Protected

 

My husband has very fair skin. When the sun is at its brightest, he wears sunscreen or tends to look for some shade. I just found out that the OT word for ‘shade’ is sometimes translated as PROTECTION.

Another interesting discovery is that God not only protects His people but He can remove protection from our enemies:

Numbers 14:8-9. “If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”

Other OT words are translated as protection. One of them means help or assistance. For instance, Ezra was able to go home from captivity in Babylon and take others with him. He stopped on the way to pray for a safe journey, giving his reasons in Ezra 8:22: “For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, ‘The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.’”

This reminded me of times when I called on God to do something, even told others I’d done that, and when it didn’t happen as soon as I wanted it to, I tried taking matters into my own hands instead of waiting for Him to act. Like Ezra, I should have been ashamed of myself for ruining my own testimony about God’s grace and power to hear my prayers.

This does not negate human action when asking God for help. For instance, Nehemiah was rebuilding the city walls ruined by their captives, the Babylonians. Others tried to stop the repairs, but Nehemiah 4:9 says, “And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.” This man prayed, but also did what was needed to keep his workers from harm. In other words, when I ask God to protect me, I do not play in traffic but instead do sensible things to stay out of trouble.

The psalmists often refer to God’s protection. They call Him our Refuge and Fortress, and other words meaning the same thing. When translated as protection, they bring out the results of knowing God’s care. For example, He deepens our joy: Psalm 5:11. “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.”

Other psalms speak of His protection in the day of trouble and against the power of enemies. This word also describes His concern for widows and orphans, also all His people. God Himself says in Psalm 91:14, “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.”

However, the prophets warn against running to other forms of protection. Isaiah 30:1–3 says:

“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.”

Protection sometimes means God’s defense of His people as in Isaiah 31:4–5:

For thus the Lord said to me, “As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him, he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts will protect (defend) Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. God’s power to protect me is displayed in many ways yet one NT verse describes His ultimate protection against my ultimate enemy. 1 John 5:18–19 says, “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” Daily news shows the truth of Satan’s power and activity, but daily victories over sin shout the greater power of God. His protection is a continuing blessing of being His child.