SOUNDING OUT:
God Will…

  In the last three verses of Psalms 91 God makes an emphatic declaration of what He shall do for His people. The Lord himself, speaking of His own chosen ones, says:

  Did you notice the beauty of the structure of verse fourteen? It emphasizes God’s decision to provide for His people. It says, “Because he hath,” “will I,” “I will,” “because he hath.” This introverted structure points like an arrow to that which is emphasized — GOD HIMSELF. God says, ‘I will.’

  “I will,” is the strongest assertion we can make in English. When I was in eighth and ninth grade I learned what was then called a distinction between the simple future and the emphatic future. With the first person singular and plural the simple future was “I” or “we” “shall” and then the verb. With the second person singular and plural the simple future was “you” “will.” Lastly with the third person singular and plural it was “he, she, it, or they” “will.” Then if you wanted to emphasize or state more absolutely your intention to act you would reverse the helping verbs and say, “I or we will” and “you, he, she, it, or they shall.”

  Unfortunately today in our schools this distinction is not always taught. However, in days gone by this distinction was followed. In the KJV the translators used it routinely. Here at the end of Psalms 91:14 we have God emphatically declaring his absolute resolve with six uses of “I will.” “I will deliver.” “I will set him on high.” “I will answer him.” “I will be with him in trouble.” “I will deliver him and honor him.” “I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation.”

  The words “hath set his love” come from the Hebrew word, chashaq, which means “to love, be attached to, long for.” It only occurs 11 times in the Old Testament. Bullinger, in the companion Bible says it indicates the deepest affection. The New American Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible translates it as cling; “since he clings to me, I rescue him.”

  Chashaq emphasizes attachment to something or someone. It is love, which is already bound to its object. It denotes the strong desire of longing and attachment. This is the love that will not let go. If a man has such an attachment toward God he will be delivered.

  God set His love upon us first, we just respond in kind. We love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19). It is also used with the more common word for love ahab, in Deuteronomy 10:15.

  God attached Himself to His people and will not let go. We use an expression today, which means the focusing of all our energies to one end -- a ceaseless effort after one object. We say, “I have set my heart on such a thing.” That is what God wants from us -- an intense, single-minded love. We must love him “with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, and with all our mind,” so that, like Jesus, we may “delight to do his will.” When we set our heart on something, we work for its attainment. We sacrifice for it. We sacrifice our comfort, money, time, yea, our very selves, freely for the sake of our cherished desire. We see this similar phrase in God’s Word.

  Temperaments differ, but all of us in our own way must “set our love, our hearts upon” God. That is deliberate and purposeful. We each know our capacity. God also knows our frame, and requires our best. It is not because the quality of our love is so great, but rather that we who love are so tenacious. We cleave to God and never let go. It is the will to love and serve -- it is the setting the heart to which God responds. When we with full purpose of heart cleave unto the Lord, He most certainly will deliver.

  The second part of verse fourteen states: I [God] will set him [the believer] on high, because he [the believer] hath known My [God] name. How do we know God’s name. We know it through His Word. God will set us on high in an inaccessible, or lofty place. How elevated is the standing which the Lord gives to the believer. Today, we are seated in the heavenlies.

  To set on high was a figurative way to speak of protection. Some of the translations handle it that way. The NIV says, “I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” Knowledge of God and His Word provide protection for His people.

  Through obedience to the commandments of God, Israel would be exalted above and protected from all nations.

  The answer may not always be yes, but He will respond to your call. I think we sometimes discourage ourselves by a misconception of the exact meaning of “answer,” taking it to mean only grant. Now, an answer is not necessarily an acquiescence. It is just attention to our request expressed.

  We should be conscious of God’s presence at all times, particularly, times of trouble. God’s commitment to be with us in trouble reminds me of Psalms 23.

  Next God says, “I will deliver him, and honour him.” The word for deliver in verse fifteen is not the same as in verse fourteen. This one may mean rescue and it has a homonym meaning equip for battle. Either way God still provides what we need.

  God continues His resolve asserting that He will satisfy and show us His salvation. How many people do you now who are satisfied with anything. God wants us to be satisfied. This then brings us to the last one. “I will… show him my salvation. What a climax for these three verses. That is what brings the satisfaction, an ever-increasing awareness of our salvation, our wholeness.

  Remember these are an emphatic declaration from God. To whom did God commit Himself in these verses? These promises belong to he whom God says “calls upon Me…” who “hath known my name…” and who “hath set his love upon me.” Let’s be deliberate and purposeful and set our love upon Him and never let go.