Moses’ Perspective on Psalm 91

Living in the Dwelling Place of God

One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who rescues you from the net of the trapper, and from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may take refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and wall. (Psalm 91:1-4 NASB)

Moses as Composer

As I began my deep dive into Psalm 91, I was taken by the way God is identified in the first two verses. The thought of Moses rather than David being its composer is intriguing to me. I like David but there is no documented proof that he authored Psalm 91. Some scholars believe it can be attributed to Moses. The style is supposedly similar to Moses’ writings.

Psalm 91 is all about what is available for the one who chooses to reside in the secret place of the Most High [Elyon], the one who remains in the shadow of The Almighty [Shaddai]. For the one who calls the LORD [YHWH] his refuge and fortress, and trusts in God [El/Elohim], it is to this one that our eloquent lyricist articulates his sacred song.

Charles Spurgeon wrote concerning Psalm 91: 

When I think of Moses I can’t think of anyone other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who understood more fully what it meant to live in the dwelling place of God. When I position my perspective to Moses, all of who Moses is, was and is related to comes to mind. Viewing Psalm 91 thru the Moses lens changes everything.

The Moses Perspective

Moses received his commission when YHWH appeared to him in fire at what is endearingly call the burning bush. [Ex. 3] It was a holy, holy, holy moment. There was nothing cute about this encounter. Our God, the all consuming fire, manifested in the natural. Yeah, you take your shoes off and walk toward that flame. Scary. But Moses did.

The Guy Knows About Plagues

You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the plague that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that devastates at noon. Psalm 91:5-6 NASB

What comes to mind when you put Moses in the context of terror by night, plagues and destruction? Remember the ten plagues of Egypt? Those came as a result of the manifestation of God working through Moses. The last plague before being released by Pharaoh was the plague of death. It’s why we celebrate the Passover. The Hebrews, the ones who resided under the protection of God were saved.

Later, when the children of Israel had successfully crossed the Red Sea and the Egyptian army was drown in its waters, they sang the song of Moses. [Ex14-15] They had survived the plagues. They never touched the Hebrews who put their trust in God. The song of Moses will be sung again. Interestingly it is associated with the last seven plagues. [Rev. 15]

The Song is Sung at the Triumph Over the Enemies

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who were victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! “Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed..” – Rev. 15:1-4 NASB

Pull out your bible and take a look at Psalm 91. Read through it as if Moses wrote it and let me know what you think. As I pondered more on the idea, another noteworthy incident involving Moses and a plague comes to mind.

The Mutiny of Korah And Dwelling in the Presence of God

Follow me to Numbers 16 and the outrageous rebellion of Korah. Korah along with Dathan and Abiram and 250 co-conspirators led a rebellious mutiny against Moses. Of course being in proximity to the dwelling place where God’s manifest presence resided, causes this to take on special significance.

Keep in mind who they aggressively opposed. This wasn’t just a squabble among the ranks. They came against Moses and Aaron. Moses is the one God called from within the fire at the burning bush. Moses along with Aaron were sent to Egypt to confront Pharaoh. Moses is the guy who ascended Mount Sinai while it was engulfed in fire and smoke by the manifest presence of God. Moses remained in the presence for forty days as he received instructions directly from God. And when the people lost hope and made the golden calf, Moses is the one who went back up that flaming mountain to intercede for the people.

He didn’t do that because he had the need to lead. He did it because he was transformatively enveloped by God, making him more than a prophet. He was more than a leader. He was more than the guy in charge. He and his brother Aaron were chosen by God to stand between man and God, a type of Christ, if you will. That’s a scary place to be when one considers that our God is a consuming fire. [Ex. 24:17; Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29]

The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling seizes the ungodly: “Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?” – Isaiah 33:14

Swift Repercussions

Korah and his cohorts were immediately dealt with by God for their rebellion when they defied God’s personal instructions concerning His sanctuary. They dared to challenge the God ordained authority of Moses. This suggests more than just wanting to be in charge. They wanted to usurp the priestly role away from the sons of Aaron. They wanted to lead all of Israel. Korah wasn’t satisfied with Levitical duties. They wanted access to the holy place and were willing to do so by any means necessary. Unlike David, who was a man after God’s own heart, Korah and company were more interested in selfish gain.

You may recall a prior ordeal with fire involving two of Aaron’s sons when they brought strange fire to burn on the Altar of Incense and were consumed by God’s fire. [see Lev. 10; Num. 3] I mean, what were Korah and his accomplices thinking? They had been there from the beginning. But jealousy and selfish ambition does not lead us to the fear of the Lord. [Jms. 3:16]

Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the LORD by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. So fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD. Lev. 10:1-2 

Korah was from the tribe of Levi, but was not from the sons of Aaron. The entire tribe of Levi was sanctified for the Lord’s service, just not as priests. Dathan and Abiram, Korah coconspirators, were from the tribe of Reuben. Their action was not merely defiance against God’s direction. It was a mutinous revolt against God’s divine order. It was a subversive act of sedition.

When God is in Residence

It might help to understand what it meant when the glory of the Lord was in residence during the time of Moses. When the Lord descended with loud thunder and earth shaking lightning, fire and smoke scorched the mountain and the earth trembled. It was frightening. God spoke and the people were so terrified they cried out for it to stop. Korah was there for that.

They would have seen the pillar of fire and the cloud which descended upon the Mishkan (Tabernacle). They had to know they were not just challenging the man Moses. The outcome sounds similar to what happened to Ananias and Sapphira when they lied to Peter in Acts 5. Then too, while the people respected them, they didn’t dare join with them. [5:13]

And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.” – Acts 5:9

God’s Glory in Residence

The manifestation of the glory of the Lord was seen in the natural. It wasn’t just a nice story. It isn’t a metaphor. It is real. The holiness and the absolute power and might of God was on full display. So, it isn’t surprising then that the entire clan of Korah, along with the clans of Dathan and Abiram, experienced immediate repercussions for their rebellious actions. God caused the ground to open, swallowing up their families, anyone associated with them, and all their possessions.

Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things, for it was not my own doing: If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.” – Numbers 16:28-30

Not only did the earth open up as Moses declared the above, but fire shot out from the sanctuary and consume the two hundred and fifty men standing in front of the doorway to Mishkan.

When They Still Didn’t Get It

The next day, the whole congregation gathered as a mob against Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron stood in front of the Tent of Meeting. God told Moses to get out of the way so He could consume the lot of them with a plague. But Moses instructed Aaron, God’s chosen High Priest, to rush and make atonement for the people. 

Moses knew the plague cloud not touch him or Aaron.

So Aaron took the censer as Moses had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted. But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who had died on account of Korah. – Numbers 16:47-49

The plague was halted and the people were spared. Moses and Aaron were never touched by the plague. They were protected by the manifest presence of God.

“For it is He who rescues you from the net of the trapper And from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may take refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and wall.” – Psalm 91: 3-4

When I read the above verses of Psalm 91 with this in mind, the idea of residing in the shadow of the Almighty brings a living reality. The plague never came near Moses or Aaron. The destruction never touched the tents of those who distanced themselves from the rebellion.

For you have made the LORD, my refuge, The Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will happen to you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. – Psalm 91:9-10

When We Abide Like Moses

When we live in the shelter, like Moses and Aaron, we are in a place of complete protection. We can only then have the same kind of confidence that Peter and the apostles had. We can be assured that the very presence of God is our protection and our shelter. Another word for this seal of protection is GRACE.

Korah may have lived in the vicinity, but they didn’t long for the heart. Their hearts were not in communion with the Living God. We can’t interpret Korah’s actions as merely a desire to serve God. When we have a heart to serve God, we are willing to do whatever God calls us to. That is the heart of the bondservant, the eved.

A bondservant doesn’t try to usurp authority away from others. We see our lives within the larger scope. When we receive our commission from the Lord, we take our place among the ranks. We humble ourselves before God. We must ask ourselves what is the motive of our heart? Do we have a longing like David to live in the presence? Or are our hearts fixed on fame and fortune? Do we live like Moses and Peter?

Moses Points Us to Christ

Since Jesus made atonement on our behalf, we can follow Him into the sanctuary.  We can live, like Moses did, in the very residence of God Most High. When we are willing to remain in that place of full surrender to His Lordship, we are truly living in the secret place of the Most High, residing in the shadow of the Almighty. It this one who will see the manifestation of Psalm 91 on their behalf. 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)— and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. – Hebrews 10:19–23 (CSB)

IF

Not everyone chooses to abide. And that’s okay. It’s a choice. However, the benefits of abiding are substantial. Jesus is our shelter, our dwelling place. If we choose to remain and abide in Him, like Moses chose to abide in the dwelling place of the Most High, we too will live under the protection the Almighty. Only then will we see the manifestation of Psalm 91 become a reality in our daily lives.

Jesus spoke to His Disciples concerning abiding in Him.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. John 15:1-11

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in the heavens and on earth is named, that He may give to you, according to the riches of His glory, with might to be strengthened through His Spirit, in regard to the inner man, that the Christ may dwell through the faith in your hearts, in love having been rooted and founded, that ye may be in strength to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, to know also the love of the Christ that is exceeding the knowledge, that ye may be filled—to all the fulness of God; and to Him who is able above all things to do exceeding abundantly what we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us, to Him is the glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus, to all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen. – Ephesians 3:14–21 (YLT)

Close to the Flame

The psalmist expresses great confidence that whoever remains in the dwelling place of the Most High will find safety and security from the forces of darkness. This one will be protected by the manifest presence of God. It’s a place of fire. It’s a place of glory. It’s a place of utmost protection in the arms of Almighty, our Most High God. God, our refuge and our shelter.

I wonder what it might look like in our lives if God’s presence was among us in full display. Psalm 91 gives us a glimpse.

Be The Temple of the Living God

WE HAVE A CHOICE

Living an abiding life means living a Tabernacle life. Living a Tabernacle life means living in the presence. It means coming into that place of meeting with God daily. It’s choose this day whom you will serve. [Jos. 24:14-15] It’s like the word of the Lord to the Hebrews when Korah rebelled. [Nu. 16 21] It’s like Paul said to the Corinthians, ‘come out from among them and be separate.’ [2 Cor. 6:17] It’s a choice. What’s yours?

Don’t continue to team up with unbelievers in mismatched alliances, for what partnership is there between righteousness and rebellion? Who could mingle light with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Satan? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?  What friendship does God’s temple have with demons? For indeed, we are the temple of the living God, just as God has said:  I will make my home in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. For this reason, “Come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord. “Touch nothing that is unclean, and I will embrace you. I will be a true Father to you, and you will be my beloved sons and daughters,” says the Lord Yahweh Almighty. – 2 Cor. 6:14–18 (TPT)

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