Psalm91,Colossians3:3
“Hidden in God: Christ, Our Protector,” ジョン・ライス師
(前半)https://youtu.be/K53rWOZWV0M
(後半)https://youtu.be/uotRfjQnR-o
Good morning, friends. I am so thankful to be here today to share with you from Psalms 91. I’ve entitled my sermon “Hidden in God: Christ, Our Protector,” because this passage shows us where to find safety in the storm of life.
We just went through the typhoon last week, which was terrible and frightening.But, living life on our own terms–in our own way–is far more deadly to our spirits than any earthly storm.
Thankfully, God has prepared better safety measures for us than just storm windows and timely evacuations. This morning, I believe the Lord has this encouragement for us from Psalm 91: if we run to Jesus for safety, we will discover the absolute protection waiting in God’s strong arms.
Let’s pray that the Lord would reveal the truths hidden in this Scripture.
[extemporaneous prayer]
In 2nd Corinthians 1:20, Paul explains how Jesus is central to the Christian life, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him [Christ].” The Old Testament is full of the promises of God, typically phrased as if-thens. God told Israel if they obeyed, then God would bless them; and if they disobeyed, God would curse them.
We aren’t perfect people, and so this would seem to disqualify us from God’s blessing. But, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the obedience required to satisfy the commands of God, unlocking the blessing of God–and he has welcomed us to share in these riches.
So, when we read the promises and prophecy of Scripture, we should look for them to be answered in Jesus, and then note how they now apply to us also. This is a good idea to keep in mind whenever you read the Bible.
So, with that in mind, let’s turn to Psalm 91. As we go through each verse, be sure to look for the promises of safety that God gives, how they apply to Jesus and us, and how God fulfills those promises of safety in Jesus.
In verse 1, we read that “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” The simple meaning here is that if we seek security in God, we will be protected. This is surely true, but there’s more richness here.
The Hebrew word translated as “shelter,” but can also be read “hiding place” or “secret place.” So the promise here is actually more specific: the Lord saves those who are not just sheltered by God, but delving deeply into the hidden places in God.
This is where I got the sermon title, “Hidden in God” from! Don’t just duck underneath God like a blanket; instead, dig deep into God like a mine, searching out the secrets of his divine character.
Verse 1 also shows us a picture of intimacy. The man seeking safety in God is not merely protected, but he abides–he rests. In fact, the Hebrew word here can even be read as “lodge” or “spend the night.”
God is inviting us to enjoy the evening exploring his nature. Instead of danger, the Lord offers us a quiet staycation in his presence. Do you know God, or just know about him? I welcome you as the Psalmist does: taste and see that the Lord is as good and strong and secure as scripture says he is!
Remember, this Psalm is also about Jesus, so let us also consider the messianic import of these verses. We know from John 1, the plural “let us make man in our image” in Genesis 1:26, and other places in Scripture that Jesus has always existed, because he is God.
And yet, until the incarnation in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, Jesus was hidden like verse 1 suggests, a divine mystery in God himself, waiting for ages to be revealed at the right time.
Jesus was the one who abided deep in the hidden shadow of God, in endless intimacy with God. Seek to know Jesus more closely, and he will tuck you into that same pocket of secret intimacy and trust that he alone has with God.
We are encouraged to follow the example we are given in verse 2. “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” This is true in a physical sense. In the face of a typhoon, a car accident, or a cancer diagnosis, do we have the power to direct and control our own fates? No, only he is completely in control.
This verse provides a model for how to pray. When we are in danger, what can we do? We should cry out, “God I trust you, my refuge and fortress,” and, like the man in Mark 9, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
This is true spiritually as well. Do you feel crushed by the heavy demands of your family or boss? If God is your refuge, it is only his opinion that ultimately matters. Have you failed at something really important, or seriously embarrassed yourself? You can survive disappointing people–including yourself–because your self-worth and identity is locked securely in the castle keep [天守閣] of God.
Do you fear a besetting sin that you can’t conquer? God has promised to save you from evil, including your own temptations, addictions, and destructive impulses. So, hide yourself in the Lord, in the unbreachable castle of God’s faithfulness.
In verse 3, we are reminded that God “will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.” The Psalmist is covering all the possibilities. The fowler seeks his prey, and likewise some evils come after us. In Hebrew, the word translated as “pestilence” in English can mean three things: a natural tragedy or non-supernatural calamity, like a disease or flood; a force of supernatural evil; or, just a word.
So the Psalmist is suggesting that God will protect us against all threats, from the spiritual powers of evil at work in this world, to demonic snares in our personal lives, to the natural tragedies of living in a fallen and broken world, to the unkind and hurtful word someone slanders us with. God can save us from every danger we could imagine, and innumerable ones we can’t.
In verse 4, the Psalmist digs deeper into his theme of God as a protector. He prophesies: “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.”
The last half of the verse is the easiest to understand; God’s faithfulness protects us from attack. The beginning of the Psalm focused on God as our refuge, but here in verse 4 we get more specific: it is only because God’s character is unchanging and faithful that he can be our trustworthy fortress no matter what.
The discussion of wings in verse 4 seems a bit harder to understand. We’ve already been told we can hide in the shelter and shadow of God; why this image of wings? The line “under his wings you will find refuge” includes the Hebrew word kaw-nawf’ [カウナウフ] that can be read as “wings,” “edge,” or “extremity.”
This same word is used in Malachi 4:2, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” Perhaps you remember the story of the woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus and was healed. Both Matthew 9 and Luke 8 report that the woman touched the edge kras’-ped-on [クラスぺドン] of Jesus’ fringe. Back in those days, Jewish teachers wore a long shoal with a fringe of little tassels or knots, called tzitzit. These special garments were even colloquially called “wings.” Healing was indeed in Jesus’ wings!
If this idea of Christ with feathers and wings sounds weird, note that Jesus uses this image too. In Matthew 23:27, Jesus laments over the unbelief of Israel: ““O Jerusalem, Jerusalem….How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Israelites knew Psalm 91, so when Jesus claimed that he was the one who wanted to gather Jerusalem, he was claiming to be Yahweh, the protector of Israel.
The implication from scripture is clear here. The healing that Malachi promises and the security Psalm 91 promises are both found in close proximity to Jesus of Nazareth. Christ says that he wants to gather a brood under his protective wings, and if you get close to Jesus, you will be secure.
In verse 5-6, the Psalmist extends his effort in verse 3 to show just how broad God’s protection is. He writes, “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” In this passage, the Psalmist uses four different words about time of day, corresponding to the four distinct segments of the Hebrew day. Thus, the Psalmist’s readers would’ve understood that we are safe from danger at all times.
The Psalmist lets us see how special God’s protection is in verse 7. “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” The point of this verse isn’t the thousands that fall, but the fact that we are promised protection despite widespread calamity.As an American, I am worried by many of the changes happening to my home culture, and I see people I thought shared the faith walk away from Christ. Many may fall away, but the promise is that if I am hidden in God, I will be preserved from danger.
Verse 7 also works as a promise about Jesus, as he was the one righteous man. Thousands–indeed, the whole rest of humankind!–failed to fully obey God’s law, and yet Jesus stayed true. In the book of Job, we read a similar prophecy, where Elihu considers how needy humankind is. “Yet if there is an angel at their side, a messenger, one out of a thousand…then that person can pray to God and find favor. In Jesus, we see the messenger from God, the one out of a thousand who keeps the Lord’s law perfectly and brings us into God’s favor.
Up until verse 8, we’ve beほen looking for safety in these verses, but the Psalmist suddenly turns to consider the fate of the wicked: “You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.” Curiously, the word used here is not judgment, or destruction but wə-šil-lu-mat’ [ワウシルマト], which includes the same root as shalom or “peace” and “justice” inside it. I think the Psalmist is saying that the wicked receive their just or appropriate reward.
This we can confirm will come true; upon his return, Jesus will bring perfect and justice and peace by destroying the wicked forever. But, this is true in a more surprising way too. By dying for us and saving us, Jesus will see peace brought to us, the wicked. Isaiah 53:11 says of Jesus, the suffering servant, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous.” We, who were evildoers and enemies of the Lord, have suddenly been ushered and welcomed into the shalom of God by Christ’s mercy; and Jesus looks with satisfaction on those he has rescued.
The Psalm changes to another speaker in verse 9-10. “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place–the Most High, who is my refuge–no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.” Like most of the promises in this passage, we fall short of this every day. So often we only make the Lord our dwelling place partially; we treat success or money or power or comfort or pleasure as if they too might be a refuge in trouble. Jesus trusted the Father even in the Garden facing the cross, and for his righteous obedience, now anyone who takes shelter in the tent of Jesus is safe from plague. Trust his obedience rather than yours!
You may recognize verses 11-12, because the Devil quotes them during Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. “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.” Jesus has authority over the angels and can command their protection–how does that matter to us? First, we can know that Jesus is directing all the forces of heaven to guard and guide us.
In addition, Augustine explains that since Christians serve as the feet of Jesus–we carry his message and love around the world–then the promise that angels will intervene “lest you strike your foot against a stone” are promises about eternal security and protection from the attacks of the enemy. I would add that “angel” is the same word as messenger, so when you and I give a message of encouragement to our brother and sister, we are likewise lifting them up and keeping them from stumbling. That’s right, you have the power to uphold your fellow Christians in a manner like the angels do!
It is noteworthy that the Devil doesn’t quote verse 13, because it’s about his defeat! “You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.” The serpent is a reference to the prophecy way back in Genesis 3:25. After the Fall of Man, Eve was promised that she would give birth to one who would crush the serpent: “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Jesus is that promised one who would be bit by death, but who would in turn crush the serpent and destroy the “roaring lion” that is the Devil. No wonder Satan excluded this verse in his temptation of Jesus!
How does this apply to us? Martin Luther explained how we can join Jesus in treading on the devil in his sermon from 1544. “Whoever has a bad conscience, let the pastor say to him–or, if there is no pastor, his neighbor: ‘Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven!’…It causes him [Satan] extraordinary grief that I, a miserable man, shall…rescue a soul from him by the power of God.” In other words, when we do the daily work of the Christian–encouraging our brothers and sisters, helping the weak, and being peacemakers–we can crush the serpent.
The Psalm changes in verse 14, when God suddenly speaks. “‘Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.” What does it mean to know God’s name? This is a way to express special intimacy with God. The Lord promises to protect the one who knows his name, but the word “protect” can also be read “lifted up” or “exalted.”
Jesus knew God’s name and was lifted up, but not out of harm’s way–he was exalted on the cross to face derision, violence, and death. But, in John 17, Jesus promised “I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known.” In other words, Jesus was lifted up on the cross to make God’s name known to us, giving us an intimacy with God that secures us.
The promise in verse 15 applies to us because of Christ: “‘When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.’” Jesus called on God his whole life, but in his agony on the cross, Christ cried out and God was silent. No rescue came for Christ on the cross; Jesus hung there for hours while God seemed absent. Christ was crushed, raised in dishonor and humiliation.
But, when Jesus rose from the grave on the third day, a new reality dawned. God’s silence towards Christ on the cross ensures that he will always answer us; his rejection of Jesus guarantees that he will always rescue us and be with us in trouble. And now, we can share the glory and honor in which Jesus was raised.
Finally, let’s consider verse 16: “‘With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’” Far from the long life promised to the righteous in verse 16, Jesus was brutally executed. But, Hebrews 2 promised that Christ tasted death for us and has now put everything–including death–under his control. In other words, the grave, the greatest and oldest enemy of the human race, has been broken.
Now, the worst thing that can happen to a Believer–that they can die–can only usher them directly into the presence of God. Indeed, we can now seize that long life, an eternal one with God, in which we will be perfectly satisfied. The promise of long life rests on Jesus too, as his reign will never end. And, as we saw in Isaiah 53, Jesus too is satisfied, by perfectly securing our salvation.
The last line of Psalm 91 says that God will “show him my salvation.” We know this verse is true in Jesus; he has seen the other side of death and sits in glory at the Father’s side. But this is true of us as well. The word salvation in Hebrew is bi-šū-a-ti [ビシュアタィ], which includes the same root in Jesus’ Hebrew name, Yeshua or ヤェシュア. The rhyme here is appropriate. If you know Jesus, you have seen the salvation of God. If you are seeking Jesus, and he is your protector, then you are “hid with Christ in God”, as Paul explains in Colossians 3:3. If Jesus is your Lord, then the promises of safety, protection and security in this Psalm apply to you.
Perhaps you’re a Christian, but you don’t feel any zeal or conviction or joy today. Perhaps, just like when Christ slept in the back of the disciple’s ship during the storm, you’re in a typhoon and it seems like God is asleep. Call out to Jesus! Our brother Augustine puts it this way: “If your faith sleeps in your heart, Christ is, as it were, sleeping in your ship. Because Christ dwells in you through faith, when you begin to be tossed, awake Christ sleeping. Rouse up your faith, and you shall be assured that He will not desert you.”
If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, come talk with someone here at the church. We aren’t special people, we’ve just discovered safety in the loving arms of God through Christ. We want you to enjoy this too, so we can share it together forever.
[extemporaneous closing prayer]終わりの祈り
[benediction] If Jesus is your protector, then you are resting safely, hidden in God. If you saw Jesus this morning, share your vision of God’s salvation with your neighbors, family, and friends. May the love of Jesus Christ fill your heart with flower and flame. Go, in the peace of God.