84 SESSION LifeWay

Transcription

1 84 SESSION 6

2 The Point God is my ultimate protection. The Passage Psalm 91:1-4, 9-11, The Bible Meets Life We do all we can to protect ourselves and our loved ones from danger. We try to protect our children from harm. We hope to protect our finances from a volatile market. We protect ourselves against disease. Nothing we do guarantees protection. As a result, we can live in constant fear, or we can adopt a c est la vie that s life attitude. The Bible offers us a different choice: trust God s loving protection. The Setting The psalmist celebrated the protection of the Lord throughout Psalm 91. The psalm has no inscription and can be associated with no particular time. Thus, its scope and timelessness are highlighted any and every follower of the Most High can rely on the Almighty for protection. The psalm moves from first person testimony to second person exhortation to God Himself declaring the shelter He will provide. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 85

3 What does the Bible say? Key Words Most High (v. 1) The Most High (Elyon) is a divine title for God. It emphasizes the exalted character, supremacy, and omnipotence of the Lord. The Almighty (v. 1) The Almighty (Shaddai) is a divine title for the God of Israel who revealed Himself to the Patriarchs (Exodus 6:3). It refers to God s allpowerful nature. Psalm 91:1-4, 9-11, (HCSB) 1 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the LORD, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. 3 He Himself will deliver you from the hunter s net, from the destructive plague. 4 He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. 9 Because you have made the LORD my refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, 10 no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. 11 For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. 14 Because he is lovingly devoted to Me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows My name. 15 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. 16 I will satisfy him with a long life and show him My salvation. 86 SESSION 6

4 THE POINT God is my ultimate protection. GET INTO THE STUDY 10 minutes DISCUSS: Invite your group members to turn their attention to the image on page 71 of the Personal Study Guide (PSG). Ask: What causes fear in some people but not in you? RECAP THE PSG: Know any helicopter parents? You have probably seen one or two. It s the mom or dad who hovers obsessively over a child, afraid the child might scrape a knee, need assistance, or get his feelings hurt. Love is likely a motive behind their behavior, but fear may also be a driving force. TIP: Want to customize the group plan? The group plan is available as an editable document on the Leader Pack DVD-Rom. Notes Even if we don t take the extreme measures of helicopter parents, we need to take at least some steps to protect ourselves from dangerous experiences. Wisdom urges us to use seat belts in the car, helmets for a bicycle ride, and hard hats and safety goggles on the job site. For some, spontaneity wins and even the simplest safety measures are ignored. Beyond physical dangers, we don t have to go far to encounter spiritual ones as well: temptations, doubt, deception, and the trials of life. Simply put, life is filled with a variety of land mines (PSG, p. 72). SAY: How do we find the balance between living in unhealthy fear and living with total disregard for the threats that challenge us? Psalm 91 helps us see that, while we don t need to live recklessly, we also don t need to live in fear. GUIDE: Invite group members to share their thoughts about The Point on page 72 of the PSG: God is my ultimate protection. Explain that this key idea will drive your discussion. PRAY: Transition into the Bible study by praying for your group. As you do, thank God for the way He demonstrates His love for us by protecting and rescuing us when we re in trouble. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 87

5 10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Psalm 91:1-4 Notes 1 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the LORD, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. 3 He Himself will deliver you from the hunter s net, from the destructive plague. 4 He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. READ: Ask a group member to read Psalm 91:1-4 aloud. RECAP: Benjamin Franklin penned the well-known saying, Nothing is certain except death and taxes. It can be hard to know who and what we can depend on. Jobs come and go. People let us down. The things we own break down. We even let ourselves down. Finding something to count on in life often seems a fool s errand. But then God enters the picture. Nothing in this world can compare with the strength and protection God gives us (PSG, p. 74). RECAP: One way we can begin to understand just how God works on our behalf is to investigate the names and titles He uses to reveal Himself. In verses 1-2, we see three: Most High, Almighty, and LORD. ALTERNATE QUESTION: How have you experienced God s protection? 1. Most High. No one is above God. He is the One who stands in the loftiest position. He is supreme. 2. Almighty. God holds all of the power in all of creation throughout all of eternity. 3. LORD. God used this name to reveal Himself to His chosen people. It is the covenant name Yahweh and it means I AM. In other words, God is self-existent, self-sustaining, and eternal. He needs no other person or force to keep Him alive. He is the One who creates and holds everything else together (PSG, p. 74). DISCUSS: Question 2 on page 74 of the PSG: What do the names and images in this passage reveal about God s character? TRANSITION: When we see God in light of how He reveals Himself, counting on Him for protection suddenly becomes a lot easier. 88 SESSION 6

6 THE POINT God is my ultimate protection. Psalm 91:1-4 Commentary Psalm 91 is a song of confidence or trust any and every follower of the Most High can rely on the Almighty for protection. The traditional Hebrew text of the psalm does not have a title or inscription and cannot be associated with any particular author or event. The key to understanding the psalm lies in recognizing its three speakers, its three types of images, and the structure of its three sections. Three distinct individuals speak in the psalm. The believer, who trusts in God, offers a first person testimony in verse 2. The psalmist/worship leader exhorts the believer in the second person throughout the bulk of the psalm (vv. 1,3-13). Finally, God Himself speaks at the conclusion (vv ). This shift of speakers may indicate the psalm was used in temple worship, but the precise setting is not clear. Three types of images also appear in Psalm 91. The dominant image of refuge (vv. 1-2,9) is a concrete symbol of trust focusing on God s presence in the temple. Next, protective images include a hiding place, a fortress (vv. 1-2), a bird protecting its chicks (v. 4), and angels (vv ). Lastly, threat images depict a hunter (v. 3a) disease (v. 3b), battle weapons (v. 5b) and dangerous animals (v. 13). The Lord is portrayed as protecting the believer from these and other threats. Finally, there are also three main sections (vv. 1-8,9-13, and 14-16). The first two follow a similar structure. They begin with a confession (vv. 1-2) or the report of a confession of trust in the Lord as a refuge (v. 9). Then each section describes protective actions of the Lord (vv. 3-4 and 10-12) and promises for the believer s security (vv. 5-8 and 13). The last section (vv ) contains a prophetic oracle where God Himself declares the kind of shelter He will provide. Psalm 91 begins with an affirmation of the refuge found in God. The protection being considered here is the protection discovered in God. The poet employed two names for God: Most High (Elyon) and Almighty (Shaddai). Both describe divine attributes. Most High refers to the exaltedness, and overwhelming majesty of God (Psalms 9:2; 91:9). The Almighty refers to God s all-powerful character. God brings about His deliverance in two ways. First, He will cover the believer with His feathers and offer refuge (v. 2) under His wings (Psalms 57:1; 63:7; cf. Exodus 19:4). The allusion here could be to God protecting His own like a mother bird protecting her children; It could also be a reference to the wings of the cherubim over the ark of the covenant in the temple of Jerusalem. Second, God s faithfulness will be a protective shield for the believer. The phrase is made up of two Hebrew words. One refers to a large standing shield covering the whole body, and the other a protective wall or rampart. The imagery expresses complete protection and shelter. Faithfulness communicates God s trustworthiness and reliability (Psalm 100:5) God s faithfulness to His covenant promises means we can count on His protection. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 89

7 5 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Psalm 91:9-11 Notes 9 Because you have made the LORD my refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, 10 no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. 11 For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. READ: Invite a group member to read Psalm 91:9-11 aloud. RECAP: In the movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow were traveling down the Yellow Brick Road when the Tin Man explained the dangers that might lurk ahead. The three of them began to chant over and over again: Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my! In verses 3-13, the psalmist painted his own picture of the dangers that lurk: The hunter s net. The destructive plague. The terror of the night. The arrow that flies by day. The plague that stalks in darkness. The pestilence that ravages at noon. The lion. The cobra. We often rehearse our own fears, both the real problems and the perceived dangers that might be lurking in the shadows. Physical pain and sickness visit our families, and other physical trials challenge us. Mental stresses often feel overwhelming. Lying down at night does not bring rest, because our minds keep running over all we re facing. The emotional tolls of life threaten to sink us. Relationships that once brought joy and comfort now only seem to deliver distress (PSG, p. 75). ALTERNATE QUESTION: What does it mean to make God your dwelling place? RECAP: God s sovereignty means He can protect us in all things. God goes so far as to involve the very forces of heaven on your behalf to protect you in all your ways. You will never encounter a circumstance over which He is not watching you, guarding you, and guiding you. You will run into problems but you re not alone (PSG, p. 75). DISCUSS: Question 3 on page 75 of the PSG: How can we reconcile the reality of suffering with the truths in these verses? TRANSITION: Because God is always faithful to His promises, we can count on 90 SESSION 6 His protection.

8 THE POINT God is my ultimate protection. Psalm 91:9-11 Commentary The second section of Psalm 91 begins with a report (v. 9) of the confession made in verse 2. Because the believer made the Lord his refuge and the Most High his dwelling place, the poet began to list the protective actions extended by God for the believer s care and protection (vv ). In the Old Testament, the term translated refuge has the meaning of a haven or shelter. The psalmist then added that the believer had also effectively made the Most High his dwelling place (v. 9). The Hebrew word for dwelling place is used for the first time in this psalm and can also be translated habitation or fortress. It is considered a synonym for refuge, used in this verse and in verse 2. The psalmist continued (from vv. 3 ff.) to list the ways the Lord would protect the one who made Him his refuge. The list includes images of common threats that might befall the faithful servant of the Lord. The point is assurance. God will prove to be the believer s protection against the destructive forces surrounding him. The psalmist continued to address the believer in the second person: no harm will come to you. The Hebrew word behind harm is traditionally translated evil, but here the meaning reflects physical or moral misery or disaster (Psalm 28:3; Proverbs 12:21; Jeremiah 1:14; 2:3; Amos 3:6). The phrase will come renders a rare Hebrew verb meaning to meet or encounter. In addition, the believer is informed that no plague will come near his tent. The Hebrew rendered plague has the basic meaning of a blow or stroke (Psalms 39:10; 89:32; 144:5). Such malady will not come near to the believer s person or family. It will not draw near to his tent. This word is used in the Psalms figuratively for the home or dwelling place of the faithful believer (Psalms 78:55; 118:15). Another example of God s protection given for those who trust in Him is offered in verses when the psalmist assured the believer that the Lord will give His angels orders concerning him. The angels were to protect the believer in all his ways. It is significant that this is the only place in the Old Testament that refers to angels operating as guardians. The Hebrew rendered angels in verse 11 can be translated messengers when it refers to human individuals (1 Samuel 6:21; Haggai 1:13). God s messengers or angels functioned sometimes in the same way as human messengers. However, they were often tasked with the supernatural protection of God s people (Genesis 24:40; Exodus 23:20). Nevertheless, they were not deities themselves. They were God s messengers sent to protect us in all things. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 91

9 15 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Psalm 91:14-16 Notes 14 Because he is lovingly devoted to Me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows My name. 15 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. 16 I will satisfy him with a long life and show him My salvation. READ: Ask a group member to read Psalm 91:14-16 aloud. DISCUSS: Question 4 on page 76 of the PSG: How does God s protection differ from earthly protection? RECAP: God is God and He is fully able to protect us. But He places a decision in our laps the decision to be devoted to Him. In verses 1-13, the song has been written from the psalmist s perspective. Verses 14-16, though, are written from God s perspective. God tells us what He will do for us when we make the decision to trust and be lovingly devoted to Him (PSG, p. 76). ALTERNATE QUESTION: How do you respond to the truth that God is devoted to you? DISCUSS: Question 5 on page 77 of the PSG: What responsibility do we have in being sheltered by God s protection? RECAP: When you ve made the decision to lovingly surrender to His grace and mercy, then dangers, turmoil, and the chaos of life are just opportunities for God to demonstrate how much He loves you (PSG, p. 77). DO: Instruct group members to complete the activity on page 77 of the PSG on their own. Afterwards, invite volunteers to share their responses as time allows. The God Who Rescues: When or where do you feel weak or vulnerable right now? When work demands overwhelm me When I face major life decisions When my relationships become stressful When my plans for the future get interrupted Circle the phrase from Psalm 91:14-16 that gives you a sense of God s power and protection. 92 SESSION 6

10 THE POINT God is my ultimate protection. Psalm 91:14-16 Commentary The focus of Psalm 91 shifts noticeably in this final part. Here God Himself declares in a prophetic oracle the kind of protection He will provide. Similar divine oracles are found in Psalms 50; 60; 81; and 95. In Psalm 91 God pledged eight expressions of security. He did so using seven verbs and one noun phrase in a quick and terse fashion. The Lord is the subject of each verb and the believer is the object or recipient of the promise of protection. The eight pledges can be understood individually, but there is also a certain progress that can be traced through the development of these promises. Verse 14 contains a chiastic structure. That is, the verse begins and ends with two explanatory parallel phrases beginning with because. The two verbs of promise I will deliver him and I will protect him fit in the middle. Hence, God states that because the believer is lovingly devoted to Him and because the believer knows My name, God will deliver and protect him. Protect here has the idea of being lifted to safety. Lovingly devoted here describes the worshiper s relationship to God, but in Deuteronomy it expresses God s loving commitment to Israel (Deuteronomy 7:7; 10:15). The Lord will not abandon the one who knows His name (Psalm 9:10). This too speaks of a relationship of interaction. In this way, God makes it clear that an ongoing loving relationship with Him keeps us under His protection. God declared four more pledges of protection in verse 15. When the believer calls out to God, God declares, I will answer him. God s pledge of presence in times of trouble is the only promise that does not come in a verbal form. Instead, God spoke emphatically in a noun phrase: with him I (am) in trouble. In this way the theological truth is emphasized, both in position and importance, at the center of verses God s presence is with the believer in difficult times. The last two pledges in verse 15 come in two concise verbal forms. God said simply, I will rescue him and give him honor. In times of trouble, the Lord will deliver the believer and also hold him in high regard in the presence of others. Verse 16 holds the last two of God s eight pledges of security and protection. The Lord stated, I will satisfy him with a long life. This promise of long life is highlighted in other psalms (21:4; 23:6) and is based on keeping a covenant relationship with God (Deuteronomy 4:40; cf. Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16). In the final pledge, God said, I will show him My salvation. God said, I will cause him to see. The salvation mentioned here might have two points of reference, one present and one future. God could be referring to the hope of a future eternal salvation or to the reality of a present salvation, an act of deliverance in the current moment. This pledge and the other seven are offered to those who trust in God. (Note: Be sensitive to those with questions about why not all believers experience long life, deliverance from evil, and so forth. For reasons we may never understand in this life, God does not always choose to deliver His children from the evils, trials, and tribulations of this world. Part of the answer to this question is that the hope of Christians lies primarily not in this life, but in the life to come. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 93

11 5 minutes LIVE IT OUT SAY: How can we express trust in God s protection? Notes GUIDE: Lead group members to consider the responses to the Bible study listed on page 78 of the PSG. Make a list of the times in the last few years when you encountered hard times and trusted God in the midst of it. Make a journal of God s comforting work in your life. Discuss with a close friend about some of the hang-ups you have that keep you from trusting God completely. Ask this friend to pray for and with you. Share Psalm 91 with a friend who is in the middle of some type of trouble. Share what you ve learned from your own experience of trusting God when the days get dark Wrap It Up SAY: As we learn to trust completely in God s protection and become devoted to Him, we gain the balance between living in unhealthy fear and living with total disregard of danger. Fearful self-preservation calls for a lot of don ts and things to avoid. God invites us instead to do something: to be lovingly devoted to Him and trust Him completely. 94 SESSION 6

12 My group's prayer requests Additional suggestions for specific groups (women, men, collegiates, and singles) are available at BibleStudiesForLife.com/blog. And for free online training on how to lead a group visit MinistryGrid.com/web/BibleStudiesForLife. Great is God's Faithfulness My story is not about a man s faithfulness to God; it s about God s faithfulness to a man. Afshin s story began in Houston in a well-to-do Muslim-Iranian family. When Afshin was 2, he and his family moved back to Tehran. A few years later, the Islamic revolution erupted, and intense fighting broke out in Iran, so Afshin s father decided it was best to bring his family back to the United States. Afshin was 6. To continue reading Great is God s Faithfulness from HomeLife magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 95

13 Storm Shelter: Psalms of God s Embrace Storms will come. When we place ourselves in God s loving embrace, we can experience shelter in the midst of any downpour. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of each of these psalms. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, indwells us through His Holy Spirit, the One who is called the Comforter. Our salvation and relationship with God are secure and complete through Jesus. We know and experience the forgiveness of God because of the finished work of Christ on the cross.

14 God embraces us through our relationship with Him. As He indwells each of us, we experience God s presence, comfort, and encouragement. We are the body of Christ and we re called to minister God s presence and help to one another. Everyone looks for shelter from life s problems and downturns, but God is the only true shelter. As we experience difficulties, our trust in the presence and shelter of God gives testimony to the power and grace of God in our lives. As we see others in difficulty, we can point them to the shelter and protection only God can provide. Helping you move from where you are to where God wants you to be. This is your passion for your class or group. Yet helping different individuals each take their next step to grow as disciples is challenging. The Transformational Discipleship Assessment (TDA) is a quick and easy tool to help you discover how you and the members of your group are doing in eight essential areas of discipleship. The TDA provides next steps to help your group move from where you are to where God wants you to be. The assessment is online which allows each group participant to take it in the comfort and privacy of their home, office, or even on their mobile device. Discover more at: TDA.LifeWay.com BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 97