PSALM 27 VERSE 5 COMMENTARY Written and edited by Glenn Pease

5 For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.

1. David was a relist, for he knew there were going to be days of trouble. Trouble is

part of life in a fallen world, and nobody escapes, including the Son of God himself.

Job 5:7 says, "Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward." In 14:1

we read, "Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble." Psalm 90.10 does

not lighten the pessimism, for it says, "The length of our days is seventy years— or

eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span [ Or yet the best of them ] is but

trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away." Jesus said in John

16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world

you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Because trouble

is universal it is not being pessimistic to recognize it is somewhere in everyone's

future. That may sound like pessimism, but it is not, for Jesus was not being

pessimistic when he said trouble was ahead for his followers. When something is

enevitable it is wise to be aware of it and make provisions for its coming. That is

what prevention is all about. It is thinking ahead to things that can go wrong, and

then trying to figure out how to avoid, overcome, or outwit them, or possibly accept

them as the cost for following Jesus. In David's case, the trouble he faced was the

threat of enemy forces trying to kill him. We do not have that trouble to face, but

there are plenty of others that affect us all. David was an optimist in facing his

threat, for he was assured that God would keep him safe, hide him away, and put

him high and out of the reach of his foes.

2. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was the ultimate optimist as he focused on positive

thinking, all of which is valid and helpful in each of our lives. The Bible supports

positive thinking in many places, and so it is a Christian virtue. However, it can be

taken to an extreme, which goes beyond Scripture and becomes what is called

presumptuous thinking. Peal is certainly on the border when he wrote, "Trouble is

here. It is for a purpose. Use it for the purpose for which it was intended - to help

you grow. Thank God for your troubles." There is much truth in what he says, but

he ends with too radical a statement that says we are to thank God for our troubles.

Paul says we are to be thankful in everything, and so there is no state of life where

we are not to be thankful, but he did not says we are to be thankfor for everything.

This becomes presumptuous nonsense if I pray, "Thank you Lord for letting me hit

that little girl on her bike and breaking her body in several places." "Thank you

Lord that I backed out of the garage last week and ran over my three year old that I

thought was in the house." "Thank you Lord that I fell for the sweet talk of a con

man and lost my entire retirement savings." "Thank you Lord that My daughter

was raped last month coming home late at night from her night job." "Thank you

Lord for all the cancer that has killed my mother and my sister." Or what about

what Jesus said in Matthew 13:21 "But since he has no root, he lasts only a short

time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls

away." In the light of this can you pray, "Thank you Lord that my brother was too

weak in his faith, and so when everyone teased him at work for being a religious

fanatic, he fell away and has never returned to the church."

3. We could go on and on with hundreds of kinds of trouble that happen to children

of God every day. You don't pray and thank God for these kinds of troubles. You

pray like David and ask God to protect you from them. David wants escape from the

troubles, and he makes it clear that there is a valid place for escapism in the

believers life. Hide me, rescue me, spare me, get me to a place of refuge and safety. I

don't want to learn anything about life by being maimed, defeated and killed. I want

to be saved from the troubles that attack me and threaten all that is positive in my

life. In I Sam. 26:24 David speaking to Saul just after he spared his life by not killing

him when he had the chance, said, "As surely as I valued your life today, so may the

LORD value my life and deliver me from all trouble." David was not interested in

growing by means of suffering troubles. He had to do it, as we all do, and became a

better man for it, but his goal was always to escape trouble and its consequences.

That was, in fact, one of his major themes in his Psalms. Listen to David's theme.

2 Samuel 4:9 David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon

the Beerothite, "As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of all

trouble,

Psalm 9:9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 22:11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround

me with songs of deliverance. Selah

Psalm 37:39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their

stronghold in time of trouble.

Psalm 41:1 [ For the director of music. A psalm of David. ] Blessed is he who has

regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.

Psalm 55:2 hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

Psalm 59:16 But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love;

for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 69:17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am

in trouble.

Psalm 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.

Psalm 107:6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered

them from their distress.

Psalm 107:13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from

their distress.

Psalm 107:19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from

their distress.

Psalm 107:28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought

them out of their distress.

Psalm 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch

out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.

Psalm 143:11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your

righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

TROUBLES

Psalm 25:17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.

Psalm 25:22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

Psalm 34:6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all

his troubles.

Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them

from all their troubles.

Psalm 34:19 The righteous may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers them

from them all;

Psalm 54:7 You have delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in

triumph on my foes.

3B. When Noah sailed the waters blue,

He had his troubles same as you.

For 40 days he drove his ark

Before he found a place to park.

When trouble comes, where can we go

But to our Savior, brother, friend,

He who our every thought doth know

Will comfort, strengthen and defend.

When trouble comes, our hearts are faint,

We shrink before the stormy blast,

But, pressing on without complaint,

We reach a tranquil spot at last.

The road is long, the path is rough,

But there is One who clasps our hand

And gives us of His grace enough

All evil forces to withstand.

4. I am not trying to say we should never thank God for our troubles, for troubles

can be a part of the greatest blessings in life. I thank God for all the troubles I have

had to endure by having children, for each of them has put us through many trials

and tribulations, but each has also been a source of blessings that outweigh all the

troubles. Paul make it clear that you are asking for troubles when you choose to give

up the single life and get married. In 1 Corinthians 7:28 he says, "But if you do

marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those

who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this."

Thanks for the warning Paul, but marriage is worth all the troubles it brings, at

least this is the case for those who have a loving relationship for life. So in a sense I

do thank God for my troubles that result from marriage, and children, and

grandchildren, and great grandchildren. The troubles they all bring are really

blessings compared to not having them at all. And so the point still stands that I am

not thankful for the actual troubles, but in the troubles I am thankful, because I

would rather have the troubles that come with marriage and children than the less

troubled life of not having a wife and children. These values are worth what they

cost, and so I am thankful, not for the cost, but for the values in spite of the cost. All

my life, however, I have been praying for deliverance from the cost, and not

thanking God for it.

5. II Cor. 1:8-11 "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about

the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure,

far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt

we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on

ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a

deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will

continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give

thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of

many." The whole point of Paul here is that the goal is to be saved from troubles,

and that the purpose of prayer is to achieve this goal. Escaping troubles is to be the

ideal goal of Christians in every situation of life.

6. If, for some reason, there is no escape or deliverance from specific troubles, then

the next best thing is comfort in our troubles. Paul says it in 2 Corinthians 1:4 "who

comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the

comfort we ourselves have received from God." Here is the whole vast world of

bearing one another's burdens, and bringing hope and encourgement to fellow

believers in times of trouble. This too is a form of escape, for it eases the pain and

makes it easier to endure and get beyond the trouble.

6B. In a way, David is laughing at trouble because he knows that God will deliver

him from his troubles. Edgar Watson Howe said, "If you don't learn to laugh at

trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you're old."

7. Of course, the best way to escape trouble is to avoid it.

NEVER TROUBLE TROUBLE

I used to hear a saying

That had a deal of pith;

It gave a cheerful spirit

To face existence with,

Especially when matters

Seemed doomed to go askew,

‘Twas Never Trouble trouble

Till trouble troubles you.

Not woes at hand, those coming

Are hardest to resist;

We hear them stalk like giants,

We see them through a mist.

But big things in the brewing

Are small things in the brew;

So never trouble trouble

Till trouble troubles you.

Just look at things through glasses

That show the evidence;

One lens of them is courage,

The other common sense.

They’ll make it clear, misgivings

Are just a bugaboo;

No more you’ll trouble trouble

Till trouble troubles you. ~St. Clair Adams

8. “Better never trouble trouble Until trouble troubles you. For you’re sure to make

your trouble Double trouble when you do, And your trouble, like a bubble, That

you’re troubling about, May be nothing but a cipher With the rim rubbed out.”

- Dr. David Keppel

9. Trouble is not something that we look for, but the fact is, trouble is not always

bad. David could write, " "It is good for me to have been in trouble." (Psalm 119:71,

Moffatt) Clovis G. Chappell in preaching on this text said, "..as he looks back upon

those days of stress and strain he is conscious of the fact that they have not resulted

half so disastrously as he thought they would when he was passing through them. In

fact, he sees now, with joyous amazement, that they have brought him no abiding

harm at all. On the contrary, they have brought abiding good. The very trouble that

he thought was going to work his utter undoing has been the making of him. His

losses have become gains, and his calamities have been changed into capital. "It is

good for me to have been in trouble," he cries in humble gladness. And looking back

to those ugly yesterdays through eyes washed bright by tears, they somehow lose

their ugliness. "As the mountains hard-by look jagged and scarred, but in the

distance repose in their soft, mellow robes of purple and haze, so the rough present

fades into the past, tender, sweet, and beautiful." Paul's trouble's led him to a

Roman prison where he changed the world by his writing. Joseph's troubles led him

to the highest level of power in Egypt where he saved his people to fulfill God's

purpose for Israel. Troubles led David to win many battles, and become a hero for

God in many ways. His troubles led him to a deep and lasting trust in God for

guidance and protection.

10. The main trouble with trouble is that you are tempted to let it take you down,

when the purpose of it in God's plan is to make you look up to the one who can

protect you from its power to hurt you in the long run. Edmund Vance Cooke

wrote this poem below about trouble and how we take it. Some never get over a

tragic event in their lives. They let it rob them of all their future, and they never

have joy again. David had to suffer great losses and sorrows, and keep on singing

praises to God to the end of his days. He did not always escape his trouble, but he

was an expert in not letting them control his life.

"Did you tackle the trouble that came your way, with a resolute heart and cheerful?

Or hide your face from the light of day, with a craven soul and fearful? Oh, a

trouble’s a ton, or a trouble’s an ounce, Or a trouble is what you make it. And it

isn’t the fact that you’re hurt that counts, But how did you take it?

You are beaten to earth? Well, well what’s that? Come up with a smiling face. It’s

nothing against you to fall down flat. But to die there—that’s disgrace. The harder

you thrown, why, the higher you bounce; Be proud of your blackened eye! It isn’t

the fact that licked that counts; It’s how did you fight—and why?

And though you be done to the death, what then? If you battled the best you could,

If you played your part in the world of men, Why, the critic will call it good. Death

comes with a crawl, or with a pounce, And wether he’s slow or spry, It isn’t the fact

that you’re dead that counts, But how did you die?"

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.

1. Sarah Mattioli wrote, "King David, in the scriptures, used words such as refuge,

shelter, hiding place, shield, tower, and fortress to describe the Lord. I believe

David, in times of distress, found the Lord to be a hiding place both spiritually and

physically. In Psalm 32:7, he says, “You are a hiding place for me; You Lord

preserve me from trouble. You fill my heart with songs and shouts of deliverance.” I

can picture David running for his life from Saul’s army, crying out to the Lord his

God for help. At times, the Lord’s answer came in the form of providing him shelter

and leading him to places where he was hidden from enemy eyes."

2. Escapism is valid for the believer, for there are times when we need to get away

from forces and people that can harm us, and suffering is not always the most

effective way to learn. No one is critical of those who escape from burning buildings,

or burning forests, and no one will blame the person who tries to escape from an

attacker. This is just common sense, and we see Jesus doing it when the crowd was

going to push him off a cliff and he just used his divine powers and walked away

and thereby escaping their anger. Jesus had work to do, and he could not let

anything take his life and end his labor until he was ready to lay down his life for

the sin of the world. He had to practice escapism just as his parents did when Herod

was out to kill him as a baby. They fled to Egypt for safety to avoid their enemy.

Avoiding troubles and trials, and doing all we can to escape them is just common

sense wisdom. Jesus also practiced the escapism of getting away from the crowds

and his own disciples to be alone with his heavenly Father to pray and seek

guidance.

3. Escapism is often thought of in a negative sense because there are people who will

not face reality at all, but spend all their time in pursuit of what gives them pleasure,

and never face their obligations to be productive for their own sake and the sake of

their family and the community. Taken to an extreme, escapism is a form of

insanity, and those who spend all their time building castles in the sky are locked up

for the safety of the community. People who spend all their time watching movies, or

on the internet, or in some sport are not living a life of balance, and their escapism is

a negative thing. People who take drugs to escape their boredom and troubles are

their own worst enemy. But just because a thing can be vary negative does not

eliminate the possibility that it can also be very positive. To escape into a good

movie, or good book, or some interesting web sites, or a good game of tennis, is one

of the most healthy things you can do, for the dog eat dog rat race of daily life can be

too stressful to endure without a pleasant change of pace.

4. This is a part of temporal salvation, but we need to recognize that every good

thing taken to an extreme becomes a bad thing. The purpose of healthy escapism is

to make you stronger to fight the battles of daily reality. If you don't get back to

these battles, then your escapism becomes your self imposed prison. Any escapism

that saves your life, your mind, or your health is a healthy escapism. Any that hurt

your life, mind and health are folly. The ultimate escapism is the Gospel, for by

receiving Jesus Christ as one's Savior, and by trusting him to forgive all your sin,

and then take you to be with him in an eternal paradise, is to escape the wrath of

God and the Lake of fire made for the Devil and his demons. The good news is that

one can escape hell by making the right choices. The biggest mistake a person can

make in life is not choosing to follow God's way of escape.

5. Christian escapism, however, has been criticized from within and without, and it

refers to the escapism of fleeing the worlds problems and needs by retreating into

Christian groups and ignoring the world. Some see the Rapture as Christian

escapism, and they say let the world go to hell, for we will soon be taken to heaven,

and so why bother with the needs of this present world? Let's just hide our eyes

from the mess around us, and wait for the coming of the Lord. This is not a valid

attitude, for the purpose of escape is so we can be refreshed to come back to the

battles of life with renewed energy. The poet captured the true idea-

I have a house inside of me,

A house that people never see;

It has a door through which none pass,

And windows, but they’re not made of glass,

Sometimes I like to go inside

And hide and hide and hide and hide,

And doctor up my wounded pride,

When I’ve been treated rough outside.

And sometimes, when I’ve been to blame,

I go inside and blush for shame,

And get my mind in better frame,

And get my tongue and temper the same.

I meet my heavenly Father there,

And He stoops down to hear my prayer,

To heal my wounds, and cure my care,

And make me strong to do and dare.

Then, after I am made quite strong,

And things are right that were all wrong

I go outside, where I belong,

And sing a new and happy song.

And then I hear the people say;

“You’re blithe and bonny, good and gay.”

It’s just because I feel that way,

But they don’t know the price I pay.

You have a house inside of you,

Where you can fight your battle through,

And God will tell you what to do,

And make your heart both strong and true.

6. Sleep is one of the primary ways we escape the troubles of life. God made us to

sleep so that we can be renewed. We need to treasure this hiding place as a gift of

God. Edmund Vance Cooke wrote, "You may batter your way through the thick of

the fray, You may sweat, you may swear, you may grunt; You may be a jack-fool, if

you must, but this rule Should ever be kept at the front;-- Don't fight with your

pillow, but lay down your head And kick every worriment out of the bed."

7. David had his hiding place and shelter where he could sleep in peace and not lie

awake in fear that Saul would find him as he found Saul sleeping and could have

killed him. Saul would take advantage of such a situation and kill David, but David

did not live in fear of it, for he was assured that God would protect him in a secure

place. Barnes wrote, "He shall hide me - The word used here means to hide; to

secrete; and then, to defend or protect. It would properly be applied to one who had

fled from oppression, or from any impending evil, and who should be “secreted” in

a house or cavern, and thus rendered safe from pursuers, or from the threatening

evil.......... the meaning here is, that God would hide him as it were in His own

dwelling; He would admit him near to Himself; He would take care that he should

be protected as if he were one of His own family; as a man protects those whom he

admits to his own abode.

8. Isaac Watts captures David's sense of security in poetry

The Lord of glory is my light,

And my salvation too;

God is my strength, nor will I fear

What all my foes can do.

One privilege my heart desires;

O grant me an abode

Among the churches of Thy saints,

The temples of my God!

There shall I offer my requests,

And see Thy beauty still;

Shall hear Thy messages of love,

And there inquire Thy will.

When troubles rise, and storms appear,

There may His children hide;

God has a strong pavilion where

He makes my soul abide.

Now shall my head be lifted high

Above my foes around,

And songs of joy and victory

Within Thy temple sound.

9. Calvin, “For he shall hide me in his tent. Here the Psalmist promises himself that

his prayer would not be in vain. Although he is deprived of the visible sanctuary for

a time, he doubts not that, wherever he may be, he shall experience the protecting

power of God. And he alludes to the temple, because it was a symbol to the faithful

of the divine presence; as if he had said, that in making the request which he

mentioned he by no means lost his labor; for every one who shall seek God sincerely,

and with a pure heart, shall be safely concealed under the wings of his protection.

The figure of the temple, he therefore affirms, was not an unmeaning one, for there

God, so to speak, spread forth his wings to gather true believers under his

protection. From this he concludes, that as he had no greater desire than to flee for

refuge under these wings, there would be a shelter ready for him in times of

adversity, under the divine protection, which, under the figure of a rock, he tells us,

would be impregnable like towers, which, for the sake of strength, were wont to be

built, in ancient times, in lofty places. Although he was, therefore, at this time,

environed by enemies on every side, yet he boasts that he shall overcome them. It is,

indeed, a common form of speech in the Scriptures to say, that those who are

oppressed with grief walk with a bowed down back and dejected countenance,

while, on the other hand, they lift up their heads when their joyfulness is restored.

Thus David spake, Psalm 3:4, "Thou, Lord, art the lifter up of mine head." But

because besieging is here put in opposition to this, he meant to say, that in that

divine refuge he would be as it were lifted on high, so that he might fearlessly

disregard the darts of his enemies, which might have otherwise pierced him. And in

hoping for victory, though he was reduced to such straits as threatened instant

death, he gives us a remarkable proof of his faith; by which we are taught not to

measure the aid of God by outward appearances or visible means, but even in the

midst of death to hope for deliverance from his powerful and victorious hand."

10. Spurgeon, "This verse gives an excellent reason for the psalmist's desire after

communion with God, namely, that he was thus secured in the hour of peril. For in

the time of trouble, that needy time, that time when others forsake me, he shall hide

me in his pavilion: he shall give me the best of shelter in the worst of danger. The

royal pavilion was erected in the centre of the army, and around it all the mighty

men kept guard at all hours; thus in that divine sovereignty which almighty power

is sworn to maintain, the believer peacefully is hidden, hidden not by himself

furtively, but by the king, who hospitably entertains him. In the secret of his

tabernacle shall he hide me. Sacrifice aids sovereignty in screening the elect from

harm. No one of old dared to enter the most holy place on pain of death; and if the

Lord has hidden his people there, what foe shall venture to molest them? He shall

set me up upon a rock. Immutability, eternity, and infinite power here come to the

aid of sovereignty and sacrifice. How blessed is the standing of the man whom God

himself sets on high above his foes, upon an impregnable rock which never can be

stormed! Well may we desire to dwell with the Lord who so effectually protects his

people."

11. In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me. He alludes to the ancient custom

of offenders, who used to flee to the tabernacle or altar, where they esteemed

themselves safe. 1Ki 2:28. Matthew Poole.

In the secret of his tabernacle. Were there no other place, he would put me in the

holy of holies, so that an enemy would not dare to approach me. Adam Clarke.

"You are a hiding place for me;

you preserve me from trouble...." (Psalm 32:7)

"You are my hiding place and my shield;

I hope in your word." (Psalm 119:114)

12. Gill wrote, "...in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; alluding either to

the tents of generals of armies, who receive into them those whom they would

protect from the insults and injuries of others; or rather to the most holy place in

the tabernacle, called the secret place, Ezekiel 7:22; typical of Christ, the hiding

place of his, people, in whom their life is hid, and where it is safe and secure;...he

shall set me up upon a rock; where he would be above and out of the reach of his

enemies; meaning Christ, comparable to a rock for its height, he being higher than

the kings of the earth, than the angels in heaven, than the heavens themselves, and

much more than the sons of men; see Psalm 61:2; and for shelter and safety, he

being a munition of rocks, a strong tower, a place of defence, and rock of refuge;

and for firmness, solidity, and strength, he being able to bear the whole weight of

the building of the church, and every believer laid upon him; and for duration, he

being more immovable than rocks and mountains; so that such who are set up upon

him are in the most safe and secure state imaginable."

13. Was David a mommies boy, or was he just a chicken? He is constantly wanting

God to hide him from his enemies and problems. He is forever running away to the

tabernacle or fortress of God, and forever begging to be set upon a high rock where

the enemy cannot get to him. Keep in mind that David was a hunted man, and Saul

had a whole army seeking to fing him and kill him. He had his 600 men, but they

were no match for facing the whole army of Saul. Had he made a stand they would

have been wiped out, and so David was often desperate for a hiding place, and we

find him and his men hiding in a cave when Saul almost found him. It is not being

chicken to avoid a problem where you are almost certain to lose. The great generals

know there is a right time to retreat. In wisdom they pick their battles, and not let

the enemy do the choosing. David knew he was sunk without the providence of God

protecting him, and so he prays constantly for a place of security. It almost sounds

like he would like to hold up in a cave for the rest of his life, and escape all the

enemies and problems of life, but these statements are dealing with times when God

comes to his rescue, or his life is over. He needs a hiding place for survival, or for a

meaningful life free of evil men. David needed a hiding place often.

14. Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your

wings

Psalm 31:19-20

19 How great is your goodness,

which you have stored up for those who fear you,

which you bestow in the sight of men

on those who take refuge in you.

20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them

from the intrigues of men;

in your dwelling you keep them safe

from accusing tongues.

Psalm 64:2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from that noisy crowd of

evildoers.

Psalm 143:9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.

15. An unknown author wrote, "David, then, is giving us advice as to how to remain

sane even though the world has gone mad. David is telling you how to avoid your

psychiatrist. David is telling you how to avoid the tents of Valium, Prozac, alcohol,

cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. David tells us that when it looks like

the whole world has forsaken you -- your family, your friends, your tribe -- that you

can run to the tent of God."

and set me high upon a rock.

1. There are plenty of rocks in Israel. Some even suggest that when God finished

creation he had a lot of rocks left over, and he dumped them in Israel. This is the

place where he became the rock of our salvation, and the rock that saved Israel time

and time again. God is our rock is a common theme in Scripture and songs. To be

high on a rock is to be safe, for you can see the enemy approach and you can more

easily defend yourself. In the world people want to get high on crack and liquor, and

all kinds of drugs, but in Scripture the goal of the believer is to get hight on God, the

rock of our salvation.

2. Not once, and not twice, but 40 times God is called a Rock in the Bible. At first

thought this does not seem like an appealing name for the God of the Bible, and for

His Son the Lord Jesus, but further thought will make it clear that this popular

name for God is indeed a precious one, and one we ought to think about more and

cherish. The rock is mentioned 25 times in the Psalms, and all but 4 clearly refer to

God. We use this metaphor when we say a person can be trusted for he is as solid as

a rock. You can rely on him for he is a rock of Gibralter. I want to list some

passages where God is our Rock, and make some comments on them, or share some

poetry about them.

Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my

fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock,

in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the

horn [ Horn here symbolizes strength. ] of my

salvation, my stronghold.

1. Here we see the rock for security, and the fortress in the rock even more security,

and the deliverer better yet. The rock is his refuge. God shields him from danger,

and the horn is a symbol of strength, because animals with horns use them as

effective weapons that protect them from dangerous attacks, and the final

stronghold is the ultimate in security. God was a whole lot of things to David, but

the gist of all of them is that he was protected and preserved in the midst of great

dangers to his life. None of these things has a relationship to eternal salvation, but

they all revolve around temporal salvation.

2. The Bottom line is this: Salvation is not a subject limited to religion, for salvation

is basic to the secular life as well. It is not ultimate to be saved from enemies of all

kinds, but if we are not saved on the secular level, which is temporal, we cannot live

a life that produces a major part of God's word, with many Psalms that will be sung

by believers for the rest of history. David had to be saved on the secular and

temporal level to play the major role he played in God's plan, that has been a

blessing to masses of millions. So, again, I stress a theme that is seldom stressed, and

that is that secular and temporal salvation are a vital part of God's plan of eternal

salvation, and we need to praise him endlessly for the fact we are alive to praise him

and serve him. We are alive because of many kinds of temporal salvation based on

God's being our rock, shield, fortress and stronghold, and dozens of more protective

forces and securities.

3. Think about it, if you have watched many western movies in your life, how many

times have you seen either the good guy or the bad guy run up into the rocks to

escape and find protection from those trying to shoot him. The rocks are great

protection, although in most westerns you are just as safe behind a flimsy wooden

post holding up the entry way to the bar, if that is where the director wants you to

hide during gun fire. The rocks are more realistic, for the bullets do glance off of

rocks, and so do spears and arrows, and so it is the best place to be.

4. Clarke wrote, “He was his fortress; a place of strength and safety, fortified by

nature and art, where he could be safe from his enemies. He refers to those

inaccessible heights in the rocky, mountainous country of Judea, where he had often

found refuge from the pursuit of Saul. What these have been to my body, such has

the Lord been to my soul.”

5 The bottom line of all the God is my rock passages is this: the best place to be in a

world filled with trouble, and where you are being shot at by enemies and

temptations of all kinds, is in the Rock. The song says it all, “I go to the rock.” Dotti

Rambo, who wrote 2500 Gospel songs, more than any other person in history, wrote

this one that was made so popular by Whitney Houston.

I Go To The Rock Where do I go?

When there's nobody else to turn to

Who do I talk to?

When nobody wants to listen

Who do I lean on? Oh

When there is no foundation stable

I go to the rock

I know he is able, I go to the rock

Chorus:

I go to the rock of my salvation

I go to the stone that the builders rejected

I run to the mountain

And the mountain he stands by me

When the Earth all around me is sinking sand

On Christ the solid rock I stand

When I need a shelter I go to the rock

Where do I go, where do I go

When the storms of life are threatening

Who do I turn to when those winds of sorrow blow

And is there a refuge in the time of tribulation

Go to the rock, I know he is able

I go to the rock

Chorus:

I go to the rock of my salvation

I go to the stone that the builders rejected

I run to the mountain

And the mountain he stands by me

When the Earth all around me is sinking sand

On Christ the solid rock I stand

When I need a shelter I go to the rock

Chorus:

I go to the rock of my salvation

I go to the stone that the builders rejected

I run to the mountain

And the mountain he stands by me

When the Earth all around me is sinking sand

On Christ the solid rock I stand

When I need a shelter I go to the rock

I go the rock when I need a friend

I can go to the rock

I go to the rock when I need a shelter

You can go to the rock

You can go to the rock

You can go to the rock

I can go

I go to the rock

I can go to the rock

I can go to the rock

I can go, I can go to the rock

I can go when I need some shelter

When I need a friend

I can go

And when the Earth around me is sinking sand

On Christ the solid rock I stand I can stand

When I need a friend

I go to the rock

I can go to the rock

Hey hey hey oh yeah

Rock of Ages—Fixed and Sure

Be My Faith’s Foundation Stone

Hopes we build on Thee endure

Stable as Thy steadfast Throne

When my heart on Thee is Stayed

Winds may howl—and torrents pour

I shall never be afraid

For I am Safe for ever more. Pastor Jack Anderson

RUTH CAYE JONES

In times like these you need a Savior

In times like these you need an anchor;

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;

This Rock is Jesus, the only One!

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

Psalm 18:31 For who is God besides the Lord?

And who is the Rock except our God?

1. There are trillions of rocks in our world, but there is only one Rock, and

that is God, the God of Israel. The Rock is exclusively that of the God of the

Bible, but the people of God kept going after other rocks, and they became

regular rock collectors with all their pagan idols. In the Old Testament there

is only one Rock, and in the New there is only one Savior. The Bible is

exclusive all the way through, for there are no alternatives to the God who

reveals himself through the Bible. For safety, security, and all that is covered

in the word salvation, you only have one choice.

2. By James Vasquez

I love you, Lord, my rock, my strength,

My fortress and deliverer,

My God shall ever be my rock,

And of my foes the vanquisher.

In him my refuge shall I take,

My stronghold worthy of all praise,

The horn of my salvation who,

The hand of each opponent stays.

The cords of death entangled me,

Destruction overwhelmed my soul,

The grave’s taut arms encircled me,

The snares of death before me stole,

Then to the Lord in my distress,

I called, to God for help I cried,

And from his temple was I heard,

Nor was my plaintive voice denied.

And then the earth’s foundations shook,

The mountains trembled, fire arose,

From burning coals within his mouth,

And darkening smoke from out his nose.

For God was angry and came down,

Like curtains, parting heaven’s veil,

Dark clouds beneath his feet then left,

A wispy presence o’er his trail.

And borne by cherubim he flew,

As though by wind he’d taken wing,

He made the clouds his canopy,

And darkness was his covering.

And clouds advanced before him there,

Impelled by brightness from his face,

While bolts of lightning hurled down,

And hailstones filled th’ illumined space.

God thundered from the heav’ns above,

The voice of the Most High was heard,

His arrows scattered every foe,

‘Neath lightening bolts that he bestirred.

The valleys of the sea were known,

And earth’s foundations were laid bare,

At your rebuke, O Lord, when you,

A blast of breath but suffered there.

From high he reached and took me then,

From deepest waters drew me out,

He rescued me from enemies,

From countless foes too strong and stout.

In my disaster they arose,

But my support was from the Lord,

Because he took delight in me,

To spacious sites was I restored.

According to my righteousness,

Has God in kindness dealt with me,

Rewarding me for unstained hands,

And keeping sacred each decree.

I have not turned away from God,

But wholly followed all his ways,

My heart I’ve kept from every sin,

Assuring, thus, it never strays.

Now to the faithful, Lord, you show,

Your faithfulness in full degree,

And to the blameless you appear,

From every fault and blemish free.

The pure shall know that you are pure,

For thus are you, in truth, revealed,

But to the crooked shall you seem,

A shrewd contender, well concealed.

The humble by your might you save,

But those of haughty eyes bring low,

My lamp now brightly burns for you,

In place of darkness light bestow.

Now by your help a wall I scale,

Against a troop I move ahead,

For perfect are the ways of God,

And flawless every word he’s said.

He is a shield for those who take,

Their refuge ‘neath his wings so broad,

For who is God besides the Lord?

And who the Rock except our God?

With strength he arms me and my way,

Each day is perfect in the land,

For like a deer’s feet are mine made,

And thus upon the heights I stand.

My hands he trains for battle and,

My arms a bow of bronze can bend,

His shield of victory mine, his hand,

To all my permanence does lend.

He stoops that he might make me great,

My path he widens ‘neath my feet,

And thus my ankles do not turn,

When they some rock-strewn passage meet.

And I my enemies pursued,

I overtook them nor turned back,

Till they were crushed beneath me and,

Were thus destroyed by my attack.

They cried for help but none there were,

Who heard their call or succor gave,

E’en to the Lord in their distress,

But he rose not to heed or save.

And fine as dust borne by the wind,

I beat them and their troop did rout,

Like mud that flows within the streets,

When rains descend, I poured them out.

And now delivered from attacks,

The head of nations I am made,

For people I knew not appear,

And homage to my word is paid.

They come, these foreigners, and cringe,

Before me does each one lose heart,

They leave their distant strongholds and,

In apt obeisance do their part.

He lives! And praise be to my Rock!

Exalted be my Savior God!

The nations he subdues and leaves,

Their men of violence crushed and awed.

For this I praise you, Lord, and ‘mongst,

The nations shall I sing your fame,

For victories to the king you give,

And kindness to his heirs proclaim.

from the October 2005 Edition of the Jewish Magazine

Psalm 18:46

The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted

be God my Savior!

A popular chorus had the great words and tune, The Lord liveth, and blessed by my

rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted. People are fanatics in praising

their favorite rock star, and David is just the same kind of fanatic as he praises The

Rock Star of the Bible, his Lord and Savior. The Lord has a unique distinction from

all other so-called rocks, for as David says, He lives. All others are dead, but he lives.

Jesus is the exclusive Savior as well because he lives. You can pile dead saviors from

here to the moon, but they will do nothing for you, for we need a living God and a

living Savior, and Jehovah and Jesus alone fill this requirement. What we have here

is the living Rock. All other rocks are dead. Rocks are inanimate, and by nature

they are dead, but the God of Scripture is able to make Rock live.

GOD IS OUR ROCK

BY Glenn Pease

GOD IS OUR ROCK

TO WHOM WE LIFT OUR EYES.

GOD IS OUR ROCK

WE WILL NOT COMPROMISE.

GOD IS OUR ROCK

OH HELP US LORD BE WISE,

AS WE SHOUT IT ALL ABOUT

GOD IS OUR ROCK.

II.

GOD IS OUR ROCK

OUT FEET TO STABILIZE.

GOD IS OUR ROCK

OUR ROAD TO VITALIZE.

GOD IS OUR ROCK

THIS FAITH WE EXERCISE.

AS WE SHOUT IT ALL ABOUT

GOD IS OUR ROCK.

Psalm 19:14

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of

my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my

Rock and my Redeemer.

1. He needs a Rock that supports him, but he needs a Redeemer as well, for

sometimes his mouth does not say the right words, and his mind does not think the

right thoughts that please his Lord. We all need the stability of the Rock, but also

the salvation the rock supplies when we lose our stability.

2. John Newton

Glorious things of thee are spoken,

Zion, city of our God!

He, Whose Word cannot be broken,

Formed thee for His own abode.

On the Rock of Ages founded,

What can shake thy sure repose?

With salvation’s walls surrounded,

Thou may’st smile at all thy foes. 3. HE Is my Rock!!!

THE Rock of my Salvation,

Rock of my Elation!!!

HE Is my Rock of Revelation!!!

I give HIM all of my Adulation!!!

Cause he kept me and carried me through all trials and tribulations..

And gives me Great Expectations!!!

In HIM, In The fullness of The Godhead is my TRUST!!!

HE IS MY ROCK!!!

by Stephanie Smith

Psalm 28:1

[ Of David. ] To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do

not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent,

I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. 1. Here God is addressed in prayer as his Rock. This does not fit our culture and

environment and so we never pray this way, even though we say we believe the Bible

from cover to cover. You will seldom to never hear a Christian pray to God as my

Rock, for this is a part of the Bible that is ignored.

Psalm 31:2

Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue;

be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. 1. God is a living rock, and so he does not sit somewhere and we have to run to him.

He is a moving rock that comes to rescue and deliver. 2. Hedley Palmer, "Consider the advantages of the Rock. A rock in a weary land is

a place of shade. David as a shepherd, had often used a rock for its shadow. He

would sit in its shade and lean his back against the rock. Believers never have their

backs to the wall - we always have our backs to the rock. He is our shade from the

heat of the day. The rock is a vantage place. Higher ground was always an

advantage in ancient warfare. We are in the oldest battle of all - the battle of life;

the best place to take our stand is in God."

Psalm 31:3

Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the

sake of your name lead and guide me. 1. Here again the rock moves and guides, and this is the image of what Jesus did in

guiding the people of Israel through the desert as they came out of Egypt. He was

their rock that guided.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact,

brothers, that our forefathers were all under the

cloud and that they all passed through the sea.

2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud

and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual

food 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they

drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied

them, and that rock was Christ.

1. Life has no stability without a rock to stand on. On Christ the solid rock I stand,

all other ground is sinking sand.

2. Connie Bratcher wrote,

The eternal spiritual Rock—

The One upon which we stand,

Is not Peter, Paul, or Moses,

Though they were part of God’s plan.

It’s not a place in Jerusalem,

That we can visit and see,

Nor a temple made by human hands,

Where we can bow our knee.

This Rock is so much more than these,

And can weather any storm…

All who are founded upon it

Are kept safe, secure, and warm.

The Rock is the person of Christ…

The prophesied One who came,

The mighty Rock of Ages…

God’s Son…Jesus is His Name.

Oh, come and drink of the water,

Flowing from the Rock so pure…

It will cleanse your heart forever,

Giving peace that will endure.

Praise God for The Spiritual Rock!

3. "...the rock was Christ, and he was the source of life in the Old as he is in the

New Testament. There has always been just one Savior, and it is Christ. Clarke in

his commentary says, "The same rock is in the vale of Rephidim to the present day;

and it bears aboriginal marks of the water that flowed from it in the fissures that

appear on its sides. It is one block of fine granite, about seven yards long..."

4. I Go To The Rock Written by: Dottie Rambo

Verse I

Where do I go, when there’s nobody else to turn to

Who do I talk to, when no one wants to listen

Who do I lean on, when there’s no foundation stable

I go to the Rock I know He’s able

I go to the Rock

Chorus

I go to the Rock of my Salvation

I go to the Stone that the builders rejected

I go to the mountain and the mountain stands by me

When the earth all around me is sinking sand

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand

When I need a shelter, when I need a friend

I go to the Rock

Verse II

Where do I hide, when the storms of life are threatening

Where do I run to, when the winds of sorrow blow

Is there a refuge, in the time of tribulation

Cause I go to the Rock, I know He’s able

I go to the Rock

Repeat Chorus twice, then:

When I need a shelter, when I need a friend

I go to the Rock

When I need a shelter, when I need a friend

I go to the Rock

5. Jesus The Rock by Bernice Ward

I go to the Rock that is higher than I

I find in Him, my full supply,

He is my Rock, my strength and guide,

I will go to Him, what' ever betide.

This Rock holds the world in His hands

Things that happen are part of His plan,

He is in control all over the land,

I'll go to the Rock, He holds my hand.

He's the Rock of my salvation

My joy and inspiration,

He wraps me and draws me to His side,

So I'll cling to the Rock and there abide...

he's the rock of my salvation

my joy and inspiration

I go the Rock that is higher than I

He waits to hear each time I cry,

He wraps me in His arms of love,

I go to the Rock....From up above.

If tears will take me to the Rock

Than Lord just let it be,

I'll yield to Your unfailing love,

I'll go to the Rock, Higher than me.

He's the rock of my salvation

my joy and inspiration

Will you stay close to the Rock?

While the clouds are hanging low,

Pray and press in closer and closer,

Allow Him always to take full control.

In Him I find life's full supply

He grips me with His love and grace,

I find in Him such amazing love,

My precious Rock of Ages took my place.

6. James Banfield wrote,

I'm Standing on the Rock, Well the Rock of Ages

Learnin all about Him, in my bible pages

I'm standing on the Rock, The Rock that wont roll

Jesus is the Rock, that freed my soul (* to chorus)

So what we got to say to you, we'll speak to the crowd

Jesus is the only one, who can be found

What the Devil's got for you – I cant really say

Remember where the Joker is – Get ready to play( * back to chorus above)

I'm standing on the Rock, Well the Rock of Ages

Learning all about Him, In My Bible Pages

Standin on the Rock, The Rock that won't Roll

Jesus is the Rock, That Freed My Soul

Jesus is The Rock! (He's The Rock) The Rock of Ages

Jesus is The Rock! (He's The Rock) The Rock of Ages

Jesus is The Rock (The Rock of Ages) The Rock of Ages... JESUS IS THE ROCK!

7. Author: William O. Cushing, 1823-1902

O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,

My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;

So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be;

Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.

Refrain

Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,

Thou blest “Rock of Ages,”

I’m hiding in Thee.

In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,

In times when temptation casts over me its power;

In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,

Thou blest “Rock of Ages,“ I’m hiding in Thee.

Refrain

How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,

I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe;

How often, when trials like sea billows roll,

Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.

7. John Macduff has appropriate words to end this study of Jesus the Rock of our

salvation. He wrote, "We need hardly say that the emblem of a Rock, as applied to

the Divine Redeemer, is alike the most sublime and appropriate of figures--

suggestive as it is of strength, durability, shelter, safety, protection, rest. It speaks of

Nature's noblest monumental edifices--as ancient as creation--as fresh as when at

first sculptured by the Great Craftsman--older, grander, more lasting than obelisk

and pyramid, or the most colossal work of human power. Over these rocks have the

winds of heaven continually swept. Age after age has the sun discharged upon them

his quiver of golden arrows--but resisting all changes--defying all elements--

outliving all political convulsions--no wrinkle can be traced on their majestic brow--

now in sunny robes of roseate light--now gleaming in the moonbeams with silver

mantle--now swathed in white garments of cloud--but every hoary peak remaining

immutably the same. Such is the rock of our salvation!"