STEPPING ON THE ENEMY
“You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.”
Psalm 91:13

I am about to share with you one of my greatest fears. I am afraid of snakes. It is true; I can barely look at them in the pet store, and can only say I have touched a snake twice in my life. It doesn’t matter if they are poisonous or not, I become paralyzed with fear. A few years back I had the closet experience I ever want to have. I was out mowing the grass and was moving a few things around in the back acreage. When I moved a piece of plywood, a black rat snake popped up. Not caring how it looked, I ran back to the house screaming like a little school girl. My wife at the time asked me what was wrong, and when I told her, she wanted me to show her the snake. What? I just ran away from the snake! With an axe, shovel, weed whacker, lawn mower, and wife (for bait), we walked out to see the snake. But it was gone. The remainder of my mowing experience was spent with one eye watching the brush and the other watching under my feet.
This experience of me as a scared school girl is very contrary to Psalm 91:13 where we are told we will tread on lions and serpents. But what does this really mean, and what does it look like. To answer this, we again would be wise to look at the Hebrew words found in this verse. The first word I want us to define is ‘tread’, which is the word DARAK. The translation of this word is a marching on, but is also translated as an archer. In both ways this word relates here. God has given us the power to march on the lion and serpent, but He has also given us the skill and weapons to hit our target as an archer hits the bulls-eye.
And what are these lions and serpents that we target and march on? The word for ‘lion’ here is SHACHAL, meaning a literal lion. This word, however, is also translated as wicked men. In Job 4:10 we see this meaning in place as we read, “The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce (wicked men), and the teeth of the young lion, are broken.” How are they broken? In Job 4:9 we see they are broken at the breath of God and the blast of His anger, while in 4:11 we read also for a lack of prey. We must stop being the prey and rise with the power of God’s anger to destroy the lion that looks to destroy us.
But we are also told we will march on ‘serpents’. This word is PETHEN, translating literally as venomous serpents. Look again to Job, Job 20:12 specifically, where we read that evil is sweet in the mouth. This evil, during the course of only a few verses, becomes death as we read in Job 20:16, “He will suck the poison of the (venomous serpents); the fangs of a viper will kill him.” If we do not take these serpents out with the weapons God has provided us, then they can turn around and become our death.
Now here is where the English translation of this verse is different, though. We read this second portion as trampling on the great lion and serpent, but these words as even more defined in the Hebrew. The ‘great lion’ is the word KAPHIYR. Again we see two meanings, that of lions and then also of a village. Go back with me to Job 4:10. There are three instances of lion, and three different words for it. “The roaring of the (‘ARIY: image of the lion), and the voice of the fierce (SHACHAL : wicked men), and the teeth of the (KAPHIYR : village), are broken.” How again are they broken? They are broken at the breath of God, the blast of His anger, and the lack of prey. In moving from the position of lion prey to the position of one trampling on the lion, we grasp the power of God in Psalm 91:13.
Yet furthermore, we are given the power to trample the great serpent. This ‘great serpent’ is the word TANNIYN, and it means dragon, sea monster, or dinosaur. It is this word we read in Exodus 7:2, where Aaron’s rod became a great serpent and swallowed up the serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians. And it is this word in Psalm 148:7 that is commanded from the deep to praise the LORD. The power of God has been given to us to not fear the great serpent, but to tame and trample the great serpent.
In reading these words I am encouraged. Not that I will go marching through the fields to hunt for lions or look for serpents, but I now see in more light that these foes have no strength when I stand in the power of God. As Romans 8:37 tells we, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. In His love, God provides us with the power to defeat the wicked men and villages, as well as the poison spewed by the dragon. With the word and weapon of God, we will overcome the enemy, for hell itself cannot stand against God.

GUARDED AND LIFTED
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
Psalm 91:11-12

My mom shares this story better than I can, but I will do my best. It was two years ago that my mom made the move from living in southern California to living outside of Dallas, Texas. I was called on to help her with the move, which I didn’t mind at all, and as such drove the moving truck. However, as we neared Albuquerque, New Mexico, I remember we all pulled over to the side. Now driving the big truck, I was not able to stop as fast as the others, which is why I cannot tell the story as well as mom. But stepping out of the truck to walk over to where the other two vehicles were of my mom, brother, and sister, I noticed a man on a motor cycle had stopped too. I reached my sister and asked why we stopped and who the man was, but she was as puzzled as I. It was only at our next rest stop that things began making a little more sense. And it was only then that we came to understand, from his questions, to his dress, to his sudden disappearance, that this man may in fact have been an angel, protecting us on our journey.
Now again, I cannot tell this account as well as my mom, but it should come as no surprise that angels are all around us. The Bible even warns us to be careful, for we may be entertaining angels unaware. In that moment, I strongly believe we did. But if here in Psalm 91, God assures us that He gives the command for His angels concerning us, it should be the norm as opposed to the strange. And notice it is not a request of God, but rather a command. The word command is the Hebrew word TSAVAH, meaning a charge or divine appointment. It is not a suggestion; it is a specific act. The command is given for the heavenly messengers, on our behalf, to be guarded in all our ways. This term guard is the word SHAMAR, translated as kept, watched, and protected. In all our ways, DEREK, travels, distances, journeys, God angels have been given the command to specifically watch over us. This revelation reminds me of that ‘80s song, “I always feel like somebody’s watching me.” This time it is a good thing.
Notice now, as we move forward, that the angels lift us up in their hands so that we do not even strike our foot on a stone. Notice also, that these same words were spoken by the tempter in Matthew 4:6. This proves first that the devil knows Scripture, but proves also the power in this Scripture. The angels lift us up, NASA’, carry us, support us, and sustain us. This word also translates as forgives us. Now while we do not seek forgiveness from an angel when we sin, this refers more so to the fact of them following the command of God to protect us as told, despite what we may have done. In calling out to God, He hears us and provides assistance. In the hands, or power, KAPH, of the commanded angel, we do not strike our foot. This phrase of striking our foot is correctly translated as the smiting or stumbling of our leg or foot against a physical stone, or against any other type stone that may cause us injury.
Whether the man that stopped to offer assistance on our road trip was an angel or not, I may not be able to fully answer. But who is to say that in the stopping we were not saved from an incident where the enemy was waiting to ambush us. This uncommon and unplanned stop may have prevented us from danger. And in that, whether an angel or not, I can rest in knowing that God commanded His angels to guard us, lifting us away from the moment where something may have gone wrong. We may never fully see all the times that God commands His angels to guard us, but we must rest assured that when we are dwelling and resting in Him, as we read in Psalm 91:1, He will provide for our protection.

MOST HIGH DWELLING
“If you make the Most High your dwelling – even the LORD, who is my refuge – then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.”
Psalm 91:9-10

Well as I have been saying over the last couple of days, this chapter reads like an if/then statement. Here in verses 9 and 10 of Psalm 91, we do see the words ‘if’ and ‘then’ make their appearance. It is in the ‘if’ we make God our dwelling that we see the ‘then’ of His protection. And while we have looked at the truth of this chapter and some of these words already, I want us to look again so that we are reminded once more of the truth and depth of these words.
The first part of the ‘if’ is in the making. The term ‘make’ is the word SUWM in the Hebrew. Suwm is translated as being fixed, stationed, or set. If we station ourselves in the MACHACEH, or the shelter, of the Most High, then we are placing ourselves in the position needed for protection. Furthermore, if we make the LORD our refuge we stay within His protection. This term for refuge is the term MA’OWN, translated as habitation.
It is in this grounding of ourselves with the Most High that we find the ‘then, and that ‘then’ is the lack of the enemy being able to pounce on us. We read here that no harm will befall us and no disaster will come near our tent. Harm is translated from the word RA’, and it means evil, malignant, or vicious. Having a daughter, I have watched almost every Disney princess movie there is. In reading the meaning of this word then, I am reminded of the evil Maleficent in the story of Sleeping Beauty. Her name is a play on the word malignant, which is derived from the Hebrew word ra’. As much as this is true, so also is her character, as she works her spell to harm the princess. Unlike the story, however, God tells us that the evilness of the villain will not befall those under His protection.
Not only will no harm approach us, but we are also told in this ‘then’ statement that no disaster will come near. Disaster here is the word Hebrew word NEGA’, meaning plague, stroke, wound, or disease. Do you want to be in a position where sickness of any sort has no effect on you? Then tuck yourself in His covering. Sickness, disease, wounding, stroke, and the like have no effect and no right to approach your ‘OHEL, your home, when you are covered in God’s shelter. And as has been stated, the enemy cannot touch us if we are under God’s protection. But the reciprocal is also true. If we come out from under God’s protection, choosing not to dwell or rest in Him, we leave ourselves as bait for the enemy. I encourage you once again to remain in God’s protection, closing the door to even the thought of coming out from under Him.

SMACKDOWN
“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.”
Psalm 91:7-8

While growing up, I never watched the WWF or any of those wrestling shows. Honestly. I have never had the desire. Maybe the wrestling is fake – I do not know. Regardless, though, I can name a few of the big stars from wrestling. But whether one is John Cena or ‘The Rock’, the fact is no one can put a smackdown on anyone else the way God Almighty can.
In Psalm 91:7 we see just a hint of the smackdown that God brings as a form of His protection. We read that a thousand may fall at our side, and ten thousand at our right hand. And while both use the word thousand, both the thousands are not the same in the Hebrew language. The thousand that fall at our side is based on the word ‘ELEPH, which translates as the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, but also as the true number 1000. This is interesting to me since some words in the Hebrew do have a double meaning, and in this case both meanings relate. Both the ‘first unit’ and the ‘thousand’ will fall, NAPHAL, to become overthrown or a fugitive to another, at our side.
But it is ten thousand that will fall at our right hand. This thousand is the word R’BABAH, which translates as a myriad, many, or millions. And while this constitutes a great number, we would do well to also understand the meaning of the right hand in this verse. This term is the word YAMIYN, meaning literally the right hand or side of a person or object. This is also the term used of Jacob’s son, Benjamin. His name was translated as “son of my right hand.” I am further reminded of Isaiah 41:10 where we read that we are strengthened, helped, and upheld with God’s righteous right hand. The right hand is associated in religious circles with honor, and we see here that God offers protection to those who attack whom He has called His honor.
Because of His protection, no harm will come near us. In fact, instead of seeing harm we are told we will see the punishment of the wicked. The term we read in the New International Version in verse 8 is the ‘punishment of the wicked.’ The term we read in the King James Version is the ‘reward of the wicked.’ The true wording in the Hebrew is SHILLUMAH, meaning retribution. Whether quoted as a punishment or a reward, the fact remains that what is coming is not good for the one opposing God’s people. In reading this I almost sense a ‘Whoa!’ being given.
God desires to pour out His love on all His creation, but God will not stand for those who oppose His ways and seek to destroy what is His. As such, He reminds us in these two verses that He will stand as our guard. The enemy will be unable to break His sealing, and will fall in droves when they try. Yet again, I cannot stress enough that this level of protection only comes when we dwell and rest in Him. The if/then statement continues and if we desire to see the enemy falter in its attack on us, we must remain under God’s umbrella. I continue to urge you, dwell under God’s covering.

YOU WILL NOT FEAR
“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.”
Psalm 91:5-6

The dictionary defines ‘fear’ as “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined.” I think it is safe to say we have all encountered some form of fear. When I was a child, I remember vividly waking from a dream where a clown at a circus turned around to reveal a monster’s face. As a preteen I recall a bad decision to crawl through the sewer pipe on a dare. In my college days I can think back to a time when I was scared to be in the ‘projects’ of Tulsa doing community service. In all these cases fear was present, whether the fear of a monster, the fear of the unknown in the drain, or the fear of being a victim in a rough neighbor. Yet in reading Psalm 91:5-6, we read that because of God we do not need to fear.
Looking further in Psalm 91, we read of four specific, and perhaps common, fears listed in these verses, which are as follows:
- The terror of night
- The arrows that fly by day
- The pestilence that stalks in the darkness, and
- The plague that destroys at midday
I think it is wise to point out two points of significance here. First, these fears are based on four different attacks that come at us. But secondly, these fears all have a specific time related to them. Let’s take a look at these four in more depth.
The term terror in the Hebrew is PACHAD. The translation is correct in terror, but also includes dread or objects related to dread. The term night is the word LAYIL, meaning both a physical night and a protective shadow. When the dread of darkness comes to swallow us, we have God’s truth as our weapon and our shield, as we learned yesterday.
The arrow that flies by day is our next fear, and is again translated correctly as an archer’s arrow which is shot towards the target during the daytime. We know from John 10:10 that we are the enemy’s target, as he aims to steal, kill, and destroy. But again we see that these arrows have no affect on the one protected by God. However, we need to also recall the words of Paul in Ephesians 6:16, which remind us that with the shield of faith we are able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy. Our shield of faith is our faith in God’s truth of protection and rescue.
The term pestilence we also looked at yesterday and it is translated as DEBER, meaning plague or disease. This plague moves around in the darkness, ‘OPHEL, defined correctly as in the gloom. This makes me think of the Scooby-doo spooky fog that is thick enough to hide in. Without warning this pestilence attacks us in order to devour us….unless! Unless we are protected by God, that is.
Lastly in this section we read of the plague that attacks midday. The term plague is literally destruction, QETEB. This destruction doesn’t wait to ruin us in the dark, but in pride attacks and devastates in full daylight. This almost works to show us the desperation of the enemy, as well as the cockiness of the enemy. But again, with God’s truth as our shield and rampart, we have no worries.
No matter how the enemy advances, and in no matter what time of the day, God’s truth of protection for those who dwell and rest in Him remains. The enemy cannot touch us if we are under God’s protection. But the reciprocal is also true. If we come out from under God’s protection, choosing not to dwell or rest in Him, we leave ourselves as bait for the enemy. I encourage you first to remain in God’s protection, closing the door to even the thought of coming out from under Him. And secondly I encourage you to fear not what the enemy thinks he can do, for as Psalm 118:6 reminds us, “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

SAFETY ZONE
“Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
Psalm 91:3-4

Are you the kind of person who likes to live life on the edge? Honestly, I am not. Don’t get me wrong, I will step out and take a few chances, but overall I am the kind of person who likes to live safely. While I think parachuting out of a plane would be fun, I would pass on the chance to bungee jump. While I live for the excitement of a rollercoaster, I have cut back over the years as to how far the drop is. I say all this today because in some ways it fits with our next portion of dissecting Psalm 91. It is in verses 3 and 4 that we read of a safety zone found for those who dwell and rest in God. That said, let’s take a look.
I first want to define the word ‘fowler’. This honestly isn’t a word we use much, or at least I do not use much. In the Hebrew the word is YAQUWSH, meaning the trapper or bait-layer. It is God who will save us, NATSAL, rescue, snatch us away, or recover us, from the bait-layer’s PACH, trap or plot. I don’t know about you, but I know I grow weary of having to dodge so many of the enemy’s traps that lay in my normal path. Any bit of saving I can have to snatch me when I do get caught, or move me away from being trapped, I will gladly take! And what is more, He also snatches us away from the deadly pestilence, which in the Hebrew is HAVVAH, meaning perverse or wicked, DEBER, meaning plague or disease. To give you an understanding of the term ‘deber’, when we read of the plagues that fell on Egypt when Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, we read of the plague of cattle and livestock death. This is ‘deber’, a cattle disease or plague. How awesome to know that just as with the Israelites who were protected in Goshen, so we are protected from this plague under God’s covering.
Next we see that God will cover us with His feathers, and under His wings is refuge. Please note, God is not a bird. Hopefully you knew that already. But, like one who protects, we are covered, CAKAK, meaning fenced around, kept safe from the one approaching, or hedged, by His feathers. The translation of ‘feathers’ is ‘EBRAH, and this term translates as His wing. This wing is different than the next wing, though, as that is translated from the Hebrew word KANAPH, meaning border, edge, corner, or shirt. In essence, we are fenced in so that the evil one cannot approach us by His wing, and under the corners of His garment we find refuge. Was it not said in Malachi 4:2 that healing, health, and curing, MARPE’, would be found in His KANAPH. It all begins to fit together.
Lastly for today, though, we read His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. His faithfulness is translated from the word ‘EMETH, meaning a truth or reliability. Because we can constantly bank on God, we can also know Him as our shield and rampart. We make think of a shield as that metal protection a soldier would hold to protect them from arrows and swords, but this word is TSINNAH, and it means something piercing or hooking as well as a metal shield. The term rampart is COCHERAH, meaning shield or buckler, buckler derived from the French word bouclier, meaning shield. Here we see that God’s truth is our protection, but also our weapon. With the truthful words of God, Jesus defeated the devil when tempted in the desert. The Word became the protection and the weapon for Jesus, and in declaring this Psalm it serves the same for us.
Are we tired yet of the devil and his schemes? Then let us find our safety zone in God. He will protect us from the evils thrown at us, and His truth will prove as our protection and weapon if we allow it. Let us boldly declare the truth of this psalm and we battle under god’s protection and in His army.

I WILL SAY
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
Psalm 91:1-2

Last week I traveled out to Texas with my children, my girlfriend, and my girlfriend’s children for the celebration of Passover. It was a great time of her meeting my family, of the kids all playing together, and of us taking our relationship to the next level as I proposed to her under the gazebo. But on the ride home, the smoothness of the week hit a bump…literally. Somewhere in Arkansas, about an hour or so east of Memphis, something lay in the road that wasn’t seen until the last minute, and when seen gave either the option of hitting it or smashing into a semi. Taking the lesser of two evils, the car ran over this black object. We pulled over to the side of the road to investigate the car and off hand I found no damage. The engine was running strong still so we continued home. It wasn’t until we pulled into home that I looked at the front of the van and noticed the damage done to the van’s bumper. As I took it in, my literal first thought was not what the rental company would say, but a thanking God for the safety of all in the car. Whatever lay in the road that night could have been worse, but we were protected by the Almighty God.
I share this story with you, but am convinced you could probably share a story with me also about how God has protected you. And why not, God is a God of love and mercy and He longs that we remain in His safe keeping. But it is this recent activity that has me now reading Psalm 91 again, praying for His hand of safety of me once more as I do not know when or how the enemy will strike. And so, here in the beginning of the chapter, I read, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
You know me well enough by now to know I am not going to just let these words sit there; I must dive into the Hebrew so that it can be understood correctly. That said, we first look at the word ‘dwells’. The Hebrew word YASHAB refers to a remaining, abiding, or sitting. It also refers to a dwelling of marriage. It is he who marries into the hidden place or covering, CETHER in Hebrew, of the Most High will rest. The name used for the Most High here is ‘ELYON, referring to one exalted above all others. Our ‘shelter’ must be the One who is higher than all others. It is in Him we must LUWN, or ‘rest’. While this word can suggest a nap, the true meaning is the lodging as the night passes. This makes me think we are not to read this as a casual happenstance, but as a purposed stop. And what is our lodging under? It is under the ‘shadow’, the TSEL, of El Shaddai. Thinking on this reminds me of the relief found under a shade tree on a day when the sun is beating down. Just this bit of shade from the shadow of the tree is enough to bring a relief from the sun. And how much more the shadow of our God from the heat of the battle we find ourselves in with the enemy?
The one who marries under the covering of God and purposefully stops in His shadow will say in his heart of the LORD, “He is my refuge, my MACHACEH, and my fortress, MATSUWD.” The Hebrew word we translate as refuge here literally refers to a shelter from rain, storm, or any such danger or falsehood. The term for fortress translates into a net for catching prey, or a stronghold. Think on this for just a minute. In resting in the LORD and under His covering, we can say of our God that He is a shelter we can hide under when danger raises its head, and that He is the trap that our prey and predator steps in. How awesome is God! It is no wonder then that we can also chant it is in Him we can ‘trust’, BATACH, or find our confidence and security within.
So the question that remains, I believe, is this. Are we dwelling and resting in Him? These two verses almost read to me like an if/then statement. If we want the refuge and fortress God offers, then we must dwell and rest in Him. So are we? It is not too late to start, and this step is imperative if we plan to proclaim the remainder of this chapter over our lives. I urge you to consider this action, consider where you are dwelling and resting, and perhaps make a change or two as God leads you.