Psalm 91: 1 HE that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Loss Sustained by the Wicked—In the ninety-first psalm is
a most wonderful description of the coming of the Lord to bring
the wickedness of the wicked to an end, and to give to those who
have chosen Him as their Redeemer the assurance of His love and
protecting care.
[Psalm 91:1-15 quoted.]
The righteous understand God’s government, and will triumph
with holy gladness in the everlasting protection and salvation that
Christ through His merits has secured for them. Let all remember
this, and forget not that the wicked, who do not receive Christ as
their personal Saviour, understand not His providence. The way
of righteousness they have not chosen, and they know not God.
Notwithstanding all the benefits He has so graciously bestowed upon
them, they have abused His mercy by neglecting to acknowledge His
goodness and mercy in showing them these favors. At any moment
God can withdraw from the impenitent the tokens of His wonderful
mercy and love.
Oh, that human agencies might consider what will be the sure
result of their ingratitude to Him, and of their disregard of the infinite
gift of Christ to our world! If they continue to love transgression
more than obedience, the present blessings and the great mercy of
God that they now enjoy, but do not appreciate, will finally become
the occasion of their eternal ruin. They may for a time choose to
engage in worldly amusements and sinful pleasures, rather than to
check themselves in their course of sin, and live for God and for the
honor of the Majesty of heaven; but when it is too late for them to see
and to understand that which they have slighted as a thing of naught,
they will know what it means to be without God, without hope. Then
they will sense what they have lost by choosing to be disloyal to God
and to stand in rebellion against His commandments. In the past
they defied His power and rejected His overtures of mercy; finally
His judgments will fall upon them. Then they will realize that they
have lost happiness—life, eternal life, in the heavenly courts....
In the time when God’s judgments are falling without mercy, oh,
how enviable to the wicked will be the position of those who abide
“in the secret place of the Most High”—the pavilion in which the
Lord hides all who have loved Him and have obeyed His command-
ments! The lot of the righteous is indeed an enviable one at such a
time to those who are suffering because of their sins. But the door of
mercy is closed to the wicked, no more prayers are offered in their
behalf, after probation ends.
But this time has not yet come. Mercy’s sweet voice is still to be
heard. The Lord is now calling sinners to come to Him (Manuscript
151, 1901).
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Loss Sustained by the Wicked—In the ninety-first psalm is
a most wonderful description of the coming of the Lord to bring
the wickedness of the wicked to an end, and to give to those who
have chosen Him as their Redeemer the assurance of His love and
protecting care.
[Psalm 91:1-15 quoted.]
The righteous understand God’s government, and will triumph
with holy gladness in the everlasting protection and salvation that
Christ through His merits has secured for them. Let all remember
this, and forget not that the wicked, who do not receive Christ as
their personal Saviour, understand not His providence. The way
of righteousness they have not chosen, and they know not God.
Notwithstanding all the benefits He has so graciously bestowed upon
them, they have abused His mercy by neglecting to acknowledge His
goodness and mercy in showing them these favors. At any moment
God can withdraw from the impenitent the tokens of His wonderful
mercy and love.
Oh, that human agencies might consider what will be the sure
result of their ingratitude to Him, and of their disregard of the infinite
gift of Christ to our world! If they continue to love transgression
more than obedience, the present blessings and the great mercy of
God that they now enjoy, but do not appreciate, will finally become
the occasion of their eternal ruin. They may for a time choose to
engage in worldly amusements and sinful pleasures, rather than to
check themselves in their course of sin, and live for God and for the
honor of the Majesty of heaven; but when it is too late for them to see
and to understand that which they have slighted as a thing of naught,
they will know what it means to be without God, without hope. Then
they will sense what they have lost by choosing to be disloyal to God
and to stand in rebellion against His commandments. In the past
they defied His power and rejected His overtures of mercy; finally
His judgments will fall upon them. Then they will realize that they
have lost happiness—life, eternal life, in the heavenly courts....
In the time when God’s judgments are falling without mercy, oh,
how enviable to the wicked will be the position of those who abide
“in the secret place of the Most High”—the pavilion in which the
Lord hides all who have loved Him and have obeyed His command-
ments! The lot of the righteous is indeed an enviable one at such a
time to those who are suffering because of their sins. But the door of
mercy is closed to the wicked, no more prayers are offered in their
behalf, after probation ends.
But this time has not yet come. Mercy’s sweet voice is still to be
heard. The Lord is now calling sinners to come to Him (Manuscript
151, 1901).