Provérbios 18

Provérbios 18:10

Gill - The name of the Lord is a strong tower - By "the name of the Lord" may be meant, either the attributes and perfections of God, by which he is made known, and which are the strength and security of his people; his goodness, grace, and mercy, are their defense; his favor encompasses them about, as a shield; his justice protects them from all injuries and insults; his truth and faithfulness preserve them; they are kept by his power, as in a garrison; and his unchangeableness is a reason why they are not consumed: or else the Lord himself; his name is put for himself, Psalm 20:1; and may be well interpreted of the Messiah, as it is by the ancient Jew,F17; in and by whom God is manifested unto men as the God of grace; in whom he proclaims his name, a God gracious and merciful; whose name is in him, and who has the same nature and perfections with him; his name is Jehovah, our righteousness; Immanuel, God with us; the mighty God, and Prince of peace; and who is called Jesus, because he saves his people from their sins, and so is their security from eternal destruction. What a strong tower is to them that are within it, against an enemy without, that is the power, strength, and might of Christ to his people; as a divine Person, he is strong and mighty, the most mighty, the Almighty; as man, he is the man of God's right hand, made strong for himself and us; as Mediator, he has all power in heaven and earth: in him is everlasting strength for his people; he is their Betzer, their fortified place, or city of refuge, to flee unto on all occasions; he is the strong hold, whither prisoners of hope are directed to turn to; he is their place of defence, and the munition of rocks; a strong tower, inexpugnable; so deeply founded, no enemy can work under it; and plant a mine to blow it up; so highly built; no scaling ladders can reach it; so fortified, no cannon balls can break through it, or demolish any of its walls and bulwarks, which are his salvation; the gates of hell cannot prevail against it; it is not to be taken by storm, or by the most violent attack of the whole posse of men and devils; the righteous runs into it; not self-righteous persons, they run from Christ and his righteousness, not to him and that; but such who see their own righteousness will not justify them; who indeed are sinners, know and acknowledge themselves to be such; as sinners go to Christ, who, as such, receives them; and these are righteous through the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and live soberly, righteously, and godly: and it is the continual business or employment of their faith to betake themselves to Christ upon all occasions; they are continually coming to him, and exercising faith upon him, as the Lord their righteousness, which is meant by "running" to him; this supposes knowledge of him, as the strong tower and city of refuge; of the way unto him, and of the reception by him which may be expected; it supposes a principle of spiritual life, and some degree of spiritual strength; a sense of danger or of want in themselves, and of safety and fulness in Christ; it is expressive of haste, readiness, and cheerfulness, and is owing to the drawings of efficacious grace; and such an one that thus runs is safe; from the avenging justice of God; from the curse and condemnation of the law; from sin, and all its dreadful consequences; from Satan, and all spiritual enemies; from wrath to come, hell, and the second death: or is "set aloft"F18; is on high; for this tower, as it is a strong one, it is a high one; a rock of refuge, higher than men, or angels, or heaven itself; and such who are in it are out of the reach of all danger and every enemy. Proverbs 18:11 - The rich man's wealth is his strong city,… In which he dwells, over which he presides; in which he places his trust and confidence, and thinks himself safe from every enemy and from all trouble: as one observes, "the abundance of a rich man's wealth he conceives to be as it were the abundance of people in a "city"; the telling of his money he imagines to be the walking of people up and down the streets; his bags standing thick together to be so many houses standing close one to the other; his iron barred chests to be so mary bulwarks; his bonds and bills to be his cannons and demi-cannons, his great ordinance; and in the midst of these he thinketh himself environed with a "great wall", which no trouble is able to leap over, which no misery is able to break through.' As it follows; and as a high wall in his own conceit: which not only separates and distinguishes him from others; but, as he imagines, will secure him from all dangers, and will be abiding, lasting, and durable: but all this is only "in his own conceit", or "imagery"F20; in the chambers of his imagery, as Jarchi, referring to Ezekiel 8:12; where the same word is used; for this wall shall not stand; these riches cannot secure themselves, they take wing and fly away; and much less the owner of them, not from public calamities, nor from personal diseases of body, nor from death, nor from wrath to come. Ralph Wardlaw Lectures on the Book of Proverbs, Vol. 2 (1869) Pr 18:10–12. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit. Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.” Between these verses there is a manifest and interesting connection; and we therefore take them together in illustration. “The NAME of the Lord” means his character—his perfections, as revealed in His word;—what any one is, being naturally associated with, and suggested by, his name. When the Psalmist says, “They that know Thy name will put their trust in thee” (Ps 9:10)—it is quite obvious, that by knowing Jehovah’s name he means more than merely knowing that God was called Jehovah. It is to know God Himself;—the idiom being quite common in the Scriptures of using the name of a person as a phrase for the person to whom the name belongs. The comparison of Jehovah’s name to “a strong tower” is frequent. (Ps. 18:2; 27:7; 61:3, 4; 91:2; 144:2) There is in this, occasion for grateful wonder; that to a sinner God’s name should be a refuge!—Surely, it was not to have been expected that a rebellious and guilty creature should find his refuge there! It is that from which such a creature might be supposed to shrink and to flee, as yielding him anything but the prospect of protection and safety. It is God as revealed in His word that is meant. The grand object of that word is to make known the gospel—the way of salvation;—God in his true character as light and love; “delighting in mercy;” “in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” It is in this character—in which he made himself known before the law, under the law, and more clearly under the dispensation of “the fulness of time,”—that God invites sinners to come to him, and to put their trust in him; in his name,—in his character, in the truths and promises of his covenant. To “the righteous—the name of the Lord”—the Lord in whom they have believed—“is a strong tower:”—a tower of impregnable security. And in times of temptation, trial, difficulty, and danger, it is always at hand,—so that they may “run into it,” and feel their safety. All that can be imagined necessary to ensure protection is combined in JEHOVAH’S NAME. There is the union of mercy and love, wisdom, righteousness, faithfulness, and power, all pledged in covenant promise, by their God and Father in Christ. Thither, then, may the tried, afflicted, imperiled, tempted child of God ever betake himself; and there he will delightfully feel that all is safe and well. There he can sit secure and sing—“God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea,” Ps 46:1, 2. In the next verse Pr 18:11, a temptation is mentioned to a very different kind of confidence:—“The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.” This is a “strong delusion,” and shows the tendency of our nature, under various influences, to “believe a lie.” Surely he is going on with “a lie in his right hand,” who is thus “trusting in his wealth, and boasting himself of the multitude of his riches;”—who is thus “saying to the gold, Thou art my hope, and to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;” who is thus “setting his heart upon that which is not.” While he exults in his security, and regards his wealth as his “high wall” of protection from evils and sufferings that abound around him,—and alas! from within its entrenchments even sets at defiance the salutary admonitions of that God who gives him all, and warns him of a reckoning to come,—it is a “high wall” only “in his own conceit.” It is a wall of no real strength, and affording no real safety,—either from the ills of time, or from the woes of eternity. It is a wall that is only “daubed with untempered mortar,” and to which the words of the prophet may, in all their emphasis, be accommodated:—“Say unto them who daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower, and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall, and a stormy wind shall rend it,” Ezek. 13:11. It is a wall which, even although no desolating storm should overthrow it in the rich worldling’s life time, is to him, in the very decay of his own life, molding away, and coming to ruin; and leaving him, in the end, to the full and torturing experience of all that is meant by the simple but alarming question—“Then, whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?”—Or, to change the figure—Death, like an armed man, in the might of his resistless commission, shall invade his stronghold, at the very moment, it may be, when he is most confidently vaunting of its security;—and before that all-conquering power, no wealth shall profit him; “no, not gold nor all the forces of strength.” Pr 18:12 The “haughty heart”—the spirit of proud and self-confident independence engendered and fostered by “wealth”—is but the prelude to “destruction.” Biblical Illustrator - Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe. The security of those who trust in God I. Explain what is to be understood by “the name of the Lord.” No particular virtue or charm attaches to the sound or pronunciation of the name. In a mistaken veneration for the name the Jews refused to pronounce it at all. But a rash profanation of the name of God is unspeakably more criminal. By the name of the Lord we are to understand the Lord God Himself--His nature, as it is discovered to us in all His glorious perfection, particularly in His power and goodness to save and deliver them that put their trust in Him. Three principal ways by which God hath discovered Himself to mankind. 1. The visible creation. 2. The written Word. 3. The daily administration of His providence. II. What is implied in the righteous running into the name of the Lord as a strong tower? The epithet “strong tower” conveys to the mind the idea of protection and defence. God’s almighty providence is the surest and strongest defence against all enemies of whatever kind, let their art, their activity, their malignity be what they will. 1. Running into the name implies the lively exercise of faith both in the power and the willingness of God to protect. It is only by faith that we can go to an invisible God. Faith, in applying the power and promise of God, receives very much strength from the examples of His mercy, either towards ourselves or others. The name is recorded in every page of the history of providence. 2. The righteous “runneth into the name” by the exercise of fervent prayer. Praying is the immediate and direct means of imploring the Divine assistance and protection. Faith is the habitual principle, and prayer is the actual application of it. Though God knows all our wants perfectly, He requires that we implore His assistance by prayer. And prayer is the natural remedy to which all are ready to fly in extremity. 3. The righteous “runneth into the name” by diligence in his duty; which implies three things: III. The perfect security of the righteous. 1. Wherein does this safety consist? “Is safe” might be rendered “is exalted,” “placed on high.” God preserves them from dangers which they could not escape. They have the promise of strength and support in the time of trial. They are sure of deliverance in the end, and complete victory over all sufferings of every kind. 2. The certainty of it is based on the Divine perfections, on the faithful promises, and on the experience of the saints. Learn-- Two defenses--real and imaginary The two verses put side by side two pictures, two fortifications: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower”; that is so, whether a man thinks it or not; that is an objective truth and always true. “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,” because “in his own conceit” he has made it so. So we have on the one side fact and on the other side fancy. The two pictures are worth looking at. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower.” Now, of course, I need not remind you that “the name of the Lord,” or “the name of Jesus Christ,” means a great deal more than the syllables by which He is designated, which is all that we understand generally by a name. It means, to put it into far less striking words, the whole character of God, in so far as it is revealed to men. So we have to recognise in that great expression the clearest utterance of the two thoughts which have often been regarded as antagonistic, viz., the imperfection, and yet the reality, of our knowledge of God. His name is not the same as Himself, but it is that by which He is known. Our knowledge of Him, after all revelation, is incomplete, but it is His name--that is to say, it corresponds to the realities of His nature, and may be absolutely and for ever trusted. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower,” which, translated into plain prose, is just this--in that revealed character there is all that shelterless, defenceless men can need for absolute security and perfect peace. We may illustrate that by considering either Him who defends or him that is defended. On the one hand, perfect wisdom, perfect love, perfect power, that endure for ever; and on the other hand, men weighed upon by sore distresses, crippled and wounded by many transgressions. These two, the defence and the defenceless, fit into each other like the seal to its impress, the convexity to the cavity. Whatever man needs, God is, and whatever dangers, dreads, pains, losses, sorrows, sins, attack humanity, in Him is the refuge for them all. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower.” Do you believe that; and is it an operative belief in your lives? “The righteous runneth into it”; and what is that running into it? Neither more nor less than the act of faith. One of the words of the Old Testament which is frequently translated--and rightly so--“trust,” has for its literal meaning to flee to a refuge. So, says our teacher, the way to get into the fortress, and to have the solemn battlements of that Divine name round our unarmed and else shelterless weakness, is simply to trust in Him. But the word suggests the urgency and the effort that will always go with faith. “The righteous runneth into it”--not dawdles in it--“and is safe.” And that takes effort and means haste. Do not put off your flight. And stop in it when you are there, by that constant communion with the name of the Lord, which will bring you tranquillity. “In Me ye shall have peace.” Stay behind the strong bulwarks. But there is a formidable word in this old proverb. “The righteous runneth into it.” Does not that upset all our hopes? I need not say anything about the safety, except to make one remark. The word rendered “is safe “ literally means “is high.” The intention, of course, is to express safety, but it expresses it in a picturesque fashion which has its bearing upon the word in the next verse, viz., it sets before us the thought that the man who has taken refuge in the strong tower goes up to the top of it by the winding staircase, and high up there the puny bows of the foe below cannot shoot an arrow that will reach him. That is a truth for faith. We have to bear the common lot of humanity, but the evil that is in the evil, the bitterness that is in the sorrow, the poison that is in the sting, all these may be taken away for us. And now I need only say a word or two about the companion picture, the illusory imagination. “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and a high wall in his own conceit.” It is very hard to have, and to be concerned about, and to use, the external good without putting our trust in it. The Bible has no foolish condemnation of wealth. And we all know, whether in regard to money, or to earthly loves, or to outward possessions and blessings of all sorts, how difficult it is to keep within the limit, not to rely upon these, and to think that if we have them we are blessed. What can we do, any of us, when real calamities come? Will wealth or anything else keep away the tears? What will prevent the sorrows, deal with the sins, or enable us to be of good cheer in the face of death and disease, and to say, “You cannot touch me”? Ah! there is but one thing that will do that for us. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower.” The other man has “a high wall in his own conceit.” Did you ever see the canvas fortifications at some entertainments that they put up to imitate strong castles?--canvas stretched upon bits of stick. That is the kind of strong wall that the man puts up who trusts in the uncertainty of any earthly thing, or in anything but the living God. Let us keep ourselves within the Divine limits in regard to all external things. It is hard to do it, but it can be done. And there is only one way to do it, and that is by the same act by which we take refuge in the true fortress--viz., by faith and communion. When we realise that God is our defence, then we can see through the insufficiency of the others. (A. Maclaren, D. D.) The name of the Lord a strong tower It is essential that man’s hopes should rest on a firm basis. I. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. Names have a twofold use--to distinguish and describe. Our names generally serve only to distinguish the individual. Sometimes, however, they describe as well as distinguish, and when this is the ease, their significancy is greatly increased. The name of God is descriptive; it describes the attributes of His character as revealed to us. What God is in Himself is implied in the name Jehovah, the existent. What the Almighty God is to His sinful and rebellious creatures is a matter of anxious inquiry. He is condescending, full of compassion, ready to forgive, slow to anger, yet by no means clearing the guilty. Such is the name of the Lord, which the text reminds us is a “strong tower.” A tower is a place built for shelter and security. Its strength consists in the durability of the materials of which it is composed. God’s name is called a strong tower, on account of the strength of the foundation on which they build who are sheltered within it. II. The conduct of the righteous. He “runneth into it.” The real Christian is the one who is earnest in the pursuit of everlasting life. He is impelled by a sense of danger. He is animated by the hope of safety. III. The safety of the righteous within the tower. He is safe from-- 1. The assaults of the devil. 2. From the world. 3. From his own natural depravity. 4. From the accusations of the law. 5. From the accusations of conscience. 6. From the fear of death. (J. R. Shurlock, M. A.) On trust in God As a strong tower was considered, under the ancient system of warfare, to be a place of entire security from harm, this text is nothing else than a figurative manner of expressing the extreme importance of putting our whole trust in God. The reasonableness of this duty will appear if we consider the Divine perfections. 1. God’s unlimited power. It is proclaimed by the heavens, the work of His fingers, and by the earth, which He has suspended upon nothing. Everything declares that He is at least fully competent to our preservation and deliverance. 2. His particular providence, as displayed in the government of the universe. Even things which we are wont to regard as casual and trivial are subjected to His perpetual control. 3. His beneficence. He is ever ready to relieve and to bless. He is not only competent, He is willing to promote our good. 4. His tried and approved veracity “God is faithful, who hath promised.” In our intercourse with each other, experience is the basis of confidence, of mercantile credit, and of moral character. The same principle should lead us to place confidence in God. Two remarks to guard the subject from misconception. Our strong tower There are many war similes in the Bible. 1. Men mistake by resting satisfied with unstable and insecure bases. The sense of dependence is in every man so strong that no man can be happy quite alone, and leaning on nothing. Men try to satisfy themselves with one or other of three things. 2. Men cannot be truly strong for life until they have God behind them. To know a man is to apprehend all that makes up his individuality, or to “know his name.” So the “ name of God” includes everything that spheres Him as God: a just apprehension of God and His relations--a true knowledge of God. To know God in covenant is a strong tower. The “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” is God known through relationships and tried by experience. That God can be our “tower.” In Scripture, to know the name of any one implies familiarity and confidence; and to know God by name implies such confidence as makes Him to us a strong “tower.” To do anything in the name of another is to carry with you their authority, as with the ambassador or the old prophet. The name of God is a storehouse of wealth and strength, from which all recurring needs can be supplied. Then comes the moral force needed to deal with-- 1. The attacks of life. 2. The defences of life. 3. The retreats of life. Who can use this defence of God? Only the man whose purpose is to live the righteous life, and whose constant effort is to realise his purpose. (Weekly Pulpit.) The name of the Lord I. Christ is a Stronghold, for as such He has been appointed and ordained by God. Wisdom. II. Christ is a Stronghold, because of the absolute perfection of His obedience, and the entire adequacy of His atonement. Holiness and justice. III. Christ is a Stronghold, because God has actually accepted of His vicarious work. Faithfulness. IV. Christ is a Stronghold, because as a King He hath sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. Power. V. The testimony of men--those “who have fled for refuge.” (James Stewart.) Our Stronghold Strong towers were a greater security in a bygone age than they are now. Castles were looked upon as being very difficult places for attack; and ancient troops would rather fight a hundred battles than endure a single siege. He who owned a strong tower felt, however potent might be his adversary, his walls and bulwarks would be his sure salvation. I. The character of God furnishes the righteous with an abundant security. The character of God is the refuge of the Christian in opposition to other refuges which godless men have chosen; and as a matter of fact and reality. The purpose of God in our salvation is the glorifying of His own character, and this it is that makes our salvation positively sure; if every one that trusts in Christ be not saved, then is God dishonored. His character is the great granite formation upon which must rest all the pillars of the covenant of grace, and the sure mercies thereof. His wisdom, truth, mercy, justice, power, eternity, and immutability, are the seven pillars of the house of sure salvation. This is true not only as a matter of fact but also as a matter of experience. Even when the Lord Himself chastens us, it is most blessed to appeal against God to God. II. How the righteous avail themselves of this strong tower. They run into it. They do not stop to make any preparation. And the running implies that they have nothing to carry; and that fear quickens them. When a man enters a castle, he is safe because of the impregnability of the castle, not because of the way in which he entered into the castle. III. Entering the strong tower is a joyous experience. For “is safe” the margin reads “is set aloft.” 1. This is a matter of fact. He is safe, for who can hurt him? Who has power to reach him? What weapon is there that can be used against him? 2. This is a matter of experience. The believer in his high days {and they ought to be every day) is like an eagle perched aloft on a towering crag. Yonder is a hunter down below, who would fain strike the royal bird; he has his rifle with him, but his rifle would not reach one-third of the way. So the royal bird looks down upon him in quiet contempt, not intending even to take the trouble to stretch one of his wings, for he is quite safe, he is up aloft. Such is the faithful Christian’s state before God. (C. H. Spurgeon.) A place of refuge In the ancient Greek states certain temples afforded protection to criminals, whom it was unlawful to drag from them, although the supply of food might be intercepted. As early as the seventh century the protection of sanctuary was afforded to persons fleeing to a church or certain boundaries surrounding it. In several English churches there was a stone seat beside the altar, where those fleeing to the peace of the church were held to be guarded by its sanctity. (Chambers’ Encyclopedia.) The name of God a refuge The name of God is his harbour, where he puts in as boldly as a man steps into his own house when taken in a shower. (H. G. Salter.) The Preacher’s Complete Homiletic Commentary TWO CITADELS I. The citadel of him who trusts in the Lord. “The name of the Lord.” God has revealed Himself to men by many names, each one of which is intended to set forth some attribute of His perfect nature. The name “I AM,” by which He revealed Himself to Israel (Exod. 3:14) set forth His eternal self-existence, but He has also revealed Himself by names which are used to express human relations, such as king, judge, husband, father. These names are often borne by men who are destitute of the qualifications and feelings proper to the relationships which they express, but when any one of them is applied to God it is applied to one who combines within Himself all those attributes of character in perfection which ought to be possessed in some degree by men who are called by these names. The righteous man’s refuge, then, is a Living Personality—a Self-existent and Eternal King and Father, infinite in power, in wisdom, and in tenderness. It is therefore 1 An ever-present refuge. “God is not far from every one of us” (Acts 17:27), and being ever near, is always accessible. 2. An impregnable refuge. Before an enemy can attack those who have taken refuge in a fortress, they must carry the citadel itself. So before any enemy can harm a righteous man, he must overcome the Almighty God; he must circumvent His plans, and overthrow his purposes. “When His wisdom can mistake, His might decay, His love forsake,” then, but not till then, will those be exposed to danger who have put their trust in Him. 3. An eternal refuge. The “arms” of strength that defend the children of God are “everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:7). Many of the ancient fortresses that are scattered over our land were once deemed impregnable refuges. But although they bade defiance to many an assault of men in battle-array, they have had to yield to a more subtle enemy. Time has crumbled their once mighty walls, and made them unfit for purposes of defence. But the righteous man can say to Him who is his “strong tower,” “Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations… Even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God” (Ps. 90:1, 2). II. The stronghold of the man who trusts in riches. 1. Riches are no defence against a man’s most powerful enemies. While a man has wealth he is defended from many bodily ills and from many vexations of spirit. A man of narrow means has often to fight a hard battle to supply his bodily necessities, and is a stranger to those luxuries which make life, in this respect, so comfortable to a rich man. And a poor man has also to bend his will to the will of his richer neighbour—to endure often “th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely.” Wealth is a defence against all these enemies to a man’s comfort. But there are troubles far heavier than any of these, from which riches afford no protection. Disease and death cannot be turned aside with money—a troubled soul cannot be comforted with gold. A bed of down cannot do much for a man whose body is racked with pain—it can do nothing for him whose soul is bowed down by sorrow, or smitten with a fear of death. In any of these straits a soul can find no “strong city” of refuge in the possession of untold millions; these enemies laugh at such a wall of defence. The man who trusts in material wealth as his chief good, has either made too low an estimate of his own needs, or too high an estimate of the power of wealth. 2. Wealth is a fortress with a most uncertain foundation. Granted that it is a defence against some very real ills, who can insure to himself a continuance of his present possessions? The uncertainty of riches has been a subject upon which the sages and moralists of all ages have dwelt—the millionaire of to-day may be a beggar to-morrow, and he who was last year surrounded by this “high wall,” which shut in so much that was agreeable to his senses and shut ont so many discomforts from his temporal life, may be standing to-day a forlorn, unsheltered creature, with only the ruins of his once imposing fortress around him. On this subject see also Homiletics on chap. 11:28. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS on Proverbs 18:10-11 This strong refuge is not only safe, but “set aloft,” so the word signifies, out of the gunshot. None can pull out of His hands. Run therefore to God by praying, not fainting. This is the best policy for security. That which is said of wily persons that are full of fetches, of windings, and of turnings in the world, that such will never break, is much more true of a righteous, praying Christian. He hath but one grand policy to secure him against all dangers, and that is, to run to God.—Trapp. To this tower the wicked are sometimes driven in distress, then seeking help here, when it is nowhere else to be found. But the righteous in any distress runneth presently unto it. Thither their eyes look, thither their hands are stretched, thither their hearts carry them. Yea, they are not only carried unto it but into it, by placing their confidence in it, and making it their safety. They are well acquainted with the way, and therefore can make speed; they have cast off the clogs of worldly impediments and so are fit for running; they think it much longer until they come to God, than impatient hearts do until they come to help.—Jermin. To “the righteous” God is good, and he nestles and shelters himself in that; “runs into” the nurture and shelter of God’s love, and, in the comfort of this strong tower, “is lifted high.” But there is a profounder sense. The very “name” that is cavilled at by the lost is the foundation of the Christian’s safety. “What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh,” God did by His “name.” He gave it to Christ’s humanity. More specifically speaking, He used it in the “name” of His own righteousness, to balance our guilt and to give weight and value to the price of His redemption. We are repeatedly said to be saved by the “name” of God (Psa. 54:1; John 17:11, 12). And this is the meaning. The perfect holiness of God, which the lost man would upbraid, is what is vital in the cross of Christ. It is not only “a strong tower,” but our only defence. And the act of faith is a renouncing of self and a snatching at “the name,” that is, the righteousness or substituted standing of our Great Deliverer. Miller. Take the sinner in his first awakening conviction. He trembles at the thought of eternal condemnation. He looks forward—all is terror; backward—nothing but remorse; inward—all is darkness. Till now he had no idea of his need of salvation. His enemy now suggests that it is beyond his reach; that he has sinned too long and too much, against too much light and knowledge; how can he be saved? But the name of the Lord meets his eye. He spells out every letter, and putting it together, cries—“Who is a God like unto thee?” (Mic. 7:18.) He runs to it, as to a strong tower. His burden of conscience is relieved. His soul is set free, and he enjoys his safety. Take—again—the child of God—feeble, distressed, assaulted. “What, if I should return to the world, look back, give up my profession, yield to my own deceitful heart, and perish at last with aggraved condemnation?” You are walking outside the gates of your tower; no wonder that your imprudence exposes you to “the fiery darts of the wicked.” Read again the name of the Lord! Go back within the walls—See upon the tower the name—“I am the Lord; I change not” (Mal. 3:6). Read the direction to trust in it—“Who is there among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant: that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God” (Isa. 1:10). Mark the warrant of experience in this trust—“They that know thy name shall put their trust in Thee; for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee” (Psalm 9:10). Thus sense of danger, knowledge of the way, confidence in the strength of the tower—all gives a spring of life and earnestness to run into it. Here the righteous—the man justified by the grace, and sanctified by the Spirit, of God—runneth every day, every hour; realizing at once his fearful danger, and his perfect security.—Bridges. GOD’S KEEP Francis Morse ‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.’ Proverbs 18:10 Our Visitation Service seems to meet, or at least to suggest to us how to meet, a sick man’s want in the short sentences which follow the Lord’s Prayer and are summed up in the prayer which follows them: ‘O Lord! look down from heaven, behold, visit, and relieve this Thy servant. Look upon him with the eyes of Thy mercy, give him comfort and sure confidence in Thee, defend him from the danger of the enemy, and keep him in perpetual peace and safety; through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ The central thought of these sentences is in the image before us from the book of Proverbs. ‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.’ This is a striking picture of one who, feeling his inability to keep himself safe, and not knowing how many foes he has around him, flies to a place of well-known strength, and resting there is confident that he is secure. St. Peter uses the same image when he speaks of God’s elect as ‘kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.’ A keep is the stronghold of an ancient castle, and to be kept by the power of God is to be taken care of by Him in the stronghold of His might Who is almighty to save. There are many other beautiful passages in which God enhances this thought and assures us of the strength of His salvation. There is a time, many a time, in the Christian’s course for the vigorous action of all his powers; there is a time also, and the prostration of sickness is that time, for the quiet, still repose of his soul on the wisdom and the love and the almightiness of God. He cannot keep himself, but he can let himself be kept by His Father Who is in heaven. ‘Ah!’ you may say, ‘but sickness is a time of natural depression. The nerves are unstrung. I feel, I cannot tell why, I feel low and miserable and restless, and hardly able to think at all of God and His comforts.’ ‘When I am weak,’ writes St. Paul, ‘then am I strong,’ because then he threw himself absolutely on the strength of God. Wounded, wearied, and distressed as the fugitive might be, yet in the castle keep he would be safe, and convinced of his safety, though he but lay still. Saddened too, wearied and distressed as you are, yet in the stronghold of the Almighty and in the home of love you poor penitents are where no ill can come, and whence no power is able to drag you. True it is that the time of your weakness is the time when, as the Service for the Sick suggests, the face of the enemy may be especially set against you; and it may be his temptation which, availing itself of your weakness, assaults and depresses you. But remember you are within the walls of salvation, he is without. Abide in Christ, and you are equally safe from the lion that is going about to devour. You may hear his roar without, you may see his power upon those outside, you may know how much he desires to have you; but this need not disturb your peace, it may even increase it, as you cling the closer to your Saviour, and are more and more assured that ‘where He is nigh no ill can come.’ ‘O God! Who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of Whom standeth our eternal life, Whose service is perfect freedom; defend us Thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in Thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.’ Chuck Smith The Name of Jesus I. SOME OF THESE FORCES THAT FACE US. A. The Spirit forces; "We wrestle not against flesh and blood." 1. It's hard to fight something you can't see. 2. You feel out of sorts and you don't know why. a. Discouraged. b. Depressed. c. Edgy. d. Anxious, worried. e. Each of these will lead to doubt. B. The interpersonal relationships. 1. Strong disagreement with your spouse. a. Maybe they have left you, and your life was built around them. 1. What am I going to do? 2. Where shall I go? 3. How will I survive? b. The deeper you have loved them, the more devastating the experience can be. 2. Maybe you are on different wave lengths than your child. a. Constant tension. b. Meal times have become disasters. 3. It could be at work. Someone has it in for you. a. They try to make you look bad. b. They call attention and laugh at your mistakes. C. Life itself. 1. Why do the ungodly prosper? a. Some seem to get along quite well without God. 2. Why is there suffering? 3. Why must death come to someone I loved so deeply? D. Where can we turn? The name "Jehovah." II. HOW MEN IN THE PAST HAVE RUN INTO THAT NAME. A. Abraham - Jehovah Jireh - The Lord sees. B. Moses, Battle against Amalikites - Jehovah Nissi. C. Gideon - Jehovah - Shalom - The Lord our peace. D. Jeremiah - Jehovah Tsidkenu - Our righteousness. E. Ezekiel - Jehovah Shammah - The Lord is there. III. THE NAME OF JESUS. A. So names by the angel Gabriel when he announced to Mary that she was the one favored by God to be the human instrument. 1. Later confirmed to Joseph when he was in doubt as to what to do. "Call His name JESUS for He shall save His people from their sin." B. The name Jesus is the Greek of the Hebrew name Jehoshua (Numbers 13:16). Later contracted to Joshua. C. The name means, The Lord is our Savior. D. This name is above all names. E. This name is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe. 1. How often has this name brought me: a. Hope. b. Peace. c. Comfort. d. Strength. e. Healing. THE STRENGTH OF A NAME Our lives are daily filled with pressures, stresses and strains. The day when we are forced to say "I can't" is a day of tragic defeat of glorious victory. I. LOOK AT SOME OF THE FORCES AGAINST US. A. The forces of Satan "For we wrestle not… " 1. Satan going about as a roaring lion. 2. "Have you considered my servant Job." B. The forces of this age. 1. Disappointment "Ye my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat my bread." These are forces which individually can defeat you and united can destroy you. II. THE STRONG TOWER (PLACE OF SAFETY) THE NAME JEHOVAH. A. This name "Jehovah." 1. In Scriptures written with four consonants. JHVH. 2. A Jew would not pronounce the name. He is one who is indescribable. a. A scribe in copying text. b. A Jew in reading text. 3. Name never linked with qualifying adjectives. a. The Adonahy never the Jehovah. b. My Elohim never my Jehovah. c. The living Elohim never the living Jehovah. 4. Jehovah literally means "The becoming one." III. PICTURES OF THE STRONG TOWER. A. Abraham on Mt. Moriah 1. Extreme test of faith. 2. "Where is the sacrifice?" 3. Jehovah Jireh "The Lord will provide." a. Literally Jehovah sees - vision provision. b. Did not say, "I cannot see." 4. Where was Abraham during the three day journey. B. Moses conflict with Amalek. 1. Untrained, poorly outfitted army against well trained Amalek's, their regiments marching beneath their banners of their king. 2. Jehovah Nissi. 3. Israel in poor field position? C. Gideon a farmer called to be a general. 1. Gideon expressed his fears. a. Jehovah Shalom "our peace." b. Ultimate result of battle. 2. Gideon's men poorly armed? D. Jeremiah prophet of doom. Imprisoned, falsely accused. 1. In Dungeon as a result of gross miscarriage of justice. Jehovah Tsidkenu "our righteousness." 2. Jeremiah left dungeon and entered into strong tower. E. Ezekiel by river Chebar. His harp hanging on the willow tree as he weeps. 1. Human hope is gone - Jerusalem seems so far. 2. Jehovah Shammah "The Lord is there." 3. Left place of captivity. IV. "AND IS SAFE." A. Daniel. 1. If you say he spent the night in a den of lions you read the story superficially. V. THE NAME JESUS IS GREEK FOR JOSHUA JEHOVAH SHUA. A. The name Jesus is our strong tower. 1. You faith tested - Jesus sees. 2. Life in conflict - Jesus is your banner. 3. Called to be holy service and afraid. Jesus is your peace. 4. Hope about gone - Jesus is righteous Jesus shall reign. 5. Discouraged? No way out? Jesus is there. There's strength in His name - the devil's tremble and flee. Life full of strain and stress. The day in which we have to say, "I cannot" is a day of disaster or victory. Depends on our belief text. I. THE FORCES THAT ARE AGAINST US. A. Mystic and strange "wrestle not against flesh and blood." 1. "Going about as roaring lion seeking whom he… " 2. "Have you considered my servant Job?" Problems of: B. The age in which we live. 1. Men seem to live quite successfully without God. 2. Long continued victory of evil. 3. Universal pain. These all create stresses and strain and demand we find some place of quietness and peace. C. The self-life just when you think you have it mastered it appears anew. D. The Sorrows and bereavements. These are forces against us individually they defeat us, united they destroy us. II. THE PLACE OF SAFETY "THE NAME JEHOVAH." A. The name Jehovah. 1. In scriptures revealed by four consonants to JHVH. 2. Refused to pronounce name. Suggesting one who is indescribable. 3. Never linked with qualifying or descriptive adjective. The Jehovah - my Jehovah - The Living Jehovah. The Adonahy - My Elohim - The Living Elohim - The interpretation "The Becoming One." The one who becomes to people just what they need. B. Five Pictures. 1. Abraham Mt. Moriah - Jehovah Jireh. 2. Moses - conflict with Amelek - Jehovah NISSI. 3. Gideon - farmer called to service - Jehovah Shalom. The interpretation "The Becoming One" the one who becomes to people just what they need. C. Five pictures: 1. Abraham Mt. Moriah - Jehovah Jireh. 2. Moses - conflict with Ameleck Jehovah Nissi. 3. Gideon - farmer called to service Jehovah Shalom. 4. Jeremiah - exercising ministry Jehovah Tsidkenu of no hope - in prison. 5. Ezekiel prophet of exile Jehovah Shammal "The Lord is there." 1. Abraham faith in extremity. The Lord will provide literally the Lord will see. The Lord will see - did not say I cannot see but God can see. 2. Moses - conflict of faith - Jehovah - Nissi. Everything depended upon God being with them. 3. Gideon shrinking in fear from service - Shalom. 4. Jeremiah dungeon witness of the hope of faith in the face of no hope - Tsidkenu. 5. Ezekiel river Cheber in Babylon all human hope set aside The Lord is there." III. PROOFS OF SAFETY. A. Daniel. 1. That he was in den of lions only superficial truth where was Daniel? In the tower of Jehovah in the den. B. Mother and death of father and brother. IV. THE NAME JESUS ESSENTIALLY MEANS JEHOVAH IS SALVATION FAITH TESTED TO EXTREMITY? In conflict? Jesus our banner. Out look dark? Jesus our righteousness He shall reign. THE SAFE REFUGE I. THE NEED OF A REFUGE. A. Life filled with stresses and strains. 1. We all ultimately get to the place where we must reach out for help. 2. Day of disaster or victory. B. Many problems assault my soul. 1. The success of the ungodly. 2. The triumph of evil over good. 3. Pain. 4. Death. 5. These are times when I run into my strong tower. II. THE PLACE OF REFUGE, THE NAME JEHOVAH. A. This is the incommunicable name of God. 1. It means "I am" or the becoming one. 2. The reverence the Jews have for this name. B. Name often given in compound form. 1. Abraham - Jehovah Jireh. 2. Moses - Jehovah Nissi. 3. Gideon - Jehovah Shalom. 4. Jeremiah Jehovah Tsidkenu. 5. Ezekiel - Jehovah Shammal. III. THE NAME OF JESUS. A. Greek form of Hebrew Joshua. 1. Name given by Moses to his young minister - Jeho-Shua. 2. The name means Jehovah is salvation. 3. When the angel told Joseph to take Mary as his wife - "Call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins." B. Jesus as Jehovah. (See also Jehovah = Jesus) 1. I am come in My Father's name. John 5:43. a. Before Abraham was I am. John 8: 58. b. I am that bread of life. John 6:48. c. I am the light of the world. John 8:12. d. If you believe not that "I am " ye shall die in your sins. John 8:24. e. I am the door. John 10: 9. f. I am the good shepherd. John 10:11 C. Thus, the name Jesus has become our refuge, our strong tower. 1. How many the time I have run to it and found: a. Hope. b. Peace. c. Understanding. d. Comfort. e. Help. f. Courage. g. Strength. The name of Jesus is so sweet, I love its music to repeat, it makes my joys full and complete, the precious name of Jesus, Jesus oh how sweet the name.