• Psalm 91: and Isaiah 30:                         “WHEN WE MUST MAKE A CHOICE”        

Be Gracious toward other//Be respectful of their choice//Be after opportunities to share the Gospel, Let your conversation Be about God’s //Goodness//Mercy//and Grace//from heart-to-heart.  

Psalm 91:1-6 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

 Notice the phrase in Psalm 91:1 “UNDER THE SHADOW of the Almighty”

• Psalm 91: God desires a specific response from His people!

In Isaiah 30:2 We find another response “…in the shadow of Egypt!” 

In Old Testament times, Egypt is considered to be a picture of the world.

Isaiah 30:1-3 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

From the scripture reading so far; we have a choice to either dwell under the shadow of Almighty and trust in God, or run to the shadow of Egypt and trust man’s philosophy.

• When you make your choice; please consider:

Reality: “We cannot ignore the existence of a shadow”

Illustration: Just because we ignore it or close our eyes, or even refuse to acknowledge it’s real; does not grantee it’s going away.

Look with me at 2 Kings 6: the King of Syria was troubled, because he believed that someone in his company was for the other side, and when he comforted them about the matter, one of his servants said, None, my lord, O King: but Elisha, the prophet that’s over in Israel, is telling the King of Israel what you speak in private. In other words, God revealed the King of Syria’s plan of attach on God’s people to the man of God, named Elisha.  

NOW; let’s look at 2 King 6:12-17 while reflecting on Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

2 Kings 6:11-12  Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

2 King 6: 13-17 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

• God’s people cannot ignore the enemy, or even think the problem away! Question: How should we respond, or deal with the problem? Notice how the man of God responded in 2 King 6: 16 first he said “Fear not”, then

2 King 6: 17 “he prayed and ask God to open the eyes of the young man, so that he could see; and God answered his pray! 

• The answer isn’t whether or not the problem is present, the answer isn’t whether its huge of small, and it’s not even about how powerful it is. The right answer is “God’s people have a higher power, that’s greater than” in other words, you see what you see; Lord open their eyes so that they can see what I see; “and what I see is what God sees” Amen! 2 King 6:17

• The reality is believing in your faith; you are on the winning side! WE HAVE SOMEONE GREATER THAN THE ENEMY. We simply need to acknowledge the greatness of God over the enemy! In spiritual warfare, we may come face to face with the enemy; but our God is greater!

 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

 Everyone must make a Choice; where will you place your trust?

 Romans 7:15-21 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

 Notice what the Apostle Paul is saying in these verses; we cannot ignore it, evil is always present with us!

 1 Corinthians 15:55-57  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 2 Corinthians 2:13-14 I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia. Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

• When you make your choice; please consider:

• RELEVANT: “Which shadow are you under”

 Illustration: Would you agree with me, in order for us to be under the shadow; we must be close to the main source of the shadow. Are you under the shadow of the Almighty God, or the shadow of the world?

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

 Psalm 91: and Isaiah 30:

May I draw your attention to the word “TRUST”

Psalm 91:2 “…in Him will I trust”

Psalm 91:4 “…shalt thou trust:”

Isaiah 30:2 “…trust in the shadow of Egypt!”

Isaiah 30:3 “…the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.”

• Trust, will help you decide which shadow you choose to be under.

 Now let’s go back to 2 Kings 6: Remember the King is troubled, he sends an army to Dothan to seize Elisha; Elisha prayed …. SMITE THIS PEOPLE, I PRAY THEE, WITH BLINDNESS” 2 Kings 6:18

• Elisha ask God to close the eyes of the army who came down to seize him. And open the eyes of thy servant the he might see that our God is greater than the enemy.
• God answered Elisha’s pray; now the enemy is blind, and standing in front of Elisha, then Elisha says to them; in 2 King 6:19 “…This is not the way, neither is the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek.
• 2 King 6:20 Elisha lead them right in the middle of their enemy territory the last place they would have wanted to be, then Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
• 2 King 6:21 The King of Israel said unto Elisha, My father, shall I smite them? Shall I smite them? The answer is “NO”
• Answer; 2 King 6:22 “…Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink…”
• Elisha showed the enemy that God is greater than all. We must dwell in the shadow of the Almighty and show the world that they need to dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.  

• We cannot ignore the REALITY of the shadow of Egypt
• We must make a choice who we trust
• Your choice is revealed by the reality of which shadow you are under

A person who abides will overcome; a person who is not abiding, will be overcome!!

1 John 2:14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1 John 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

Romans 5:8-9 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Romans 5:17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Romans 5:20 (KJV) 20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

In the midst and when it’s over; give all Glory to God, He is “much more” 

CHOOSE + TRUST = ABIDE under the shadow of Almighty God

• When Elisha ask the Lord if he should smite the enemy, God said “Thou shall not smite them”… but prepare great provision for them, that they may eat and drink…..
• In order to be under a shadow, you must be close to the object of the shadow!

Are you walking close enough to God to abide under the shadow of the Almighty, or are you walking close to the world and under the shadow of Egypt the world??

Written by A.D. Newton