Psalm 9:9   
Warfare!
                There are many expressions, in the Scriptures, that describe the Lord as a place of safety and confidence when trouble strikes. He is our refuge, He is our rock, our sure foundation. He is a strong tower and our shield, the horn of our salvation.  All of these metaphors have profound implications, in Proverbs 18:10 we read, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”   His very existence and His presence and the power of His name will protect us from evil and all kinds of trouble. When David was delivered from Saul and all his enemies, he used these expressions in a song of praise. 2 Samuel 22:1-4. In Deuteronomy 33:27 the Lord tells Israel, through Moses. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying “Destroy them!”

 The Cities of Refuge in Israel are described in Numbers 35. There were 6 of them, owned by the Levites. They were places of safety and shelter for those who killed someone accidentally and who fled the anger of the avenger. The inference here is that the fugitive is innocent unless a Court deems him to be guilty; he does not have blood on his hands, the death of the victim was not premeditated or deliberate, it was an accident or mishap. The defendant was not responsible, he is guiltless and the avenger is unjustified in his revenge albeit driven by anger, grief and a need to appropriate blame. 

All of these images help us to understand the nature of the spiritual warfare we are engaged in and the need for us to have a place of refuge. God promises to be that place, the shelter of His name and His wings will protect us against our spiritual avengers. The Satan’s battle strategy and means of warfare are the same as those we see enacted every day throughout the world, between nations and individuals.  We should not be surprised because he is the cause of it all. King David had learned that his physical enemies used the same tactics as his spiritual ones and that the Lord God was always there to protect and guard him from danger. 

So, when you are oppressed, take refuge in Him. Think about who it is you call your God, is He not able to protect you? When you are in trouble and feel alone and unsafe, tell Him, call on Him, plead your case and trust Him; He is your stronghold! These are not fancy words or a theological concept ,this is what trusting in God is all about. It is real. It is practical. It is faith. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 4:1 Smear campaigns

Psalm 4:1    Smear campaigns   The background to this Psalm is so familiar; David is being slandered and maligned by his detractors.  It seems that some calamity has befallen the nation and the king is getting the blame! Lies are being told, a smear campaign has begun, and the reputation of the Sovereign is under threat.  As usual, if something goes wrong, culpability is laid at the feet of the one in charge.  David, quite rightly, turns to the Lord his God and prays for relief and for mercy. The Satan is a master of such campaigns and his emissaries gleefully turn on Christians in leadership positions although the whispering campaign can affect all of us. The whispering starts in our own heads, but it can also come from the lips of our detractors. It goes something like this: - You’re the reason it went wrong You messed up again You should have seen it coming Surely you know better You are not worthy You don’t know what you’re doing Someone else ought to be in c
Read more

Psalm 74:16

Psalm 74:16 God established the sun and the moon “ In  the beginning   God created   the heavens   and the earth.   2  Now the earth was formless   and empty,   darkness was over the surface of the deep,   and the Spirit of God   was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said,   “Let there be light,” and there was light.   4  God saw that the light was good,   and he separated the light from the darkness.   5  God called   the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”   And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” These, so familiar, words from Genesis 1 remind us of who is in charge! There would be no light without God. There would be no day or night without God. There would be no earth without God. And there would have been no living things unless God had created order out of chaos. The sun, moon and stars would not be fixed in their orbits without God and you and I would not exist unless He ordered our conception. It is because we see God as glorious, righteous
Read more
Psalm4:8        I will lie down and sleep                Th ere are times, in the life of all believers, when we no longer have control of situations. We can do nothing more. We have given our all, we have tried every possible solution and now it is out of our hands. As someone has wisely said, “It is time to let go and let God.” If we truly trust Him, if our faith will allow us, we can turn our backs on our enemies. We can block our ears to the threats. We can ignore the lies and the deceit and say,  “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone Lord, make me dwell in safety.” I should imagine that the devil, having sent a hurricane our way is not amused, when we settle in our beds in the midst of it all and drift off into a peaceful sleep! But that is our right and privilege once we let the Lord God Almighty take control. These spiritual attacks are like whirlwinds, they blow with terrifying intensity and threaten to turn us upside down; the disciples witnessed one of thes
Read more