In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress. (Psalm 31:1-3)
Once again we find David in a situation in which his enemies are out to get him and he is compelled to look to the LORD for encouragement and protection. Jewish commentators believe that this particular psalm was written in regard to his continual flight from Saul and the complications that arose when others sent word to Saul of David’s whereabouts. It’s not hard to imagine that David would have been wondering if there was any where he could go that Saul could not find him or that he wouldn’t be betrayed by the locals. That is, no doubt, why he declared that his trust would be, not in man, but in the LORD.
In that vein of thought, let’s consider that twice in these verses David refers to the LORD as both a Rock and a fortress. That leads me to contemplate what is inferred by the term Rock and then the term fortress. I mean, it might be nothing more than David waxing poetic — a notion I tend to reject. So what is inferred by these two descriptors? First of all (and we have addressed this in prior devotions), referring to God as a Rock is to acknowledge His eternal attributes as well as to establish that He cannot be moved by any force in the universe. As a fortress, He protects us from our enemies — something David was desperate for as he composed this psalm. Still, as some Jewish scholars have concluded, there is more to consider.
One commentator noted that when one is being attacked, placing his back to a massive rock protects him from being attacked from the rear; being in a fortress — because it has four walls — provides protection on all sides, including his flanks and in front of him. In other words, David acknowledges that God is the One who protects us on all sides when we are being harassed by our enemy. He won’t let the enemy sneak up on us from behind and He will keep us safe when we face him. This idea reminds us of what the LORD has promised to all of His people when they are confronting their enemies: “You shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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