Psalm 91 Verses 9-13 How Angels Help Us December 10, 2023 Lesson 10

Psalm 91 Verses 9-13 How Angels Help Us December 10, 2023 Lesson 10

Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Background Scripture:

· Matthew 18:10 (NKJV) 10 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Main Idea:

· Angels obey whatever God tells them to do. They are always listening for a directive from their Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ, which often involves ministering to God’s people.

Study Aim:

· To understand the multi-faceted ways angels help us, protect us, guide us.

Create Interest:

· The usual way for God to help His people today is through His Spirit

o Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as the paraklētos who will represent Him to believers and even to the whole world by reproving “the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). To believers Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would be “another comforter” (John 14:16), implying that Jesus considered himself a paraklētos of the disciples. When Jesus left, the Holy Spirit would take His place to help and advise the disciples (John 14:16, 26). In fact, the Holy Spirit has this same relationship with all believers (cf. Romans 8:26) until Jesus comes again.[1]

o At other times God uses people or some other means to help His people, specifically for our focus, angels.

· When God chooses to use angels, He does so by His own choice, not ours. In fact, sometimes people were not even aware they were in the presence of angels (Heb. 13:2) or that invisible angels had helped them. 2 Kings 6:15–17 tells how the Lord enabled Elisha’s fearful servant to see the heavenly hosts gathered about them in their time of danger. The people prayed and trusted in God; they did not pray to or trust in angels[2]. Discuss

Lesson in Historical Context:

· The Bible states that angels, like men, were created by God. At one time no angels existed; indeed there was nothing but the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Paul, in Colossians 1:16, says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible.”

o Angels indeed are among the invisible things made by God, for “all things were created by Him, and for Him.” This creator, Jesus, “is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17), so that even angels would cease to exist if Jesus, who is Almighty God, did not sustain them by His power.

· It seems that angels have the ability to change their appearance and shuttle in a flash from the capital glory of heaven to earth and back again. Although some interpreters have said that the phrase “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2refers to angels, the Bible frequently makes it clear that angels are nonmaterial; Hebrews 1:14 calls them ministering “spirits.”

o Intrinsically, they do not possess physical bodies, although they may take on physical bodies when God appoints them to special tasks.

o Furthermore, God has given them no ability to reproduce, and they neither marry nor are given in marriage (Mark 12:25).

· The empire of angels is as vast as God’s creation. If you believe the Bible, you will believe in their ministry. They crisscross the Old and New Testaments, being mentioned directly or indirectly nearly three hundred times. Some biblical scholars believe that angels can be numbered potentially in the millions since Hebrews 12:22 speaks of “an innumerable [myriads—a great but indefinite number] company of angels.” As to their number, David recorded twenty thousand coursing through the skyways of the stars. Even with his limited vision, he impressively notes, “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels” (Psalm 68:17).

· Matthew Henry says of this passage, “Angels are ‘the chariots of God,’ his chariots of war, which he makes use of against his enemies, his chariots of conveyance, which he sends for his friends, as he did for Elijah . . . , his chariots of state, in the midst of which he shows his glory and power. They are vastly numerous: ‘Twenty thousands,’ even thousands multiplied.”

· Ten thousand angels came down on Mount Sinai to confirm the presence of God as He gave the Law to Moses (Deuteronomy 33:2). An earthquake shook the mountain. Moses was held in speech-bound wonder at this mighty cataclysm attended by the visitation of heavenly beings.

· Furthermore, in the New Testament John tells us of having seen ten thousand times ten thousand angels ministering to the Lamb of God in the throne room of the universe (Revelation 5:11).

· The book of Revelation also says that armies of angels will appear with Jesus at the Battle of Armageddon when God’s foes gather for their final defeat.

· Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:7 “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels”.[3]

· So Pilgrims, buckle up and ride with me as we hit some high points of the thousands we could share, about How Angels Help Us….and if you learn something worthy of sharing, be empowered to do so with the world that is yearning for Good News😊.

Bible Study:

Psalm 91:9-13 (NKJV) 9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Eventhe Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

· The psalmist explained that no harm or disaster can befall those who have made the Lord their refuge (maḥseh, “shelter from danger) because He has commissioned angels to care for them. Angels can protect from physical harm and give believers strength to overcome difficulties, pictured here as wild lions and dangerous snakes. Satan, in tempting Christ, quoted 91:11–12(Matt. 4:6), which shows that even God’s most marvelous promises can be foolishly applied.[4]

· 91:9 In the teacher echoes the language of vv. 1–2, because he also trusts in the Lord as his refuge. They are kindred spirits who both find their confidence in the Lord, who has become for the psalmist his dwelling place (māʿôn), a remote, inaccessible refuge from his enemies (cf. Deut 33:27; Ps 71:3).

· 91:10 As in v. 7, no injurious harm will come to the psalmist because the Lord protects him in the midst of his predicament, as in Exod 12:23 the angel of death did not afflict the Israelites. The Lord will put a protective hedge around his tent (cf. Job 1:10; 29:4) so that no plague can infect him.

· 91:11 In protecting his people, the Lord mobilizes his angels to guard them (cf. Ps 34:7; Heb 1:14). This momentary glimpse behind the scenes of the cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil (cf. 2 Kings 6; Daniel 10; Ephesians 6) indicates that the people of God are never on their own.

o Those who walk on the Lord’s path enjoy his protection. This, however, does not suggest that they should presume on God; but they must be faithful to trust and obey him, as Jesus did during his temptation (cf. Matt 4:6) when he countered the devil’s misuse of this verse as he invited Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. VanGemeren notes astutely that God’s people “trust their heavenly Father, while they act responsibly. Pause and discuss here.

o Hence, they do not test the Lord to see to what extent he will deliver them from troubles.”

· 91:12 On the path of life there are many stones that can trip up the believer, an image drawn from frequent occurrences on the footpaths of ancient Israel (cf. Prov 3:23).

o The Lord anticipates the perils and problems that face his people, and when they start to stumble the Lord’s angels steady and support them. By this means the angels provide preventative care, not just triage after a disaster.[5]

Thoughts to soak should you be troubled by these verses knowing many have been hurt over time who prayed for help that seemingly did not come in “time”.

Vs. 11-12: “For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

· God has promised us an escort home. That does not mean that we can make daring experiments with God and do foolish, unscriptural things on the assumption that no matter what we do nothing can go wrong.

o That was what the devil wanted Jesus to do. He urged Him to throw Himself down from the temple heights, to do some spectacular, eye-catching thing because God had promised to keep Him from harm. No!

· If the Father had commanded Jesus to jump from the temple pinnacle, then the angels would have cared for Jesus, but to jump without the Father’s command would have been presumption, not faith, and that would be tempting the Father.

· In Scripture, the lion and serpent (cobra) are images of Satan (1 Peter 5:8; Gen. 3; 2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9; 20:2; and see Luke 10:19 and Rom. 16:20). In the ancient Near East, both were dangerous enemies, especially for travelers walking along the narrow paths.[6]

o That is not what it means. God, however, promises us an angel escort home. Angels, says the writer of Hebrews (Hebrews 1:14), are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation.” We shall not know until we get to Heaven how much we owe to these mighty ministers who attend us on the homeward way.[7]

Having clearly established angels exist and have a definite physical protective purpose in the lives of God’s people as directed by Him, let’s explore other aspects of God’s use of them.

· If God has a task for you to do, He can protect you from evil which involves misery, calamity, distress, or injury. He can also keep you healthy, even in times of disease and pestilence. If He so desires He will protect you and use His angels to do so. Note the following story.

· There’s an interesting story that’s told by Charles Spurgeon. In 1854, he was just called to the neighborhood of the Metropolitan Tabernacle of London, that he served for so many years. He had only labored in that area for one year when the area was visited by Asiatic Cholera. Spurgeon noted in his diaries that day-by-day he was burying folk with this sickness.

· He noted that he became wearied himself. He said, “I became sick of heart, because not only were my congregation falling, but my own friends fell one by one.” Eventually, as he was burying his people day-by-day, he began to feel that he was becoming weak a little bit like them, and he felt that he was coming down with the same sickness. He felt burdened with a heavy load in ministering to these folk who were bereaved. Spurgeon felt that he was sinking down underneath all of this sorrow.

· One day he recounts that, returning mournfully from a funeral, curiosity led him to read a paper in a shoemaker’s window on the Dover Road. Do you know what the newspaper said? It quoted Psalm 91:10-11, “Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”

· Spurgeon said, “Immediately, relief and faith were applied to my heart, and I felt I was girt (wrapped) with immortality! I felt that God had just come down with His Word and put a cloak of armor around me, that nothing could touch me.” Beloved, God’s Word ought to gird you with immortality! It ought to make you realize that no matter what touches you, nothing can touch you out of the will of God if you put yourself under the shadow of the Almighty!

· God says He will give His angels “charge” over us. What a statement! Angels are mentioned in thirty-four books of the Bible’s 66 books for a total of some 273 times (108 times in the Old Testament and 165 in the New Testament).

o The Bible says that God gives His angels orders to guard and protect us according to His will for our lives. Perhaps, this is why angels are so popular with people. They are looked upon as beings that are good and take care of us.[8]

Does God use angels as “guardian angels”?

Matthew 18:10 (NKJV) 10 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

· Little ones included the Twelve themselves. And in the context of what had just happened, Jesus was telling them that their bickering about who was greatest in the kingdom was a form of despising God’s little ones, in this case each other.

o When one of them pushed himself up, it was at the expense of pushing the others down.

o Instead of their proud, self-seeking attitudes that created jealousy, envy, and resentment, they should have been showing concern for each other’s welfare. They should have been building others up rather than themselves.

· Paul exhorted the Philippian believers:

o Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil. 2:2–8)[9]

· Matthew continues with further instructions about these little ones (childlike believers). It is important that no one treats them with disdain because their angels are in heavenand have unrestricted access to the presence of God.

o The thought is that, since God is constantly informed by angelic beings of the welfare of his flock (both dia pantos, always, and blepousi, “continually see,” emphasize constant awareness), for leaders in the local congregation to view those committed to their charge as unworthy of care would be to violate the divine intention.

o Teaching about angels was expanded greatly in Judaism following the period of the exile. The doctrine of ministering (guardian?) angels is clearly established here and in Hebrews 1:13-14.

§ Hebrews 1:13-14 (NKJV) 13 But to which of the angels has He ever said: "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

o Jesus tells a parable of a man with a hundred sheep, one of which has wandered away. He leaves the ninety-nine and sets out to find the one lost sheep. If he finds it his joy is greater over the one that has been found than over the ninety-nine that never strayed. The point of the parable is that God the Father does not want any of the childlike members of the congregation to wander from the truth and be lost. It is crucially important for leadership to recognize how important the “little ones” are to God.[10]

Psalm 34:7 (NKJV) 6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.

· The psalmist then gives his personal testimony of rescue from trouble. He refers to himself in the third person as this poor man. Poor here may be understood as humble, as opposed to proud. He called to God, and God answered his prayers.

· At this point, we become aware that the psalm is a thanksgiving prayer. He was fearful, but is no more. Interestingly, he identifies those who fear God as those who are delivered from their other fears. The fear of God drives out fear of anything else.

· The angel of the Lord sometimes stands for the Lord himself and at other times for his spiritual agent. In any case, the psalmist understands that God is the ultimate source of his rescue.

· The fact that the angel encamps around those who fear Him points to God as the Divine Warrior who fights on behalf of his people (Josh. 5:14).[11]

Angels: God’s Secret Agents by Billy Graham

· A celebrated Philadelphia neurologist had gone to bed after an exceptionally tiring day. Suddenly he was awakened by someone knocking on his door. Opening it he found a little girl, poorly dressed and deeply upset. She told him her mother was very sick and asked him if he would please come with her. It was a bitterly cold, snowy night, but though he was bone tired, the doctor dressed and followed the girl.

· As Reader’s Digest reports the story, he found the mother desperately ill with pneumonia. After arranging for medical care, he complimented the sick woman on the intelligence and persistence of her little daughter. The woman looked at him strangely and then said, “My daughter died a month ago.” She added, “Her shoes and coat are in the clothes closet there.” Amazed and perplexed, the doctor went to the closet and opened the door. There hung the very coat worn by the little girl who had brought him to tend to her mother. It was warm and dry and could not possibly have been out in the wintry night.

o Could the doctor have been called in the hour of desperate need by an angel who appeared as this woman’s young daughter? Was this the work of God’s angels on behalf of the sick woman?

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· The Reverend John G. Paton, pioneer missionary in the New Hebrides Islands, told a thrilling story involving the protective care of angels. Hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them. John Paton and his wife prayed all during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see that, unaccountably, the attackers had left. They thanked God for delivering them.

· A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Jesus Christ, and Mr. Paton, remembering what had happened, asked the chief what had kept him and his men from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men you had with you there?” The missionary answered, “There were no men there; just my wife and I.” The chief argued that they had seen many men standing guard—hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands. They seemed to circle the mission station so that the natives were afraid to attack. Only then did Mr. Paton realize that God had sent His angels to protect them. The chief agreed that there was no other explanation. Could it be that God had sent a legion of angels to protect His servants, whose lives were being endangered?[12]

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· Revelation 22:8-9 (NKJV) 8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."

o Charles Lightoller was just drifting off to sleep on April 14, 1912, when he felt the collision of the Titanic with an iceberg. Rousing himself, he helped as many women and children as possible into lifeboats before he was swept into the icy sea. At that moment, a verse of Scripture came clearly to his mind—Psalm 91:11: “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (NIV).

o Just then, a blast of hot air exploded from the belly of the ship, propelling Lightoller like a missile to the surface, where he managed to pull himself onto an overturned lifeboat. He had no doubt an angel had helped him.

· Angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who inherit salvation but they are also fellow servants with us. The angel told the apostle John, “I am your fellow servant” (Revelation 19:10). How incredible! Alongside angels, we are serving the Lord of hosts. There could be no higher calling!

Thoughts to soak on

· Based on your investigation of these Scriptures, what do you think?

o Do you think each believer has a personal guardian angel assigned to him or her? Why or why not?

· Although Christians do not agree on whether God assigns a personal guardian angel to every child, people acting like children or to each believer, we do agree that God protects children, and His people and that He sometimes uses angels as His agents in doing this. This should cause us to thank God for the help unseen angels give.[13]

As we close I would like to share a summary of where we are in our study of angels in a “short course on angelology”😊.

Hebrews 1:14 (NKJV) 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

· Verse 14 draws a contrast between the reigning Christ and angelic servants.

American Christianity is often confused by the unbiblical, pop culture portrayal of angels. The commercialized, cute, chubby, cupid-like angels seen in get-well cards could not be further from the biblical portrait of angelic beings.

· When an angel shows up in Scripture, people fall down in sheer terror. Just think about the response of the shepherds to the angelic visitation in Luke 2:9.Clearly, we need to recover a biblical doctrine of angels.

· Both the Old and the New Testament make clear that angels are creations of God.

o While they may have distinct privileges and even extraordinary powers, they are by no means divine.

o Angels reside in the heavenly assembly and are part of the throng worshiping before the throne of God.

o The Bible also indicates that angels are messengers of God and that they carry out his purposes.

o The angels function as witnesses of major redemptive-historical events, such as the birth of Christ.

o They are also agents of God’s justice. After the fall, God placed an angel with a flaming sword at the border of the garden of Eden to exact vengeance on anyone who would try to eat from the tree of life (Gen 3:24).

o Revelation indicates that Christ will lead an angelic army in the last day to execute His just judgment on the world.

o Hebrews 1:14 underscores the glorious reality that for those of us who believe in Christ, angels are sent from God’s throne room to work for the good of the church.

§ We may not know exactly how angels are engaged in spiritual warfare on behalf of the church, but we can be confident that these agents of God’s throne are sent out for that very purpose.

§ God works all things for the good of his church (Rom 8:28). This includes the ministry of angels.

· While this passage gives us a clearer understanding of the function of angels in God’s purposes of redemption, we must not miss the main point.

o Angels are spirits that minister to the body of Christ and are thus sent out by Christ himself.

o Angels are indeed remarkable. But they pale in comparison to the glory of the Redeemer, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He is superior to every angel—indeed to the entire angelic host.[14] Discuss!

Questions as you go your way

· What are some of the ways that the portrait of angels presented in this passage differs from the portrait of angels presented in pop culture?

· How do angels serve the Son? How do they serve and minister to the church?

· How does the ministry and spiritual warfare of angels on behalf of the church serve as an encouragement to your faith in Christ?

[1]Thoralf Gilbrant, “Παράκλητος,” The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1991). [2]Robert J. Dean, Studying Adult Life and Work Lessons, Fall 1999, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 1999), 20. [3]Billy Graham, Angels: God’s Secret Agents (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011). [4]Allen P. Ross, “Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 860. [5]Daniel J. Estes, Psalms 73–150, ed. E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 186–187. [6]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Exultant, 1st ed., “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 2004), 18. [7]John Phillips, Exploring Psalms 89–150: An Expository Commentary, vol. 2, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2012), Ps 91:11–13. [8]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Treasured Psalms, vol. 2, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2007), 259–260. [9]John F. MacArthur Jr., Matthew, vol. 3, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985), 115. [10]Robert H. Mounce, Matthew, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 175. [11]Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 15–16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2014), 169–170. [12]Billy Graham, Angels: God’s Secret Agents (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011). [13]Robert J. Dean, Studying Adult Life and Work Lessons, Fall 1999, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 1999), 13. [14]R. Albert Mohler Jr., Exalting Jesus in Hebrews (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017), 20–21.