The Lord, a Strong Tower

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

Moses fled Egypt because he had killed an Egyptian. He wanted to help free his enslaved people there but he began it in the wrong way. He took refuge in Midian. He married a wife, Zipporah, there and they had a son whom Moses named Gershom, meaning “stranger in a strange land.” Moses was minding his father-in-law Jethro’s sheep. God got Moses’ attention through a burning bush. God gave Moses a command: “Bring my children Israel out of Egypt.” Moses asked God, “Who shall I say is the name of the God who sent me?” And God replied, “I Am.” The name, “I Am,” the One who was and is and evermore shall be. The Name above all names. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower.”

Throughout the Bible, much emphasis is placed upon the name of the Lord. He is called by many names, all descriptive of his omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. In Psalm 20:1 we read: “The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee.” Verily, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower.”

When Isaiah gave his Messianic prophecy of the coming of the Lord, he gave many names to Him: “and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). As a mighty tower his name would stand among the nations, for “the government shall be upon His shoulder.”

The name of Jesus is above every name: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven , and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the gory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11). Like a tower on a hill, easily seen, so that people can run to it, the Name above every name invites all to come and be secure in the Tower. His protection extends to all who willingly take refuge.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Saturday, July 17, 2010