Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Psalms 91
Metaphysically Interpreting Psalms 91:1-16
91:1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
91:2I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in whom I trust.
91:3For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,
And from the deadly pestilence.
91:4He will cover thee with his pinions,
And under his wings shalt thou take refuge:
His truth is a shield and a buckler.
91:5Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night,
Nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
91:6For the pestilence that walketh in darkness,
Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.91:7A thousand shall fall at thy side,
And ten thousand at thy right hand;
But it shall not come nigh thee.
91:8Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold,
And see the reward of the wicked.91:9 For thou, O Jehovah, art my refuge!
Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation;
91:10There shall no evil befall thee,
Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent.91:11For he will give his angels charge over thee,
To keep thee in all thy ways.
91:12They shall bear thee up in their hands,
Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
91:13Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:
The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under foot.91:14Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him:
I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
91:15He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble:
I will deliver him, and honor him.
91:16With long life will I satisfy him,
And show him my salvation.
June 14, 1911: Psalms 91
The mid-week meetings of our society have been a feature of the Unity work for twenty years. They are devoted to topics that are helpful in daily living. The usual order of service consists in song, talks, and healing realizations. The leader for these services is chosen from week to week out of the resident workers or from friends – visiting at headquarters. In late years it has become the custom to set aside each alternate meeting for a Scripture lesson. On these occasions Mrs. Jennie H. Croft has charge, giving her able metaphysical interpretation of a requested passage or chapter. Wednesday, June 7th, was Scripture lesson day.
The meeting opened with a voluntary, Mrs. Sloan, organist. After this came a short song service. The leader gave this thought for the silence:
Being asked to consider the [Unity Books], Mrs. Croft spoke in part as follows:
“Jesus Christ is the light of my life within me.”
The words of this Scripture apply to the individual soul. The secret place of the Most High is the place of the most high thought, with all its wonderful sweetness and peace. Dwelling in this secret place, we do not come out to meet trouble or distress. We abide, continue under the shadow of the Almighty. We abide in the great almighty Good; and we are protected by it. God is our King, omnipotent forever.Because of the power of our Ruler he is our strong fortress of safety. But this Ruler is not an outside force; it is all that we know God to be in consciousness, and the knowledge that the inner Lord is also God is the refuge of all mankind. In this refuge no one can trespass upon as, for here we realize that “I and the Father are one.” The little doubts and fears, the forgettings, are snares; we are delivered from them by coming back into the abiding place. The pestilence is anything within the soul that is not clean or true or pure. The moment we are aware of the pestilence we flee to our fortress, where we are above and beyond it, and where nothing evil can touch us. The great creative power shields us always when we come to it. The minute we turn away from the snare the everlasting Love is ready to be our shield and buckler. These defenses are not supposititious things; they are not speculations. They are that which was, which is, and which ever shall be – God – yesterday, today, and forever the same.
We have in us a multitude of thoughts. Some of these thoughts we do not wish to keep. We want our hearts filled with the abiding thoughts. We want to clear out the error. The Psalmist tells us that ten thousand shall fall at our right side and our left, but when we stand fast, true and staunch, with our eyes fixed upon the within, no harm can come to us. The perception of the soul sees the error and clears it out. We know and prove that nothing can hurt us, because we have the knowledge that prevents it.
Angels are ministering thoughts. He who gives his angels charge over us is the Universal Intelligence. His angels protect us. They go into our minds and make our thoughts right. They go into our body consciousness and set it right. They keep us in all our ways. If once in a while we are forgetful of the great Presence there is a prompting thought sent to correct us. That these angels bear us up in their hands we have proved literally. Malice, criticism, and jealousy are roaring lions and stinging adders. When we abide in the consciousness of the Lord God, we have these under our feet and they cannot assail us.
When we love a thing, we have great faith and confidence in it. Because we set our love upon Universal God, he brings us up on high. The high place is the place of knowledge. Even before we call, God answers. The desire to be delivered from personality – the world, the flesh, and the devil – carries with it its own fulfillment. Our God delivers and honors the one who sets his love upon the good. When we come into the kingdom, honor, riches, long life, houses and lands are added to our possessions. They are parts of the kingdom. Because I am, God is; because God is, I am. When we know the real “me”, we know the Father. To know God is life everlasting. Seeking brings the promise to its fulfillment, “With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” When we make the Lord our God and make God our Lord, then do we know salvation. No one else can work out salvation for us. It is not right for another to take on him the thing we should do. We must save ourselves. There are ways in which we may go, knowledge which we may attain that makes us sons of God. Attainment to sonship is salvation.
Following Mrs. Croft's talk came the healing meeting. It was conducted by Mrs. Fillmore, who told of a demonstration through the efficacy of the thought, “No plague shall come nigh thy dwelling.” Some friends were involved in a runaway, and for a brief time it seemed that there would be fatal results. The swift word of safety was spoken, and, as one of the members of the party said, “All at once we got away.” Mrs. Fillmore said, “The Power picked them up and set them aside.” The intellect cannot grasp this, and some would say it is a fairy story. There were some bruises, which were quickly healed, but the surgeon said that injuries of this nature usually resulted in paralysis.
“When we stand by the knowledge that there is but one Presence and Power, all errors take flight and we cannot be harmed. The more we learn of this saving Unity the more we want to know about it and overcome by it.”
The healing service followed, Mrs. Fillmore giving this word: “God in the midst of thee, is mighty.” The offering was then taken, the audience singing the Unity “Plenty” verse: (Tune of Dennia)
There's plenty for you and for me;
There's plenty for you and for me;
There's plenty for you, there's plenty for me,
There's plenty for you and for all.
The meeting closed with a silent benediction.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 11-30-2013
