purpose.” What a strong pavilion we find in verses like Exodus 14:13-14: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation [or the deliverance] of the Lord.” What a mighty pavilion there is in I Samuel 17:47. Our hearts are made bold and strong as we realize, “The battle is not yours, but God’s!” It’s not our fight; it’s the Lord’s. The pavilions available are inexhaustible. The word “pavilion” is from the Latin word papilio which means “a butterfly.” This is exactly what a pavilion looked like in the long ago. It was a tent stretched out with wings on either side. The center was the headquarters where an accurate and constant guard was maintained. In I Kings 2:28 we learn of the offender who could flee to such a tent for refuge. Even if a relative had been slain, the person in whose tent protection was sought, was obligated to protect the fugitive. It was a binding moral obligation to watch over the life of the one who had fled. In the inmost area of the taber nacle was the Holy of Holies. It was a place into which only the high priest could go and then only once a year. Anything else meant certain death. Do you see the gracious invita tion and the realization that David had? He would have the opportunity of such intimate fellowship as was possible in the Holy of Holies. This wasn’t a case of hiding there for safety. He wanted more than any thing else to be right where God dwelt. The same is promised to us: both safety and communion. There is protection here from the enemies, as well as a shelter from the desert heat. For fellowship, he could be no Closer than in the very presence of God at the Mercy Seat. Moving next to verse six, we find the words, “And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing
“up” and have not experienced de pression or discouragement, then I’m quite happy and contented. But that’s not right, nor is it sufficient. David said “All the days,” the dark, as well as the bright. He wasn’t just a “Sun day Christian.” The word inquire is a fascinating one. It literally means to make a survey or a reconnaissance. The French translate it this way. It rep resents a meditative investigation of the Word of God so that the Word of God investigates us. CHAPTER FOUR As David continues his thoughts before the Lord, verse 5 testifies, “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.” David admits that difficult times will be coming. He is a realist. Notice, “For in the time of trouble.” Wheth er or not things are going well for you now, you can be assured, and your own heart knows this, in a coming hour things will be difficult. David is not concerned for he knows, “He shall hide me.” Keep in mind that God doesn’t promise to deliver us, or even to keep us out of trouble. He doesn’t say He will take us away from the nagging problems. The promise is that He will hide us. That is suffi cient, isn’t it? The word “hide” means to secrete away, after which we are defended and protected. Have you ever thought of the matchless protection we find in the pavilions of the Word of God? Let me suggest the beautiful pavilion of Romans 8:28. In the time of the loss of a loved one, in financial reversals, discourage ments in the home or business, physi cal ailments, in the forsaking by a friend, you can find hiding, defense and protection here. “For we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His 10
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