“OUR TOWER OF PROTECTION!” 

OPENING COMMENT by Robert 

As individuals when it comes to spiritual truths and Godly provided gifts and protection, unfortunately and with awe I recognize many will ask for supporting truth. I have put forward, the virtues of Psalms 91:1 and 9-16 as God’s protection and promise of long life. The stipulation within this promise is for believers, to benefit they must be abiding in righteousness. 

With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it has brought forward additional information of God’s gifts and enhancements for His flock.    

Here is:  

1. God’s sufficiency for the saints: His name is a strong tower for them, in which they may take rest when they are weary and take sanctuary when they are pursued, where they may be lifted above their enemies and fortified against them.  

There is enough in God, and in the discoveries which he has made of himself to us, to always make us easy. The wealth laid up in this tower is enough to enrich them, to be a continual feast and a continuing treasure to them.  

The strength of this tower is enough to protect them; the name of the Lord is all that whereby he has made himself known as God, and our God, not only his titles and attributes, but his covenant and all the promises of it; these make up a tower, a strong tower, impenetrable, impregnable, for all God’s people. 

2. The saints’ security in God. It is a strong tower for those who know how to make use of it as such. The righteous, by faith and prayer, devotion towards God and dependence on him, run into it, as their city of refuge. Having made sure their interest in God’s name, they take the comfort and benefit of it; they go out of themselves, retire from the world, live above, dwell in God and God in them, and so they are safe, they think of themselves so, and they shall find themselves so.

Faith and prayer must go together. He that believes, let his pray–I believe, therefore I have spoken: and he that prays, let him believe, for the prayer of faith is the prevailing prayer. We have both here. 

When there is distress in our lives, we can ask for succour and relief, through earnest prayer. This eases a burdened spirit, fetches in promised mercies, and wonderfully supports and comforts the soul in the expectation of them. 

Our prayers should be asking:  

1. That God would deliver us (Psalms 31:1), that our life might be preserved from the malice of our enemies, and that an end might be put to their persecutions of us, that God, not only in his mercy, but in righteousness, would deliver us, as a righteous Judge between us and our unrighteous persecutors, that God would bow down his ear to our petitions, to our appeals, and deliver us, Psalms 31:2.  

It is condescension in God to take cognizance of the case of the greatest and best of men who humble themselves to do it. In psalm 31:2 we should pray also that God would deliver us speedily, lest, if the deliverance were long deferred, our faith should fail.  

2. That if God does not immediately deliver us out of our troubles, he would protect and shelter us in our troubles “Be thou my strong rock, immovable, impregnable, as a fastness framed by nature, and my house of defence, a fortress framed by art, and all to save me.”  

Thus, we may pray that God’s providence would secure to us our lives and comforts and that by his grace we may be enabled to think ourselves safe in him, Proverbs 18:10.  

3. Thatourcase having much in it of difficulty, both in respect of the duty and in respect of prudence, we might be under the divine guidance: “Lord, lead me and guide me (Psalms 31:3), so order my steps, so order my spirit, that I may never do anything unlawful and unjustifiable–against my conscience, nor unwise and indiscreet–against my interest.” Those that resolve to follow God’s direction may in faith pray for it. 
4. Thatourenemies being very crafty, as well as very spiteful, God would frustrate and baffle their designs against us (Psalms 31:4): “Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me, and keep me from the sin, the trouble, the death, they aim to entrap me in.” 

In Psalm 6:1-7, these verses speak the language of a heart truly humbled under humbling providences, of a broken and contrite spirit under great afflictions, sent on purpose to awaken conscience and mortify corruption.  

Those heap up wrath who cry not when God binds them, but those are getting ready for mercy who, under God’s rebukes, sow in tears, as David does here.  

Let us observe here, I. The representation he makes to God of his grievances. He pours out his complaint before him. Where else should a child go with his complaints, but to his father?  

1. David complains of bodily pain and sickness (Psalms 6:2): My bones are vexed. His bones and his flesh, like Job’s, were touched. Though David was a king, yet he was sick and pained his imperial crown could not keep his head from aching.  

Great men are men, and subject to the common calamities of human life. Though David was a stout man, a man of war from his youth, yet this could not secure him from distempers, which will soon make even the strong men to bow themselves.  

Though David was a good man, yet neither could his goodness keep him in health. Lord, behold, he whom thou love is sick. Let this help to reconcile us to pain and sickness, that it has been, the lot of some of the best saints, and that we are directed and encouraged by their example to show before God our trouble in that case, who is for the body, and takes cognizance of its ailments.  

2. He complains of inward trouble: My soul is also sorely vexed and that is much more grievous than the vexation of the bones. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity if that be in good plight but, if that be wounded, the grievance is intolerable. 

David’s sickness brought his sin to his remembrance, and he looked upon it as a token of God’s displeasure against him that was the vexation of his soul that made him cry, I am weak, heal me.  

It is a sad thing for a man to have his bones and his soul vexed at the same time, but this has been sometimes the lot of God’s own people: and this completed his complicated trouble, that it was continued upon him a great while, which is here intimated in our difficulty (Psalms 6:3), Thou, O Lord! how long? To the living God we must, at such a time, address ourselves, who is the only physician both of body and mind, and not to the mastery of the world’s Science and Alchemy. 

But thou, O Lord! remain forever. This we are taught to do by the psalm, which is entitled, A prayer of the afflicted, Psalms 102:27,28. When all our creature-comforts are removed from us, and our hearts fail us, we may then encourage ourselves with the belief,  

1. Of God’s eternity: Thouremain forever. What shakes the world gives no disturbance to him who made it whatever revolutions there are on earth there is no change in the Eternal Mind God is still the same, and remains forever infinitely wise and holy, just and good with him there is no variableness nor shadow of turning.  
2. Of the never-failing continuance of his dominion: Thy throne is from generation to generation the throne of glory, the throne of grace, and the throne of government, are all unchangeable, immovable and this is a matter of comfort to us when the crown has fallen from our head. 

When the thrones of princes, that should be our protectors, are brought to the dust, and buried in it, God’s throne continues, he still rules the world and rules it for the good of the Ecclesia. The Lord reigns, reigns forever, even thy God, O Zion! 

 “HERE BEGINS THE SOUNDING OF THE TRUMPET!” 

What I’m about to reveal through the verses to follow is regarding the actions God is about to bring about to those in defiance of His laws and Diety, as He purges His church. We find in Lamentations. 1:12-22 what is about to befall those not in righteousness or are walking on the wide path to destruction.  

1. The church in distress here magnifies her affliction, and yet no more than there was cause for her groaning was not heavier than her strokes. She appeals to all spectators: See if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, Lamentations 2:12.  

This might perhaps be truly said of Jerusalem’s griefs, but we are apt to apply it too sensibly to ourselves when we are in trouble and more than there is cause for. Because we feel most from our own burden, and cannot be persuaded to reconcile ourselves to it, we are ready to cry out, surely never was sorrow like unto our sorrow whereas, if our troubles were to be thrown into a common stock with those of others, and then an equal dividend made, share and share alike, rather than stand to that we should each of us say, “Pray, give me my own again.”  

12. She here looks beyond the instruments to the author of her troubles, and owns them all to be directed, determined, and disposed of by him: “It is the Lord that has afflicted me, and he has afflicted me because he is angry with me the greatness of his displeasure may be measured by the greatness of my distress it is in the day of his fierce anger,” Lamentations 2:12. Afflictions cannot but be very much our griefs when we see them arising from God’s wrath so the church does here 
13. She is as one in a fever, and the fever is of God’s sending: “He has sent fire into my bones (Lamentations 2:13), a preternatural heat, which prevails against them, so that they are burnt like a hearth (Psalms 102:3), pained and wasted, and dried away.” 
14. She is as one in a net, which the more he struggles to get out of the more he is entangled in, and this net is of God’s spreading “The enemies could not have succeeded in their stratagems had not God spread a net for my feet.” 
15. She is as one in a wilderness, whose way is embarrassed, solitary, and tiresome: “He has turned me back, that I cannot go on, has made me desolate, that I have nothing to support me with, but am faint all day.” 
16. She is like one in a yoke, not yoked for service, but for penance, tied neck and heels together (Lamentations 2:14): The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand. Observe, whoever are entangled in any yoke but what is framed out of our own transgressions.  

The sinner is holden with the cords of his own sins, Proverbs 5:22. The yoke of Christ’s commands is an easy yoke (Matthew 11:30), but that of our own transgressions is a heavy one.  

God is said to bind this yoke when he charges guilt upon us and brings us into those inward and outward troubles which our sins have deserved when conscience, as his deputy, binds us over to his judgment, then the yoke is bound and wreathed by the hand of his justice, and nothing but the hand of his pardoning mercy will unbind it.  

5. She is as one in the dirt, and he it is that has trodden under foot all her mighty men, that has disabled them to stand, and overthrown them by one judgment after another, and so left them to be trampled upon by their proud conquerors, Lamentations 2:15. Nay, she is as one in a wine-press, not only trodden down, but trodden to pieces, crushed as grapes in the wine-press of God’s wrath, and her blood pressed out as wine, and it is God that has thus trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah 
6. She is in the hand of her enemies, and it is the Lord that has delivered her into their hands (Lamentations 2:14): He has made my strength to fall, so that I am not able to make head against them nay, not only not able to rise up against them, but not able to rise up from them, and then he has delivered me into their hand’s nay (Lamentations 2:15), he has called an assembly against me, to crush my young men, and such an assembly as it is in vain to think of opposing and again (Lamentations 2:17), The Lord has commanded concerning Jacob that his adversaries should be round about him. He that has many a time commanded deliverance for Jacob (Psalms 44:4) now commands an invasion against Jacob because Jacob has disobeyed the commands of his law. 

“HERE ENDS THE SOUNDING OF THE TRUMPET!” 

CLOSING PRAYER by Robert

Father as you have us in your presence and hold us in your hands we ask for your gentleness to be upon us that we may know how it feels and are able to share it. Receive our devotion and submission to your will as dedicated servants humbly bowing before your throne, Shape and mould us into the disciples you desire Father. Fill us with your wisdom that we might hold no fear or doubt as we go forward sharing your light, living water, love, compassion, and healings as your “Modern Day Disciples. This we pray in your name Yeshua Amen and Amen. 

Remember these articles are from a humble obedient servant doing Yeshua’s bidding as He reveals His warnings. I pray our Lord Yeshua blesses each and everyone along with your families. Go in peace.

Genesis 12:3 “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”  

Robert