Psalm 91:12

Psalm 91:12

Watch out for stones!

My wife sometimes reflects on an occasion when she was driving down a narrow road, with the children in the car, and a lorry came towards her at speed and there was no time to stop and no place to go! She shut her eyes and braced herself for the crash, but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, the lorry was disappearing in the rear-view mirror! Someone had lifted her up in their hands. This verse tells us who it was.

On the bumpy, stony paths of the Promised Land it was a daily occurrence for people to strike their feet against stones, and their footwear did not offer the protection of modern boots and shoes, so there were plenty of bruised feet around at the end of the day. This verse suggests that angels are helping us to stay safe on our journeys.

However, there is a deeper meaning to these statements about the role of angels. Firstly, the text literally means that angels will bear us up in their hands so that we do not catch our feet on the stones. Secondly, the Hebrew word here describes stones that have been cut and shaped by man and immediately we think of idols and images that are carved out of stone. In other words, angels are present to protect us from the lures of enemy spirits or from being drawn in and injured by the worship of false gods. That definition adds a whole new dimension to the devil’s testing of Yeshua, mentioned in v11. I will repeat it again here, think about it! 

“The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”” Luke 4:9-12.

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