Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
Psalm 91:1 NKJV
1
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
My Thoughts
My plan for today was to get started on breaking down Psalm 119, but yesterday something came up, and I feel like the Lord wanted me to go back to Psalm 91. I’ve heard some people use the term “anchor verse” for a place that they always turn to in times of trouble or if they feel lost or under attack. If I have an “anchor verse,” it would be Psalm 91:1; that’s where I’ve turned in times that I knew I needed my Father to step in and protect me. Yesterday, I’m not sure if it was a stomach virus or food poisoning, but I fell violently ill in the afternoon, with extreme nausea and vomiting. And the words that came into my mind were “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”, as I’m writing this morning, you can assume that the Lord delivered me. But my question for anyone reading this is, what comes to your mind in times of trouble? When you are under attack, be it spiritually or physically, where does your mind go first?
My hope is that this post shows the significance of Psalm 91:1, emphasizing the safety and comfort found in a close relationship with God, depicted as dwelling in His “secret place.” My experience yesterday reminded me of God’s protection in times of trouble. Various commentaries below highlight that true believers who maintain an intimate communion with God enjoy special benefits, including divine protection. The verse encourages reflection on one’s mental response during distress, pointing to the idea that constant reliance on God leads to profound safety and peace through His presence and care…….Bill
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Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High.” The blessings here promised are not for all believers, but for those who live in close fellowship with God. Every child of God looks towards the inner sanctuary and the mercy-seat, yet all do not dwell in the most holy place; they run to it at times, and enjoy occasional approaches, but they do not habitually reside in the mysterious presence. Those who, through rich grace, obtain unusual and continuous communion with God, so as to abide in Christ and Christ in them, become possessors of rare and special benefits, which are missed by those who follow afar off, and grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Into the secret place those only come who know the love of God in Christ Jesus, and those only dwell there to whom to live is Christ. To them the veil is rent, the mercyseat is revealed, the covering cherubs are manifest, and the awful glory of the Most High is apparent: these, like Simeon, have the Holy Ghost upon them, and like Anna they depart not from the temple; they are the courtiers of the Great King, the valiant men who keep watch around the bed of Solomon, the virgin souls who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Elect out of the elect, they have “attained unto the first three,” and shall walk with their Lord in white, for they are worthy. Sitting down in the august presence chamber where shines the mystic light of the Shekinah, they know what it is to be raised up together, and to be made to sit together with Christ in the heavenlies, and of them it is truly said that their conversation is in heaven. Special grace like theirs brings with it special immunity. Outer court worshippers little know what belongs to the inner sanctuary, or surely they would press on until the place of nearness and divine familiarity became theirs. Those who are the Lord’s constant guests shall find that he will never suffer any to be injured within his gates; he has eaten the covenant salt with them, and is pledged for their protection.
“Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” The Omnipotent Lord will shield all those who dwell with him; they shall remain under his care as guests under the protection of their host. In the most holy place, the wings of the cherubim were the most conspicuous objects, and they probably suggested to the psalmist the expression here employed. Those who commune with God are safe with Him; no evil can reach them, for the outstretched wings of his power and love cover them from all harm. This protection is constant—they abide under it, and it is all sufficient, for it is the shadow of the Almighty, whose omnipotence will surely screen them from all attack. No shelter can be imagined at all comparable to the protection of Jehovah’s own shadow. The Almighty himself is where his shadow is, and hence those who dwell in his secret place are shielded by himself. What a shade in the day of noxious heat! What a refuge in the hour of deadly storm! Communion with God is safety. The more closely we cling to our Almighty Father, the more confident may we be.
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Enduring Word
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High: God has a secret place for His own (Psalm 27:5, 31:20), and it is a place to live in. Those who dwell there abide under the shadow of the Almighty, knowing His protection, comfort, and care. (Guzik)
i. In Psalm 90:1, Moses spoke of God as the dwelling place of His people. The opening lines of Psalm 91 seem to take that idea further. “Moses spoke of God as the dwelling-place, the habitation, the home of man. This singer seems to accept that great idea, and then to speak of the most central chamber of the dwelling-place, referring to it as the Secret Place, and describing its complete security.” (Morgan)
ii. There are many followers of Jesus Christ who seem to know very little of the secret place of the Most High or what it is to abide under His shadow. Many seem to regard this as only a thing for mystics or the super-spiritual. Yet David, if he wrote this, was a warrior and man well acquainted with the realities of life. It is true that the life of the spirit seems to come more easily for some than for others, but there is an aspect of the secret place of the Most High that is for everyone who puts his trust in Him. (Guzik)
iii. “Every child of God looks towards the inner sanctuary and the mercy-seat, yet all do not dwell in the most holy place; they run to it at times, and enjoy occasional approaches, but they do not habitually reside in the mysterious presence.” (Spurgeon)
iv. The shadow of the Almighty: “This is an expression which implies great nearness. We must walk very close to a companion, if we would have his shadow fall on us.” (Duncan, cited in Spurgeon)
v. Spurgeon (borrowing from Frances Ridley Havergal) suggested four ways the Scripture speaks of the shadow of the Almighty.
· The shadow of the rock (Isaiah 32:2).
· The shadow of the tree (Song of Solomon 2:3).
· The shadow of His wings (Psalm 63:7).
· The shadow of His hand (Isaiah 49:2).
vi. These first two verses of Psalm 91 use four wonderful titles or names for God:
· Most High: Elyon.
· Almighty: Shadday.
· The LORD: Yahweh.
· My God: Elohay.
(Guzik)
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Albert Barnes
He that dwelleth – Everyone that so dwells. The proposition is universal and is designed to embrace all who are in this condition. It is true of one; it is true of all. The word rendered “dwelleth” here is a participle from the verb to “sit,” and here means “sitting:” literally, “sitting in the secret place,” etc. The idea is that of calm repose; of resting; of sitting down, as one does in his dwelling.
In the secret place – On the meaning of this, see Psalms 27:5. Compare Psalms 31:20; Psalms 32:7. Abiding where God abides. The idea is that of having one’s home or residence in the most holy place in the tabernacle or the temple, and of sitting with him in that sacred place.
Of the Most High – Of God, represented as exalted above all, over all the universe.
Shall abide – Margin, as in Hebrew, “lodge.” That is his home-his resting place-where he lodges, or passes the night. He takes up his lodging there; he makes it his home.
Under the shadow of the Almighty – Under his protection, as if under his wings. Compare the notes at Psalms 17:8. This is a general statement, and is designed as an introduction to the whole psalm, or as expressing what the psalm is intended to illustrate, “the blessedness” of the man who thus dwells with God; who makes him his friend; who makes the home of God his home.
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John Gill
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High,…. Or the Supreme; a title of God, who is superior to all beings, the Creator and Preserver of them, God over all, higher than the highest of angels or men; see Genesis 14:22, “his secret place” is his heart, his bosom, where his only begotten Son lies; and into which he takes his people, where they are set as a seal, and who enjoy intimate communion with him; which is no other than his gracious presence, called “the secret of his presence,” Psalm 31:20, which none but saints are admitted to, when his everlasting love, which was a secret in his heart, is made known unto them, and in which they also dwell, 1 John 4:16, as they likewise do in the eternal decree of election; which perhaps is meant by “the clefts of the rock, and secret places of the stairs,” where the church is said to dwell, Song of Solomon 2:14, unless rather Christ the Rock, and who may be signified by the cleft of that Moses was put into, when the goodness of the Lord passed before him, is intended; and who is the hiding place from the wind: mention is made of “the secret” of God’s “tabernacle,” Psalm 27:5, in which he hides his people; alluding to the tabernacle, or temple, and the most holy place in it, called his secret place, Ezekiel 7:22, and may refer to the ministry of the word and ordinances, where saints dwell, and enjoy much communion with God; and who are particularly under his special providence, protection, and power; which may here be designed:
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty: who is able to do all things for his people, and is “Shaddai,” all sufficient, as this word is thought to signify; has a sufficiency of happiness in and for himself, and of provisions for all his creatures, and of power and grace for his own children: his “shadow” may be the same with his secret place, his power and protection, often in this book of Psalms called “the shadow of his wings,” Psalm 17:8, in allusion to birds that overshadow and protect their young with their wings; though perhaps the allusion here may be to the shadow of a tree, and design the word and ordinances of the Lord’s house, which are a delightful, refreshing, reviving, and fruitful shadow, Song of Solomon 2:3, where gracious souls dwell, and abide with great delight and pleasure. Christ, the Son of God, is sometimes compared to the shadow of a rock, or tree, which screens and shelters from heat; as he preserves his people from the heat of a fiery law, the flaming sword of justice, the wrath of God, the fiery darts of Satan, and the fury of persecutors: under this shadow do they abide or lodge all night, safe and secure, as the word signifies: the Targum calls this shadow the shadow of the clouds of glory; the Arabic version, “the shadow of the God of heaven.”
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Matthew Henry
A great truth laid down in general, That all those who live a life of communion with God are constantly safe under his protection, and may therefore preserve a holy serenity and security of mind at all times (v. 1): He that dwells, that sits down, in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty; he that by faith chooses God for his guardian shall find all that in him which he needs or can desire. Note,
1. It is the character of a true believer that he dwells in the secret place of the Most High; he is at home in God, returns to God, and reposes in him as his rest; he acquaints himself with inward religion, and makes heart-work of the service of God, worships within the veil, and loves to be alone with God, to converse with him in solitude.
2. It is the privilege and comfort of those that do so that they abide under the shadow of the Almighty; he shelters them, and comes between them and everything that would annoy them, whether storm or sunshine. They shall not only have an admittance, but a residence, under God’s protection; he will be their rest and refuge forever.
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Adam Clarke
In the secret place of the Most High — Spoken probably in reference to the Holy of Holies. He who enters legitimately there shall be covered with the cloud of God’s glory – the protection of the all-sufficient God. This was the privilege of the high priest only, under the law, but under the new covenant, all believers in Christ have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus; and those who thus enter are safe from every evil.
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The Pulpit Commentaries
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High (comp. Psalms 90:1). He who has his thoughts always on God is said to “dwell in him”—to “make his abode with him”—to “sit down in his secret place.” He has the Almighty, as it were, for his constant companion.
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. This is not “tautology.” What is meant is that “loving faith on man’s part shall be met by faithful love on God’s part” (Kay). God will extend his “shadow” over the man who places himself under his protection.
Abiding under God’s shadow.
In order to understand this most precious promise, inquire—
I. WHAT IS THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH? The idea of this “secret place” is frequently met with.
1. Sometimes it tells of some secret hiding place, such as David often resorted to when a fugitive. And the sure protection of God is likened to such safe shelter.
2. At other times, the central tent of the commander of an army seems to be meant, as in Psalms 27:5, “He shall hide me in his pavilion,” etc. The enemy would have to break through rank after rank of the encamped army ere he could reach the well-guarded central tent of the leader. So inaccessible to the foe, so strongly placed was it, that it is taken as an emblem of our security in God.
3. But it is to the most holy place of the tabernacle and temple that we think allusion is here made. That sacred chamber was emphatically the secret place of the Most High. It was entered but once a year, and then only by one person, the high priest, bearing the blood of atonement. For all the rest of the year, no footfall was heard in that secret place, no eye looked upon the glory of God that shone forth there. That loneliness told of the sad alienation that had sprung up between God and man through man’s sin. But that secret place was the earthly dwelling place of God. There, between the cherubim, his glory shone forth, and there he was said to dwell.
II. BUT WHAT IS IT TO DWELL THERE? Literally, no man ever dwelt there. We are driven, therefore, to seek the spiritual meaning of this word. And we note that:
1. Israel entered there in the person of the high priest, when he bore in his hand the atoning blood, which he was about to sprinkle upon the mercy seat. All Israel found entrance there in their high priest, their representative. And whilst they continued in the faith of God, obeying and trusting him, they spiritually dwelt in that secret place, and, as a fact, were under the shadow-the—the high priest was so literally—of the Most High. No evil befell them, no plague came nigh their dwelling. It was well with them indeed.
2. And we enter and dwell there when, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we come to God, pleading his all-sufficient sacrifice and atonement, of which the blood borne by the high priest told. And we dwell there as we continue in that precious faith. Then we, too, are under the shadow of the Almighty. The Law’s condemnation, sin’s power, earthly care, death, and the grave can do us no harm; we are under the sure and blessed shelter of our God. Next, let us note—
III. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS INDWELLING.
1. The Lord is to us our Refuge. The Law’s condemnation would fasten upon us but for this. And he is our Fortress—the place of vantage whence we fight successfully the spiritual warfare. And he is our God, in whom we trust; he is the confidence, the delight, the joy of our souls; so that we say of him, “He is my God.”
2. And all this we take personally, each of us individually appropriating it. The Lord is not merely “a Refuge,” but “my Refuge,” “my Fortress,” etc.
3. And we confess it. “I will say of the Lord,” etc.; “With the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
IV. THE SURE FRUIT OF SUCH DWELLING IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH. We shall commend God to others. The rest of the psalm is one prolonged testimony to the blessedness of thus dwelling in God. “Surely he shall deliver thee,” etc. Are we, then, thus individually and avowedly dwelling in God?—S.C.
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Cross-References
Psalm 27:5 (KJV 1900)
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:
In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
He shall set me up upon a rock.
Psalm 31:20 (KJV 1900)
20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man:
Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
Psalm 36:7 (KJV 1900)
7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
Psalm 57:1 (KJV 1900)
1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me:
For my soul trusteth in thee:
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge,
Until these calamities be overpast.
Isaiah 25:4 (KJV 1900)
4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor,
A strength to the needy in his distress,
A refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat,
When the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
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Closing Thoughts
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16
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