No fear

I don’t know about you, but Psalm 91 has always seemed to promise too much, as if we’ll never have any problems if we just trust in God.

Obviously, Satan tried to misuse this psalm to tempt Jesus. “Hey, jump off the building and the angels will catch you. That’s what God promised, right?”

And some Christians today misuse it to say that Christians should never get sick or have problems.

But as I read this passage today, it made me think of the Israelites’ experience in Egypt.

The Egyptians experienced a lot of the things the psalmist talked about as judgment from God. They experienced plague and pestilence. And of course they experienced terror at night as all their firstborn sons died.

On the other hand, the Lord protected all his people from experiencing that terrible judgment.

You see that pattern time and again in the Bible. The wicked are eventually judged, but God’s people are spared from God’s judgment (Ezekiel 9, 2 Peter 2:4-10, Revelation 7:1-3; 9:1-21)

In the same way, God will eventually judge this earth. But if we belong to him, if we have made him our refuge, putting our trust in him, we do not need to fear his judgment.

As John put it,

God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world.

There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. (1 John 4:16-18)

So if bad things are happening to you, and you think it must be because God is punishing you, understand that God isn’t. Jesus already took your punishment on a cross 2000 years ago.

But not only do we not have to fear God’s judgment, we also don’t have to fear the enemy’s attacks on us.

In scripture, Satan is depicted as a serpent and a lion. (Genesis 3, 1 Peter 5:8)

I find it interesting that when Satan tempted Jesus, he quoted verses 11-12, and skipped verse 13,

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent. (Psalm 91:13)

Maybe it reminded him too much of what God told the serpent about the Savior who would come.

He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

Satan will strike us. But like the damage he did to Jesus, that damage will not be permanent. He can kill our bodies. But he cannot destroy our souls.

And the day will come when we will rejoice and worship God because of it. (Revelation 7:9-17)

So let’s not fear God’s judgment nor Satan’s attacks. Rather, let us remember God’s promises to us:

Because he has his heart set on me,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows my name.

When he calls out to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.

I will rescue him and give him honor.

I will satisfy him with a long life
and show him my salvation. (Psalm 91:14-16)