Refuge

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 9:9

          How do deer and ducks know where the wildlife refuge is? It’s probably trial and error, but also clearly experience. Once an animal has been shot at, it soon learns to avoid people in those orange vests. It can also sense when it is safe and not in a constant life or death situation.

          David, before He became King, would often go for days at a time without eating or sleeping, because like a hunted animal; he was running from his enemies. David felt the safest when he felt close to the LORD. At times, even though physical circumstances didn’t change (King Saul, the Philistines, or the Amorites were still trying to track him down), David would be at peace and could calm his troubled soul because he felt at rest in God’s Refuge. He had that sense of well-being, knowing that the Almighty was in control and nothing could harm him there.

          The Hebrew word “Misgab,” that is translated into English as “refuge,” actually conveys the idea of something lofty or inaccessible and projects the image of a hill fort. When there are bad guys out to get you, it means safety, hope, and asylum (i.e. refuge).

          The word occurs only once in the New Testament and refers to Christ: “we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18). In this context, the enemy is sin and the prospect of eternal judgment. Instead of fleeing to some high tower made of stone, the believer approaches the Lord Jesus in His capacity as High Priest so he can make intercession for him/her. The end result is the same feeling of well-being that David had.  “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil” (Hebrews 6:19). It is the feeling of security which comes from being in a safe Refuge.