Psalm 91 and God's Names

God is like ASPIRIN -
He works miracles.
God is like a FORD.
He's got a better idea.
God is like COKE .
He's the real thing.
God is like HALLMARK CARDS.
He cares enough to send His very best.
God is like OXI-CLEAN.
He gets the stains out that others leave behind.
God is like GENERAL ELECTRIC.
He brings good things to life.
God is like SEARS.
He has everything.
God is like ALKA-SELTZER.
Try him, you'll like Him.
God is like SCOTCH TAPE.
You can't see him, but you know He's there.
God is like DELTA .
He's ready when you are.
God is like ALLSTATE.
You're in good hands with Him.
God is like VO-5 Hair Spray.
He holds through all kinds of weather.
God is like DIAL SOAP.
Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?
God is like the POST OFFICE.
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice
will keep Him from His appointed destination.

Psalm 91 and God's Names

Psalm 91 carries with it a tremendous promise
for those who choose to make God their dwelling place
and choose to put their entire trust in Him.
This psalm is a declaration of God's protection and deliverance
for those who proclaim and declare God's faithfulness.
Even though the enemy plots and schemes against us
we are assured that God will guard and watch over us
and that no evil will come near us.

The image of God is portrayed in four distinct ways
in the first two verses of this Psalm of Promise.

1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!"

Psalm 91:1-2 NAS

Psalm 91
Psalm 91 gives us an image of God’s names …
these are not different Gods obviously
but they describe attributes of God’s nature.


It says the one who dwells in the shelter of The Most High…
The Most High = El ‛elyôn (el-yone')
From H5927; an elevation, that is, (adjectively) lofty (comparatively); as title, the Supreme: - (Most, on) high (-er, -est), upper (-most).

El ‛elyôn … means that God is the Most High
a. He is the Most High meaning He can see everything…
b. He is the Most High so there is nothing above Him…

Next, He is expressed as the Almighty or El shaddai

El shaddai (El shad-dah'ee)
From H7703; the Almighty: - Almighty.

Meaning that God is all powerful…
Shaddai comes from the Hebrew root meaning breast,
so there is an spiritual picture here
that God is the source of our daily sustenance and strength.

So we have a God who is Most High - El ‛elyôn
and a God who is
our source of Provision and Most Powerful - El shaddai

Then the next expression of God
we see in this Psalm is the LORD or Yahweh
2I will say to the LORD
When we see the word LORD written in all capital letters
That is called a tetragrammaton*…

This is God’s personal name.
It comes from the root hâyâh (haw-yaw')
that means “to be” , “He is,” “to exist”
“I AM that I AM”

*Tetragrammaton (from the Greek τετραγράμματον, meaning "[a word] having four letters") refers to the Hebrew term יהוה, the name of God depicted in the Bible.
יהוה is composed of four Hebrew consonants, and it occurs 6,828 times in the approved consonantal Hebrew text of the Bible.
These four letters are usually transliterated from Hebrew as IHVH in Latin, JHWH in German, French and Dutch, and JHVH/YHWH in English. This has been variously rendered as "Yahweh" or even occasionally as "Jehovah", based on the Latin form of the term.[4], while the Hebrew text does not clearly indicate the omitted vowels. In English translations, it is often rendered in capital and small capital letters as "the LORD", following Jewish tradition which reads the word as "Adonai" ("Lord") out of respect for the name of God and the interpretation of the commandment not to take the name of God in vain.

So we have a God who is Most High - El ‛elyôn
and a God who is
our source of Provision and Most Powerful - El shaddai
and a God who is personal - the LORD or Yahweh

The last expression is my God or Elohiym (el-o-heem')
My God
'ĕlôhıym (el-o-heem')
Plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: - angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.

Elohiym again is in the plural meaning at least three
so it represents God in His creative capacity.

So God is Most High or El ‛elyôn
God is Most Powerful or El shaddai
God who is most personal the LORD or Yahweh
and God or Elohiym, which is God the Creator or Most Creative

If we apply these characteristics to Psalm 91:1-2,
it might read this way:

1He who dwells in the secret place
of the Most High - El ‛elyôn
shall remain stable and fixed
because He is the Most High and He can see everything…
He sees every aspect of my situation and
He is the Most High so there is nothing above Him…
No evil force or circumstance is above His control

under the shadow of the Almighty - El shaddai
He is the most powerful force in the universe
whose power no foe can withstand,
so I have nothing to fear.

2I will say of the Lord – Yahweh
who is a covenant keeping God
who desires to know me intimately
He is my Refuge and my Fortress,

my God – Elohiym
my Creator, the Creator of all that is or ever will be
He is a creative God
who will make a way, even when there seems to be no way
on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!

I don't know about you, but I sure need to be reminded of this each day. There are so many pressures and evils in today's world and without God's assurance of deliverance and protection, I don't know how we would survive.
I find strength in knowing that God is on my side, and that He is watching over and protecting me and my family.
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