Psalm 91 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 91 Short Summary:

Psalm 91 is all about God’s perfect protection of those who trust in Him. No adversary can overcome one of God’s saints while they take refuge in the “shadow of the Almighty. The Lord can protect against various dangers, including snares, enemies, diseases, pestilence, terrors, arrows, destructions, plagues, stumblings, lions, and adders.

Psalm 91 Summary

AUTHOR:

• The author of Psalm 91 is unknown.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• Matthew 4:6; Luke 4:10-11

THEMES:

• God’s perfect protection of those who trust in Him.

DEFINITIONS:

• Fowler (91:3) – A person who uses snares to catch birds.

• Pinions (91:4) – The outer part of a bird’s wing.

• Buckler (91:4) – A shield carried by a warrior. 

• Recompense (91:8) – To receive what one rightly deserves for one’s actions.

• Adder (91:13) – A poisonous snake.

OUTLINE:

• THE IMPENETRABLE PROTECTION OF GOD (91:1-16):

  • Psalm 91 is a beautiful psalm about the absolute safety God can provide to the people He intends to protect.

  • This psalm is about a man who lives under the protection of God, in the “shadow of the Almighty.”

  • God is a faithful shield and a buckler to those who trust in Him.

  • He can expose every snare and banish every disease.

  • The psalmist writes, “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday” (91:5-6).

  • Though 1,000 men fall dead around you, if you are in the protection of God, you will remain standing.

  • God will destroy the enemies who attack His people.

  • God has commissioned His angels to support His faithful ones, they aid His saints and keep them from stumbling.

  • The Lord protects against all varieties of danger, those listed in this psalm include snares, enemies, diseases, pestilence, terrors, arrows, destructions, plagues, stumblings, lions, and adders.

  • The psalm closes with a reassuring quote from God.

  • “Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation” (91:14-16).

APPLICATION:

• These incidents of supernatural protection were not just hypothetical to the people of Israel but were a very real part of their history.

• Samson killed 1,000 Philistines singlehandedly (Jdg 15).

• Jonathan and his armorbearer defeated a whole garrison of enemies with God’s help (1 Sam 14).

• Before Jonathan climbed up to the enemy garrison, he had the realization that God could defeat the garrison using only him and his armorbearer just as easily as God could defeat them with an army of 100 men.

• With confidence in his heart, and every odd stacked against him, he climbed over the rocks and went into battle covered in the “shadow of the Almighty.”

• These examples make me wonder if we are ambitious enough.

• Do we trust in God enough to be ambitious?

• Jonathans aren’t relegated to the past, there can be some in our day if we believe like Jonathan believed.

  Will faith like that be found in our generation?