The Stronghold.
From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab,"Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until i learn what God will d for me?"So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the STRONGHOLD.
BUT the prophet Gad said to David," DO NOT STAY IN THE STRONGHOLD.Go into the land of Judah.( 1 S 22;3-5a)
Stronghold is a place of safety. Two strongholds come to my mind, the city of Jerusalem and coastal fortifications of the Germans during the WWII. The strongholds provide protection from attacks and are usually built consisting of elements that are either natural or man made or both in many cases. The original city of Jerusalem is naturally fortified because it is built up high on a hill.It was so safe there in such a way the Jebusites, who were the natives, mocked David's troops who were surrounding them, believing that it was not humanly possible for any one to conquer the city.( 2 S 5:6-16). Fast forward to 20th century, the Germans had fortified the coasts of Normandy and others to the point they had no doubt no military on earth could penetrate them, the Wikipedia put it this way," Omaha was also the most heavily fortified beach, with high bluffs defended by funneled mortars, machine guns, and artillery, and the pre-landing aerial and naval bombardment of the bunkers proved to be ineffective." One thing to keep in mind is the fact that besides people putting their 100% trust in the strongholds, eventually, the stronghold gave way to foreign invasions. David's garrisons did take over Jerusalem and the Jebusites were brought to submission. So did the German strongholds failed to seal them from attacks from the Allied Forces who, despite heavy causalities, conquered Normandy and thus set off a series of events which resulted in the loss of war by the Germany.
From the above examples, one can easily see that while man-made strongholds can provide security for people temporarily, a 100% trust in them is an illusion. No one is safe in this world. No place is safe either. It is true that there are places that are less volatile than other but still not 100% safe. We can spend years and lots of money, sacrifice our time for our family and fellowship with other believers in order to build strongholds in our lives which we believe will guarantee security and still end up as vulnerable as a sheep before its slaughters.
In 1 S 22, David had found a stronghold in Moab which he could live and also keep his family and followers safe.We, believers, do have our own strongholds which provide cover for us. It could be a job, a family, a network of friends, money, a place or even a church. These things give us reason to feel comfortable, secured and free from harm. I have been leaving in an area where there have not been a homicide in about a decade. A good reason to feel no fear for murder. However, a few weeks past a 21 years old guy was gunned down- gangsta style. Currently, there is still a make shift memorial for the guy. I believe i have seen the guy about twice while driving. I for sure know one of his friends who told me he was with the guy just two hours before he was gunned down just few feet from his residence by a road. When this happened all sense of security in the neighborhood flew out of the window. No body trust anyone because the murderer(s) are not yet known and the motive behind the homicide is unknown. My neighborhood is no longer my stronghold!
It was just few months a go before this incidence while driving with my friend in the Lord, reverend Jonathan Senkipen from Liberia, i had a confrontation with a group of youth who had taken over the main road in such a way drivers were forced to via the opposite side in order to pass through. This happened just yards away from were the guy was gunned down. I took my stand and asked nicely the youth to clear the road but my request got them so mad,they refused to move and surrounded my car insulting us and challenging us to step out of the car in order to fight us.I refused to back off and called police immediately because tension was escalating. The kids did not budge either so i told them we are not leaving until the police come. I couldn't tell if they were not carrying any weapons but i knew in my heart i was doing the right thing, regardless of the threat. Slowly the gang started to clear off, i presume in fear of facing the police.
..............To be continued next week.
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