One of the passages that seems to link the words dwell and abide that were the subject of three recent posts is Psalm 91:1-2, where it says
1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!” (NASB)
The word translated as “abide” in the NASB uses a third Greek word from the Septuagint that has a similar meaning to the two we have already seen. The Greek word , “aulizomai“, means “lodge” or “spend the night”. The NIV translates it as “rest in”. If you “dwell” in God’s presence, you will find “rest” there.
But even more than rest, we find something else. For me, the most profound point of these verses is that as we learn to dwell in God’s presence, we find an invaluable benefit: God will be our refuge. A refuge is a place of safety, where we are sheltered from the effects of storms and battles. A refuge does not cause the storms and battles to cease from raging around us, but instead keeps us safe as they rage. This is very much in tune with what the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:35-39.
The Psalmist continues in verses 3-8 with beautiful imagery of what this refuge is like.
3For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
4He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
5You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
6Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
7A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
8You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked. (NASB)
These verses begin with the imagery of God directly intervening to let us loose from a trap that we have been caught in (or perhaps helps us avoid a trap which we are about to be caught in) by the ones seeking our demise. Thinking broadly, this could imply both human agents and spiritual agents — forces of the devil seeking to do us harm or derail us from accomplishing our mission.
The passage then says that God also rescues us from disease that could take our lives. This seems to suggest that sickness and disease are not part of God’s “Plan A” for us — not generally something that God sends us for discipline or for character building (as are too often suggested by people of faith) — rather these are things from the adversary, the devil.
The imagery of God covering us with his wings is one of a mother protecting her young by absorbing the blows and arrows hurled in our direction. The idea is strengthened by the suggestion that God shields us because of his faithfulness to us. Of course, we must not forget that these promises follow as a result of us dwelling in God’s presence. This underscores the great importance of believers learning to dwell in God, so that these benefits might be obtained. Otherwise, our souls are like sitting ducks for the enemy.
These ideas are developed well by John Eldredge in a number of his books, particularly Waking the Dead. His hypothesis is that the devil is scared of what we will be like and what we can accomplish through God if our hearts are fully alive. That is why the devil seeks to damage our hearts, even from a very young age. Even if a person should choose to follow Jesus, he or she will be unable to realize his or her full potential as long as the soul is wounded. And of course it’s not just children whose hearts get wounded. That can happen at any age. That is why learning to dwell is essential to a Christian. While the battles will still rage, our hearts will be protected. And while dwelling in God’s presence, we find a place of rest, where healing to our hearts can take place.
Psalm 91 continues:
9For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
10No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.
11For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
12They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone. (NASB)
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We also must recall that Jesus died on the cross at the hands of men, to the short-lived delight of the devil. Yet when we read these verses, we get the idea that those who are dwelling in God’s presence are invincible. Jesus dwelt in God’s presence, yet was crucified. So our theology and understanding of these verses must factor that in as well.
One commentary I read got around this apparent paradox or contradiction by saying that God’s protection only applies in the case in which God is using war and pestilence to destroy the wicked — from his or her understanding of verse 8. By implication, if war and pestilence are not being used by God to destroy the wicked, that commentator believes that this chapter does not assure those who seek refuge in God any protection.
I think that commentator completely misses the point. But he or she was trying to address the same issue that we are now grappling with: how to explain the fact that Christians — even those who were dwelling in God’s presence — have been known to lose their lives in war or by disease. I think the answer comes in understanding that the Psalms, which are essentially poems, are written to express issues of the heart, and are meant to be interpreted as being generally true or true with some qualifications. Second, any passage from the Bible is not to be taken simply at face value, but rather in terms of what the author meant to convey. Furthermore, it is to be understood in light of the entirety of Scripture, and in particular in conjunction with other relevant passages. Many truths from the Bible are only discovered when several passages are held in tension with each other, balancing out what might otherwise be considered contradictions.
I believe this passage promises very real help and protection in most of life’s battles and storms — protection that would not otherwise be received by someone not seeking to dwell in the Lord’s presence. Yet in some circumstances of life, we might experience harm (much as Jesus did or the Apostle Paul did). Yet that harm will be used by the Lord ultimately for our good (Romans 8:28), and it will not cause our hearts to become separated from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39).
It is important for believers, then, to be confident in the Lord’s character — in His faithfulness and trustworthiness, in His power and in His love. Without this trust, when the storms of life and of the enemy rage around us or against us, we could conclude, just by looking on the circumstances, that the Bible was wrong or that God cannot be trusted. It is the eyes of faith which are to guide us, not our natural eyes.
Verse 8 of this Psalm, which was misunderstood by the commentator I referred to earlier, is present simply to emphasize that those who are not in the Lord do not receive that protection.
Psalm 91 concludes with these beautiful verses:
13You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.
14“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
15He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.” (NASB)
Verse 13 is powerful. It says that if we are dwelling in God’s presence, we will kick the enemy’s butt (win victories over the devil)! Both the serpent or cobra and the lion are Biblical images for the devil. From our place of refuge and strength, we can tread upon and trample upon the works of the devil. This is a very significant promise. It applies first to Jesus, and to what He accomplished, but it applies also to us.
Verses 14 to 16 represent God speak to Himself or possibly to angels or people about us — if we dwell in His presence. God responds to our love for Him! Isn’t that a remarkable fact about our relationship with God! Our love for Him motivates God to be attentive to our welfare and responsive to our calling to Him. These verses seem particularly focused on our welfare as we battle the devil, but they apply, as well, to our needs throughout life.
In earlier comments, we looked at verses from Psalm 27 dealing with dwelling in God’s presence. That chapter begins with the Psalmist extolling the protection the Lord offers, as a result of our seeking to dwell with Him. We conclude with these verses — 1 to 3 — from Psalm 27, which confirm and reemphasize what we have just discussed from Psalm 91.
1The LORD is my light and my salvation —
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life —
of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident. (NASB)