Psalm 27:5

Psalm 27:5  

The solid rock

     “For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling.” The Tabernacle, after it was removed from Shiloh and brought by David to Jerusalem, was referred to at the time as the Tabernacle of David. He went to great trouble to track down the furniture and fittings that went into its construction, but it was not just the materials that were important, for David also re-established the worship of God centre stage in Israel. Later he would draw up the blueprint for a magnificent, permanent Temple, to be built by his son, Solomon. As we have seen, there is no question that the simple Tabernacle was at the heart of all that David achieved in his lifetime, for it was here that the Lord God dwelt and where David could reconnect with the faith of his ancestors and also meet with the Lord himself. I doubt that there was anything he achieved in his lifetime that was as important to him as this glorious construction with all of its significance to Israel. So, when the day of trouble came, David did not run first for his army Generals or reach for his sword. He ran first to the Lord, and if the trouble was personal, he took shelter in the Tabernacle. What a lesson for you and me. Where do we go first when trouble hits? Who do we turn to when threatened or anxious or afraid? Our God will keep us safe; we must always run to Him, He will never let us down. 

 

It is worth noting the number of times that the Psalms refer to the Lord God as a rock. We looked at this analogy in some depth in Psalm 18 and discovered that the word rock can mean a number of different things, everything from a pebble to a plateau or a high mountain. Think “Rock of Gibraltar” and you have an idea of the meaning of the word “Tsor” here in this verse. David runs to the Tabernacle, a man-made tent, easily destructible, but it is the place where the Lord God dwells. As he worships and celebrates the blessings of God David muses over his own security and confidence in this, unfortified place, and he realises that he is, in fact, standing on a vast, indestructible plateau, as solid and secure as any place on earth. It is not the place that is the source of his security, but the God who dwells there. This is the incredible thing that he wants us to understand, that we can be anywhere in the world and if the Lord is with us we are effectively standing on solid rock. A prison cell, an open boat on a choppy ocean, a camel in a desert, an overgrown pathway in a tropical jungle; if God is with us the place is solid rock! We can see for miles. We cannot be shaken. This place is impregnable to our enemies. This is stable ground. We are completely safe. Let’s stand on the rock today.

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