Shall lodge in the shelter of the God of heaven.
He shall say to the Lord,
“You are my protector and my refuge,
My God; I will hope in Him;
For He shall free me from the snare of the hunters,
And from every troubling word.”
He shall overshadow you with His shoulders,
And under His wings you shall hope;
His truth shall encircle you with a shield.
You shall not be frightened by fear at night,
Nor from an arrow that flies by day,
Nor by a thing moving in darkness,
Nor by mishap and a demon of noonday.
A thousand shall fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
Yet it shall not come near you;
But you shall observe with your eyes,
And you shall see the reward of sinners.
For You, O Lord, are my hope;
You made the Most High your refuge.
Evils shall not come to you,
And a scourge shall not draw near your dwelling;
For He shall command His angels concerning you,
To keep you in all your ways;
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you strike your foot against a stone;
You shall tread upon the asp and the basilisk,
And you shall trample the lion and the dragon. (Psalm 91:1–13 LXX)
Whoever is confident of the divine care will enjoy the protection of the God of heaven and will have this secure rampart and safe refuge. When he bears this shield and is kept safe and sound by being helped by Him, then he will say, You are my protector and my refuge, my God, and I hope in in him (v. 2): having a firm hope in Him, he will call Him leader, caretaker, and impregnable rampart. Here then he goes on to address his remarks to the one who trusts, saying that he renders him superior not only to obvious enemies but also to those who lie in wait, watching and hatching secret schemes, by snare suggesting the furtive scheme. Such people spread lies and calumnies, yet many proved superior even to them by means of hope in God. This was the way the great Joseph, subjected to the calumny of the adulteress, escaped her wiles; this the way the remarkable Susannah enjoyed assistance from on high—and not only they, but even up to the present time we have heard also of vast numbers beyond counting and know them to be saved.…
You will prevail not only over visible adversaries but also over those of the mind, thanks to hope in God, and you will escape the schemes working at night and the assaults made by the enemy during the day; having confidence as one under God’s protection, you will drive out fear and, far from being in difficulties at midday, you will escape the demons’ stratagems, sharing in the assistance from on high. Even if a vast multitude approach from the right or the left, no harm will come to you, and instead you will see them stricken with a divine blow.…
You would enjoy this providence if you exercised hope in God and made it your refuge. Since you hope in God and call Him to your assistance, you will encounter care on His part. You will be proof against the devil’s shafts and suffer no harm from them. In this way divine grace fenced round the house of Job, to which the enemy testifies in his loud cry, “Have you not put a fence round both what is inside and what is outside his house?” When allowed, on the other hand, he demonstrated his characteristic wickedness, and the just Judge crowned the victorious athlete.
Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Psalms
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