Safely Abiding in the Presence of God (Part 3)

¹ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. ² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” ¹ 

“I will say" - To speak or talk usually with a focus on the content to follow, that is, it is most often used as a prelude to offering the content of what the person actually says. It is future, or more properly, imperfect and calls to mind the action itself, in progress.

“The LORD" is a euphemism of Adonai and is the name of the One true and Living God. The focus of the term is two-fold.

1. His sure existence.
2. His relationship to his covenant persons and peoples.

Thus Yahweh was set apart from the gods of the other peoples round about the Israelites. Not that they were any less sure that their gods existed. But that Israel was sure of a self-revealing God who was in Covenant with them and them alone. This was what made them unique among all nations round about. It was this of which the name YAHWEH spoke.

One must ask the question, then, (off topic) how wise was it, how truly reverent of Israel was it refuse to speak this Name and to use Adonai instead? It would seem to me (with humility) that truly honoring God and all that He had done and would do for Israel would require that they use the Name Yahweh and uphold the truth He was a covenant making and upholding God and that His covenant was with them and no other. I understand that the issue of "reverence" and holiness entered in, but I suspect that this became a false matter and that the real issue was that of tradition and bureaucracy and little more.

"He is my refuge..." - A refuge is a place of safety and a place that is free from danger; and figuratively, an extension of a place of refuge or shelter. It is most often used in the non-literal sense. David said that the Lord is the "refuge" for the poor (Psalm 14:6). In the very famous Psalm 46:2, he said

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

In Psalm 62:8 we read:

7 In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.

Solomon concluded:

26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge. (Proverbs 14:26)

Likewise Isaiah knew that...

4 You have been a strength to the poor,
A strength to the needy in his distress,
A refuge from the storm,
A shade from the heat;
For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
(Isaiah 25:4)

The word was derived from a word referring to a cave or a den, i.e., a physical hole or an overhang for shelter. In fact, the OT uses in that fashion at times. Job 24:8 speaks of being "...huddled around the rock for want of shelter". Psalm 104:18 says that the "...cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers".

Because we have referred specifically to Yahweh, the covenant implied in the use of the Name applies. Hence, the refuge offered is "my" refuge (the author being a member of the covenanted family).

"And", of course, is a coordinating conjunction, or a word that joins two phrases that are usually of the same grammatical status. It joins the two descriptions: "my refuge" and "my fortress"; implying that they are, grammatically at least, equal.

"...my fortress..." - A fortress is a stronghold, a mountain or rock fortress, namely, a place where one resides as a hiding or defensive position, often occupying a natural land formation in the high inaccessible rock or hill area. David was in a "stronghold" in 1 Samuel 22:4-5. Likewise, after David spared Saul's life in 2 Samuel 24:22 he went home to his "stronghold". It can also be translated "Fortress", a walled construction built for defensive position, and is so translated for instance in 2 Samuel 5:7 where we are told that David "took" the "fortress" of Zion (Jerusalem).

Note that both of these terms (refuge and fortress) are preceded by the Hebrew term "my or me". It is a simple preposition that is in a possessive form.

Scholars suggest that it is possible, grammatically, for both of these phrases, "My refuge and my fortress" to be joined and rephrased as “my secure fortress.” an interesting suggestion.