There are a number of similar names for God: Machseh--Refuge, Magen--Shield,
Metsuda--Fortress, Migdal-Oz--Strong Tower. These descriptive names often appear in clusters in the psalms as well as in other portions of the Scripture. When you pray to God your Refuge, Shield, Fortress, Dwelling Place, and Strong Tower, you are invoking the God who has promised to watch over you and keep you safe.
The Hebrew Scriptures reveal a God who dwells with his people—first in a tent in the wilderness and then in the Jerusalem temple. The New Testament takes this idea of God’s dwelling place on earth a giant step further by revealing a God who wants to dwell not merely with his people but within his people. Occasionally, Scripture reverses this imagery in a wonderful way by picturing God himself as our Dwelling Place, or Maon (ma-OHN).
Closely allied to this image of Dwelling Place is the idea of God as our Refuge, or Machseh (mach-SEH). He is pictured as one to whom we can run for safety and security. The word “refuge” also appears in the Hebrew Scriptures in connection to Israel’s “cities of refuge” (the Hebrew word in this instance is miqlat), where people could flee for safety if they had accidentally killed someone. These cities were strategically located so that anyone in Israel was within a day’s journey of one.
A shield or Magen (ma-GAIN) is another image of God’s protecting care. Ancient shields were often made of layered cowhide and were used in situations of close combat as well as to protect soldiers from rocks hurled from city walls.
In biblical times, some cities were enclosed by walls, 25 feet high and 15 to 25 feet thick. Farmers worked in the fields by day and then retreated within the city walls at night for protection. Large fortified cities also contained strongholds or strong towers that provided additional defense should the city’s outer walls be breached. Like the other terms already mentioned, God is compared to a fortress or Metsuda (me-tsu-DAH) and to a strong tower or Migdal-Oz (mig-dal OHZ).
Praying to Maon, Machseh, Magen, Metsuda, Migdal-Oz
In the spring of 1998 an F5 tornado roared through Birmingham, Alabama. Learning that a tornado warning had been issued, staff members at Open Door Church herded the kids who had gathered for youth group into the hallway.
Just thinking about tornadoes terrified twelve-year-old Amber Jones. As she huddled next to her twin sister Ashley, everyone started singing: Jesus loves me this I know.
Seconds later someone shouted, “Get your heads down!” That’s when Amber and her sister began screaming for their daddy, the associate pastor. Tearing down the hallway toward them, he dropped to his knees, covering them with his body.
Then came a tremendous roar, like the sound of a thousand jets flying through the hallway. Out in the foyer, they could hear glass shattering and things flying around. The lights flickered and went out. Amber hid her face in her father’s shirt as a powerful wind pushed them into the wall and then tried to suck them out as it changed direction.
After the storm subsided, everyone clambered out the nursery window. Paramedics and ambulances stood ready to attend to the victims. Remarkably, all 70 of those assembled in the church that night survived.
The next morning, Amber and her family returned to survey the damage. Everything for miles around had been flattened. The only part of the church still standing was the hallway—the exact place where Amber and other members of the church had taken refuge.
Amber’s story creates a vivid picture of what it means to find refuge in God—there was first of all her father’s protective gesture, shielding her body with his own, and then the protective walls of the hallway, the only structure to withstand the storm.
Remember Amber’s story the next time you feel threatened by some danger or difficulty. Run to your Father and trust in his strong protective arms. Call on God and he will be your refuge, your dwelling place, your strong tower, your fortress and your shield.
