For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:11–12, ESV)
Psalm 91 is a messianic psalm. Satan quoted and misused Psalm 91:11–12 in the context of Christ’s temptation (Luke 4:9–12; Matthew 4:6), but neglected to mention verse 9 (“if you make the Most High your dwelling”). Satan’s strategy was to imply that if Jesus was really the Messiah, Psalm 91:11–12 would apply to Him and give Him the opportunity to prove His claim of deity. Christ had no need to test the truth of God’s Word, neither had He come into the world to take the easy way out. The point: Jesus came into this world to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), not to fall for his deception. Psalm 91 tells us Jesus rejected Satan’s temptation to act apart from the plan of God.
God also assures us that Satan cannot win by causing us to defame the Lord Jesus by applying these verses in an absurd way. God’s protection in the middle of danger is assured for those whose confidence is in the Lord. The security of the believer rests in the Lord by dwelling in “the shadow of the Almighty.” God doesn’t promise a world free from danger and temptation, but He does promise His help whenever the believer faces the devil’s subterfuges.
Psalm 91, then, is one of the finest testimonies to victory over Satan by those who trust in God, exemplified in the life of Jesus, the Messiah. In so doing, it reveals three supernatural gifts of protection and security for the one made righteous by faith in Christ.
- SUPERNATURAL SAFETY: There is shelter only in the Lord (91:1–2).
- SUPERNATURAL SOLDIERS: There are guardian angels protecting and fighting on our behalf (91:3–13).
- SUPERNATURAL SECURITY: Our eternal security rests totally in the “shadow [of the wings] of the Almighty” (91:14–16).
These are three invaluable Christmas gifts from the Father, to the Son, and to you and me.