Proverbs 18                                                                                                             

Good morning son,

I really do not like waiting to the evening to study. So much has happened by then. Today has been a spiritual and emotional roller-coaster. And now I sit down to write this.

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

I am hanging on to this word today. And like I often do I find myself tearing into the passage and finding truths that were hidden to me at first. I do this by noting the words which God seems to emphasis to me more than the others.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

What's in a name? The Hebrew people believed that God was so Holy that they did not even say His name. However, they did have names for him which described his characteristic, or person-hood.

Elohim – My Creator – The God who created us surely knows everything about us!

El Elyon – Most High God (Sovereign Over All) – The sovereign God over all therefore can address all and handle every situation – I can trust that He does not allow anything into my life that He can not address. He is over all, persons, things and spirits.

Adonai – My Lord, My Master – As my master I serve as a slave to the most loving one. A master was responsible for not only the direction of the slave but everything related to his life, all His needs. I can trust in His loving guidance and direction.

Jehovah Shaddai – the God Almighty – An all powerful God who does not only have control but authority and power to implement in our lives what He desires.

Jehovah Exer – the Lord our Helper – A God which is there to help us get through whatever and to do whatever He has required of us. We lack the strength, He doesn't and we can be empowered by Him to do what we must do.

Jehovah Jireh – The Lord will provide – The Lord is our source of provision. In Him will our needs be met.

Jehovah Rapha – the Lord my healer – A physician like no other, who can do what no other can do, making us whole, not just physically but emotionally and otherwise. Where we are broken He binds us up. Where we are bleeding he addresses the cause. His cuts cause healing not death.

Jehovah Roi – the Lord my shepherd – A shepherd is always there with the sheep, caring for them even when they can not care for themselves. Sheep are stupid and helpless animals. And so am I. Absent the guidance of a shepherd they, like me, would be dead. And I am not even beginning to speak of the protection He provides us as our Shepherd.

Jehovah Sabaoth – the Lord of hosts of armies – God says that his angels camp around the righteous. He has legions of armies to do His bidding . What have we to fear?

Jehovah Mekeddeshem – the Lord who sanctifies – He does the work of sanctification, of cleansing of making us presentable. He alone can do this as we are filthy. His word washes us clean.

Jehovah Nissi – the Lord our banner – We are identified with the one and true God, as part of His. As such we have an inheritance of His which we walk in daily.

Jehovah Shalom – the Lord our Peace – Not the absence of war but peace. A holistic peace, which encompasses every part of us. A peace which can be had in the midst of the battle.

Jehovah Shammah – the Lord is there – We are not alone. But this all loving God is ever present with us.

The NAME of God is a strong tower . . .

The verse tells you what the purpose of the strong tower is . . . it is to run to . . . it is to take refuge in . . . it is a place of safety.

In times long ago, if a person wanted to be protected they ran to the church and stayed on its grounds and within the confines of its walls. Man's law did not hold there and they could not be removed. It was a place of ultimate safety. In His presence everyone, who called on the name of the Lord was saved – thus they were clean and the guilt they bore before coming into those walls was washed away. Indeed, they took on the righteousness of Christ.

So it is of the strong tower, which in biblical times was the high, impossible to scale, place of defense in the walls of the city. The Hebrew word used for “safe” here gives us a further clue. The word literally means “high.” It was believed in that time that the high walls of the tower provided safety. So the writer is giving further imagery to the reader. The reader would know that the higher up you were the safer you were.

So how do you apply this word?

When you are in danger call on THE NAME. Call on the names of God in accordance with your need. It is in that name that you will find safety. Let me give you an example of a prayer where I run to His name:

Issue: I have no job. I have to pay bills. I feel completely destroyed and not much of a man. I . . . Okay, better stop. Let's pray:

“Daddy, I am so afraid right now. I do not know how I am going to pay the bills. I have no money and no job to make any. I feel completely destroyed, a shell of a man. But you are El Elyon, sovereign Lord over all. None of this caught you by surprise. You have the ability to open doors I can not see. The ability to grant me favor where none would otherwise be. You are soveriegn over everybody and everything. As you are Jehovah Jireh, my provider, I can trust that you will provide all that I have need of. That I will be kept by your unlimited provision. That you will not leave me in lack. I know as Jehovah Rapha you will heal my emotions. You will touch me in my innermost places and as Jehovah Shalom you will bring peace. Jehovah Mekeddeshem sanctify and cleanse me within so that the healing may take hold. Please Jehovah Saboth sent forth your armies to accomplish your will. Jehovah Roi shepherd me and guide me in all paths of righteousness. And throughout all of this time you be Jehovah Shammah to me, always present and never absent from me. This is my prayer. In Jesus's name. Amen.

The prayer starts off with a confession of the truth about how I feel. It does not sugar coat it. It instead lays it out like it is. Don't miss this point! All prayer MUST start with and hold on to the truth. Don't lie to God about where you really stand, but instead tell Him the truth. Then the rest of the prayer I begin to run to His name for safety. I call on the name of the Lord specific to my need. I place myself before Him as only He can do what I need done.

He honors such a prayer . . . of the righteous.

Oh, we seemed to skip over that word. But what if I do not feel very righteous? How can I run to this “strong tower?” How can I believe that He will love me in this way? How can this word of instruction be mine?

We are righteous not because of anything we have done, but because of our acceptance of his sacrifice for us through His son. We become the righteousness of Christ through confession and repentance. We have the ability then to run to the name of the Lord for safety.

However, do notice that there is a name for God which deals with sanctification? Jehovah Mekeddeshem. See there is an understanding of God that we may need to be “cleaned up.” He does this work in us. But before we can be sanctified we must first confess and repent. See it is through confession and repentance that we are blessed with the righteousness of Christ. With this righteousness we can come into the presence of our daddy God. HE then can lead us in the work of sanctification in and before Him. Absent sanctification we will find ourselves often repeating the errors and sins of the past.

Got it? Got Word?

If you have need now in your life. Confession and repentance. Then go before the Lord and speak His name. Run to His name. Experience true safety.

Love yah,

Dad