psalm 91, the snare of the fowler

Read Psalm 91 at Bible Gateway.

We saw from the chiastic structure yesterday, that Psa 91:3 and Psa 91:13 pair with each other:

Psa 91:3, Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence;

Psa 91:13, You shall tread upon the lion + cobra, the young lion + serpent you shall trample underfoot.

A fowler is a sportsman who pursues wild fowls, or takes or kills them for food (1828 Webster’s Dictionary). He does this most often by laying a snare or a trap. The unsuspecting fowl, minding its own business, wanders into the trap or snare because it is hidden and cannot be readily seen. So in verse 3, the Lord is delivering His people from snares laid by someone who is trying to entrap them, so as to kill them. In verse 13, His people have power to tread upon lions, cobras and serpents. All of these – the fowler, the lion, and the serpent – are pictures of Satan, the enemy:

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Joh 10:10

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Pet 5:8

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luk 10:19

That these two are paired, says to me, that sometimes God sovereignly delivers us from the enemy supernaturally. But sometimes, we are to take up the authority that He has given us in the name of Jesus, by the victory of Jesus, and trample the enemy underfoot ourselves.

So the lesson is … if the enemy is bothering us, if we are being stolen from, if that which pertains to us is being destroyed, don’t lay down. Stand up, and with the authority that Messiah has given us, trample that serpent underfoot!