|
refuge related
links
|
The LORD said to
Moses, "Tell the Israelites: When you go across the Jordan
into the land of Canaan, select for yourselves cities to serve as
cities of asylum, where a homicide who has killed someone
unintentionally may take refuge. These cities shall serve you as
places of asylum from the avenger of blood, so that a homicide
shall not be put to death unless he is first tried before the
community. Six cities of asylum shall you assign: three beyond the
Jordan, and three in the land of Canaan. These six cities of
asylum shall serve not only the Israelites but all the resident or
transient aliens among them, so that anyone who has killed another
unintentionally may take refuge there." [Taken from NUM
35:9-15] [Note: Although various Old Testament practices
are not binding under the New Covenant, passages such this may
nevertheless be useful for reference purposes.]
Then Moses set apart three cities in the region
east of the Jordan, that a homicide might take refuge there if he
unwittingly killed his neighbor to whom he had previously borne no
malice, and that he might save his life by fleeing to one of these
cities: Bezer in the desert, in the region of the plateau, for the
Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan
for the Manassehites. [DEUT 4:41-43]
"You shall not hand over to his master a slave who has taken refuge from him with you. Let him live with you wherever he chooses, in any one of your communities that pleases him. Do not molest him." [DEUT 23:16-17]
During their delay Ehud made good his escape
and, passing the idols, took refuge in Seirah. On his arrival he
sounded the horn in the mountain region of Ephraim, and the
Israelites went down from the mountains with him as their leader.
[JUDG 3:26-27]
The Israelites offended the LORD, who therefore delivered them into the power of Midian for seven years, so that Midian held Israel subject. For fear of Midian the Israelites established the fire signals on the mountains, the caves for refuge, and the strongholds.
[JUDG 6:1-2]
Then all the trees said to the buckthorn, 'Come;
you reign over us!' But the buckthorn replied to the trees, 'If
you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith, come and take
refuge in my shadow. Otherwise, let fire come from the buckthorn
and devour the cedars of Lebanon.' [Taken from JUDG 9:14-15]
Casting herself prostrate upon the ground, she
said to him, "Why should I, a foreigner, be favored with your
notice?" Boaz answered her: "I have had a complete
account of what you have done for your mother-in-law after your
husband's death; you have left your father and your mother and the
land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not
know previously. May the LORD reward what you have done! May you
receive a full reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under
whose wings you have come for refuge." [RUTH 2:10-12]
David left Gath and escaped to the cave of
Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his family heard about
it, they came down to him there. He was joined by all those who
were in difficulties or in debt, or who were embittered, and he
became their leader. About four hundred men were with him. From
there David went to Mizpeh of Moab and said to the king of Moab,
"Let my father and mother stay with you, until I learn what
God will do for me." He left them with the king of Moab, and
they stayed with him as long as David remained in the refuge. But
the prophet Gad said to David: "Do not remain in the refuge.
Leave, and go to the land of Judah." And so David left and
went to the forest of Hereth. [1SAM 22:1-5]
David now lived in the refuges in the desert, or
in the barren hill country near Ziph. Though Saul sought him
continually, the LORD did not deliver David into his grasp. [1SAM
23:14]
Some of the Ziphites went up to Saul in Gibeah and said, "David is hiding among us, now in the refuges, and again at Horesh, or on the hill of Hachilah, south of the wasteland. Therefore, whenever the king wishes to come down, let him do so. It will be our task to deliver him into the king's grasp." [1SAM 23:19-20]
David then went up from there and stayed in the
refuges behind Engedi. And when Saul returned from the pursuit of
the Philistines, he was told that David was in the desert near
Engedi. So Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel and
went in search of David and his men in the direction of the wild
goat crags. When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found
a cave, which he entered to ease nature. David and his men were
occupying the inmost recesses of the cave. David's servants said
to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'I
will deliver your enemy into your grasp; do with him as you see
fit.'" So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of
Saul's mantle. Afterward, however, David regretted that he had cut
off an end of Saul's mantle. He said to his men, "The LORD
forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD'S
anointed, as to lay a hand on him, for he is the Lord's
anointed." With these words David restrained his men and
would not permit them to attack Saul. Saul then left the cave and
went on his way. David also stepped out of the cave, calling to
Saul, "My lord the king!" When Saul looked back, David
bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul: "Why do you
listen to those who say, 'David is trying to harm you'? You see
for yourself today that the LORD just now delivered you into my
grasp in the cave. I had some thought of killing you, but I took
pity on you instead. I decided, 'I will not raise a hand against
my lord, for he is the LORD'S anointed and a father to me.'"
[1SAM 24:1-11]
When David finished saying these things to Saul,
Saul answered, "Is that your voice, my son David?" And
he wept aloud. Saul then said to David: "You are in the right
rather than I; you have treated me generously, while I have done
you harm. Great is the generosity you showed me today, when the
LORD delivered me into your grasp and you did not kill me. For if
a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed? May the
LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day. And
now, since I know that you shall surely be king and that
sovereignty over Israel shall come into your possession, swear to
me by the LORD that you will not destroy my descendants and that
you will not blot out my name and family." David gave Saul
his oath and Saul returned home, while David and his men went up
to the refuge. [1SAM 24:17-23]
When the Philistines heard that David had been
anointed king of Israel, they all took the field in search of him.
On hearing this, David went down to the refuge. [2SAM 5:17]
"O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my
deliverer, my God, my rock of refuge! My shield, the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, my savior, from violence you
keep me safe. 'Praised be the LORD,' I exclaim, and I am safe from
my enemies." [Taken from 2SAM 22:2-4]
"God's way is unerring; the promise of the
LORD is fire-tried; he is a shield to all who take refuge in
him." [2SAM 22:31]
During the harvest three of the Thirty went down
to David in the cave of Adullam, while a Philistine clan was
encamped in the Vale of Rephaim. At that time David was in the
refuge, and there was a garrison of Philistines in Bethlehem. Now
David had a strong craving and said, "Oh, that someone would
give me a drink of water from the cistern that is by the gate of
Bethlehem!" So the Three warriors broke through the
Philistine camp and drew water from the cistern that is by the
gate of Bethlehem. But when they brought it to David he refused to
drink it, and instead poured it out to the LORD, saying: "The
LORD forbid that I do this! Can I drink the blood of these men who
went at the risk of their lives?" So he refused to drink it.
[2SAM 23:13-17]
A man of God came up and said to the king of
Israel: "The LORD says, 'Because Aram has said the LORD is a
god of mountains, not a god of plains, I will deliver up to you
all this large army, that you may know I am the LORD.'" They
were encamped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh
day battle was joined, and the Israelites struck down one hundred
thousand foot soldiers of Aram in one day. The survivors,
twenty-seven thousand of them, fled into the city of Aphek, and
there the wall collapsed. Ben-hadad, too, fled, and took refuge
within the city, in an inside room. [1KGS 20:28-30]
Many of the people, those who abandoned the law,
joined them and committed evil in the land. Israel was driven into
hiding, wherever places of refuge could be found. [1MACC 1:52-53]
Then Judas attacked the sons of Esau at
Akrabattene in Idumea, because they were blockading Israel; he
defeated them heavily, overcame and despoiled them. He also
remembered the malice of the sons of Baean, who had become a snare
and a stumbling block to the people by ambushing them along the
roads. He forced them to take refuge in towers, which he besieged
[Taken from 1MACC 5:3-5]
The foreigners in the strongholds that Bacchides
had built, took flight; each one of them left his place and
returned to his own country. Only in Beth-zur did some remain of
those who had abandoned the law and the commandments, for they
used it as a place of refuge. [1MACC 10:12-14]
Whoever takes refuge in the temple of Jerusalem
or in any of its precincts, because of money he owes the king, or
because of any other debt, shall be released, together with all
the goods he possesses in my kingdom. [Taken from 1MACC 10:43]
So Jonathan sent three thousand good fighting
men to him at Antioch. When they came to the king, he was
delighted over their arrival, for the populace, one hundred and
twenty thousand strong, had massed in the center of the city in an
attempt to kill him. But he took refuge in the palace, while the
populace gained control of the main streets and began to fight. [1MACC
11:44-46]
Meanwhile, Numenius and his companions left Rome
with letters such as this addressed to various kings and
countries: "Lucius, Consul of the Romans, sends greetings to
King Ptolemy. Certain envoys of the Jews, our friends and allies,
have come to us to renew their earlier alliance of friendship.
They had been sent by Simon the high priest and the Jewish people,
and they brought with them a gold shield worth a thousand minas.
Therefore we have decided to write to various kings and countries,
that they are not to harm them, or wage war against them or their
cities or their country, and are not to assist those who fight
against them. We have also decided to accept the shield from them.
If, then, any troublemakers from their country take refuge with
you, hand them over to Simon the high priest, so that he may
punish them according to their law." [1MACC 15:15-21]
When at least nine thousand took refuge in two
very strong towers, containing everything necessary to sustain a
siege, Maccabeus left Simon and Joseph, along with Zacchaeus and
his men, in sufficient numbers to besiege them, while he himself
went off to places where he was more urgently needed. But some of
the men in Simon's force who were money lovers let themselves be
bribed by some of the men in the towers; on receiving seventy
thousand drachmas, they allowed a number of them to escape. [2MACC
10:18-20]
Serve the LORD with fear; with trembling bow
down in homage, Lest God be angry and you perish from the way in a
sudden blaze of anger. Happy are all who take refuge in God! [PS
2:11]
You are not a god who delights in evil; no
wicked person finds refuge with you; the arrogant cannot stand
before you. You hate all who do evil; you destroy all who speak
falsely. Murderers and deceivers the LORD abhors. [PS 5:5-7]
For there is no sincerity in their mouths; their
hearts are corrupt. Their throats are open graves; on their
tongues are subtle lies. Declare them guilty, God; make them fall
by their own devices. Drive them out for their many sins; they
have rebelled against you. Then all who take refuge in you will be
glad and forever shout for joy. Protect them that you may be the
joy of those who love your name. For you, LORD, bless the just;
you surround them with favor like a shield. [PS 5:10-13]
LORD my God, in you I take refuge; rescue me;
save me from all who pursue me [Taken from PS 7:2]
Will these evildoers never learn? They devour my
people as they devour bread; they do not call upon the LORD. They
have good reason, then, to fear; God is with the company of the
just. They would crush the hopes of the poor, but the poor have
the LORD as their refuge. [PS 14:4-6]
Keep me safe, O God; in you
I take refuge [Taken from PS 16:1]
I call upon you; answer me, O God. Turn your ear
to me; hear my prayer. Show your wonderful love, you who deliver
with your right arm those who seek refuge from their foes. Keep me
as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from
the violence of the wicked. [PS 17:6-9]
I love you, LORD, my strength, LORD, my rock, my
fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock of refuge, my shield, my
saving horn, my stronghold! Praised be the LORD, I exclaim! I have
been delivered from my enemies. [Taken from PS 18:2-4]
LORD, you are the strength of your people, the saving refuge of your anointed king.
Save your people, bless your inheritance; feed and sustain them forever!
[PS 28:8-9]
In you, LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put
to shame. In your justice deliver me; incline your ear to me; make
haste to rescue me! Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to save me.
You are my rock and my fortress; for your name's sake lead and
guide me. [PS 31:2-4]
Learn to savor how good the LORD is; happy are
those who take refuge in him. [PS 34:9]
Evil will slay the wicked; those who hate the just are condemned.
The LORD redeems loyal servants; no one is condemned whose refuge is God. [PS 34:22-23]
How precious is your love, O God! We take refuge
in the shadow of your wings. [PS 36:8]
The salvation of the just is from the LORD, their refuge in time of distress. The LORD helps and rescues them, rescues and saves them from the wicked, because in God they take refuge.
[PS 37:39-40]
God is our refuge and our strength, an
ever-present help in distress. Thus we do not fear, though earth
be shaken and mountains quake to the depths of the sea, though its
waters rage and foam and mountains totter at its surging. The LORD
of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. [Taken
from PS 46:2-4]
Now God will strike you down, leave you crushed
forever, Pluck you from your tent, uproot you from the land of the
living. The righteous will look on with awe; they will jeer and
say: "That one did not take God as a refuge, but trusted in
great wealth, relied on devious plots." But I, like an olive
tree in the house of God, trust in God's faithful love forever. I
will praise you always for what you have done. I will proclaim
before the faithful that your name is good. [Taken from PS
52:7-11]
But I shall sing of your strength, extol your
love at dawn, For you are my fortress, my refuge in time of
trouble. My strength, your praise I will sing; you, God, are my
fortress, my loving God. [PS 59:17-18]
O God, you rejected us, broke our defenses; you
were angry but now revive us. You rocked the earth, split it open;
repair the cracks for it totters. You made your people go through
hardship, made us stagger from the wine you gave us. Raise up a
flag for those who revere you, a refuge for them out of bow shot.
Help with your right hand and answer us that your loved ones may
escape. [Taken from PS 60:3-7]
Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer! From
the brink of Sheol I call; my heart grows faint. Raise me up, set
me on a rock, for you are my refuge, a tower of strength against
the foe. Then I will ever dwell in your tent, take refuge in the
shelter of your wings. [Taken from PS 61:2-5]
My soul, be at rest in God alone, from whom
comes my hope. God alone is my rock and my salvation, my secure
height; I shall not fall. My safety and glory are with God, my
strong rock and refuge. Trust God at all times, my people! Pour
out your hearts to God our refuge! [Taken from PS 62:6-9]
They devise wicked schemes, conceal the schemes
they devise; the designs of their hearts are hidden. But God will
shoot arrows at them and strike them unawares. They will be
brought down by their own tongues; all who see them will shake
their heads. Then all will fear and proclaim God's deed, pondering
what has been done. The just will rejoice and take refuge in the
LORD; all the upright will glory in their God. [Taken from PS 64:7-11]
In you, LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put
to shame. In your justice rescue and deliver me; listen to me and
save me! Be my rock and refuge, my secure stronghold; for you are
my rock and fortress. My God, rescue me from the power of the
wicked, from the clutches of the violent. You are my hope, Lord;
my trust, GOD, from my youth. On you I depend since birth; from my
mother's womb you are my strength; my hope in you never wavers. I
have become a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge! My
mouth shall be filled with your praise, shall sing your glory
every day. [PS 71:1-8]
Though my flesh and my heart fail, God is the
rock of my heart, my portion forever. But those who are far from
you perish; you destroy those unfaithful to you. As for me, to be
near God is my good, to make the Lord GOD my refuge. I shall
declare all your works in the gates of daughter Zion. [PS 73:26-28]
Happy are those who find refuge in you, whose
hearts are set on pilgrim roads. As they pass through the Baca
valley, they find spring water to drink. Also from pools the Lord
provides water for those who lose their way. They pass through
outer and inner wall and see the God of gods on Zion. [PS 84:6-8]
Lord, you have been our refuge through all
generations. Before the mountains were born, the earth and the
world brought forth, from eternity to eternity you are God. A
thousand years in your eyes are merely a yesterday, But humans you
return to dust, saying, "Return, you mortals!" Before a
watch passes in the night, you have brought them to their end;
They disappear like sleep at dawn; they are like grass that dies.
It sprouts green in the morning; by evening it is dry and withered.
[Taken from PS 90:1-6]
Say to the LORD, "My refuge and fortress,
my God in whom I trust." [PS 91:2]
Will shelter you with pinions, spread wings that
you may take refuge; God's faithfulness is a protecting shield.
You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that
flies by day, Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness, nor the
plague that ravages at noon. Though a thousand fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand, near you it shall not come. You
need simply watch; the punishment of the wicked you will see. You
have the LORD for your refuge; you have made the Most High your
stronghold. No evil shall befall you, no affliction come near your
tent. For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways.
With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot
against a stone. [Taken from PS 91:4-12]
Can unjust judges be your allies, those who
create burdens in the name of law, Those who conspire against the
just and condemn the innocent to death? No, the LORD is my secure
height, my God, the rock where I find refuge, Who will turn back
their evil upon them and destroy them for their wickedness. Surely
the LORD our God will destroy them! [PS 94:20-23]
You bring bread from the earth, and wine to
gladden our hearts, oil to make our faces gleam, food to build our
strength. The trees of the LORD drink their fill, the cedars of
Lebanon, which you planted. There the birds build their nests;
junipers are the home of the stork. The high mountains are for
wild goats; the rocky cliffs, a refuge for badgers. [Taken from PS
104:14-18]
In danger I called on the LORD; the LORD
answered me and set me free. The LORD is with me; I am not afraid;
what can mortals do against me? The LORD is with me as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on my foes. Better to take refuge in the
LORD than to put one's trust in mortals. Better to take refuge in
the LORD than to put one's trust in princes. [PS 118:5-9]
You are my refuge and shield; in your word I
hope. [PS 119:114]
My eyes are upon you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I
take refuge; do not strip me of life. [PS 141:8]
With full voice I cry to the LORD; with full
voice I beseech the LORD. Before God I pour out my complaint, lay
bare my distress. My spirit is faint within me, but you know my
path. Along the way I walk they have hidden a trap for me. I look
to my right hand, but no friend is there. There is no escape for
me; no one cares for me. I cry out to you, LORD, I say, You are my
refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Listen to my cry for
help, for I am brought very low. Rescue me from my pursuers, for
they are too strong for me. Lead me out of my prison, that I may
give thanks to your name. Then the just shall gather around me
because you have been good to me. [PS 142:2-8]
In the fear of the LORD is a strong defense;
even for one's children he will be a refuge. [PROV 14:26]
The wicked man is overthrown by his wickedness,
but the just man finds a refuge in his honesty. [PROV 14:32]
Every word of God is tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Add nothing to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be exposed as a deceiver. [PROV 30:5-6]
But you will that the products of your Wisdom be
not idle; therefore men trust their lives even to frailest wood,
and have been safe crossing the surge on a raft. For of old, when
the proud giants were being destroyed, the hope of the universe,
who took refuge on a raft, left to the world a future for his
race, under the guidance of your hand. For blest is the wood
through which justice comes about; but the handmade idol is
accursed, and its maker as well: he for having produced it, and
it, because though corruptible, it was termed a god. Equally
odious to God are the evildoer and his evil deed; and the thing
made shall be punished with its contriver. [WISDOM 14:5-10]
I give you thanks, O God of my father; I praise
you, O God my savior! I will make known your name, refuge of my
life; you have been my helper against my adversaries. You have
saved me from death, and kept back my body from the pit, from the
clutches of the nether world you have snatched my feet [Taken from
SIRACH 51:1-2]
I turned every way, but there was no one to help
me, I looked for one to sustain me, but could find no one. But
then I remembered the mercies of the LORD, his kindness through
ages past; For he saves those who take refuge in him, and rescues
them from every evil. So I raised my voice from the very earth,
from the gates of the nether world, my cry. I called out: O Lord,
you are my father, you are my champion and my savior; Do not
abandon me in time of trouble, in the midst of storms and dangers.
I will ever praise your name and be constant in my prayers to you.
Thereupon the LORD heard my voice, he listened to my appeal; He
saved me from evil of every kind and preserved me in time of
trouble. For this reason I thank him and I praise him; I bless the
name of the LORD. [SIRACH 51:7-12]
On that day, The branch of the LORD will be
luster and glory, and the fruit of the earth will be honor and
splendor for the survivors of Israel. He who remains in Zion and
he that is left in Jerusalem will be called holy: every one marked
down for life in Jerusalem. When the Lord washes away the filth of
the daughters of Zion, and purges Jerusalem's blood from her midst
with a blast of searing judgment, Then will the LORD create, over
the whole site of Mount Zion and over her place of assembly, a
smoking cloud by day and a light of flaming fire by night. For
over all, his glory will be shelter and protection: shade from the
parching heat of day, refuge and cover from storm and rain. [ISA
4:2-6]
Madmenah is in flight, the inhabitants of Gebim
seek refuge. [ISA 10:31]
In the year that King Ahaz died, there came this
oracle: Rejoice not, O Philistia, not a man of you, that the rod
which smote you is broken; For out of the serpent's root shall
come an adder, its fruit shall be a flying saraph. In my pastures
the poor shall eat, and the needy lie down in safety; But I will
kill your root with famine that shall slay even your remnant.
Howl, O gate; cry out, O city! Philistia, all of you melts away!
For there comes a smoke from the north, without a straggler in the
ranks. What will one answer the messengers of the nation?
"The LORD has established Zion, and in her the afflicted of
his people find refuge." [ISA 14:28-32]
O LORD, you are my God, I will extol you and
praise your name; For you have fulfilled your wonderful plans of
old, faithful and true. For you have made the city a heap, the
fortified city a ruin; The castle of the insolent is a city no
more, nor ever to be rebuilt. Therefore a strong people will honor
you, fierce nations will fear you. For you are a refuge to the
poor, a refuge to the needy in distress; Shelter from the rain,
shade from the heat. As with the cold rain, as with the desert
heat, even so you quell the uproar of the wanton. On this mountain
the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples A feast of rich
food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. On
this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, The
web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces; The reproach
of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD
has spoken. On that day it will be said: "Behold our God, to
whom we looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!" For the
hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, but Moab will be
trodden down as a straw is trodden down in the mire. He will
stretch forth his hands in Moab as a swimmer extends his hands to
swim; He will bring low their pride as his hands sweep over them.
The high-walled fortress he will raze, and strike it down level
with the earth, with the very dust. [ISA 25:1-12]
In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel
shall sprout and blossom, covering all the world with fruit. Is he
to be smitten as his smiter was smitten? Or slain as his slayer
was slain? Or shall he cling to me for refuge? He must make peace
with me; peace shall he make with me! [Taken from ISA 27:5-7]
Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, you
arrogant, who rule this people in Jerusalem: Because you say,
"We have made a covenant with death, and with the nether
world we have made a pact; When the overwhelming scourge passes,
it will not reach us; For we have made lies our refuge, and in
falsehood we have found a hiding place," - Therefore, thus
says the Lord GOD: See, I am laying a stone in Zion, a stone that
has been tested, a precious cornerstone as a sure foundation; he
who puts his faith in it shall not be shaken. I will make of right
a measuring line, of justice a level. Hail shall sweep away the
refuge of lies, and waters shall flood the hiding place. Your
covenant with death shall be canceled and your pact with the
nether world shall not stand. When the overwhelming scourge
passes, you shall be trampled down by it. Whenever it passes, it
shall take you; morning after morning it shall pass, by day and by
night; terror alone shall convey the message. For the bed shall be
too short to stretch out in, and the cover too narrow to wrap in.
For the LORD shall rise up as on Mount Perazim, bestir himself as
in the Valley of Gibeon, To carry out his work, his singular work,
to perform his deed, his strange deed. [Taken from ISA 28:14-21]
Woe to the rebellious children, says the LORD, who
carry out plans that are not mine, who weave webs that are not
inspired by me, adding sin upon sin. They go down to Egypt, but my
counsel they do not seek. They find their strength in Pharaoh's
protection and take refuge in Egypt's shadow; Pharaoh's protection
shall be your shame, and refuge in Egypt's shadow your disgrace.
When their princes are at Zoan and their messengers reach Hanes, all
shall be ashamed of a people that gain them nothing, neither help
nor benefit, but only shame and reproach. [ISA 30:1-5]
Though worn out by your many misdeeds, you never
said, "It is hopeless"; New strength you found, and so
you did not weaken. Of whom were you afraid? Whom did you fear,
that you became false and did not remember me or give me any
thought? Was I to remain silent and unseeing, so that you would
not have me to fear? I will expose your justice and your works;
They shall not help you when you cry out, nor save you in your
distress. All these the wind shall carry off, the breeze shall
bear away; But he who takes refuge in me shall inherit the land,
and possess my holy mountain. [ISA 57:10-13]
Proclaim it in Judah, make it heard in
Jerusalem; Blow the trumpet through the land, summon the recruits!
Say, "Fall in, let us march to the fortified cities."
Bear the standard to Zion, seek refuge without delay! Evil I bring
from the north, and great destruction. [JER 4:5-6]
O LORD, my strength, my fortress, my refuge in
the day of distress! To you will the nations come from the ends of
the earth, and say, "Mere frauds are the heritage of our
fathers, empty idols of no use." Can man make for himself
gods? These are not gods. Look, then: I will give them knowledge;
this time I will leave them in no doubt of my strength and my
power: they shall know that my name is LORD. [JER 16:19-21]
Heal me, LORD, that I may be healed; save me,
that I may be saved, for it is you whom I praise. See how they say
to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come to
pass!" Yet I did not press you to send calamity; the day
without remedy I have not desired. You know what passed my lips;
it is present before you. Do not be my ruin, you, my refuge in the
day of misfortune. Let my persecutors, not me, be confounded; let
them, not me, be broken. [Taken from JER 17:14-18]
The LORD roars from Zion, and from Jerusalem
raises his voice; The heavens and the earth quake, but the LORD is
a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the men of Israel. [Taken
from JOEL 4:16]
The LORD is good, a refuge on the day of distress;
He takes care of those who have recourse to him, when the flood rages;
He makes an end of his opponents, and his enemies he pursues with darkness.
[NAHUM 1:7-8]
You too, shall drink of this till you faint
away; you, too, shall seek a refuge from the foe. [Taken from
NAHUM 3:11]
On that day you need not be ashamed of all your
deeds, your rebellious actions against me; For then will I remove
from your midst the proud braggarts, and you shall no longer exalt
yourself on my holy mountain. But I will leave as a remnant in
your midst a people humble and lowly, Who shall take refuge in the
name of the LORD; the remnant of Israel. They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies; Nor shall there be found in their mouths a
deceitful tongue [Taken from ZEPH 3:11-13]
When God made the promise to Abraham, since he
had no one greater by whom to swear, "he swore by
himself," and said, "I will indeed bless you and
multiply" you. And so, after patient waiting, he obtained the
promise. Human beings swear by someone greater than themselves;
for them an oath serves as a guarantee and puts an end to all
argument. So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise an
even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose, he
intervened with an oath, so that by two immutable things, in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge might
be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before
us. This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which
reaches into the interior behind the veil, where Jesus has entered
on our behalf as forerunner, becoming high priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek. [HEB 6:13-20]
Also try:
protect
/ protection [P19]
God's
house / dwelling [L6a]
sanctuary
[S6]
turn
to the Lord [C10]
Other
resources:
Reflections: A-Z
| Categorized
Classic
Encyclicals & Other Papal Documents
(Also
try: Help, A-Z)
more
alphabetical scripture | more
categorized scripture | top |
