Psalm 91: The Shadow of the Almighty

This is a favorite psalm of many people – a wonderful song of God’s care for His

children. The author is unknown, but Moses and David have been suggested. It has been

said that unattributed Psalms should be credited to the last-named author, and this

would indicate Moses, too. The write presents God as a strong protector in a variety of

circumstances, including battle and plague. The Psalm is mostly a series of declarations

of faith concerning how God will guard the believer. Toward the end there is a change of

speaker as God begins to speak of what He will do for the one who trusts in Him. It is

considered by many to be one of the greatest Psalms; Spurgeon called it “matchless.”

(1) He who dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the

shadow of the Almighty.

• The word “he” does not refer to one person alone but to all who dwell there. The

“secret place” here, as in Psalm 27, refers to the innermost chamber of a person’s

home. It means having the closest fellowship with a person because you have

been admitted to the private areas of his dwelling. In terms of the layout of the

Temple it would mean that the person is in the Holy of Holies.

• “Abiding” here means to lodge; it means where someone will pass the night or

stay permanently.

• The “shadow of the Almighty” is a beautiful phrase which of course is meant to

remind us of how mother birds warm and guard their young. In this place of

safety and comfort we can hear and feel the heartbeat of God for us!
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(2) I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in

him will I trust.”

• Here the Psalmist teaches us the value of speaking the Word of God aloud to

ourselves, especially the promises of God and those other passages which build

faith and confidence in Him. The saints of old were encouraged to meditate day

and night in the Word of God and, as we have seen before, this ancient form of

meditation was something done verbally and not just mentally.

• He has strong confidence that the LORD and no one else is his refuge (shelter)

and fortress, or castle. He also declares that the LORD is his god, meaning that

aside from loving God for His blessings, he has a personal devotion to Him. He

will trust in Him despite any and all circumstances!

(3) Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the

calamitous pestilence. (4) He shall cover you with His feathers, and under

His wings you shall trust; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

• The image in verse 3 is that of a simple device used to catch birds; a fowler is

someone who traps or hunts birds. In several places in the Scriptures this picture

of the fowler is used to express the danger of the soul in the face of deceptive

enemies. Through His Word and through His supernatural deliverance, God will

keep us from being deceived by men and by the enemy of our souls.

• Pestilence or plague was greatly feared by the ancients, and without modern

sanitation, thousands died from illnesses which we now know to have simple

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cures. This deliverance could be supernatural or even natural. Godliness is a help

in this regard as it keeps people from a variety of health problems.

• God is again presented as a protector under the symbolism of a powerful bird.

Being covered here means being entwined or fenced in.

• The truth of God is a shield and buckler. The shield was a large protective

covering and the buckler is thought by many to mean the smaller shields which

were often strapped to the arm and used offensively as well as defensively. In this

way the person could deflect a variety of incoming weapons. Much the same way

in the New Testament we read that the shield of faith shall be able to quench all

the fiery darts of the wicked one. Knowing the truth of God is a defense to the

attacks of doubt, discouragement, and despair that come against our soul.

(5) You shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that

flies by day; (6) Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the

destruction that wastes at noonday.

• These all represent dire circumstances for the believer, whether literal or

symbolic. Terror by night can mean something demonic or enemy attacks. In our

day, with artificial light, we do not fear the dark as much as we once did. In

ancient times, the night was more fearful because of increased risks of injury, fire,

crime and animal attack.

• The arrow by day is an obvious reference to warfare, which was typically

conducted during the day. (The Psalmist is saying here, among other things, that

God can protect us night and day; “24/7” as we say today.) Indeed, God gave

many great deliverances and rescues in battles.

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• The destruction at noonday means anything that hurts or cuts people off,

meaning a war or natural disaster of any sort.

(7) A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand;

but it shall not come near you. (8) Only with your eyes shall you behold

and see the reward of the wicked.

• This refers to pestilences which move very quickly but it may refer to warfare as

well. The word thousand is definite in Hebrew but the word translated as “ten

thousand” is indefinite, and simply means a very large number.

• The writer has the promise of seeing the reward of the wicked. In other words,

he will see God plaguing the wicked while he survives. It has been suggested that

David wrote this during a plague but it seems unlikely that he would refer to the

dead people of Israel as the wicked.

(9) Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the most

High, your habitation; (10) There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any

plague come near your dwelling.

• In this passage the Psalmist continues to encourage others of the benefits of

loving God and making Him their refuge. The idea is of course that we are to take

God as our true dwellingplace. This provides divine protection.

(11) For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your

ways. (12) They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot

against a stone.

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• This passage was of course famously misused by Satan when he tempted Jesus.

Not only does God have direct ability to rescue you, He of course has created an

innumerable army of angels who serve us as ministering spirits: Are they not all

ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of

salvation? (Heb. 1:14)

(13) You shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the dragon

shall you trample under feet.

• This is a picture of victory and conquest in both the natural and the supernatural

arenas. Nations were often represented as beasts, especially when viewed in

prophecy as nations opposing Israel and God’s plan. (Think of the Book of Daniel

or the Revelation.)

• Young lions were strong and ravenous; adders can mean poisonous snakes. The

“dragon” is a word that can mean serpents, especially large and deadly ones, sea

serpents, whales, and dragons. These are symbols of the devil and of the men and

nations which he empowers with his demons to attack God’s people and plan.

• Jesus said: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions,

and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

(Luke 10:19)

(14) “Because he has set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I

will set him on high, because he has known My name.

(15) He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in

trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.

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(16) With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”

• This beautiful ending reveals God’s intent to deliver us because we have set our

love on Him. This is an interesting phrase and shows us that our love, the

affections of our heart, must be set on a object. We should pursue God ardently

and not merely love Him “at a distance” or halfheartedly.

• The final verses set forth the promise of

o Answered prayer

o God’s presence in trouble

o Honor from God

o Long life, and

o Salvation, in the fullest sense of the word, meaning victory and prosperity