Psalm 91:11,12

"For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."

For those familiar with the events of the LORD Jesus Christ's life these verses will sound familiar. For it was with these verses that the enemy of our souls tempted Jesus to disobey His Father. Happily, the enemy was not successful in his bid to trip up our LORD. But in this event in His life we see something of the workings of the enemy.

To start, consider the details of the temptation of the LORD. In Matthew 4:6, 7 we read, "And (the devil) saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down (from the temple): for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Notice that the scripture that the enemy quoted was this one from Psalm 91. A careful reading of the two passages (what Psalm 91 actually says and the enemy says) reveals a difference. The phrase "to keep thee in all thy ways" was left out by the enemy. By leaving this one phrase out of the scripture, the enemy changed the whole focus of it from God's protection at all times to His protection only in the physical realm. To read it the way the enemy quoted it, one would conclude that God will protect us from any physical harm, even as minor as tripping over a stone. The problem is that in life physical harm does come our way. If we understood this verse as he quoted it to Jesus, every event of physical harm would cause us to think that God was not able to help us. For He promises He will help us, and then (apparently) does not. This paints a blatantly incorrect view of Who God is and what He is like.

Consistent with his dealings with the first humans, the enemy knowingly left out that which was very significant. In Genesis 3:1-5 we see, "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Ever since Adam and Eve ate from that tree we have known good and evil. The thing that the enemy did NOT tell them was that they would be unable to do anything about evil in themselves and in others. Honestly, don't you wish you didn't know about evil? Before the fall they did not! More significantly, in his temptation of Eve the enemy tells her that God had lied to her. When the command was given by God that they should not eat of that tree He told Adam that in the day that they did eat thereof they would surely die. The enemy told Eve that they would not surely die. And, physically they did not die that day. But the death they did suffer was spiritual in nature, eternal death. This is a far more significant death than physical death.

The enemy has no love for God or His people. As far as that goes, the enemy does not even care about those that do follow him. Any time he can make God out to be a liar, or a spoil sport, or in any other way something less than perfectly good, the enemy will do so. He will even twist the Bible to accomplish his ends.

So, what does Psalm 91:11, 12 tells us is the work of the angels? It is, "to keep thee in all thy ways." The scope is much larger than the physical. And it suggests that there is a continuous effort on their part. Let's read the whole psalm, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation." The things expressed by the LORD in this psalm are all-encompassing. He is aware of each and every detail of the lives of those that are His. These ones in whom He is so invested are never without His promised presence. Notice that toward the end God even promises to be with those that are His in trouble! This psalm goes clearly against what the enemy tried to make it say. While he tried to make it sound like nothing bad would happen to those that are God’s, the psalm itself goes on to speak of God’s presence in our troubles. What a comfort this is. In keeping with that, 1 Samuel 12:22 tells us, "For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people."

Two things are apparent. First, the enemy knows the Bible too. But he never uses it properly, trying to discern God’s truth. Rather, he twists it to his own gain, making God out to be less than loving. This would suggest that it is crucial for us to get to know that beloved book as thoroughly as we can. We need to know it well so that we can discern when the enemy is misusing it, which he is prone to do. Study it. Get to know the LORD God Almighty whom it displays. Discern the truth about Him. And then, when the enemy attacks, you will be able to discern it.

Second, those who are His are blessed mightily. For He promises here, and in other places in the Bible, the presence of His angels in their lives. And the work that His angels are doing in the lives of His people is to keep them in all their ways. Even in trouble is He with them, and He will keep them. No matter the trial, illness or broken relationships or job loss, those that are His never cease being so. He promises His presence, and the presence of His angels. His desire is for His people.

HJK