What Is Psalm 91?
The 10th most popular theological question asked by more than one million people of Google was “What is Psalm 91”? Most people probably think, “What gives? Why are so many people asking about a psalm for?” The answer is that this psalm is often quoted and applied to today’s circumstances. Particularly popular are verses 10-11, which say:
No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
Wow! Is that promise made to all who follow God? Will nothing bad ever happen to us? If so, then we are better off than Job, who lost all his possessions, his children, and his health (Job 1-2). And how do we reconcile verse 10 with what Jesus said in Matthew 5:45, when He affirmed that God “makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”? Both Christians and non-Christians alike receive good and bad things out of life. It is a fact that faithful Christians sometimes contract Alzheimer’s; they also suffer from pneumonia, experience broken bones, are confined to wheel chairs, and have cancer. We all know brethren who have been thus afflicted.
What about, “No plague shall come near your dwelling”? Did that keep Covid away from anyone’s house? It probably worked about as well as two vaccine shots plus a booster. The fact is that, while some have escaped, the vast majority of people we know to be Christians have had some version of this virus that invaded the world courtesy of China. But it says God has given angels charge over us—don’t we believe the Scriptures? Yes, but we believe in interpreting them properly also. Notice the next verse: “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Ps. 91:12).
Hmm! Does that sound familiar? Why, yes, Satan quoted Psalm 91:11-12 to Jesus to urge Him to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the temple. The devil’s interpretation of the passage was wrong—He wanted Jesus to act in a foolhardy manner, which would have demanded that the Father save Him. Satan was, however, correct in applying the verses to Jesus. Our Lord, in fact, was kept safe even when a crowd wanted to kill Him (Luke 4:29-30; John 8:59). Psalm 91 is simply being misapplied by many today because the idea is popular—that God cares about me and will keep me from all harm. Human beings often seek physical comfort as though it is better than the spiritual. God has provided salvation and eternal life for all those who obey Him (Heb. 5:9). Heaven should be our highest priority!