- God our Fortress
- Judgment and Refuge
- God cares
- Refuge
- Safety in danger/judgement
- The Ultimate Refuge: Hidden in Christ
- Baptism: Our Ark in Christ
- We must preach
God our Fortress
Too long, please open your Bible Nahum 1: 7-8
Judgment and Refuge
Once again, we see the dual nature of God’s work. He brings judgement on His enemies but provides protection for those who trust in Him.
God cares
The word translated “know” can also denote “to recognize and care for”. Using multiple translations helps see this more clearly. We can also look at other examples:
I Myself knew you in the wilderness, In the land of drought. Hosea 13:5
So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s hand; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance. Genesis 39:6
God knowing those who are His isn’t to be thought about as a merely “intellectual” knowing — after all, God knows everything.
Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Luke 12: 6-7
God knowing those who take refuge in Him speaks to His intimate care and protection for the people who trust Him.
Refuge
Although a refuge isn’t something common in our vocabulary today, its significance is expressed in other ways in our day. A refuge refers to a place where someone goes to find safety especially in times of grave danger or trouble. A refuge is typically near and safe — especially for the vulnerable, weary, or overwhelmed.
Too long, please open your Bible Deuteronomy 19: 1-7
Israel had designated cities of refuge where a person who innocently killed another could go to be protected from being killed.
Safety in danger/judgement
The contrast between God’s action towards who take refuge in God and His enemies is a pattern we find in scripture. In fact, we notice that in the execution of God’s judgement, He preserves His own. God does not act randomly—He discerns between the righteous and the wicked. One of such examples is the rescue of Lot and his family during the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah.
Too long, please open your Bible Genesis 18: 20-33
Too long, please open your Bible Genesis 19: 20-33
Example | Judgment | Protection |
Sodom (Gen 18–19) | Fire on the city | Lot rescued |
Egypt (Exod 8–12) | Plagues, death | Israel spared |
Flood (Gen 6–9) | Global flood | Noah in the ark |
Jericho (Josh 2, 6) | City destroyed | Rahab spared |
Ezekiel’s Vision (Ezek 9) | Slaughter of city | Marked ones saved |
Knowing this, we must be confident to look to God for safety. He not only hears us, He knows us!
Too long, please open your Bible Psalm 91
The Ultimate Refuge: Hidden in Christ
We can trust in God to deliver us from daily trouble but even greater is our final and complete refuge from judgement — Christ Jesus.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. Romans 5: 8-9
For they themselves report about us what kind of an entrance we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1: 9-10
For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5: 9-10
Baptism: Our Ark in Christ
Baptism is not just a symbol; it marks us as those known by God and saved through judgment.
…when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal of a good conscience to God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ 1Peter 3: 20-21
Baptism links us to:
- God’s pattern of rescue
- Christ’s death and resurrection
- Our identification as those who have taken refuge in Him
We must preach
The good news that Jesus saved us from the coming flood of judgement is not old-fashioned. We must be eager to rescue those who still stand in opposition to Christ.