The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Psalm 46:6-7)

The Hebrew word translated as “refuge” could also be rendered as “stronghold” — i.e. “the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” It is noteworthy that “our stronghold” is connected to the name Jacob as opposed to Abraham or Isaac. I say that because, more than any other patriarch, Jacob suffered a life of trials and afflictions. By his own admission, he survived only because God acted as his stronghold. Toward the end of his life he acknowledged that the Lord was the One who had “fed me all my life long … and redeemed me from all evil” (Genesis 48:15-16).

This is not to suggest that the other patriarchs didn’t suffer because they certainly did, but let’s face it — Jacob endured a lot of hardship. He was forced to flee from a brother who conspired to kill him, thus enduring exile. For twenty years he labored under the suspicious eye of a tyrant who launched baseless accusations against him. Yet in the face of all this, Jacob retained his integrity, refusing to return evil with evil because, through it all, he was confident that the Lord was keeping an account and was, to him, a refuge.

The Bible says that, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). It is said among Jewish commentators that Jacob understood this and, consequently, resolved to endure all the hardships that God allowed to touch his life. But it should also be pointed out that Jacob was the one God had chosen to bear the name, Israel — prince of God. In other words, Jacob was the one chosen to personify what God called all of His people to be — someone who would walk upright before God in any and all circumstances, especially the ones that were hard.

So then, if we are uphold a righteous standard, we must resign ourselves to the fact that we will suffer — that is understood to be part of our journey. But it also understood that, through it all, the Lord of hosts is with us and will be, to us, a refuge and stronghold. Whatever comes our way, let us hold fast to our integrity and keep our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith as He leads us to our destination.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill 

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