“You will only look on with your eyes And see the retaliation against the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, The Most High, your dwelling place.”
Psalm 91:8-9 NASB
RECOMPENSE / shillumah / reward, reparation, retribution
Bible Hub: “The term ‘shillumah’ refers to the concept of recompense or reward, often in the context of repayment for actions, whether good or bad. It conveys the idea of receiving what is due, either as a reward for righteousness or as a consequence for wrongdoing.”
Webster’s 1828: “To require; to repay; to return an equivalent; in a bad sense.”
FOR YOU HAVE MADE / sum or sim / To put, place, set, appoint, make
Bible Hub: “In ancient Hebrew culture, the act of placing or setting something was significant, often symbolizing authority, intention, or purpose. ”
DWELLING PLACE / maon or main/ Dwelling, habitation, refuge
Bible Hub: “The Hebrew word ‘maon’ primarily refers to a dwelling place or habitation. It is often used in the context of a physical location where one resides, but it can also have a metaphorical or spiritual connotation, referring to a place of refuge or sanctuary.”
Webster’s 1828: “Inhabiting; residing; sojourning; continuing with fixed attention. Continuance; residence; state of life.”
These verses require something of us. We must make the Lord our dwelling place. But how is that accomplished, and what exactly does that mean?
Charles Spurgeon writes,
“The psalmist in these verses assures the man who dwells in God that he shall be secure. Though faith claims no merit of its own, yet the Lord rewards it wherever he sees it. He who makes God his refuge shall find him a refuge; he who dwells in God shall find his dwelling protected. We must make the Lord our habitation by choosing him for our trust and rest, and then we shall receive immunity from harm; no evil shall touch us personally, and no stroke of judgment shall assail our household.”
To dwell continually somewhere will require one commitment, and what fuels commitment? Love.
We must fall in love with God, His Word, His presence, His people, and His house.
We must live, breathe, and choose all things God.
To dwell somewhere we do not love would be considered a punishment. But if I love the things of God, dwelling with Him will be no issue.
The Psalmist writes,
“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”
Psalm 27:4 ESV
Have you made the Lord your dwelling place?
