This morning I came across PSALM 91:1-2 – “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.” As usual, I did some digging into the definitions of key words to make sure I understood all of what God was saying.
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (91:1)
Dwelleth in Hebrew means to sit down in quiet; by implication to dwell, remain; used causatively to mean: to settle, to marry, continual habitation. The English dictionary defined dwell as to live as a resident; to fasten one’s attention.
Secret came from a Hebrew root word meaning to hide by covering; to keep close. A “secret” place was a hiding place, a place of protection.
Abide in Hebrew means to stop (usually overnight); by implication, to stay permanently; abide all night; dwell; endure
Shadow came from a Hebrew root word meaning hovering over to shade at twilight. Shadow was used to mean shade, as well as defense. The English dictionary defines defense as resistance against danger, attack, or harm; protection; a person or thing that provides such resistance.
Looking at the Hebrew definitions of these words has made the truth of these verses so much richer. I mean, look at the word “dwell“. I always just considered dwelling somewhere as merely living there. But there’s another aspect of the word dwell that adds another dimension to “dwelling” – the words “to sit down in quiet“.
How many of us consider ourselves “dwelling” with God, and yet we still strive to fix things. We strive to constantly “do”, instead of just sitting down “in quiet“. This reminds me of the Mary and Martha story in Luke 10. Martha was under the same roof with Jesus, yet she was bustling around, getting aggravated at Mary, judging her for not helping serve the guests. Mary was merely “sitting down in quiet”, listening to her Lord. I love Jesus comment to Martha in verses 41-42 ““Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” I wanna be like Mary. How about you?
Another thing that I thought about was the phrase “to marry” in the definition of “dwelleth”. When you look at it in the light of being married, then it affects not only the “be-ing” in the same place as your hubby, but “fastening one’s attention” on him. We rest in the fact that we are under their “umbrella” of protection, and other than the Lord, Mike is my “go to” guy. Also, everything we do, from going out to making the week’s schedule, is filtered through our responsibility to focus our attention on our mate. How much more so should we do that with God. Everything we do, say, think…how we act and react…how we feel, should be filtered through our desire to please our Lord.
Now take a look at the word “abide“…”to stop, usually overnight”. When you are on a journey, and you stop for the night, what do you do? You go to sleep. Do you “work” when you’re asleep? No. Do you “plan” when you’re asleep? No. What do you do? You rest up for the next day’s journey. Well, life is a journey. If we are to “abide” under the shadow of the Almighty, then we aren’t to fret, strive, or plan. We are just to stop, be quiet and rest.
I’m giggling here because something my Daddy and I have always had fun doing was trying to out-rhyme each other. Well, my mind is in rhyme overdrive. LOL I’m thinking “Don’t try, rely”…”Don’t strive, abide”…”Cease, and release”. hahaha
The long and the short of this verse says that since I’m a child of God, I should just sit down in quiet, placing my focus on God’s ability to protect me from anything that will do me harm. Keep my focus on Him and sit quietly. This brings Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know (experience) that I am God”. Isn’t it wonderful how Scripture supports itself! Love it!
“I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress…” (91:2a)
Refuge comes from a Hebrew root word meaning to flee for protection; to confide in; have hope; put trust in. A refuge is a shelter. The English dictionary defines “shelter” as protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship; haven, sanctuary, anything to which one may turn for help, relief, or sanctuary.
Fortress comes from a Hebrew root word meaning to lie alongside in wait; implication toward catching an animal for food for a journey; In Hebrew “fortress” could be a net; and it can also be defined as a fastness or besieging tower; a bulwark, munition. I had to look up a couple words for clarity. The English dictionary defines “fastness” as a remote or secret fortified place; and “bulwark” is defined as anything serving as a principal defense against attack or encroachment. “Munition” was war material; to supply with ammunition.
So many things are running through my mind. Big surprise? (haha). Remember that old hymn that says, “A mighty fortress is our God. A bulwark never failing.” Wow, that takes me back to my Lutheran days. I was around 4 or 5 years old when I first heard this song sung, and I can remember wondering what Bullwinkle had to do with God.. LOL I was…and still am…such a dork. (grin) Anyway, never knowing what a bulwark was, I always considered that old hymn archaic, a thing of the past…and I wanted it to STAY in the past with lyrics like that! LOL But you know, when you learn what a bulwark is, it makes the words of that old hymn timeless. Why? Because they describe attributes of our timeless God! Think of the definition of bulwark for a second. What comes to mind when you read it? (pause and ponder)…..
(are you pondering??? or just moving on??…wink)
Well, what came to my mind was a couple of things. The first had to do with the “defense against attack” part. Remember in the wilderness what Jesus used against the attacks of satan? He defended Himself with the Word of God (Matthew 4). The Word of God were his “munitions” against the temptations of the evil one. And you know…you have to have God’s Word stored up in your heart and mind to be able to fire it back at the attacks of satan. Memorization of the Word should be ongoing, not just in AWANA or in Christian school. (ouch!)
The second thing that came to mind had to do with the word “encroachment“. The dictionary definition of “encroach” is: to advance beyond proper, established, or usual limits; make gradual inroads; to trespass upon the property, domain, or rights of another, especially stealthily or by gradual advances. At the very beginning of the Bible, God depicted satan as a snake/serpent.
Take a minute to think of a serpent’s behavior. They slither…”stealthily/gradually” and then they “strike”, usually without warning, catching their prey off guard. If we’re not prepared, we won’t be able to see him approaching, let alone be able to ward off an attack.
Ephesians 6:10 “just popped” into my mind (thank you Abba!). It tells us to armor up so that we can take our stand. Defend what Christ died to give us! And in verses 12-13 it says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
God, through His Word and with the power of His Spirit living within us, is our refuge…our fortress…our “bulwark never failing”! How COOL IS THAT?!!! I’m diggin’ my Bulwark!
“my God, in him will I trust.” (91:2b)
Trust in Hebrew means to go quickly; hasten, or hurry for refuge; to trust, be confident or sure. The English dictionary defined “trust” as a firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.
Let’s note first of all, the tense used in this phrase is the imperfect, which denotes an incomplete action or a process. This echoes the thoughts of Paul in Philippians 4:9 when he says, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.”
Learning to truly trust God is an ongoing process. Trusting takes practice. And just like anything else, the more you practice, the more natural something becomes to you…even to the point of it becoming automatic.
Let’s take a look at the English dictionary’s definition of “trust” and see how we can apply that spiritually to our Abba. It says that its firm reliance on three things: integrity, ability, and character.
INTEGRITY
“God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19)
“Honest scales and balances belong to the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:11)
ABILITY
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible.’” (Matthew 19:26)
“For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)
CHARACTER
(It would be impossible to fully describe the character of God.
Here are just a few that came to my mind.)
Loving
“Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love” (1 John 4:8)
“And so we know and rely on the love
God has for us. God is love…” (1 John 4:16)
Just
“All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right,
and as a result you will be counted worthy
of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those
who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled,
and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is
revealed from Heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.”
(2 Thessalonians 1:5-7)
Merciful
“For the Lord your God is a merciful God…” (Deuteronomy 4:31)
“The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving,
even though we have rebelled against him;” (Daniel 9:9)
Gracious
“…for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not
turn his face from you if you return to him.” (2 Chronicles 30:9)
“The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.” (Psalm 116:5)
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore He will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for Him!” (Isaiah 30:18)
“Rend your heart and not your garments (INWARD not outward).
Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.” (Joel 2:3)
Faithful
“He is the Rock, His works are perfect,
and all His ways are just. A faithful God who
does no wrong, upright and just is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)
“Who is like You, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord,
are mighty, and Your faithfulness surrounds You.” (Psalm 89:8)
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.
And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond
what you can bear. But when you are tempted,
He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Never Changing
“For I am the Lord, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)
“Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
So… Are you dwelling? Are you abiding? Are you trusting in God? If your answer is “no” to any of those three reflection questions, perhaps it’s time for you to “sit down in quiet”, journal your thoughts, and talk to your God. I know that’s what I’m fixing to do right now.