GOD’S PROTECTION IS PERSONAL

“And he said, The LORD is MY ROCK, and MY FORTRESS, and MY DELIVERER” – 2 Samuel 22:2

David’s Testimony exemplifies the reality that GOD’S PROTECTION IS PERSONAL: “And he said, The LORD is MY ROCK, and MY FORTRESS, and MY DELIVERER” (2Sam.22:2). These words are repeated nearly identical in Psalm 18, which gives a fuller list of MYs in a single verse: The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psa.18:2). David offered praise and thanksgiving for God’s protection over the course of his life. He sang the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

The word ‘MY’ jumps at us most forcefully, off the page of scripture. David declared how he felt about his relationship with God Almighty. He used both offensive and defensive military metaphors to describe who God was to him. Obviously he was saying that the Lord was all he needed to survive life’s demanding battles. He described the Lord in very personal terms, as “MY rock, and MY fortress, and MY deliverer” (v.2). In the next verse, he declared: “The God of MY strength, in whom I will trust; MY shield and the horn of MY salvation, MY stronghold and MY refuge; MY Savior, You save me from violence” (v.3).

Let’s ponder on the imagery of the rock that must have had much meaning to David. The Lord as his Rock indicates a place of covering and shade, shelter and safety, refreshment, and a secure standing.

As a shepherd, David knew that often the only place to find relief from the merciless sun in a hot arid desert was by the shade of a rock: “A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isa.32:2). That “man” is Jesus!

As a man of war, rock represented a stronghold or place of safety. The rock could provide shelter and protection in its cracks and crevasses. God told Moses: “So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by” (Exo.33:22). David knew what it meant to hide in the rocks (1Sam.24:1-3).

As an Israelite, David had been taught since childhood that during the Exodus, the rock represented a place of refreshment. In Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians, he said that the Rock that took care of Israel of old was Jesus: “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4).

Personally, David had experienced God as his rock – his firm footing and formidable foundation to stand and fight, as opposed to sinking sand: “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps” (Psa.40:2). He alone guarantees solid Security, Strength and Stability.

We all need a secure rock in our lives. For some people, their rock is a person, like a parent, close relative, boss or leader. The rock for others is a place: their childhood neighbourhood, a special place in the mountains, desert, or beach, where they retreat when they feel down or alone, or when life gets unwieldy. Others regard their position as their rock: a lucrative business, a great job or a political appointment. Familiar people, places, and positions can make us feel secure, but people pass away, places change, and positions come and go. We need the Rock that’s absolutely able, dependable, and unchangeable.

David knew who to rest on as his Rock. He had come to trust that in the darkest hour, God was the Ultimate Provider of protection, comfort, refreshment, refuge, strength, and stability! Can you truly say like David: “The LORD is MY ROCK, and MY FORTRESS, and MY DELIVERER”?