The LORD Is My Refuge!

We come to the Lord's Word this morning.

We're in the book of Psalms.

So you can open your Bible up to Psalms.

We're in Psalm 91.

Psalm 91.

And I know I usually read through the psalm at the beginning,

but this time we're going to kind of read through it as we go.

Let's jump in.

The first thing that we notice about this psalm

is that there is no superscription at the top.

So we don't know who wrote this.

We don't know what the occasion is.

And we don't know whether it's a song or just a piece of poetry,

a blessing or something perhaps.

So we just have to be content with not knowing some of these things.

And we have to take this psalm as it comes to us.

There seems to be four parts to this psalm.

The first two verses, if you could have your Bible open in front of you,

you can kind of see there's often a break there.

The psalm contains the opening statement

where the author expresses his confidence in God.

Then the next part, verses 3 to 8,

is packed full of these will statements.

And the psalmist makes numerous statements

about how things will go for the person who takes refuge in God.

Then in verse 9, the author restates the main theme of the psalm

and reminds us of just who these promises are for.

And then he goes on to give more will statements

and describes how things will go for the person who really trusts in the Lord.

And then finally, the last part of the psalm, verses 14 to 16,

the will statements continue,

but the one who is saying them changes.

Now it's the Lord who is speaking

about how he will act

in response to the prayers and plights of his people.

And the main theme of this psalm,

the great declaration of it,

is that God is the protector of his people.

So let's see this and hear this

from the words of the psalmist,

starting in verses 1 and 2.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord,

He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God in whom I trust.

So the psalmist has something to say.

He has a statement to make,

and it comes to us in verse 2.

I will say of the Lord,

He is my refuge and my fortress.

These two words, refuge and fortress,

speak of the safety and the protection

that are found in the Lord.

Now, it's probably difficult for us

to relate to these two words a little bit,

because we've all been blessed

to know relative peace in our lifetimes.

But if you read through the story of Israel

in the Old Testament,

you'll see that many of those ancient days

were full of war,

battles,

bloodshed,

violence.

The surrounding nations and peoples

would raid and pillage Israel

and each other.

And so the fortified city,

the city of refuge,

was a big deal back then.

That was the place that you and your family

would run to

when you saw the enemy army coming

or raiders coming.

And the sturdy walls

would give you protection

against soldiers and chariots.

Think of the stories of Joshua

and the battle at Jericho

or Jerusalem.

Both were fortified cities

known for their great thick walls

and their towers for defense.

And at various times in Israel's history,

there were many cities like these

fortified with walls.

This was common to them.

So what is the psalmist declaring here

in verse 2?

He's saying,

when I'm looking for shelter,

a hiding place,

a safe place,

where do I go?

Where do I run to?

Not an earthly city,

but a person.

My God.

He is my protector.

He is the one who keeps me safe.

And I trust in His protection.

This is the theme of the entire psalm.

God is the trustworthy,

dependable protector of His people.

And now He launches into these will statements.

These first few will statements

in verses 3 and 4

are about what God will do

for those who trust in Him.

Verse 3.

Surely He will save you

from the fowler's snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you

with His feathers

and under His wings

you will find refuge.

His faithfulness

will be your shield

and rampart.

So these are the kinds of things

that God will do

for those who trust in Him.

He will save you

from the fowler's snare.

The psalmist uses

metaphorical language here

and it's drawing on

the situation of birds.

A fowler is a hunter of birds

and in this context

using a snare or a trap

to hunt for birds.

So the enemy is on the prowl

like a hunter

and we are like the bird.

But God is the one

who will save us

from the enemy

and His trap.

In verse 4.

More bird metaphor.

He will cover you

with His feathers

and under His wings

you will find refuge.

I love this picture.

The picture here

is that God will take you

under His loving care

and protection

like a mother bird

does its helpless

little babies.

He will draw you close.

He will keep you safe.

He will be a hiding place

for you

in the time of trouble.

The main point here

in all of this

is that God

is not the kind of God

who will simply

let His people

be caught

and killed

by enemies

and predators

while He turns a blind eye.

He will intervene.

He will save us.

He will protect us

because He cares for us

like we are His very own.

I love the statement here

at the end of verse 4.

His faithfulness

will be your shield

and rampart.

A rampart

is a protective wall.

So God's faithfulness

is like a shield

or barrier

that protects us

from harm and danger.

God can be dependent on

to keep His promises.

He is the one

who comes between us

and trouble

like a deflecting shield,

like an impenetrable barrier.

Then in verses 5 to 8

the psalmist switches

from He will

to now

you will.

So verses 3 and 4

it was God will save you.

He will protect you.

He will shield you.

And now in verses 5

it's

you will not fear

the terror

of night

nor the arrow

that flies by day.

you will not

fear the pestilence

that stalks

in the darkness

nor the plague

that destroys

at midday.

A thousand

may fall at your side

ten thousand

at your right hand

but it will not

come near you.

You will only observe

with your eyes

and see

the punishment

of the wicked.

So with God

protecting you

this is how

it will go for you.

And He gives

two more

will statements.

We'll just look

at the first one

the big one.

You will not fear

and then He lists off

some common dangers

of the day.

You will not fear them

because remember

the Lord

is your shield.

He is your protector.

Let's look at some

of these common dangers

or threats.

He says

you will not fear

the terror

of night.

If we compare

this to another

place in the Bible

where this phrase

is used

it likely refers

to the frequent

threat of

bandits

or thugs

or criminals

thieves

who would use

the cover of darkness

to attack

to rob

to pillage

to kill.

He says

you will not fear

the arrow

that flies

by day.

This probably

referring to

the arrow

shot by archers

in battle.

You will not

fear the pestilence

that stalks

in the darkness

nor the plague

that destroys

at midday.

Both of these

are referring

to fatal diseases

things that spread

invisibly.

Usually

the kind

that result

in death.

Verse 7

A thousand

may fall

at your side

ten thousand

at your right hand

but it will

not come

near you.

Now some people

think that this

refers to

like a battle

people falling

in battle

but most likely

it refers to

the plague

to pestilence

no matter

how many

there are

around you

getting sick

dropping down

from the plague

you will not

fear

because it

will not

come near

you.

Now we may

wonder

why all the

switching back

and forth

between night

and day

darkness

and midday

remember

this is a poem

this is poetry

and this is a

poetic device

called merism

where you kind

of use both

parts

but your

whole point

is about

the whole

we're more

familiar with

the expression

maybe that

you know

I was praying

day and night

that God

would do this

what we really

mean is

all the time

around the

clock

and so it

seems that

this is the

same kind

of idea

that he's

giving here

God's

trustworthy

dependable

protection

enables us

to live

without fear

around the

clock

whether it's

at night

and the

dangers

of night

or during

the day

and the

things that

can happen

in the

day

in a

similar

fashion

we shouldn't

look at these

particular dangers

as being

the only

things

that God

protects us

from

I mean

these are

just a few

samples

of the

possible

dangers

but the

overall point

is that

God protects

his people

from all

kinds of

danger

all kinds

of harm

he is the

shield that

comes between

us and

these things

in life

now I know

that already

some of you

might be

thinking

and the

question might

be coming

up

what about

when bad

things like

these do

happen

to the

righteous

to God's

people

we're going

to get to

that question

in a couple

minutes here

but let's

not miss

let's not

fail to

hear the

main point

of this

section

is that

God protects

his people

around the

clock

from all

kinds

of troubles

and dangers

verse 9

if you say

the Lord

is my

refuge

and you

make the

most high

your dwelling

no harm

will overtake

you

no disaster

will come

near

your tent

for he

will command

his angels

concerning

you

to guard

you in

all your

ways

they will

lift you

up in

their hands

so that

you will

not strike

your foot

against a

stone

you will

tread

on the

lion

and the

cobra

you will

trample

the great

lion

and the

serpent

so the

psalmist

makes it

clear this

protection

is not

enjoyed

by everyone

it's only

those who

say

the Lord

is my

refuge

it's only

those who

make the

most high

their dwelling

those who

trust in

him

those who

live in

him

that's who

these promises

of protection

are for

and then the

psalmist goes

on to make

more wonderful

declarations about

how the Lord

protects his

people

if you

say the

Lord is my

refuge

if you

make him

your

dwelling

no harm

will overtake

you

no disaster

will come

near your

tent

why not

because he

will command

his angels

concerning

you

to guard

you in all

your ways

and his

angels

will do

the job

they will

see to

it

that you

do not

come

to harm

verse 13

takes it a

step beyond

that even

it's not

just about

survival

it's not

just about

bare minimum

protection

it will also

be about

triumph

over the

enemy

you will

tread

on the

lion

and the

cobra

you will

trample

the great

lion

and the

serpent

so god

not only

protects his

people but

he also

in the

end will

give them

victory

over their

enemies

over the

things that

threaten

and endanger

us

now let's

come to

this question

that I know

is probably

percolating in

some of our

minds

what about

the suffering

of the

righteous

because many

look at these

promises and

say oh that's

not true

that sounds

too good to

be true

if this is

true that no

harm will

overtake you

no disaster

will come near

your tent

what about all

the faith

filled people

who have

suffered

and died

from things

like these

and this is a

difficult question

to answer

in fact the

entire book

of Job

is devoted

to this

question

what about

when the

righteous

suffer

calamity

and it's

no fault

of their

own

if God

always protects

his people

all the time

from all kinds

of things

like these

what about

Joseph

who was

sold into

slavery

by his

brothers

and got

stuck in

jail

for years

what about

King David

who was

hunted

and persecuted

by his

wicked

father-in-law

for years

what about

the righteous

prophets

who were

killed

slaughtered

by the

Israelites

what about

the apostles

many of whom

were killed

because of

their devotion

to Jesus

and it's here

that we have

to come to

grips with

five things

five things

that will help

us read

this the

right way

number one

God can

and does

do all

these things

literally

at times

at various

times in

history

verses six

and seven

speak of the

pestilence

and the plague

not even

coming near

people dropping

from it

all around

and yet

there you are

standing safe

is this not

exactly what

happened when

the Israelites

were in

Egypt

the last

several plagues

God targeted

specifically

only on the

Egyptians

they literally

looked around

them and they

saw the

people

the damage

the ruin

the death

and there they

were standing

safely in the

land of Goshen

all was well

so yes

God can do

this

each of these

things literally

and he has

or look at

verse 13

you will tread

on the lion

you will trample

the great lion

it was David

who told

King Saul

that the Lord

one time

helped him

to strike

down a lion

while he was

just a young

boy and he

was tending

his father's

sheep

Daniel was

thrown into

a whole den

of lions

and God

gave him

victory over

them

and how did

he do it

by sending

his angel

to shut

the mouths

of the lion

so God

can

and has

done these

kinds of

things

literally

but the

second thing

to remember

is that

this is

poetry

he's bringing

all of these

things together

poetically

to make a

point

to illustrate

the many

different ways

that God

can and

does protect

his people

the point's

not that God

never allows

plagues

to make

his people

sick

or die

the points

that God

ordinarily

protects his

people from

all kinds

of things

throughout

their lives

this doesn't

mean that

we'll never

get sick

we all know

that

truth be

told

we won't

really know

until the

end

when we are

with God

looking back

on our

lives

just how

many

disasters

he spared

us

from

how many

car accidents

we would

have been

in

had God

not

interrupted

us

and made

us late

how many

times on the

job we could

have been

fatally injured

had his

angels not

been present

there

intervening

in the

moment

in the

ways that

we didn't

even see

so we

need to

know that

this is

poetry

which

taken

all

together

is

making

a

grand

statement

God

protects

his

people

all

the

time

around

the

clock

in

all

kinds

of

ways

throughout

their

lives

third

we need

to see

that this

is a

particular

kind

of

poetry

it's

wisdom

poetry

there are

a number

of

psalms

that

are

kind

of

all

together

on

this

a

kind

of

poetry

in

the

bible

that

contains

sayings

principles

proverbs

that are

generally

true

but not

always

without

exception

let's

look

quickly

at

psalm

112

for

an

example

there

it

says

blessed

are

those

who

fear

the

lord

who

find

great

delight

in

his

commands

their

children

will

be

mighty

in

the

land

the

generation

of

the

upright

will

be

blessed

wealth

and

riches

are

in

their

houses

and

their

righteousness

endures

forever

does

this

mean

that

those

who

fear

the

lord

will

always

be

rich

i think

we all

know

of course

not

but

generally

those

who

fear

the

lord

and

find

great

delight

in

his

commands

will

grow

wealthier

from

generation

to

generation

because

of the

way

that

god

leads

us

to

work

and

to

manage

our

money

and

to

treat

others

and

how

we

use

our

possessions

but that

doesn't

mean that

we will

never

face

ruin

or

hardship

like

job

did

let's

come

back

to

our

psalm

psalm

Psalms 91:10

91

verse

10

it

says

if

you

make

the

lord

if

you

say

the

lord

is

my

refuge

if

you

make

him

your

dwelling

no

harm

will

overtake

you

no

disaster

will

come

near

your

tent

does

this

mean

that

the

person

who

makes

god

his

refuge

will

never

suffer

harm

or be

affected

by

disaster

no

this

is the

way

god

ordinarily

deals

with his

people

he protects

them from

harm

he keeps

disaster

away

from

him

it's

the

general

principle

of how

he

operates

but

again

it's

not

without

exceptions

look

at

job

look

at

joseph

look

at

the

apostles

look

at

the

prophets

so

we

need

to

read

this

as

the

kind

of

writing

that

it

is

it's

wisdom

poetry

which

tells

us

the

way

god

usually

ordinarily

deals

with

his

people

number

four

we

need

to

know

that

god

has

a

long

term

plan

he

has

a

long

term

plan

of

salvation

and

protection

for

all

his

people

for

every

child

of

his

who

suffers

harm

or

disaster

there

is

a

way

that

god

will

make

good

on

all

of

these

statements

all

of

these

will

statements

there

there's

an

ultimate

sense

in

which

for

all

his

people

the

end

of

their

stories

will

be

yes

god

did

this

for

me

he

watched

over

me

he

protected

me

he

gave

me

the

victory

over

everything

even

death

let

me show

you

what

jesus

said

on

one

occasion

to

his

disciples

this

from

the

gospel

of

luke

Luke 21:16

chapter

21

verse

16

he

was

talking

to

the

apostles

and

he

said

to

them

you

will

be

betrayed

even

by

parents

brothers

and

sisters

relatives

and

friends

and

they

will

put

some

of

you

to

death

everyone

will

hate

you

because

of

me

but

not

a

hair

of

your

head

will

perish

stand

firm

and

you

will

win

life

you

hear

that

they

will

put

some

of

you

to

death

but

not

a

hair

of

your

head

will

perish

stand

firm

and

you

will

win

life

what's

Jesus

saying

here

calamity

suffering

and

yes

even

death

at the

hands

of

enemies

will

happen

at

times

for

his

people

but

these

things

don't

win

over

his

people

not

in

the

long

term

not

in

the

ultimate

in

the

end

even

death

can't

beat

God's

people

every

hair

of

your

head

will

be

restored

will

be

given

back

to

you

how

does

it

happen

as

Jesus

said

John

6

38

this

the

lastw

day

for my Father's will

is that everyone who looks to the Son

and believes in Him

shall have eternal life

and I will raise them up

at the last day.

So this is the ultimate way

that God will keep all of these

will statements to His people.

Psalm 91 is not saying

that God's people will never suffer,

that they will never die.

It's saying that God is our protector.

He generally keeps His people

from calamity and death

throughout their lives

and when He doesn't,

He has a good and loving purpose

and one day when Jesus comes back,

He will finally undo

the effects that any sickness

or plagues had on our bodies.

He will finally undo any damage

that any enemy caused to our bodies,

whether by arrow, sword, bullet,

bomb, car accident,

He will finally bring us

to that place of triumph

over all of it.

Jesus will.

In the short term,

it may seem,

it may feel like cancer

is overtaking you.

But did it really overtake you

if by the power of Jesus

you are raised back to life

from the dead

when He returns?

So we need to read these promises

in light of God's long-term plan

of salvation and protection.

And finally,

we need to see that God's protection

doesn't always mean

being kept from calamity,

but sometimes it means

being kept through calamity.

And there's pointers to this reality

throughout the psalm.

Verse 3 says,

He will save you

from the fowler's snare.

But does that mean

that you won't even be caught in it

for a moment, ever?

Verse 5 says,

You will not fear the arrow

that flies by day,

but does that mean

that you'll never see war

or be in the midst

of a crossfire?

Verse 12 says,

God's angels will lift you up

so that you don't strike your foot

against a stone.

But does that mean

that you are never allowed

to fall from the rooftop?

Verse 13,

You will tread on the lion

and the serpent.

But does that mean

that you will never see

or face the lion

or the serpent?

Or does it only mean

that in the end

you'll have the victory

over the lion

by God's safekeeping power?

Verse 15 is perhaps

the clearest statement

of this truth.

He will call on me

and I will answer him.

I will be with him

in trouble.

I will deliver him

and honor him.

God will be with us

in trouble,

in the midst of it.

Meaning that at times,

yes, we will see

and face difficulty,

hardship,

but God is with us in it

and ultimately he will

deliver us out of it,

all of it.

Verse 16,

With long life

I will satisfy him

and show him

my salvation.

Does this mean

that God will never

allow his people

to die young?

I think we know

the answer to that

is no.

But God will keep

his promise of long life

and salvation

to all his people.

It'll just come

a little differently

than we thought.

ultimate long life,

eternal life,

resurrection

from the dead

kind of life

when Jesus returns.

So God's protection

doesn't always mean

being kept

from trouble.

Sometimes it means

being kept

through trouble.

God is faithful.

He always keeps

his promises.

He may not always

keep them

in the way

that we would expect.

But at the end

of it all,

when we look back,

we will never doubt

that he was faithful,

that he kept

his word.

We'll look back

on Psalm 91

and say yes

and amen.

That's how the Lord

treated me

all my life.

His love

never fails.

He always keeps,

always guards,

always protects

his people.

people.

The question is,

are you

one of his people?

Have you run

to him,

the one who is

the shelter,

the hiding place,

the fortress?

Have you made him

your safety,

your protector?

Maybe you're wondering,

well,

how do I do that?

Well,

he kind of tells us

all through the psalm

here,

if you're listening

closely,

in verse 2,

my God in whom

I trust.

It's about believing.

It's about putting

your trust

in him

and in the son

that he later

sent,

Jesus.

Verse 15,

we become his

by calling on him

and his promise

is that he will

answer

and so that's

simply a prayer.

Lord,

save me.

Be my refuge.

Be my God.

And his promise

is yes,

I will answer.

I will deliver you.

I will satisfy you

with long life.

I will show you

my salvation.

Verse 14,

because he loves me,

says the Lord,

I will rescue him.

Do you love

the Lord?

Do you love Jesus?

That word kind of

has a sense of

cling to in love.

Are you clinging

to the Lord Jesus?

If so,

then he is

your faithful

protector

in all things.

And it doesn't matter

what life

throws at us.

Let's drive it

all the way home.

Most of us here

don't fear

plague

or

diseases,

arrows,

snakes,

lions.

None of these

are common

in our lives today.

Maybe cancer.

But what is common?

What are those things

that we are tempted

to fear?

The Lord is my refuge

and fortress,

my savior

and protector.

We need not fear

car accidents,

cancer.

We need not fear

when the bank account

gets low

or when the vehicle

breaks down

on the side of the road.

We need not fear

getting stranded

out in the middle

of the night

in the cold,

dark winter

on the road.

We need not fear

that what happened

in the news

to someone yesterday

is going to be

happening to us today.

We need not fear

injury,

health troubles.

We need not fear

hostility

from opponents

who disagree with us,

who think badly

of us

because of our faith.

We need not fear

political persecution

or presidents

or prime ministers

who are going to

bring in policies

that are going to

make it harder

for us

to live out

our faith in Jesus.

We need not fear

that great serpent,

the devil,

or his minions.

If you say

the Lord Jesus

is my refuge

and you make

the most high

your dwelling,

no harm

will overtake you.

No disaster

will come near you.

God commands

his angels

concerning you.

He is your shield.

He will be with you

in trouble.

He will answer you

when you call

and he will show you

his great salvation.

So what's your trouble today?

What's the trouble

that you're in this week?

Is it a difficult week

of work ahead of you?

Is it that you're feeling

spent,

weary,

exhausted,

troubles with health,

not sure what to do

in a particular situation?

Is it a relationship

that's precious,

that's broken?

Call on the Lord Jesus.

He will answer.

Say of him,

he is my refuge

and my fortress,

my God

in whom I trust.

Rest in the shadow

of the Almighty.

Take refuge

under his wings.

He will never

let you down.

let's pray.

Father in heaven,

we thank you

for these

words

which give us

such courage

and confidence.

And we thank you

for Jesus,

the one

who guarantees

that all of them

are true

and are for us.

I pray that you

would dispel

all of the fear

in our lives.

All of it.

Except the fear

of you.

That we would be able

to go forth

in courage

and live

and work

and talk

and do things

with no anxiety,

no fear

of disaster

because you

are our God.

Put that deep

in our hearts.

let us

be a testimony

to the world

around us.

We ask

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.