Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
The verse speaks of two kinds of deadly danger, hidden perils that move unseen in darkness and open calamity that strikes in broad daylight. Its promise that pestilence and destruction will not come near the faithful while thousands fall around them belongs to the saints living through the plagues of the day of the Lord before Christ's second coming, who remain on earth in mortal bodies with angels given charge over them and their dwellings. Those who make God their refuge in that final time of trouble need not fear the pestilence and destruction that strike others, and though they may suffer persecution, deprivation and hunger, God will protect, sustain and care for them and not let them perish while the wicked die from hunger and pestilence. God continually commissions heavenly angels to guard people from pestilence and destructive calamities, and He can preserve a person from pestilence wherever they live, whether the place is considered healthful or not. These promises are to be read, believed and held onto in perplexity and discouragement with all heaven pledged to give help and strength, yet protection from disease does not excuse neglecting practical care, for those who pray to be kept must cooperate with God by obeying the laws of health and life and using available remedies.
Meaning and Background
The verse names two forms of danger, the pestilence that moves in darkness and the destruction that strikes at noonday, covering both hidden, unseen perils and open, midday calamity. Those who dwell under God's protection and make Him their refuge need not fear either danger, whether it comes in darkness or at noonday, for they are among those God delivers and protects. That protection may come through heavenly angels whom God commissions to guard His chosen people from calamity, including pestilence that spreads unseen and destructive calamities from perils they do not know they face, which is one of His continual mercies though often unrecognized and unthanked. The pestilence in darkness includes what the angel of the Lord brought through Egypt, laying low the pride of its households as God acted to free Israel.
The verse is set at the Lord's coming to end wickedness, placing the pestilence in darkness and the destruction at noonday among the dangers from which God protects those who abide with Him and trust in Him. It assures those who have chosen Him as Redeemer that they are kept under His loving care and protection. When His judgments fall, the righteous are kept under His protection while transgressors receive those judgments and the wicked suffer the results of their rebellion.
The pestilence is an effect of sin that wastes at noonday as a deadly danger. It comes when people break God's law and forget their Creator, so that God removes their defense and protection and punishes wicked lawbreakers. It stands as one of the destructive powers at work in a broken, defaced creation whose blight mars the world and leaves creation groaning under the wrongdoing of its inhabitants, alongside raging storms, harm to people and animals and property, famine, and disaster at sea. The noonday wasting pestilence is linked to the final crisis, when the names of the faithful have been enrolled and their lives are threatened by violent men and destroying angels.
Protection in the Final Crisis
The assurance that pestilence and destruction will not draw near belongs to the day of the Lord and its plagues before the second coming of Christ. At that time the saints are still on earth in mortal bodies, not yet made immortal. Though the wicked fall by thousands around them, the faithful are told not to fear, for angels are given charge over them so that no plague comes near their dwellings. Such a promise of protection from the last plagues would be needless if they were already immortal before the plagues fall.
Those who make God their refuge need not fear the pestilence and destruction that strike others in the final time of trouble. The righteous may still suffer persecution, deprivation, and hunger, for the promise is not freedom from all suffering. God will protect and sustain His faithful people, shielding them by angels and supplying what they need amid famine and widespread death. He will care for them and will not let them perish, while the wicked die from hunger and pestilence.
In the time of trouble this protection means angels guard God's people from enemies who seek to kill them before the appointed time. This holds even when they wait in solitary retreats under a decree of death while armed men prepare to attack them. In the final calamities they pass unharmed through pestilence, tempest, and earthquake. To them God is a safe refuge and pavilion, while to those who break His law He is a devouring fire.
Trust for Daily Life
God commissions heavenly angels to guard people from pestilence and destructive calamities, including dangers they do not see, and such protection is one of His continual mercies, though people often fail to recognize it or give Him thanks. The verse gives confidence that God can preserve a person from pestilence wherever they live, whether the place is considered healthful or not. Its promises are to be read and believed and held onto in perplexity and discouragement. It means God has promised to be strength and front guard and rearward, with all heaven pledged to work for help and strengthening and power waiting to be bestowed, so the heart is not to become discouraged and trust is not to rest in man nor in the arm of flesh but in the Lord.
The verse expresses protection from pestilence and destruction, and is a prayer for God to keep loved ones safe from these dangers. That protection from pestilence does not mean neglecting practical care. Those who pray to be kept from disease are to cooperate with God by obeying the laws of health and life and using available remedies, and God may work through these natural means to bring about extraordinary healing, while people should keep asking in faith for health and strength after doing what they can.
The verse applies to the pestilence and sickness spreading through the land as dangers from which God can keep children. Children are urged to pray much for God to accept and keep them from these dangers. That seeking of protection is joined with keeping the commandments of God, loving and obeying parents, loving God, speaking the truth at all times, and having the heart turned unto Him, for God loves the young if their hearts are turned unto Him and loves to bless them.
The verse speaks of two kinds of deadly danger, hidden perils that move unseen in darkness and open calamity that strikes in broad daylight. Its promise that pestilence and destruction will not come near the faithful while thousands fall around them belongs to the saints living through the plagues of the day of the Lord before Christ's second coming, who remain on earth in mortal bodies with angels given charge over them and their dwellings. Those who make God their refuge in that final time of trouble need not fear the pestilence and destruction that strike others, and though they may suffer persecution, deprivation and hunger, God will protect, sustain and care for them and not let them perish while the wicked die from hunger and pestilence. God continually commissions heavenly angels to guard people from pestilence and destructive calamities, and He can preserve a person from pestilence wherever they live, whether the place is considered healthful or not. These promises are to be read, believed and held onto in perplexity and discouragement with all heaven pledged to give help and strength, yet protection from disease does not excuse neglecting practical care, for those who pray to be kept must cooperate with God by obeying the laws of health and life and using available remedies.
Meaning and Background
The verse names two forms of danger, the pestilence that moves in darkness and the destruction that strikes at noonday, covering both hidden, unseen perils and open, midday calamity. Those who dwell under God's protection and make Him their refuge need not fear either danger, whether it comes in darkness or at noonday, for they are among those God delivers and protects. That protection may come through heavenly angels whom God commissions to guard His chosen people from calamity, including pestilence that spreads unseen and destructive calamities from perils they do not know they face, which is one of His continual mercies though often unrecognized and unthanked. The pestilence in darkness includes what the angel of the Lord brought through Egypt, laying low the pride of its households as God acted to free Israel.
The verse is set at the Lord's coming to end wickedness, placing the pestilence in darkness and the destruction at noonday among the dangers from which God protects those who abide with Him and trust in Him. It assures those who have chosen Him as Redeemer that they are kept under His loving care and protection. When His judgments fall, the righteous are kept under His protection while transgressors receive those judgments and the wicked suffer the results of their rebellion.
The pestilence is an effect of sin that wastes at noonday as a deadly danger. It comes when people break God's law and forget their Creator, so that God removes their defense and protection and punishes wicked lawbreakers. It stands as one of the destructive powers at work in a broken, defaced creation whose blight mars the world and leaves creation groaning under the wrongdoing of its inhabitants, alongside raging storms, harm to people and animals and property, famine, and disaster at sea. The noonday wasting pestilence is linked to the final crisis, when the names of the faithful have been enrolled and their lives are threatened by violent men and destroying angels.
Protection in the Final Crisis
The assurance that pestilence and destruction will not draw near belongs to the day of the Lord and its plagues before the second coming of Christ. At that time the saints are still on earth in mortal bodies, not yet made immortal. Though the wicked fall by thousands around them, the faithful are told not to fear, for angels are given charge over them so that no plague comes near their dwellings. Such a promise of protection from the last plagues would be needless if they were already immortal before the plagues fall.
Those who make God their refuge need not fear the pestilence and destruction that strike others in the final time of trouble. The righteous may still suffer persecution, deprivation, and hunger, for the promise is not freedom from all suffering. God will protect and sustain His faithful people, shielding them by angels and supplying what they need amid famine and widespread death. He will care for them and will not let them perish, while the wicked die from hunger and pestilence.
In the time of trouble this protection means angels guard God's people from enemies who seek to kill them before the appointed time. This holds even when they wait in solitary retreats under a decree of death while armed men prepare to attack them. In the final calamities they pass unharmed through pestilence, tempest, and earthquake. To them God is a safe refuge and pavilion, while to those who break His law He is a devouring fire.
Trust for Daily Life
God commissions heavenly angels to guard people from pestilence and destructive calamities, including dangers they do not see, and such protection is one of His continual mercies, though people often fail to recognize it or give Him thanks. The verse gives confidence that God can preserve a person from pestilence wherever they live, whether the place is considered healthful or not. Its promises are to be read and believed and held onto in perplexity and discouragement. It means God has promised to be strength and front guard and rearward, with all heaven pledged to work for help and strengthening and power waiting to be bestowed, so the heart is not to become discouraged and trust is not to rest in man nor in the arm of flesh but in the Lord.
The verse expresses protection from pestilence and destruction, and is a prayer for God to keep loved ones safe from these dangers. That protection from pestilence does not mean neglecting practical care. Those who pray to be kept from disease are to cooperate with God by obeying the laws of health and life and using available remedies, and God may work through these natural means to bring about extraordinary healing, while people should keep asking in faith for health and strength after doing what they can.
The verse applies to the pestilence and sickness spreading through the land as dangers from which God can keep children. Children are urged to pray much for God to accept and keep them from these dangers. That seeking of protection is joined with keeping the commandments of God, loving and obeying parents, loving God, speaking the truth at all times, and having the heart turned unto Him, for God loves the young if their hearts are turned unto Him and loves to bless them.