10/13/2024
Turn with me to Proverbs 18:10-11. These are our verses to study and memorize this week.
Proverbs 18:10-11 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe. 11 A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own imagination.
Introduction
Proverbs 18 gives us guidance on the use of the tongue. As we have studied the chapter we have seen quite a number of different bad uses of the tongue, as well as many behaviors which cause evil words. Most recently Proverbs 18:8-9 showed us the grumbling, gossiping, slandering lord of destruction and his brother laziness. In contrast to that, in verse 10 we now see where refuge may truly be found from that havoc which the destructive tongue raises: in the name of the Lord. The world’s answer to dealing with trouble is also given in verse 11: their wealth.
At first look it may seem that in verses 10-11 we have departed from our focus on the negative uses of the tongue and causes of wicked words. However, when we look closer we can see that this theme is definitely continued in these verses.
Verse 10 sets up the positive truth that verse 11 will contrast with. Trust in God is compared to trust in money or self-reliance. Notice, though, what we trust thoroughly affects our thoughts, words, and actions. Therefore, in verse 11 we see another major cause of foolish, dangerous words: trust in one’s wealth.
If that seems to be a bit of a stretch to make these verses fit into this pattern notice the language Solomon used in these verses. In both verses words are used that relate to speech. Trusting in the Lord and taking refuge in Him is framed as the Lord’s “name” being a strong tower. Similarly, the rich man’s trust in his wealth is framed as being a safe protection “in his own imagination.” Both of those bring the focus of the issue back to one’s words and thoughts. They answer the question, who do we cry out to with our needs? The foolish, wicked man speaks lies to himself and builds up his wealth as what is needed and sufficient to deal with the problems that arise in life. On the other hand, the wise, righteous man turns to the Lord in his words, thoughts, and actions. His refuge is what he knows to be true about God. This is what he reminds himself of, speaks about, and trusts in.
Let’s take a closer look now at these verses to see how they affect our words, how we can be protected from all of these dangerous words, and how evil words are caused by trust in riches.
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.
God is the source of true protection. The wise depend on Him and are protected. This proverb gives us the wisdom of trusting in the one name that can truly protect us through life’s dangers.
This verse is a refreshing variation on the litany of negative proverbs that we have been looking at on the dangers of the tongue. Yet, it’s close interconnectedness with the proverb that came before it and the one that comes after it shows us that we are not done with our focus on causes and dangers of wicked words. In contrast to verse 9, where we learned of the lazy man who is brother to the master of destruction, here we have the righteous man running to the Lord for protection. One is passive and inactive. The other is active and alert. The one’s actions (or inactions) lead to destruction, the other’s actions lead him to protection.
In addition to those contrasts and connections there is also a very close connection to the next verse. In the beginning parts of both verse 10 and 11 the word for “strong is used.” The righteous have their “strong” tower, and the rich have their “strong” city (at least in their imagination). In the second part of each verse the same root word for “high, inaccessible, or safe” is used. The verb form is used in verse 10 to describe what happens when the righteous run to the Lord. He is safe in God as his protector. In verse 11 the participle is used to describe the wall the rich man’s wealth is to him. It makes him high, safe, and inaccessible—at least in his own imagination.
So verse 10 does not stand alone by itself, and it does not begin a new section. What it does is give us our source of protection from the dangerous words we have been seeing. At the same time it also provides the contrast that is needed to help us see another very real danger: the danger of trusting in one’s riches in one’s own heart and mind. What we run to for protection from the danger of evil words and actions can either be a true protection, or it can simply be another source of more dangerous, deceptive words. Instead of following our own thoughts and trusting in our own words or wealth, we are to trust in the true, living, eternal Word—Jesus. This is what the righteous do. They run to the name of the Lord.
Running shows us that there is something active and intentional for us to do here. As God’s children we have the vast help of God available, but if we do not turn to it then it will not do us any good. We must put on the armor of God. We must turn to God, letting go of any sin and even our own thoughts, expectations, and plans. We are to follow Him in all our ways. We are to pray without ceasing and rejoice always. We are to have Him direct our paths by the truth of His Word in accordance with His perfect plan.
Running into the “name of the Lord” is a picturesque way of saying that we are running to the Lord and all that makes up who He is. This is not using His physical name as a mantra or some kind of magical talisman that gives us power we can control. The rosary or mindless repetitions are not going to protect us. No. This is a reliance on His name and who He is, rather than on ourselves and who we are. So while we are to run to Him actively, there is also the foundational reality that in so doing we are choosing to trust Him and what He alone can do. We rest, reside, and dwell in Him. We trust Him to do what is best when it is best. We trust Him for how our circumstances should turn out. We trust Him in our joy and in our pain. We trust Him for our life and our death. We trust Him, and that trust is seen in our continued obedience and in following Him even when we do not see all the details of how and why He is doing what He is doing. We do this and trust Him this way because of who He is and what He does. Who then is He?
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see exactly who He is and why He is the one true refuge. Genesis 1:1 tells us:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
God is the creator of all things that exist everywhere. Daniel 4:34-35 add this about Him:
Daniel 4:34-35 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. 35 “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’
God is all powerful. No one can stop Him from accomplishing His will. Revelation 15:3-4 tells us this about His character and how He uses His power:
Revelation 15:3-4 And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! 4 “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.”
God is good, holy, and righteous. Psalm 103:8-13 further describe His relationship to people.
Psalm 103:8-13 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
He is merciful and compassionate to those who turn to Him for redemption from sin. For those, then, who have repented and trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior God is their ultimate refuge. He is there to run to in every trial, struggle, and joy. He is indeed our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble as Psalm 46:1 declares. Representing who He is and what He has done, His name is most assuredly a strong tower.
Think about some of His amazing promises that He will fulfill for those who run to Him. First, He calls all who are weary and heavy-laden to repentance and trust in Him with these words:
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
In Him we will find rest for our souls. Then to those who have been made righteous in Jesus He reminds us in 1 Peter 5 and Philippians 4 that this is a continued blessing that we can have. This is not just a one time thing or a future thing. After telling us to humble ourselves before God Peter says we are to be:
1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
Philippians 4:6-7 lets us know what the result will be of running to God for His care.
Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God’s peace is ours when we continually give Him our lives and future. Romans 8 gives us quite a number of additional encouraging reminders and promises. In Romans 8:11 He gives us this eternal hope:
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
After our physical death, God will raise us His children up from the dead. Romans 8:16-18 adds to the picture of this eternal reality to encourage us to hold on faithfully now.
Rom 8:16-18 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
We have God’s Spirit within us. We have a future inheritance with Christ. Think about that. Amazing! Our suffering now is nothing compared to the glory and blessing of what awaits us.
Romans 8:26-27 goes into more detail on what God’s Spirit with us does.
Romans 8:26-27 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
He knows our suffering. He intercedes and gets us help. The following verses (Romans 8:28-32) extend God’s involvement in our lives beyond prayer to everything that we need.
Romans 8:28-32 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
It is not just our future inheritance that is a refuge for our hearts and minds through the trials of this life. It is not just the Holy Spirit’s prayers interceding for us in our suffering that is a refuge for us. We can have a current physical refuge in God knowing that He is actively at work in every detail of our current circumstances. Starting from the moment He saves us He is working things out for our good until we are currently experiencing the eternal reality of being glorified with Him in the new heavens and earth. He is at work making us holy and transforming us into the image of Jesus’ righteousness. Given the extreme extent He went in saving us from our sin by Jesus going to the cross to die in our place He is going to give us everything that we need in this life to make us holy and enable us to serve Him until it is our time to die and go be with Him. Every single moment is covered, considered, and taken care of. This is reiterated by the promise that He gives in Hebrews 13:5-6.
Hebrews 13:5-6 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” 6 so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”
God is with us. He will never desert us or leave us. He is our refuge. As His children the Lord is assisting us through every single trial that we will ever experience. This includes all of the suffering that we might experience as we come up to our physical death, and then through that experience right on into eternity with Him. Because of that we do not have to be afraid of what people can do to us. We do not have to be afraid of what might happen in this broken world with hurricanes, droughts, famines, or other natural disasters. We do not have to be afraid of losing our homes. We do not have to be afraid of what the government might do to us, what foreign enemies might do in terrorist attacks or wars, or what thieves and robbers might do. We do not have to be afraid of what cancer, a heart attack, or viruses might do. None of those can take away God’s presence, His protective care, or His eternal promises. None of those can take away His redemption of our sin from us. None of those can take away His good and perfect purposes for us in living this life or our holiness—unless we let them. None of those can truly hurt us. We are eternally safe in Him. Not one hurt can come to us except but what He allows in His good and perfect will. Not one bit of suffering can occur but what He will turn to good if we run to Him and abide with Him as our refuge. Through it He will be exalted. Through it His power will be made perfect in our weakness. Through it we will be made more holy. Through it our perspective and mind will be made more in line with His image. Through it His gospel will be proclaimed. Through it other believers will be built up and encouraged. Through it good will come—if we run to Him for our refuge and let ourselves find in Him true peace, hope, strength, and everlasting, incomprehensible, unbounded love.
Are you running to Him as your refuge for safety and help each and every day? We are safe if we run and abide in Him.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an extraordinary example of this with King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18-19 (cf. also 2 Chronicles 32 and Isaiah 36-37). Assyria had destroyed the nations around Israel and deported them. They even did this to the northern tribes of Israel. Then they came against Judah.
Hezekiah had begun his reign as king by ridding the country of idols and false worship. He had reinstituted the feasts and required Judah to follow God’s commands in how He was to be worshipped. Yet, from man’s perspective things were absolutely hopeless. After overrunning almost all of Judah Sennacherib’s messenger came to Jerusalem with an army. He publicly mocked their trust in the Lord and proclaimed that God had sent them to destroy Judah. He warned them to surrender and await deportment because the Lord could not deliver them from their upcoming doom (2 Kings 18:22, 25, 30-35). Despite all that, Hezekiah did not surrender. He did what he had done before. He ran to God. He went to the temple and prayed. He sent a message to the prophet Isaiah and asked him to pray to God to hear these evil words. He proclaimed his confidence in God as the “living God” (2 Kings 19:4). He knew God was sovereign and could intervene. He did not know what God would do, but in his darkest moments he trusted in the Lord and ran to Him for help.
God had not intervened when Assyria destroyed most of the land. Yet, God did intervene at the right time to accomplish His purposes. Ultimately He sent an angel and slew 185,000 Assyrians. Sennacherib’s own sons then ended up killing him in the temple of his false god.
God does not always remove hardships, answer our prayers right away, or answer them in the way that we want Him too. Yet, when we run to Him we are safe. Nothing outside of His perfect, good will can occur. He sees all that is happening. He is at work in our lives and in the lives of others around us. He will use circumstances to refine us and make us holy. He will use circumstances to bring about the redemption of others. He will use our testimony of faith to proclaim the truth and encourage others. He will use our circumstances in ways beyond our understanding when we run to Him and depend on Him.
Truth in Connection: As we apply this to our lives, the question is, will we continually run to the name of the Lord as our refuge? Are we running to Him and trusting Him day by day for what is best? Are we casting our cares on Him? Are we remembering His trustworthiness and who He truly is so that we do not let ourselves grow weary in well-doing or become hopeless in our circumstances?
Have you trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If you have not then God is not working for your good. You can have no true confidence that things will work out. Rather, you have this to fear: God is going to judge you for your sin. Unless we turn in repentance to God over our sin and trust in His one way of salvation through Jesus’ work on the cross in our behalf then we are God’s enemy. But it does not have to be this way. He calls all who are weary and heavy-laden to come to Him. We cannot carry the burden of our sin. We cannot undo it. It will undo us. Give your life, your sin, and everything else to Him. Trust Him to save you. He is trustworthy. He is merciful and compassionate to all those who come to Him. Then, day by day run to Him for grace, strength, and help in all the trials of life. Since He loved us enough to save us from our sins, He will be with us to help us in living for Him each and every day. Will you trust Him? Are you running to Him each day?
Our next proverb provides the contrast to this trust in the name of the Lord with what people tend to trust instead of Him. They trust in themselves.
11 A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own imagination.
The rich depend on their wealth for protection and imagine it to be a very good protection. This proverb focuses on the foolishness of our vain imagination with its trust in money.
Back in Proverbs 10:15 we saw that “The rich man’s wealth is his fortress.” Because money can often be used to make life easier, and because oftentimes money can be used to fix or remove problems that we encounter it often becomes what people trust in. But just because it can take care of some issues does not mean that it can take care of them all. Nor does placing our trust in something make it trustworthy. Oftentimes what we place our trust in is really just the figment of our imagination.
If you have ever had your house robbed, your vehicle broken into, or been assaulted you probably got a dose of realism in realizing that things and people are not as safe as you may have assumed. A sense of powerlessness sometimes sets in. For some people that is an incentive to trust something else. Maybe they go and get a video camera security system, take karate lessons, or get trained in using a personal protection device. At some point, if we are honest with ourselves, we will realize that none of those protective measures are foolproof. They may be a high wall in our imagination which provides protection and security. Nonetheless, there is always something which can get through and hurt us.
Sadly, though, we often do not learn from these experiences. We use our words, thoughts, and imagination to deceive ourselves into thinking that we can find a way with our ingenuity and money to fix our problems and to provide ourselves with safety and security.
Trusting in the wrong thing is another major cause of dangerous words. When we trust in money, people, or things we try to persuade ourselves and others that they are trustworthy. We trust in them in place of trusting in God and the truth. We deceive ourselves and others. What is so dangerous about this is that we then go and live in light of what we think will protect us and help us in our troubles. So we live for building up those things which we think will make us safe. We live for making money. We live for pursuing that relationship which we think can provide us security. We live for building up our safe little kingdoms. When in reality money, guns, walls, good jobs, a big property, a big garden, solar panels, batteries, generators, and other acts of self-reliance should never be where we place our trust instead of truly in God. God is the only true refuge and place of safety. Those things may have their place, but should never be where we place our trust.
If we hypothetically nod to God and then really trust in our preparations and pursuits we will be dismayed and overwhelmed when our preparations are not enough. We will be floored and flabbergasted when our wealth and efforts cannot protect us. If we place our faith in our government, our military, our spouse, our money, our doctors, our medicine, ourselves, or any other thing we will be let down. We will be discouraged and despondent when troubles and trials come. Or, if we are somehow able to mostly get by in life with money paving our way, we will be deceived when our greatest trial comes and we face death completely unprepared, or we will find that we have wasted our life pursuing the wrong things.
The question is, what are we going to do about that? Will those failures simply push us to greater lengths to find something else which will not let us down, to working harder, to earning more money, or to making more preparations which ultimately will fail too? Or, will we let it open our eyes to reality? Will we stop trusting ourselves, our money, and our preparations and turn to really trusting in God?
Our heart attitude response to the trials that come reveal a lot about where our trust really is. Do we rush to money and our solutions? Or do we run to the Lord as our refuge? Do we try to find peace in our solutions? Or do we find peace in the Lord? What do we ultimately call on with our words and actions in our time of need? Remember, our self-perceived safety and comfort are not the most important things. Do not be deceived by wicked words which entice us to believe they are the most important. Obedience to God and holiness are what matters. They are what brings Him glory.
Scriptural Example: In Scripture we see an example of this proverb with Sennacherib, the king of Assyria who came against King Hezekiah. He had defeated all the kingdoms around Judah, including Israel. None of their gods had been able to save them from his military might. He thought his battle against Jerusalem and the Lord would be the same. He trusted in his abilities. He trusted in his army. He trusted in his horses and chariots. He trusted in his gods. But no matter what preparations he made they were not enough when he defied the one true, living God. As we saw in the previous proverb, God decimated his army in one night. He showed him that his god was helpless. His very own sons killed him right there in his god’s temple.
Everything that we trust and place as god in our life to deal with our problems is ultimately going to fail. It does not matter how wealthy or how powerful we may be. When we trust them, we defy God. That is not a light thing to do. There is only one true refuge. There is only one true God. Run to Him.
Proverb in Comparison: When we compare this proverb with the rest of Scripture we see the foolishness of living in this way of self-deception and trusting in our own efforts. Isaiah 28:14-19 encapsulates this.
Isaiah 28:14-19 Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, 15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.” 16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. 17 “I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. 18 “Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place. 19 “As often as it passes through, it will seize you; For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night, And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”
The only way to find refuge from God’s judgment on our sin is to acknowledge our sin and turn from trusting in it to trusting in His way of salvation in Jesus Christ. Trusting in our way, our efforts, our abilities, our money, and our pursuits of sin will only lead to our destruction. None of our self-deceptions will work on God. Our sin is evil. It does deserve His judgment. Rebellion against Him through our sin will not be ignored. Our money and earthly success will be of no account when we stand before Him. Complete righteousness is the only thing that will satisfy Him. It is what He deserves from His creation.
Knowing our inability, in His love He became a man and lived perfectly. Then He became our substitute on the cross in paying the penalty for our sin so that He could give us His righteousness. But all of that is only applied to those who stop trusting in their wealth and efforts and trust in Him. Only in Him is there refuge. Have you truly trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Trust Him today, before it is too late. Do not let the dangerous lies and self-deception of self-reliance be the dangerous words that bring about your eternal destruction.
Truth in Connection: If you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then do not go back to your old way of living. Do not trust Him to be your eternal savior and then stop trusting him with the rest of your earthly life! Do not trust Him to redeem you from sin—which you could not overcome—and then try to trust in yourself to live in His new righteous redeemed way of life! Do not in actual practice place your faith in your old gods of self-reliance, money, houses, lands, doctors, medicine, jobs, vehicles, and other things. If we are not careful they will voluntarily enslave us into thinking that they are what we need and what we should spend our lives working for and towards. Building security and comfort in this life is not what God has called us to. He has called us to building His eternal kingdom. He has called us to making disciples. He has called us to go into all the world. He has called us to help each other in following Jesus in every area of our lives. Will we trust Him? Or will we live for the pursuit of the safe, sanitized, comfortable, entertained, worldly gods of the unbelieving world around us?
If we have gone back to our finding our security in money and things, then we need to turn from that. We need to acknowledge God in all our ways. We are to seek first His kingdom and righteousness. He cares far more about our holiness than our security and the absence of pain. He cares far more about our obedience and trusting Him than he does our convenience and ease in this life. Eternity will have no more tears, sorrows, and trials. But now has a mission to be accomplished.
God wants to transform our lives, and He wants to transform the lives of all those He is calling to Himself. Let’s pursue holiness and discipleship. Let’s trust Him through whatever hardships He calls us to go through in pursuit of the true mission. The true goal is not our ease, comfort, or physical safety in this life. The true goal is God’s glory through following Him and making other followers of Him. Let’s live for that and trust Him for whatever He calls us to do. May we immerse ourselves in His Word to guide us practically in what that looks like for each of us individually. May we be sensitive to His Spirit and hold our lives and all that we have with an open hand for His guidance and use.
Conclusion
If you have any questions on any of this or want help in coming to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior please come talk with us. We are available. Let’s pray.
© 2024, Kevin A. Dodge, All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
English (US) · 