By Jeremy Bell
I am going to highlight Christian agreement. Finding points of agreement helps build unity among people. Often, disagreements are in the application of fundamental ideas. I will share how Psalm 91 supports Christian fundamentals/some salvation fundamentals. I will continue with Luke 4: 1 – 13 and Luke 10: 17 – 24 directly afterwards because this New Testament writer refers to it. Groupings are color coded in my book, Psalms in Motif Visualization. Understanding the unity across scripture is excellent theological practice.
God made a way for Himself to enter into humanity, as part of His creation. This is still in harmony with His holiness. It is not created things that are good or evil. Trees and rocks, even the small creatures of the Earth are not unholy or wicked because they are cursed or decaying. It is the heart that is judged.
Jesus
Jesus said, ‘it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person. Whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled. But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. Eating with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.’ His disciples came and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?’ He answered, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.’
Jesus was in the form of God, but He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus = God
Jesus, being God, demonstrated His need and reliance on God. He set His love on the Father, He knew His name. Jesus called to the Father. Jesus found Himself in trouble and God the Father responded with deliverance, exaltation, nearness, honor, and salvation. God the Father did not just give Him life, and long life is a modest description of eternal life for the one who was and is to come, the first and the last, and who was before the beginning and will be after the end. This Jesus was killed, raised to life and ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father.
Hopefully that gives some perspective and things to consider while preparing to hear or read this Psalm. They are by no means the only perspectives or considerations, just the ones right now. So… without further hesitation, here is Psalm 91 and Luke 4: 1 – 13 and Luke 10: 17 – 24.
[ Psalm 91 ]
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers.
Under his wings you will take refuge.
His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
nor of the arrow that flies by day,
nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
and ten thousand at your right hand;
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes,
and see the recompense of the wicked.
Because you have made Yahweh your refuge,
and the Most High your dwelling place,
no evil shall happen to you,
neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
For he will put his angels in charge of you,
to guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands,
so that you won’t dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and cobra.
You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.
“Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him.
I will set him on high, because he has known my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him.
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him, and honor him.
I will satisfy him with long life,
and show him my salvation.”
[ Luke 4: 1 – 13 ]
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”
The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want. If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus answered him, “Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here, for it is written,
‘He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you;’ and,
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.
[ Luke 10: 17 – 24 ]
[ In this part of Luke, Jesus had sent 70 of His disciples out to tell people about Him to prepare for His coming to them. They have returned. ]
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. Nevertheless, don’t rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.”
Turning to the disciples, he said, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whomever the Son desires to reveal him.”
Turning to the disciples, he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.”
Jesus Did Not Sin, But Did Experience the Consequences of Sin
There is something incredible to learn from this Psalm that affects us defiled humans. As a father speaks to his son, so God the Father speaks to His Son, Jesus. The Father knows there is trouble; He knows of pestilence; He knows of war and death. We don’t know every reason God allows for all these troubles. But we do know He did not shield Himself from it all. We know that as a human God experienced and lived these things along with the humans He created. There is not just a good reason we trust that God the Father has for this, but it indicates there is good value. These things will come to an end one day, and so, the value is for now. And so is deliverance.
Jesus was given authority by the Father. He gives that to His followers. He has authority to give His authority and kingdom to whoever He wants. This is amazing! First, Jesus offers life to any who believe in Him. A person who turns to God the Father for salvation through His Son, Jesus, believing that He died to pay for their sin and rose from death to give them life, well, they have life! But more than that, Jesus has written believers names in heaven, He has us, and won’t let us go.
Faith
God the Father helped Jesus the Son during His time on Earth. Believers are part of the same family as Jesus because it is by faith we are saved; not by blood family, ethnic group, or works of our own. He is the vine and believers are grafted in branches. When we are in trouble, we know His name, we call to Him, and we set our love on Him. We demonstrate our need and reliance on Him. Deliverance, exaltation, nearness, honor, and salvation are in His hands ready to be poured into us. Before, our lives spiraled in futility, trying to hold on to any kind of life we knew. This was the nature of self, the nature of separation from God the Father, and the nature of death. Now, we spiral towards God, towards Jesus, in the Nature of Joy.
Resources and Notes
All scripture in this article is from the WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE (WEB). The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.
For more related to this blog, check out my post on Reliable Fundamentals for Healthy Discipleship Ministries.
This is a reliable translation, but it is always good to read other translations as well. Biblegateway.com has a multitude of translations to read from. It is a great resource.
Another great resource is Biblehub.com. There are multiple translations, commentaries, and so much more. Great research can be done on this platform.
One more I use regularly is Gotquestions.org. This is a great site to answer questions and find threads of related questions.
There are many resources. The key is that God wants relationship directly with you, the individual. His primary source for revealing who He is and growing in intimacy is His word, the scriptures. Don’t just read for instruction. Analyze and read for understanding. Explore, ask questions, and be transformed in Jesus every moment you possibly can. There is no dispute this is a key desire of God. People are brough to the Father, in the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This… This is the Nature of Joy.
Jeremy is an author, musician, and business intelligence manager. His mission is to equip and encourage those in Christ, to equip and encourage others in Christ. Jesus, Christ, is the Nature of Joy and melody of the heart. Jeremy unites business analytics (business intelligence), songs, and Scripture for Christian living in the power of the Holy Spirit.