Psalm 91 talks about being protected from the hazards of war and life and deadly pestilence.Verse 1 says that if you live with God, you will also be able to rest with Him. God will be your fortress, verse 2. It seems to be speaking in general terms of the righteous.
“For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
And from the deadly pestilence. ”
Psa 91:3
It goes on to say that God will cover you with His wings. His faithfulness will be “your shield and rampart.” You will not need to be afraid.
“5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.”
Psa 91:5-6
A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand. You will only look at the people getting their dues, because you have trusted in God and not in men, verse 9.
“No evil shall happen to you,
Neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.”
Psa 91:10
Angels will guard you!
“For he will give his angels charge over you,
To guard you in all your ways.”
Psa 91:11
This breath of description surely includes things like virus, corona-viruse, and bacteria. Verse 2 says, “I will say of Yahweh,” but it does not tell us who the author is. Then it says in verse 3, “For he will deliver you,” “He will cover you,” and so on. Is this speaking of a particular person? Who is this “you”?
Then we see that the devil quotes
this psalm of the Christ.
“5 Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge concerning you.’ and,
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
So that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’””
Mtt 4:5-6
When the devil is wrong in Mtt 3:3, Jesus corrects him. Here He seems to acknowledge this truth, but says,
“Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’”
Mtt 3:7
So Jesus answers the devil as it was true, but that men should not put God to the test, as it says in Deut 6:16.
Is this only about Jesus?
That would be an easy thing to argue. Then on the other hand look at many other Scriptures which argue for God’s care for believers, both in the Old and New Testaments. I am not talking about unqualified safety, but God’s care for His faithful ones. Notice what David says:
“The angel of Yahweh encamps round about those who fear him,
And delivers them.”
Psa 34:7
Is that a lie? A Scripture that failed? (cf Jn 10:35) Jesus says that children’s angels always have access to God to plead their cause, Mtt 18:10. And Heb 1:13-14 says looking after Christians is the job of angels.
Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901