“For God is my defense.”

The 2003 movie “Lost in Translation” stars Bill Murray as an aging movie star in a foreign country who ends up befriending an unhappy newlywed young enough to be his daughter.  Both are searching for personal identity and significance at opposite ends of the spectrum of life, old and young respectively.  The title works on a couple of levels, one being the very real issue of lost meaning and imprecision when it comes to translating a book from one language to another.

I saw this driven home years ago when I was seeking input from others about getting into missions work.  I went to a missons conference at a nearby Bible college that featured some internationally known authors and speakers.  I attended a workshop on the perils of translation work, which caught me off guard.  A Western missionary to West Africa described a device that natives used to climb coconut trees and obtain the coconuts.  It had a one-word name in the local dialect, but when it came to translating this device into English, with everything it did for the natives, we ended up with about 15 English words!  Editing brought it down to about 7 that were absolutely essential to clearly communicate.  The point was that the greater the distance between cultures, the more challenging it is to properly translate and clearly communicate. I’ll say!  I came away with a whole new appreciation for this part of the Great Commission.

Contrary to the claims of various proponents, there is no perfect English Bible translation.  When working with international college students, I prefer the NIV.  When studying for myself, I prefer the NKJV.  Today’s focus comes from the latter in Psalm 59:9, 16, 17.  I chose the NKJV because it uses defense when a variety of Hebrew words are used.  The words mean anything from fortress, strong tower, high tower, shade, etc.  Everyone once in a while, it’s nice to have the more generic defense.  Sometimes generic captures the idea that a specific concrete example — like high tower — might not quite grab.

David used the idea of defense more than any other writer, almost all of the Old Testament uses.  In all of them he never really elaborates on the fact of God being his defense, only praises him for it.  For David, such a defense might be a cave or a band of mighty men, a wooded field, a desert or a hideout in foreign territory.  Despite the specific physical characteristics, it was always God who either provided the protection or caused his enemies to become blind to his whereabouts.

“So where is the parallel in the New Testament?” I asked God.  He took me to the end of Romans 8.  And while I was there, I saw something new.  In our country’s history, it has been tradition that our presidents regularly hold press conferences.  Sometimes they’re about a specific issue, sometimes not.  Either way, a statement is usually made and then the press raise questions that may or may not be on topic.  I realized that God’s ‘statement’ of salvation is given in Romans 1-8, the last chapter of which concludes with the ‘press conference.’  And it is in this press conference that the picture of defense rises to the top.

Each one of the questions begins with the word who.  The first question is, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (v. 31).  Notice that the emphasis is not on us, but God: “If God is for us…”  The answer is that it won’t be God, because he “did not spare his own Son” for us.  Moreover, it is through Christ that he “graciously [gave] us all things.”  Next question: “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?” (v. 33).  The answer is the same: not God, because “It is God who justifies.”  Next question: “Who is he that condemns?” (v. 34).  Obviously the condemnation refers to God’s people.  If anyone could effectively condemn us, it would be Jesus.  But again, the reverse is true: “Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”  In other words, the whole track record of Jesus is that of helping, serving, loving, sacrificing himself for us.  What would motivate him to do an about face now?  In a word, nothing!  Next question: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (v. 35).  Again, the answer resounds: absolutely nothing “in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus” (v. 39).

I don’t know about you, but that to me spells d-e-f-e-n-s-e!  Complete protection from any and all enemies.  And all at no cost to us.  Have you praised God lately for his being your impregnable defense?