“He is my stronghold…”

The Hebrew language is rich in vocabulary, having many words to describe the smallest subtleties of meaning.  After surviving a battle where he almost lost his life (2 Sam. 21:15-22), David writes and sings a praise song to the Lord for his deliverance and victory.  So grateful was he that he began chapter 22 by describing the Lord in many ways that communicate a similar meaning.  Notice the 8 descriptions in verses 2 and 3:  “rock…fortress…deliverer…shield…horn of my salvation…stronghold…refuge…savior.”  How many ways can you describe, for example, fortress?  Fort, stronghold, castle, fortification, bulwark, citadel, bastion and rampart are examples in English.  Each has its own definition, all similar or identical to fortress.  Ditto with Hebrew.  Each of these 8 words has its own nuance.

The word stronghold comes from a Hebrew word that has two clear meanings that are linked together.  Those meanings are loftiness (or high in altitude) and inaccessibility.  The picture it presents is a strong fort high on a cliff that overlooks a field or valley below.  From the fort one can see every movement of an enemy that wants to overthrow those within it.  Because it is so difficult to even reach the fort, trying to break in is simply impossible.  There is not enough ground to sustain a long siege or frontal assault.  Simply speaking, the fort is impenetrable — no one can force his way in.

That is what David is saying about the Lord.  There is a rest, a comfort, a safe haven free from every attack and danger.  It is found only the Lord.  He is our stronghold who is impenetrable.  Jesus said, “No one can snatch them out of my hand…[and] my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).  That’s protection!

Interestingly, the New Testament uses this word stronghold only once, in 2 Corinthians 10:4.  It is a much different context, but the word nonetheless describes the same thing.  Speaking of spiritual warfare, Paul writes, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”  The Corinthians knew about strongholds.  Early settlers there had built such a fort on a hill on the south side of the city.  Whenever invaders would come either by land or by sea, residents would flee up the hill into the fort, an identical picture to David’s account.

What kinds of strongholds did Paul speak of?  The next verse tells us.  They were not literal forts or strongholds, but “arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  In other words, people reject God for all kinds of poor and false reasons — philosophic, experiential, reactionary, apathetic, nihilistic, etc.  None of these is high enough or strong enough to resist the truth.  Each one is based on a faulty assumption.  If the foundation is poor, then what stands on that foundation can be toppled rather easily.

Paul says that with our spiritual weapons we can “demolish [these] strongholds.”  In other words, the strongholds that unbelievers seek for refuge are quite low and accessible enough for us to destroy them.  Imagine that!  Beside the fact that these “arguments and…pretension[s]” are full of holes, God has given us the weapons to win.  Of course, in the battle our real challenge is not only to master the weapons so that we can win the arguments.  It also is to master the needed character to win our opponents.  Winning battles at the expense of our opponents means nothing to God.  Winning the battle of ideas is merely one step to winning the hearts of those with whom we disagree — the ones for whom Jesus died.  The battle for their hearts is the work of God:  “And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.  Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

Our stronghold — the Lord, including His thoughts and ways — is as high as heaven (Isa. 55:8-9).  Jesus has made this lofty and inaccessible stronghold accessible.  In it we find salvation, rest, comfort, and the wisdom to fight the pagan ideas of our culture.  How often do you seek refuge and instruction in our stronghold?  Do you go to battle to win the argument and the opponent, thereby glorifying the Lord?