THOUGHTS ON PSALM 91
[p. 513] THOUGHTS ON PSALM 91
This psalm refers to three different names under which God has revealed Himself. The first verse speaks of Him as the Highest as well as the Almighty, whilst in the second verse we find the name “Jehovah”. There is besides these another name under which God has revealed Himself; and that is of the Father. All four names have significance and value for believers of the present time (see 2 Corinthians 6: 17, 18).
As we know, the Lord was to be called “Son of the Highest” and later He Himself spoke of the fact that the disciples should be “Sons of the Highest”. This title, which is mentioned several times in the gospel by Luke, refers to the supremacy of God presented to us in Christ. Then we find in the second place in our psalm the name “Almighty”. Under this title God had revealed Himself to Abraham. He said to him: “I am the Almighty God: walk before my face, and be perfect” (Genesis 17: 1). Israel knew Him as Jehovah but He was not yet revealed as Father. “No one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him”. (John 1: 18). The knowledge of God as Father presupposes the gift of the Holy Spirit; for without the Holy Spirit we could not apprehend God as Father (see Romans 8: 15; Galatians 4: 4 - 6). The name “Father” signifies: God revealed in love; and only through the Spirit of sonship can we cry Abba, Father and enjoy the love of God which is what He is in His nature. The soul learns first of all to know the grace of God, but then it is brought through the Holy Spirit to cry Abba, Father and thus to apprehend and to enjoy the love of God. The Lord said in John 17: “And I have made known to them thy (the Father’s) name”. And for what purpose? “That the love with which thou hast loved [p. 514] me may be in them and I in them”. Christ brought the love of God with Him into this world, in that He Himself was the object of it, and now we are brought into the light of the name “Father”, as we see from this passage, so that this love might find its object in us also. In this sense, therefore, the love of God remains here although Christ is no longer here. But then, as before mentioned, we come into the gain of the other names of God.
Let us turn now to our psalm. With the name of the Highest, the thought of a hidden place is linked. The people of God at the present time have a hidden place, as we also read: “For ... your life is hid with the Christ in God”. The time of manifestation has not yet come; but when God shall be known in the whole universe as the Highest, that is, when He asserts His rights and reigns publicly, then His people will no longer have a hidden place but will also be manifest. God will reveal Himself as the Highest in the Son of the Highest, that is to say, in Christ, but up to that moment when He will be manifested, our life is hid with Him in God. Faith has its place now in the secret place of the Most High, and then we read further: “He ... shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”. It is for us now to persevere in faith, which corresponds to the secret place, and then we “abide under the shadow of the Almighty”. The value of the name of the Highest for us consists in our enjoying the place in secret, whilst we find in the Almighty protection and shelter from the heat of the sun (pressure and the like).
If we persevere in faith, we find that God knows how to protect us. We read in the parable of the sower that the seed that was sown on stony ground could not bear the heat of the sun. The Lord said: “he ... has no root in himself, but is for a time only; and when tribulation or persecution happens on account of the word, he is immediately offended”. On the other hand we read in our psalm: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”. It may be that persecutions and tests come, we feel the heat of the sun, but God sees to it that we find shadow. The shadow of the Almighty serves to preserve us from depression and discouragement. We have to do with the Almighty. Under this name He revealed Himself to Abraham and spoke to him of things which humanly speaking were impossible, but Abraham had to learn to trust in the Almighty as to the fulfilment of the promises.
It is not the thought of God that His saints should be continually exposed to persecution and tribulation. He sees to it that we come under the shadow, and that in order that His work in us might progress. In the early days there were great persecutions, but then we read: “The assemblies then ... had peace, being edified ..”., Acts 9: 31. So the Lord also said to the assembly in Smyrna: “The devil is about to cast of you into prison, that ye may be tried”; but the tribulation was to be limited to a defined time (ten days). Neither Satan nor man can do what they like with the people of God. Faith has its place in the secret place of the Most High and abides in the shadow of the Almighty. God knows how to protect and preserve His own.
The name Jehovah also has a blessed significance for us. We read further: “I say of Jehovah, My refuge and my fortress”. And again in Proverbs 18: “The name of Jehovah is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe”. It is a question here of conflict. Christians are called on to oppose the enemy, whether it be that he comes as a roaring lion, or with his deception, and therefore the apostle says: “Be strong in the Lord, and in the might of his strength!” (Ephesians 6: 10). That is our refuge and our fortress.
A great part of this psalm refers, as we know, to the Lord Jesus Himself. When He walked here below, Jehovah was His refuge. It is a wonderful thought that the Son of God took such a place here below. He did not take the attitude that He wished to be strong in [p. 516] Himself; but was strong in Jehovah. When the enemy in the beginning came with his cunning, He met him in the power of the Spirit of God, and at the end when Satan appeared as a roaring lion, the Lord opposed him in the same power. Now in all these things He is our example. He took this place in grace and identified Himself with the people of God, so that we might learn from Him how to conduct ourselves in the same circumstances. He was the perfect Man here below, in whom God could have His good pleasure, and “for, in that himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to help those that are being tempted”. He had recourse to Jehovah and found in Him a fortress, and so in that way He is now capacitated to be our High Priest.
These therefore are the thoughts of God for His own. He wills that we dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty, and find a refuge and a fortress in Jehovah. Then will be verified with us that of which the psalm next speaks further: “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent”. For us a plague is that which would turn us from the way of the Spirit. It is a spiritual sickness from which we are to be continually preserved.
In the psalm we find Christ in humiliation, but it is a blessed thought that His exaltation is just as great as was His humiliation. He stooped to take this place of confidence in Jehovah, and now He is highly exalted. God has raised Him from among the dead and given Him glory. His exaltation is equal to His humiliation. The final verses of the psalm refer to that. It is Jehovah who speaks here with reference to Christ and says: “I will set him on high”. As Man upon earth, the Lord had delight in Jehovah. Such a thing could not be said about us; we love God, because He has first loved us; but the path of the Lord in this world was characterised by the fact that He, as the perfect Man, had His delight in Jehovah. Then we read further: “I will deliver him”. Christ might experience persecution, but in all that befell Him from the hand of man the counsel of God was fulfilled (Acts 2: 23). He was nailed to the cross by the hand of lawless men, but God raised Him from among the dead. “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”. In the same way, this last could only be said of Christ. We have not known the name of God; it is true that He has now been revealed to us, but of Christ as Man upon earth it could be said, that He knew the name of God. Further: “He shall call upon me”. We have not called upon God. We call upon Him because He has called us. Everything here refers to Christ, as we further read: “I will deliver him and honour him”. Christ has gone into heaven and sits glorified at the right hand of God. This is His portion because of His own perfection, as we see from the psalm; but if we are delivered and glorified, we owe it entirely to the grace of God.
“With the length of days will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation”. Length of days for Christ signifies also length of days for us who believe in Him. He has destroyed the power of death and secured length of days for men. When Christ is manifested, then will it also be manifest that length of days has been given to Him. He is the Head of the coming age and has secured righteousness and consequently also length of days for man; and as to the salvation of Jehovah, it signifies also salvation for man. “My salvation” is a comprehensive word. God is revealed therein as a Saviour and the salvation includes liberty for man from all that in which he was held prisoner.
It is an important thought that the exaltation of Christ corresponds to His humiliation. He went down to the lower parts of the earth but has ascended above all heavens that He might fill all things. We look for the moment when God will draw aside the veil of providence and Christ will come forth in order to set up the world [p. 518] to come. Then all will understand how God has given Him length of days, whilst the salvation of Jehovah will be seen.
In closing I would like again to emphasise that we come into the gain of all the different names under which God has revealed Himself. There is one God; but it has pleased Him to make Himself known to men under different names and each of these names has its special, blessed significance, as we see from this psalm. It is granted to us to know God not only as the Highest, Almighty, and as Jehovah, but also as Father. He is revealed in His nature, and through the Holy Spirit we are permitted now to enjoy what God is, namely, love. That is now our portion already and Christ will come at the appointed time to bring us into the Father’s house, so that where He is we also may be. If we have fellowship with Him in His humiliation, so shall we also have part with Him in that day in which He will be revealed in glory.