2 Sam. 22:2-3, God Our Refuge (1)

 Distress!  Trouble!  Storms!  What types of human situations do these words suggest to you? We might say they are synonymous.  But we can also say that they suggest something different.  In one there might be tears.  In another, fear.  If we think about it, our times of trial have great variation. 

Enough of that.  Here’s a better thought. In the NIV Psalm 9:9, Jer. 16:19 and Nahum 1:7 all have the English word “refuge.”  God is our refuge. (The NKJV has refuge, refuge and trust.)  But what is interesting is that each of these has a different Hebrew word that is translated the same in English.  That happens a lot, to be honest with you.  Each of those “refuge” words presents a different picture.  Let’s meditate, for the next few posts, on the many ways that God is our refuge. 

First: a warning.  I am going to frequently put the number from Strong’s Concordance for the Hebrew word.  You can ignore the numbers if you wish, of you can use them to understand which word is being used in a particular passage.

There are five questions we will ask and answer: in what sense is God our refuge?  When do we need a refuge?  What other “refuges” do men turn to in times of trouble?  What benefits come to those who make God their refuge?  And how does one make God his refuge?

1)    In what sense is God our refuge?

a)    Word definitions.

i)      From 2 Sam. 22:2-3:

(1)                        Rock (5553), “security, refuge,” emphasis on a cliff or cleft in a rock.

(2)                        Fortress (4686), mesuda, a strong hold.

(3)                        Deliverer (6403), to rescue, provide escape (also used in a negative way, of escaping).

(4)                        Rock (6697), used of for foreign gods sometimes; "reliability/strength/endurance;” emphasis on massiveness.

(5)                        Refuge (2620), basic term; to flee for protection; military term of soldiers finding protection in the hills or strong rocks.  Stresses God’s security and the helplessness of the defender.

(6)                        Shield (4043), small round shield; refuge in midst of battle.

(7)                        Horn (7161), denotes power; God’s power provides salvation.

(8)                        Stronghold (4869), misgab, a cliff, inaccessible place.

(9)                        Refuge (4498), manos, a retreat, place to flee.

(10)                   Savior (3467), yeshua, like a deliverer but more positive (where He brings us rather than what we are delivered from), brings salvation, victory.