Psalm 91

"You will tread on the lion and the cobra"

I love Psalm 91, but my relation to it is complex. What I love about Psalm 91 is that is reads almost like an incantation. It borders upon being a spell of protection. I know describing it that way will be triggering for many readers, but it's hard not to see the similarities between Psalm 91 and magic as it was practiced in the ancient world. For example, the caim circle prayers of the Celtic Christians I describe in Hunting Magic Eels. In the caim prayer the person makes a protective circle while invoking the Trinity. In a similar way, there is talisman-like quality to the protection being called upon in Psalm 91:

He himself will rescue you from the bird trap,
from the destructive plague.
He will cover you with his feathers;
you will take refuge under his wings.
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,
the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.
Though a thousand fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand,
the pestilence will not reach you.

No harm will come to you;
no plague will come near your tent.
For he will give his angels orders concerning you,
to protect you in all your ways.
They will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent.

It is precisely this magic in Psalm 91 that the Devil appeals to in his temptation of Jesus. If Jesus threw himself off the temple angels would come to catch him. But Jesus rejects the magical approach, the display of supernatural power. Psalm 91 proves to be deeply relational rather than magical. After the litany of protection, Psalm 91 ends with a change in voice. God steps in to speak:

Because he has his heart set on me,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows my name.
When he calls out to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will rescue him and give him honor.
I will satisfy him with a long life
and show him my salvation.

In the end, what Psalm 91 calls for is trust. Psalm 91 pulls us into a relationship rather than an incantation of power. That is the choice Jesus faces in his temptation. Magical power or trust? And the mystery deepens when we see how Jesus was not satisfied with a long life. And yet, he was rescued, saved, and given honor. Jesus was delivered from from both death and the Devil. As will those who follow him. Jesus did not test the Lord by jumping off the temple. Rather, he surrendered to the Lord. "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." And in that surrender every petition of Psalm 91 was fulfilled and enjoyed. As C.S. Lewis would put it, this is the Deeper Magic.