MIGDAL-OZ: strong tower
“The Name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.”
Proverbs 18:10
The Meaning of His Name:
In ancient Israel men and women often spent their days toiling in the fields surrounding their towns. While sweating under the sweltering Mesopotamian sun, they kept a wary eye out for enemies whose antics threatened their survival. In the time of the Judges, the beleaguered nation suffered for seven consecutive years from these invaders who would sweep in at harvest time to steal a season’s worth of supplies. On their great lumbering camels, armed bohemian bandits overwhelmed the Jewish farmers, seriously jeopardizing their fight to survive. Year after year, hard working mothers and fathers watched in tears while their children were reduced to poverty because of these invaders.
Do you know how that feels?
Has an unexpected illness or a failed relationship stolen your future?
Have your dreams been swept away by the enemy?
Have you forgotten what it is to feel safe and secure?
Are you worried?
In answer to their dilemna, the men of the town would painstakingly build a tower out of mud bricks right in the middle of their village. It became a central defense fortress against these inevitable invaders. When the watchman sounded his alarm, the people would run into the strong tower and wait out the invasion. Supplied with food and water and their stored harvest, they could outlast their enemies, eventually emerging safely when the enemy rode away empty handed.
God gave Himself a name just for you: Migdal-oz. He is a Strong Tower.
Someone you can run into in times of fear or insecurity or doubt.
A place to hide.
A safe place.
But strong towers were not all that easy to enter. There was always just one accessible opening through which the pursued could run. No one stumbled in these ancient strongholds by accident. Once in, with great relief, the victim could bolt the door and live off a storage room of supplies until the danger passed.
Running into God as your Strong Tower is a purposeful, intentional plan of action. He wants us to run into Him before we try fighting back, before we wound with our words, before the enemy of our souls has a chance to destroy the harvest of our lives in one fell swoop.
Do you see why He calls Himself by such a name?
Are you learning the way into His refuge, heading there at the slightest hint of trouble?
Have you discovered yet that He is…a Strong Tower?
From my heart,
Diane
Psalm 61
2 Samuel 22- This is a beautiful song David wrote after he’d been safely delivered from a giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on his feet. No sooner was the monster, Raphah defeated, when David was all but overcome by another massive warrior wielding an intimidating sword weighing 300 shekels (that’s a seven and a half pound sword!) Several of David’s friends saw what was happening and intervened to rescue David in one triumphant show of solidarity. Sounds like the kind of deliverance we all need at those overwhelming times of our lives!