“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.”
One of the difficult aspects of the current trial we are facing is the uncertainty of it all. When will it pass? Will I catch the virus despite all precautions to the contrary? Will we ever be able to hug our friends and family again? Will I remain faithful to the Lord in the face of it all?
As we have already seen, the Lord has rich encouragement for us in Psalm 91. Verses 7-8 show us the special protection the children of God receive. No matter what happens, those who trust in the Lord are completely safe.
Observe first the frightening circumstances believers may face. “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand.” This covers all manner of calamities: disease, famine, war, etc. These are things that can certainly strike fear in our hearts, for death is stalking the land, and it seems that we are next.
Listen, however, to the comforting words: “it will not come near you.” You see, death has no power over the children of God, it cannot touch them. Believers in Christ have already “died, and [their lives are] now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3). We need never fear death if we are trusting in Christ.
The Passover is a clear illustration of the truth of this, and may even have been in the mind of the Psalmist as he wrote. See Exodus 12:21-30. While thousands, and even tens of thousands, suffered death at the hand of the Lord, it did not come near those who were covered by the blood of the Lamb. They only saw with their eyes the judgment of God upon those who refused to trust in Him.
Some may object that believers do die, they do suffer! This is true. Our physical bodies do wear out and die, and sometimes we suffer physically and emotionally. Yet believers, even if they die, will live. Through faith in Christ they have eternal life. See John 11:25-26. As Matthew Henry put it, “Those that preserve their purity in times of general corruption may trust God with their safety in times of general desolation.” Though we may suffer and die, the resurrection and ascension of Christ guarantees that suffering and death do not have the last word in our lives.
Observe now this encouraging aspect of believers’ safety in the Lord. “You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.” This is true to some degree in this life. The Israelites saw the judgment of God on the wicked in the killing of the firstborn and at the Red Sea. Sometimes, we do have the privilege of seeing the wicked punished in this life. These things are finally fulfilled, however, in the Final Judgment. Whether we see it in this life or not, we willsee the Lord pour out His judgment on those who refused to trust in Him in this life. See Matthew 25:31-46 and Revelation 20:11-14.
Dear friends, let us cast ourselves anew upon the Lord who will get all who trust in Him home safely. As I typed this, I kept thinking of the song “He Will Hold Me Fast.” Click here for a video of this marvelous song.
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