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Tag: the psalmist

Youth is renewed like the eagle’s

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in Psalms, What’s new?.

What does it mean that youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:5)?

In Psalm 103, King David lifts his own heart and leads all future generations of believers in praise to God for His great compassion and mercy. David’s personal experiences and relationship with God form the basis of his declarations about the goodness of God’s character, reminding himself and others to praise the Lord because “he forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!” (verses 3–5, NLT).

David’s heart soars as he remembers, above all, God’s forgiveness of sins and deliverance from death. He marvels at the Lord’s love, mercy, and all the good things God has poured into his life. David was probably advancing in years, but the profound experience of God’s grace and goodness sustains him, making him feel young, strong, and free like an eagle gliding high among the clouds.

David’s sense that his youth is renewed like an eagle’s strength resounds in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:29–31).

In Scripture, the eagle symbolizes strength, vitality, and speed and is an appropriate metaphor for the transformative power of God’s forgiveness, deliverance, and mercy. Just as the eagle can swiftly attack from above, swooping down and ascending again to the heights, God’s grace can quickly and decisively change our lives, lifting us from a pit of despair. Like David, when we place our hope in the Lord and praise Him for His forgiveness, goodness, and love, our spirit is renewed, and it feels as if we have the strength and vitality of an eagle.

David may have recollected the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. God told Moses on Mount Sinai to say to the people, “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4).

In Deuteronomy 32:11, God’s protection and concern are depicted “like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.” The Old Testament is full of imagery featuring the eagle and its swift movement (Deuteronomy 28:49; 2 Samuel 1:23; Jeremiah 4:13), its powerful, far-reaching flight (Proverbs 23:5; Isaiah 40:31), and its tender care for its young (Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11).

When David said, “My youth is renewed like the eagle’s,” he acknowledged that God had sustained him and satisfied his soul with such goodness that, even in old age, he felt young and strong. He was content. His life was overflowing because His God was enough. Similarly, Paul learned the secret of contentment by depending wholly on Christ for his strength (Philippians 4:12–13).

Give his angels charge over you

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in Psalms, What’s new?.

What does it mean that He will give his angels charge over you? (Psalm 91:11)?

Angels are spiritual beings who assist God. One task assigned to angels is to carry out God’s sovereign protection over humans. In a time of crisis, the psalmist was assured:

For He [Yahweh] shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone
(Psalm 91:11–12, NKJV).

The phrase give charge over in Psalm 91:11 is a rendering of a Hebrew verb meaning “to command, give an order, or charge someone to do something.” The New Living Translation states, “For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.” The New International Version reads, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” God is the One commanding protection; the angels are merely His agents to carry it out.

When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he misquoted this verse (leaving out the words in all your ways): “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone’” (Matthew 4:6, NKJV).

The patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament recognized God’s supreme guidance and protection as He gave angels charge over them wherever they went (Genesis 19:15; 24:7; 32:1; 48:16; 2 Kings 6:17; Isaiah 63:9). When He shut the mouths of lions and safeguarded men from fiery flames, even ungodly kings like Nebuchadnezzar and Darius acknowledged that the God of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego gives His angels orders to protect and rescue those who trust in Him (Daniel 3:28; 6:22).

In the New Testament, God’s sovereign protection and guidance through angels continues (Matthew 18:10; Acts 8:26). While caught in a violent storm at sea, on the brink of shipwreck, the apostle Paul was visited by an angel who reassured him of God’s protection. Paul told the men onboard, “But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said” (Acts 27:22–25, NLT).

After Peter and the apostles were imprisoned for preaching the gospel, God commanded His angel to deliver them back to the task of saving souls: “An angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then [the angel] told them, ‘Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!’ So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching” (Acts 5:19–21, NLT).

At the time of His arrest, Jesus told the disciples not to resist the soldiers: “Put away your sword,” Jesus ordered them. “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?” (Matthew 26:52–53, NLT). God gave His angels charge over Jesus to guide and protect Him throughout His life (Matthew 2:13, 19–20; 4:11; Luke 22:43).

The Lord’s faithful servants are under the constant care of angels. God gives them charge over us. Throughout history, He has directed these swift and powerful messengers—“his angels like the winds . . . like the flames of fire” (Hebrews 1:7, NLT)—to deliver His loyal followers from harm (see 1 Kings 19:5–7; Psalm 78:23–25; Acts 12:6–11).

Shadow of the Almighty

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in Psalms, What’s new?.

What does it mean to dwell in the “shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1)?

In one of the most uplifting passages of Scripture, we have this reassurance: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1, ESV). To dwell in the shadow of the Almighty is to live under the promise of God’s protection.

The word dwell means “to live in or be an inhabitant of.” Shelter refers to “a hiding place, covering, or protection.” Shadow suggests “shade, comfort, protection, and defense.” And abide means “lodge, live, spend the night.” The language of Psalm 91:1 speaks of someone who is wholly comfortable and accepted into the household and community life of the Most High God.

Most High is a title for God that effectively levels every threat. This name stresses God’s supreme power as the sovereign ruler of the world. Almighty or Shaddai is the name that upheld the wandering patriarchs (Exodus 6:3). As the Almighty, God is fully capable of accomplishing all of His promises.

Dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty is the everyday experience of someone who, although persecuted or threatened by danger, is thoroughly at home in the protection, comfort, and safety of Yahweh, the God of absolute power. This person declares of the Lord: “He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him” (Psalm 91:2, NLT).

Psalm 91 does not provide immunity from life’s threats. It does not promise God’s protection from danger and trouble; it offers the promise of God’s protection amid hardship and peril.

The theme of Psalm 91 focuses a spotlight on absolute trust in God and loyalty to Him. This kind of trust suggests intimate friendship with God. It is this sort of loving relationship that inspires the psalmist to say, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 36:7, ESV). It is the attitude of one who clings to the Lord at all times, saying, “For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5, ESV).

The person who is always thinking about God and trusting in Him has the Almighty as a constant companion. The Lord stretches His “shadow” or “protective shade” over the man or woman who sets up camp in His presence.

Isaiah 25:4 describes the “shadow of the Almighty” as “a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.” Psalm 18:2 declares, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety” (NLT). “The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand,” says Psalm 121:5.

Psalm 91 continues, “If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The LORD says, ‘I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name’” (Psalm 91:9–14, NLT). Abiding in God’s presence, we find security, protection, and care. The ultimate victory is ours in Christ.

The “shadow of the Almighty” is like a shade cast by the Lord that marks off a clearly perceived boundary. Those who are covered by the Lord’s boundary line of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ will reside forever in God’s presence. Believers in Jesus are covered by the blood of Christ, which grants full access into the throne room of God’s grace (Hebrews 10:19–22; 13:12; Ephesians 2:13). The Lord’s sacrifice provides salvation and protection that stretches beyond the boundaries of this life (Hebrews 9:12). Only the redeemed of the Lord can securely say, “Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!” (Psalm 61:4, NLT).

To dwell in the “shadow of the Almighty” is to find complete and eternal rest and safety, no matter what we face in this life, in death, or in the life to come.

Never seen the righteous forsaken

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in Psalms, What’s new?.

How could the psalmist say, “I have never seen the righteous forsaken” in Psalm 37:25?

Psalm 37 is an encouraging passage for those who face trials and tribulations. Despite our present suffering, the psalmist knows that God will reward the righteous and punish the wicked (verses 1–6). This reassuring message allows the righteous to “be still before the Lord and wait patiently wait for him” (verse 7; cf. Psalm 46:10). As we wait for the Lord to deliver us from trouble, we should continue to commit our ways to Him.

In Psalm 37:25, the psalmist expresses a statement of faith and trust in God’s providential care for the righteous: “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (ESV). This verse is a reference to the psalmist’s own observations. In all his life, the psalmist had never witnessed an instance when God forsook the righteous. This does not imply that the righteous are exempt from poverty and hardship. Rather, the point is that God will not abandon or leave them to fend for themselves in times of trouble (verse 24; cf. Deuteronomy 31:8 and Hebrews 13:5).

Psalm 37:25, therefore, highlights the psalmist’s confidence that God is faithful and will not abandon the righteous. Again, there’s no promise that the righteous are immune from pain and suffering. Jesus said that God “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Throughout the Bible, we find many examples of God sending rain on the righteous (Job 2:10; Isaiah 45:7; 2 Corinthians 1:8; 12:7–10). Amidst the turbulent waves of life, God promises to provide and care for the righteous.

While the psalmist’s words that “I have never seen the righteous forsaken” might seem fanciful or out of touch with reality, they are a powerful reminder of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. Believers are therefore encouraged to hold on to God’s unchanging hand and trust that He will work all things for good (Romans 8:28).

Rather than viewing the psalmist’s words as a guarantee that the righteous will never face trials and tribulations, we should interpret Psalm 37:25 as an expression of hope and assurance. The psalmist’s personal experiences inform his testimony about God’s unwavering support for the righteous.

In our own lives, we will encounter instances when God’s providential care is evident, and we will have a testimony of our own. However, we must remember that our understanding is limited, and we cannot always fathom the ways that God works. Therefore, it is essential to approach this verse with humility and acknowledge that our understanding is incomplete. Although our experiences may not align with the psalmist’s observations, we can still draw encouragement from his experiences with a faithful God.

Ultimately, Psalm 37:25 invites us to reflect on our own relationship with God and to deepen our trust in Him. It also encourages us to seek righteousness and align ourselves with His will (cf. Matthew 6:33 and Romans 12:2), knowing that He will supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19).

As we navigate the highs and lows of life, let us remember the psalmist’s words in Psalm 37:25 and be encouraged by them. When we face obstacles and challenges, we can hold fast to the fact that God will never forsake the righteous. In Him, we have everything that we need.