Jump Start # 418 

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”

  One of the themes that runs throughout the book of Proverbs is the life of the righteous man. Often he is contrasted with the fool. Here in our verse today, he stands alone, without the contrasts, and we are told of his ways or the characteristics of the righteous man.

  Towers were part of shelters, much like the early forts were in the pioneer days of America. Settles lived out in their own cabins, where they raised livestock and had their gardens. When the threat of attack, often from Indians or the British, was eminent, the settlers would grab their muskets, and take their families to the forts. There they found safety. This is the image we get from our passage. The tower is a strong hold. The tower represents safety.

  Here, the name of the Lord is the tower. The name of the Lord. Moses was told that God’s name is “I AM.” In the disciples prayer, Jesus told them to pray, “Hallowed be Thy name.” Baptism was done in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The “name of the Lord” represents all that the Lord is. Today, we might use the expression, “In the name of the Law,” to represent the police. The police carry authority. In the name of the law means you obey them. In the name of the Lord represents the authority of the Lord, the power of the Lord and all the goodness of the Lord.

  The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous man runs to the name of the Lord. There he is safe. He is safe doing the will of God. He is safe trusting in the Lord. The Lord loves. The Lord protects.

  The application is a man who turns to the Lord. He would do that in prayer. His life is jumbled and he turns to the Lord. He lays his day before the Lord. His confidence grows because he has wisely sought the Lord. He knows as he prays, it is God’s will that will be accomplished, not his. He seeks that.

  The righteous man is safe as he runs to God’s word. God’s word shows him what is right and it warns him. He is safe as he walks with the Lord. The Lord will help him. The Lord’s words will guide him to what is right. The way of the Lord leads home.

  The righteous man runs to the Lord when he is afraid. Fear is a killer of faith. Many things can make us afraid. The greatest is the unknown. We haven’t felt well for sometime. We fear the worst. Things aren’t going well at work, we fear the worst. Life tends to do that to us. Fear makes the dog bigger than he is. Fear sees things in shadows that aren’t there. The internal fear is the worst of all. Our fears feed worry. Our fears keep us from going on. 

  The righteous man knows what to do. He heads to the Lord’s tower. There he will be safe. When he is afraid, seek the Lord. The Lord is good.

  Unlike our illustration of the early settler in America, the righteous man runs to the Lord all the time, not just when he is in trouble. The righteous man loves the Lord and seeks Him. The righteous man can’t live without the Lord. He loves the Lord. He loves the Scriptures. He has found, both in the teaching of the Bible, and by personal experience, safety is found in following the Lord.

  The song, “Trust and obey for there is no other way…” Trust. The Lord will do well to you. Trust. God is on the throne. Trust. Not in ourselves, but the Lord. It is to the Lord we must go. It is to the tower, His tower that all will be made right.

  This is the way of the righteous. Have you been to the tower lately? Does the name of the Lord bring joy to you, clear down to the bones? It is there, at His tower, that you are safe!

Roger