“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 shall thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of 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.” – Psalm 91:1-9
LIGHT FOR NOW: The secret place is not a structure somewhere built with hands or a geographical location.
Psalm 91 is a very important text; hence Jesus referenced it in the four gospels in his teachings. Matthew 26:53 is an example; Matthew 4:6 is also another example. In Luke 10:19, we have a direct quote of Psalm 91, it reads “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you”. Psalm 91:13 is the reference text here and it reads “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet”.
The word “adder” there is the Hebrew word “pethen” which refers to a snake; venomous serpent. So this is directly quoted in Luke 10:19. It is vital to first understand David’s use of “secret place”. When David said “secret place”, he had no place in particular, like maybe a geographical location or a structure somewhere. Hence, the word “secret” there is “sether” in Hebrew, and this Hebrew word is used for two things:
• For backbiting: To say something behind someone so he does not hear.
• For protection: A place of hiding; a place of preservation or protection from harm.
That word “sether” can be seen in Deuteronomy 32:38, and in that instance, it was rendered as “protection” in English parlance. So, “sether” is a place of hiding and a place of protection. It appears that David’s Psalm 91 was sung in 1Samuel 19:2 which reads “But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself”. This event was when Saul was planning to kill him. Therefore, based on the above usages, the word “sether” can be further explained as:
• A place of hiding.
• A place where the person hunted will not be seen.
• A place of protection.
So the secret place is a place of protection; to keep away from. It’s not any structure somewhere or geographical location. It is our place in Christ. Glory!!!
INSTRUCTION: In Christ, your safety is sure. Acknowledge this!
CONFESSION: I declare by faith that I am in absolute and perpetual safety in Christs in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
QUOTE: In Christ is your place of hidings.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 1; EVENING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 1
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 