- God,
the Rock and Refuge - Psalms 71: 1- 6
- (Bible quotes are from the
Revised Standard Version, unless otherwise noted)
-
- vs.1-
3
- In
you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In
your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear
to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save
me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
-
- NIV:
In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to
shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness;
turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you
are my rock and my fortress.
-
- The
Message:
- I
run for dear life to God, I'll never live to regret it.
Do what you do so well: get me out of this mess and up
on my feet. Put your ear to the ground and listen, give me
space for salvation. Be a guest room where I can retreat; you said your door was
always open! You're my salvation - my vast, granite fortress.
- David
had done the wrong thing and he knew it.
Unlike most of us, he also knew that he did not need to
hide from God in his guilt, even though God is utterly good.
He knew that God was well aware of everything he did,
but did not condemn him when he came repentant.
For David, God became a refuge where he could retreat
in repentance, receive forgiveness and be restored.
-
- God
is also our refuge. We
can be sure God can be trusted to accept us when we come to
him in awareness if our wrongdoing and when we are sorry for
the things we do wrong. We can be sure that God understands us, loves us and
forgives. It is
important to be sure of this so that we can forgive ourselves
and move on with a renewed determination not to make the same
mistakes again. In this way we are ‘saved’ or freed from feelings of
guilt which can overcome us and spoil our enjoyment of life.
-
- New
Bible Commentary, p 530.
Refuge … The Hebrew here reads ‘habitation /
dwelling’ - ‘a
home in the rock’.
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- v.4,
5
- Rescue
me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of
the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my
youth.
-
- In
his life, David had often been unjustly accused sand under
threat from enemies.
He knew that God is in control of the situation and
would bring him through safely.
David knew this from his past experience of trusting
God and finding that his trust had never been misplaced.
His memories gave him confidence for the future.
-
- Sometimes
it is difficult to place our trust even in God when times are
tough.
At first we have to trust blindly, but as we experience
God’s faithfulness in our own lives and in the lives of
others, we learn to trust more confidently.
It is important that we hear the stories of other
people and that we share our own experiences of God with
others so that we can help each other grow in faith.
That is what the church is for – to encourage and
sustain us in our faith.
Our response to God’s faithfulness, both personal and
together as a church, is to worship and praise God.
-
- Rescue
may not always be from physical situations, but also from
social, emotional and spiritual threats.
From time to time we all face situations where other
people do not treat us fairly and we are in danger of becoming
self absorbed and unable to function well as a member of our
families or of our community.
This is when we most need to rely on God for
reassurance of our own worth in his eyes and in our own.
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- v.6
- Upon
you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from
my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.
-
- Good
News Translation:
I have relied on you all my
life; you have protected me since the day I was born. I will
always praise you.
-
- David’s
response when he remembers God’s goodness to him all though
his life is to praise and worship.
His example is a good one for us to follow.
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