In this psalm, the psalmist affirms that God is for His people and because of this, His people can fully trust in Him. There is no heading for this psalm, so we don’t know who the author is; however, Jewish tradition accredits Psalms 90-100 to Moses. Other Psalms written by Moses are also found in Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32.
Notice how the use of the first and second-person pronouns is alternated throughout the psalm. The psalmist proclaimed his own personal faith and then proclaimed comfort to the people.
The psalmist begins by telling us that God is a shelter and whoever dwells in Him will find rest, Psalm 91:1 / Psalm 27:5 / Psalm 31:20. We find rest in the ‘shadow’ of the Almighty, Psalm 91:1, that is, we find protection, comfort, and care in God.
The psalmist tells us that God is their refuge and fortress, Psalm 91:2, that is, God is their safe place and protector. God is their God, Psalm 91:2, which tells us about their close relationship with Him; they trust Him completely.
God protects His people from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence with His feathers and places them under His wings, Psalm 91:3. Obviously, God doesn’t have feathers or wings; these descriptions are used as metaphors to describe God as a bird who shelters young chicks under his wings, Psalm 61:4. As chicks flee for safety under the wings of the hen, so we flee for the protection of God, Matthew 23:37.
God’s faithfulness will be His people’s shield and rampart, Psalm 91:4 / Deuteronomy 32:11. In other words, when an error is spread about by false teachers, the truth of God’s word will keep us from being tossed back and forth, Ephesians 4:11-16.
With God as our refuge and shield, we have nothing to fear from anyone, Psalm 91:5. God would protect His people from those who would attack in the night and those who would fire arrows in the day, Psalm 91:5 / Isaiah 28:2.
He would protect His people from the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, Psalm 91:6 / Deuteronomy 32:24, and plagues that destroy at midday, Psalm 91:6. In other words, no matter what time of the day terror comes, God would protect His people.
It doesn’t matter how many came to destroy God’s people; God would protect them, even against the odds. He would protect them, Psalm 91:7. While God protects His people, they were to observe with their own eyes how God punishes the wicked, Psalm 91:8.
The psalmist now sets out the terms and conditions for a person to receive God’s protection. They have to proclaim that God is indeed their refuge and that they must choose the Most High as their dwelling place, Psalm 91:9.
In other words, if they make God their only source of life, then God promises that no harm will overtake them and no disaster will come near their tent, Psalm 91:10.
The psalmist now describes another aspect of God’s protection for His people, that is, His angels, Psalm 91:11. His angels will guard His people, lift them up in their hands, so that they will not strike their foot against a stone, Psalm 91:11-12.
In other words, God would send His angels to protect those who are His, Hebrews 1:14. You may recall that these promises were quoted but twisted by Satan when Jesus was being tempted on the mountain, Matthew 4:5-7 / Luke 4:9-12.
God’s protection is also seen in the lion and the cobra, Psalm 91:13, that is, if they put their trust in the Lord, they would be able to do what men normally would not be able to do, that is, face lions and trample on snakes, Psalm 91:13 / Mark 16:18.
Notice that it is God Himself who is speaking here. God knows those who love Him, John 14:15 / Romans 5:5 / 1 John 4:18, and He acknowledges their names, Psalm 91:14. This again speaks of a close relationship with God. Because of God’s people’s love for Him, God promises to rescue and protect them.
He also promises to answer His people’s prayers when they call upon Him in times of trouble, Psalm 91:15. He promises to deliver and honour His people, and He promises to give them long life, Psalm 91:16 / Exodus 20:12 / Proverbs 3:2 / Proverbs 3:16, and salvation, Psalm 91:16, that is, salvation from death, 1 Timothy 4:8.
The psalmist has clearly got a close relationship with God, as they know God’s Name and who He is and in turn, God has a close relationship with the psalmist as He knows those who love Him by Name.
God knows each of us intimately, Luke 12:7; He knows us by Name, Isaiah 49:1, and He knows those who truly love Him, 1 Corinthians 8:3 / 1 John 4:7. Sadly, many people profess to know God and even love Him, yet they don’t obey His will, John 14:23-24. We can’t claim to know or love God but not do His will, Matthew 7:22-23.
If we want to have or maintain a close relationship with God, we must learn to speak to Him in prayer regularly, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, acknowledging that He knows us intimately, Psalm 139:2.
If we want to have or maintain a close relationship with God, we need to learn to draw closer to Him through reading and learning from His Word, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
If we want to have or maintain a close relationship with God, not only should we read and learn from His Word, but we must also learn to do what it says, James 1:22-25.