... in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Through the prayers of our
holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory
to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King,
the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things,
Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us
from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy
Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the
beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
He who dwells in the secret place of the
most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God. I will trust in Him.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare
of the fowler, from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers. You shall trust under His wings. His truth [is
your] shield and buckler. You shall
not be afraid for the terror by night; [nor]
for the arrow [that] flies by day;[2] [nor] for the pestilence [that] stalks in darkness; [nor] for the destruction [that] wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten
thousand at your right hand. It shall
not come near you. Only with your eyes shall
you behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord, my refuge, the most High, your dwelling. There shall no evil 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. They shall bear You up in [their] hands, lest You dash Your foot
against a stone. You shall tread on the
lion and adder. The young lion and the
dragon You shall trample underfoot.
Because He has set His love on Me. Therefore, I will deliver Him. I will set Him on high, because He has known My
name. He shall call on Me. I will answer Him. I [will
be] with Him in trouble. I will
deliver Him, and honor Him. I will
satisfy Him with long life, and show Him My salvation.[3]
[1] This
Psalm is frequently cited as the guarantee of a Christian’s survival in combat,
which is not what this Psalm teaches at all.
This Psalm is exclusively prophetic of The Temptation of Christ in
Matthew 4:6; 4:11 and records details of intimate conversation between Jesus Christ
and the Father. The lengthy title itself
indicates what applications may be made for those who are in Christ. “He who dwells in the secret
place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty,” whether
in life or in death. Millions of martyrs,
especially the Crucifixion of Christ, testify that Christianity is no amulet or
talisman to ward off death. On the
contrary, becoming a Christian is a guarantee of persecution and death. What this Psalm promises is life in
resurrection, and no other.
Jesus salutes His Father, Yahweh, in much the
same way as champions or gladiators addressed their king before combat. “We who are about to die, salute you.” “My refuge and my fortress, my God. I will trust in Him.”
The next paragraph shows why Jesus, and we in Him, should set aside
fear in battle. Jesus finds His all
sufficient protection in Yahweh’s most holy place in heaven, where the ever
attendant Cherubim and Seraphim conduct Him through death to the resurrection. It is not in battle where we are secure, but
under His wings, covered with angelic feathers.
Only Jesus is truly invincible, “trampling down death by death.”
Now that the principle of resurrection is established the
specific application to Jesus’ battle with Satan is spelled out in greater detail. “He shall give His angels
charge over You….” Satan is to be
defeated, “trampled underfoot.”
In the closing address, Yahweh the Father
addresses, Jesus, God the Son. The
Crucifixion and Resurrection are the final battle. We live in the aftermath of victory. He is risen!
The Holy Ghost leads us in the mop-up operation, as we look to the
glorious consummation proclamation. He
has returned!
[2] Very
possibly a reference to the death of Ahab foretold in 1 Kings 22 (see especially
verse 34). The idea would be that Jesus would
not be judged as wicked Ahab was judged, by a randomly launched arrow. It does not indicate that Jesus would not die
at the deliberately launched plot of the wicked Jews and Romans.
[3] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in
Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.
These meditations are not controlled by
Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or
ND. They are designed and intended for
your free participation. They were
freely received, and are freely given.
No other permission is required for their use.
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