Psalm 27:5, “For in the time (day) of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.”
Our 3 places of safety in the ‘day’ or ‘time’ of trouble are pavilion, tabernacle and rock. Yesterday we remembered how Yahweh was so faithful in the Wilderness for 40 years, remembering their inhabitation of ‘pavilion’, tents.
TABERNACLE:
- First we must remember that the Tabernacle is a ‘secret place’, not open to strangers. It was a place of ‘hiding’, a place of safety
- In the Wilderness, the Tabernacle was a tent that housed the presence of Yahweh, where God might dwell among His people. It is described in Exodus 26 and 36-40. The entire last part of Exodus recalls the building of the dwelling place for God in the Wilderness.
- Ohel, comes from the root ‘ahal‘, which means ‘shineth‘. The glory of God would be in the Tabernacle, and when the glory cloud moved they moved. When the glory cloud stopped they stopped. The entire nation was camped around the presence of God and there they found their safety.
The safest place is in God’s presence! But we have a life here on this earth we must live out, so we go into His presence in the morning, and then carry His presence with us throughout the day.
Matthew 7:24 tells us, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock (25) Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”
The Word tells us that it ‘rains on the just and the unjust’ (Matthew 5:25). In this Hurricane Harvey and TS Harvey we see this happen again and again. Some of the best pastors in our area lost everything in their home, some had incredible damage in their churches. Plus the loss of income for so many will affect the church finances. But one thing I learned, those who trust in the Lord for their help will dig deep into the roots of Truth and come out stronger. The Rock is Jesus, and He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is faithful, the author and finisher of our faith. Amen and Amen.