Living under God’s protection
July 10, 2023 - Monday, 14th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalm 91:1-2, 3-4, 14-15ab
Psalm 91 is familiar to those who pray Divine Office, the Church’s liturgical prayer that is based on the Psalter. We pray using Psalm 91 on Sunday night before going to sleep and there is a reason for that. Sleep is a symbol of death but the one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High does not fear anyone or anything including death.
Another message that comes from Psalm 91 is God’s protection against evil. When the seventy-two disciples returned from their first mission they were overwhelmed by their success. They said to Jesus that “even the demons” were subject to them in Jesus’ name (Luke 10:17). Jesus’ response to that statement was: “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Luke 10:19). In Psalm 91, we hear this promise: “no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent” (Ps 91:10).
The evil that aims at destroying us is described with the use of dangerous animals - the serpent, the adder, the lion, and the dragon. The psalmist states that those who are under God’s protection “will tread on the serpent and the adder; the lion and the dragon [he] will trample underfoot” (Ps 91:13, LXX). Interestingly, in the famous encounter between Jesus and Satan during our Lord’s retreat in the wilderness, the tempter used Psalm 91 to tempt Christ. He said: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down” and then he quoted Psalm 91: “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” (Matt 4:6; see Ps 91:11-12). Then, he stopped at verse 12 of Psalm 91.
On Good Friday, our Lord fell asleep in the sleep of death. The sun was setting down when his faithful followers placed his body in the tomb. Perhaps, Satan and all the forces of evil were rejoicing but in this case, they rejoiced too early. But, then on Easter morning, Jesus rose from the grave crashing the power of death and evil. In his encounter with Jesus, Satan did not dare to quote verse 13 of Psalm 91 but on Easter morning, he experienced its truth. The risen Jesus treaded on the serpent and the adder; and he trampled the lion and the dragon underfoot (see Ps 91:13, LXX).
Jesus’ death was necessary to open the gates of eternal life. And so, as we fall asleep under the wings of the Almighty we trust that as he awakes us every morning from our sleep to life in this world, He will also awake us from the sleep of death into life everlasting: “With long life, I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (Ps 91:16).