A Stronghold against all threats . . .

 

In ancient times many civilizations protected themselves by making their cities a FORTRESS. Sometimes the location was high, difficult to enter, strongly fortified with high walls and protective weapons. In those days, combat was close. They didn’t have fighter planes, long-range missiles, drones, or anything that could attack an enemy they could not see in front of them. I’m reminded of castles seen in Scotland and other parts of Europe and some of the cities impossibly perched on the mountains in Italy.

Fortresses are usually military strongholds however this word is also used to describe someone not susceptible to outside influence or disturbance, a person who is a fortress against all threats.

Almost all Bible verses that call God a FORTRESS are in the psalms. This indicates the poetic use as a metaphor. It does not say God is like a fortress but that He is our fortress. That is, when the Bible uses the word FORTRESS to describe God, it mean that He protects us against evil whenever we run to Him; He cannot be touched by the Liar and Destroyer or anything else that threatens us.

David uses this description many times. The first is on the day that God delivered him from his enemies and from Saul who tried to kill him. In 2 Samuel 22:2–3. He said,

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.

David knew that his deliverance came from God, not from any other source. His ideas of how to escape and all his defenses were God-given. For that reason, God was given full credit for his protection.

David also gave credit to God for protection of others as well as himself. In Psalm 9:9 he said, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”

This does not mean automatic protection for everyone. Most of the passages that pair God as a fortress also say something about taking refuge in Him. He is the stronghold for those who go to Him for protection. If I try to overcome adversity by myself, I’m apt to be disappointed at the very least. Being defeated is far more likely.

God does this for His people yet also for His own name’s sake so that we can experience Him as is our hiding place, our strong protector.

Psalm 31:1–4. In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.

This is a relationship of trust. I will not run to God for deliverance and protection if I don’t think He cares or is there for me. In Psalm 91:2, the psalmist said, “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” And in Psalm 144:2 David repeats: “He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.”

How did these OT believers know this? Most likely by their experiences. This is certainly true of David. Yet God also makes Himself known in ways that are mysterious and wonderful. When outsiders attacked Jerusalem, Psalm 48:3 says, “Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Many more verses point to God as a fortress, a stronghold and place of safety, hidden and high above the threats of life. These days, He is proving Himself to me as a very real hiding place. His protection from doubt and fearful thoughts is part of that, but He is also working in the hearts of those who threaten our peace and safety making the idea of fortress far more than a mere figure of speech. I am daily and constantly amazed by the wonderful grace of God who makes Himself my stronghold!