He First Loved You

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.  When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.  With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91 14-16 ESV)

The author of this psalm is often disputed. Some have said it was Moses, but since Psalm 95 was written by David, it is virtually impossible for this to be the case. Most likely, it was David who wrote these words, but we may never know.

The whole of Psalm 91 is essentially a letter of protection—not of David's protection but of God's protection. What has stolen my heart in this psalm is the last three verses, which are obviously prophetic writings of Christ Jesus.

How often do we speak of the love of Christ, which is most visible in His sacrifice for the world, even when they did not believe in Him? Verse 14 is quite clear on the fundamental doctrine of salvation. When we have faith in Christ and cling to Him, Jesus delivers us from our sins. I can hear these words written by the psalmist as spoken by Christ as the writer wrote these words from that perspective. Jesus: Because you believe in me because you love me as I love you, I will answer you. 

When we are in the midst of trials, we know that Christ is with us. When we call out to Him, He is with us. We also know that Christ rescued us. He rescued us from ourselves and the wrath of God. He did this because we placed our faith in Him, because we glorify Him, because we love Him, and because we are completely satisfied in our lives because of Him.

Through our faith in Christ, we receive eternal life and salvation from sin and death. We will live forever to glorify the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Here is what is so significant. Scholars estimate that David wrote Psalm 90 in 1013 BC. Some thousand-plus years before Christ, this writer of Psalm 91, in a truly awe-inspiring display of divine inspiration, told us exactly how Christ loves us, saves us, and protects us. He wrote of our salvation and rescue from sin and death and the sacrifice of love made by Christ to accomplish God’s rescue mission for humankind.

Anyone who believes the Old Testament is not important today has never read those words, looking for Christ. The profound relevance of so many messianic prophesies, often overlooked or forgotten, continues to enlighten and inspire us today.

Christ became a curse for you. He was tortured and died for you, and Jesus did this out of His deep, personal love for you. I pray God will open your eyes and ears to the gospel of Jesus Christ so that you might find salvation in Him.

Grace and peace.