Ps. 91: Dwell in the Most High

Psalm 91:14 ""Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name."

So in spite of God's ability to just crush man and return them to dust, he has a genuine interest and love for man. In that context, the idea that God could love any person is sincerely mind blowing. This 91st Psalm speaks of the protection God would provide a person who trusts in him, the Most High. He will protect man from trouble. That is to say there will be trouble. God protects in the shadow of his wing. And this is faithfulness. He can be trusted to be our protector. Because of this, we have no cause to fear the terrors at night, and the arrow that flies in the daytime. And there will be terror. There will be arrows. There will also be pestilence and plague. The disease du jour is the misnomered "swine flu." Because of God's faithful protection, there is no reason to fear it. 

"What if I get swine flu? What if I get arrowed?" I don't know. God is still faithful and true. Is it total protection so that nothing bad will happen to you? I think not. Life isn't easy and life isn't a God-given guarantee. To expect that nothing awful will happen to you is not realistic. But to believe it's because God doesn't care is equally as unrealistic. He says so right here in the 91st Psalm. Continue to dwell in him, and God will be your shield.

I suspect the notion of "Guardian Angels" comes out of Psalm 91:11. Supernatural protectors that follow you around, making sure you don't trip on a stone. I wonder how far into illustration land the Psalmist going hear. Of course if you mess with a cobra, you'll likely pay with your life. Same with a lion or a serpent. I said a serpent. The point most likely is that you will be watched over. You will be protected from things without even you knowing. This isn't carte-blanche to go diving off a building because you dwell in the protection of the most high. It's little, insignificant things like redirecting a drunk driver down a different street, or having you go flood the school so a jet engine doesn't crush you in bed, or ... you know. You've seen "The Butterfly Effect." The idea that God has Guardian Angels in place because he can't be bothered with having to protect all the billions of people running amok on Earth or on the other planets he may have put life is simply not correct. Maybe there are, maybe there aren't guardian angels. I haven't seen any, and I can't think of any coincidences where I think, "Man am I glad I didn't get on Flight 11 out of Boston on 9/11."

The point is, salvation and protection come from a sincere relationship with God. From dwelling in the Most High.

Ps. 82: Olympus

Psalm 82:8 "Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance."

God is like the head God of other gods. They have no power but to submit to God. So I wonder if these other gods have any actual power? But they are given this power. By God. Would God give power to other gods? Why? Unless I am not understanding the word "god" here in this context. Perhaps it is just powerful men. Perhaps angels. Perhaps extraterrestrial life forms? 

Anyway, in verse two, my guess is that God's voice confronts these lesser gods for being partial to the wicked. I suppose it could be man's questioning God for allowing the wicked to be successful, but God doesn't have to answer to that for any reason.

These other gods must be jerks, because they have to be told to stand up for the fatherless and to help deliver the weak and needy. They must be unfair to the poor. It is the social justice aspect that makes me think these gods are rulers of men, who are swayed by their own greed and desire for earthly things that they would neglect the neglected.

But then the high strangeness takes over in verse 6. "You are gods, sons of the Most High." The most high being God himself, presumably. Is it the fact that God ordains rulers? Or are these another race of beings with power from and under God? Angels? But they are told they will die like Adam. Like mere men. Their time is gonna come. They don't rule the way God does, they don't do things his way, therefore they can only pass away, just like every other ruler.

Maybe the 82nd Psalm ultimately serves as a bit of a reminder to rulers on the earth that they are in fact mortal and owe their power and position to one person.