: The Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are an obstinate people; if I were to go up in your midst for just one moment, I would destroy you.” Moses response was: “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.”

In today’s text Moses, the writer of Psalm 91, says: One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who rescues you from the net of the trapper and from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may take refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and wall. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the plague that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that devastates at noon. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes And see the retaliation against the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, The Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will happen to you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels orders concerning you, To protect you in all your ways. On their hands they will lift you up, So that you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will walk upon the lion and cobra, You will trample the young lion and the serpent.  In our current day, with violence in our streets and worldwide pandemics and plagues, people would love to know the security that Moses speaks of. It is vital that we understand that we can have that security, but it is for the one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, the one who lodges in the shadow of the Almighty. God’s security and protection is for the one who trusts in Him and takes refuge with Him. We cannot know the blessing of God’s protection, if we stay far from Him or only come close on occasion. 

In John 14:15-17;23-27 Jesus says: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.  I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you… If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. The one who does not love Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you. Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.”  To know His peace and protection, we need to love Him and keep His commandments. Then not only will we dwell with Him, but God Himself will abide with us and in us. Romans 8:31;35;37-39 says: What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?...  Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?...  in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Psalm 91, God responds to Moses declaration saying: “Because he has loved Me, I will save him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. I will satisfy him with a long life, And show him My salvation.” Amen. Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit. Amen.