How does this verse connect to God's protection in Psalm 91? Setting the Scene in Judges 20 • Israel’s civil war against Benjamin ends in devastating defeat for the tribe. • Amid the carnage, “six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon four months” (Judges 20:47). • The rock becomes their hiding place while national wrath rages around them. The Miraculous Survival of Six Hundred • Every outward circumstance screamed hopelessness—yet an exact, divinely preserved remnant escapes. • Their refuge is literal: a massive limestone outcrop full of caves. • Their refuge is also providential: the Lord allows their enemies to lose track, granting four months of safety and recovery. • In the broader narrative, these survivors become the seed for Benjamin’s restoration (Judges 21). God’s protection has a future-oriented purpose. Links to Psalm 91’s Language of Refuge Judges 20:47 turns abstract promises into flesh-and-blood history: 1. Shelter — “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High…” (Psalm 91:1). • The rock of Rimmon functioned as a physical “shelter,” mirroring the spiritual covering God pledges in Psalm 91. 2. Refuge & Fortress — “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress…’” (Psalm 91:2). • Caves become a fortress no army can breach when God appoints it. 3. Deliverance from Pursuit — “He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler…” (Psalm 91:3). • Instead of enemy snares, the fugitives experience deliverance; pursuit ceases. 4. Prolonged Safety — “With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation” (Psalm 91:16). • Four months may seem short, yet in wartime it is an eternity of preserved life, confirming God’s intent to “show salvation.” Echoes Across Scripture • Psalm 18:2 — “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.” The imagery of rock-as-refuge undergirds both passages. • 1 Samuel 23:14 — David “remained in the strongholds in the wilderness… and Saul searched for him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.” Same pattern: wilderness + pursuit + divine concealment. • Isaiah 32:2 — “A man will be as a hiding place from the wind… like streams of water in a dry land, like the shade of a great rock.” The “great rock” foreshadows the ultimate refuge—Christ Himself. Personal Takeaways on God’s Shelter • God’s protection is precise; He counts six hundred lives when thousands fall. • He uses ordinary geography—a rock formation—to perform extraordinary rescue. • The shelter may be temporary, but its impact is permanent: Benjamin survives, the messianic lineage through Israel remains intact, and future generations witness God’s faithfulness. • Psalm 91 is not poetic excess; Judges 20:47 proves it is lived reality: when wrath, warfare, or calamity close in, believers can trust the Almighty to carve out a hidden place until the storm passes. |
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