Mountains: Afford Refuge in Time of Danger
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Mountains hold a significant place in biblical narratives, often serving as places of refuge and safety during times of peril. Throughout Scripture, mountains are depicted as natural fortresses, providing protection and seclusion for God's people in moments of distress and danger.

One of the earliest instances of mountains offering refuge is found in the account of Lot. In Genesis 19:17, as God prepares to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, the angels instruct Lot, "Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away!" . The mountains become a place of escape and preservation for Lot and his family, shielding them from the impending judgment.

Similarly, David, the anointed king of Israel, frequently sought refuge in the mountainous regions during his flight from King Saul. The rugged terrain of the Judean wilderness provided David with natural protection and strategic advantage. In 1 Samuel 23:14, it is recorded, "David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not deliver David into his hands" . The mountains served as a divine provision for David, ensuring his safety and survival.

The prophet Elijah also found refuge in the mountains during a time of great danger. After his confrontation with the prophets of Baal, Elijah fled to Mount Horeb, where he encountered the presence of God. In 1 Kings 19:8-9, it is written, "So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night" . The mountain not only provided physical shelter but also became a place of spiritual renewal and divine encounter for Elijah.

In the New Testament, Jesus Himself sought the solitude of the mountains for prayer and refuge. In Matthew 14:23, after feeding the five thousand, "He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone" . The mountains offered Jesus a place of retreat, away from the crowds, where He could commune with the Father and find strength for His ministry.

Mountains also symbolize God's protection and deliverance in the Psalms. Psalm 121:1-2 declares, "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth" . The psalmist looks to the mountains as a metaphor for God's steadfast protection and unwavering support in times of trouble.

Throughout biblical history, mountains have been more than just geographical features; they have been places of refuge, divine encounters, and symbols of God's enduring protection. Whether providing physical safety or spiritual solace, mountains have played a crucial role in the lives of God's people, offering sanctuary and hope amidst the trials and dangers of life.
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Genesis 14:10
And the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
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Judges 6:2
And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
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Matthew 24:16
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
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Hebrews 11:38
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
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Library

Third Sunday after Trinity Humility, Trust, Watchfulness ...
... with which he crushes iron, rocks, and mountains, and hurl ... and severely rebuked because
they sought refuge and help ... He can afford to be patient with you, you ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/third sunday after trinity humility.htm

To Olympias. Why do You Lament? Why do You Belabour Yourself...
... we cannot take refuge in the city lest we suffer ... such a difficult country, and amongst
steep mountains in the ... out many of my sins, and afford ample material ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/chrysostom/on the priesthood/to olympias why do you.htm

General Index.
... Liberality in religious belief, sometimes danger in, 520-522. ... experience of, in
time of trouble, 616-634. the mountains afford refuge for, 626. ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /general index.htm

The Glorious Habitation
... all the comfort which a house can afford, we have ... The Amalekites rushed down from
the mountains; wild wandering ... beaten by the storm, find no refuge, we enter ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/the glorious habitation.htm

Our Stronghold
... professions pile their walls high as mountains, and works ... our words would be but
wind, and afford no satisfactory ... of fear, but the refuge is the refuge of faith ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/our stronghold.htm

Treatise on the Priesthood. Book vi.
... could more easily make use of this refuge for his ... ravines also and precipices of
the mountains, deep and ... times also, and many other things, afford a respite to ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/treatise on the priesthood book 6.htm

Sargon of Assyria (722-705 BC )
... is all the information the inscriptions afford concerning him ... out in the north-west,
in the mountains of Cilicia ... Zikartu, whose king, Mitatti, took refuge in the ...
/.../chapter iiisargon of assyria 722-705.htm

Introductory Notice Respecting Tauler's Life and Times
... retreat into myself, and take refuge in my ... far from justifying our expectations,
would afford another proof ... new truths which would, for the time, confuse their ...
/.../introductory notice respecting taulers life.htm

Jesus in the Garden of Olives.
... men would tremble with fear, and cry: 'Mountains, fall upon us ... each been seeking
for a place of refuge in case ... and so defected himself, that he can afford us no ...
/.../the dolorous passion of our lord jesus christ/chapter i jesus in the.htm

Making Light of Christ
... are men like yourselves, who can well afford to be ... a fool; despise God's earth, with
its glorious mountains, with its ... hates God, but it is only a refuge of lies ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/making light of christ.htm

Resources
What does “how beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news” mean in Isaiah 52:7? | GotQuestions.org

Can faith really move mountains? | GotQuestions.org

What is the seven mountain mandate, and is it biblical? | GotQuestions.org

Mountains: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Mountains

Mountains are the Sources of Springs and Rivers

Mountains of Difficulties

Mountains of God's Righteousness

Mountains of Persons in Authority

Mountains of Proud and Haughty Persons

Mountains of the Church of God

Mountains: (Breaking Forth Into Singing) of Exceeding Joy

Mountains: (Burning) of Destructive Enemies

Mountains: (Dropping New Wine) of Abundance

Mountains: (Made Waste) of Desolation

Mountains: (Threshing of) Heavy Judgments

Mountains: A Defence to a Country

Mountains: Abarim

Mountains: Abounded With: Deer

Mountains: Abounded With: Forests

Mountains: Abounded With: Game

Mountains: Abounded With: Herbs

Mountains: Abounded With: Minerals

Mountains: Abounded With: Precious Things

Mountains: Abounded With: Spices

Mountains: Abounded With: Stone for Building

Mountains: Abounded With: Vineyards

Mountains: Abounded With: Wild Beasts

Mountains: Afford Refuge in Time of Danger

Mountains: Afforded Pasturage

Mountains: Amalek

Mountains: Ararat

Mountains: Bashan

Mountains: Beacons or Ensigns often Raised Upon

Mountains: Bethel

Mountains: Called: Everlasting Hills

Mountains: Called: God's Mountains

Mountains: Called: Perpetual Hills

Mountains: Called: Pillars of Heaven

Mountains: Called: The Ancient Mountains

Mountains: Called: The Everlasting Mountains

Mountains: Canaan Abounded In

Mountains: Carmel

Mountains: Collect the Vapours Which Ascend from the Earth

Mountains: Ebal

Mountains: Ephraim

Mountains: Gerizim

Mountains: Gilboa

Mountains: Gilead

Mountains: God: Causes, to Melt

Mountains: God: Causes, to Skip

Mountains: God: Causes, to Smoke

Mountains: God: Causes, to Tremble

Mountains: God: Formed

Mountains: God: Gives Strength To

Mountains: God: Makes Waste

Mountains: God: Overturns

Mountains: God: Parches, With Draught

Mountains: God: Removes

Mountains: God: Scatters

Mountains: God: Set Fast

Mountains: God: Sets the Foundations of, on Fire

Mountains: God: Waters, from his Chambers

Mountains: God: Weighs, in a Balance

Mountains: Hachilah

Mountains: Hermon

Mountains: Hor

Mountains: Horeb

Mountains: Lebanon

Mountains: Made to Glorify God

Mountains: Many Exceedingly High

Mountains: Mizar

Mountains: Moreh

Mountains: Moriah

Mountains: Nebo (Part of Abarim)

Mountains: Often Inhabited

Mountains: Often Selected As Places for Idolatrous Worship

Mountains: Olives or Mount of Corruption

Mountains: Pisgah (Part of Abarim)

Mountains: Proclamations often Made From

Mountains: Seir

Mountains: Sinai

Mountains: Sion

Mountains: Sometimes Selected As Places for Divine Worship

Mountains: Tabor

Mountains: The Elevated Parts of the Earth

Mountains: Volcanic Fires of, Alluded To

Related Terms

Quake (23 Occurrences)

Valleys (38 Occurrences)

Abarim (8 Occurrences)

Ararat (4 Occurrences)

Quaked (13 Occurrences)

Dens (10 Occurrences)

Majestic (22 Occurrences)

Mountaintops (4 Occurrences)

Shephelah (2 Occurrences)

Pisidia (2 Occurrences)

Arabia (9 Occurrences)

Deer (15 Occurrences)

Cedars (37 Occurrences)

Burst (33 Occurrences)

Plains (31 Occurrences)

Melt (33 Occurrences)

Melted (33 Occurrences)

80000 (3 Occurrences)

Mountain (298 Occurrences)

Defied (20 Occurrences)

Merom (2 Occurrences)

Pastures (25 Occurrences)

Burns (34 Occurrences)

Bether (1 Occurrence)

Cutters (14 Occurrences)

Carriers (7 Occurrences)

Cities (427 Occurrences)

Ciccar

Caves (17 Occurrences)

Chamois (1 Occurrence)

Anakims (9 Occurrences)

Armenia (2 Occurrences)

Shadows (11 Occurrences)

Snow (25 Occurrences)

Stonecutters (6 Occurrences)

Sank (19 Occurrences)

Sharon (9 Occurrences)

Prevailed (46 Occurrences)

Burdens (35 Occurrences)

Streams (80 Occurrences)

Sounds (64 Occurrences)

Sardis (3 Occurrences)

Shrines (40 Occurrences)

Mount (311 Occurrences)

Phoenicians

Phoenicia (6 Occurrences)

Partridge (2 Occurrences)

Shake (68 Occurrences)

Shook (33 Occurrences)

Shaking (162 Occurrences)

Arabah (32 Occurrences)

Shade (67 Occurrences)

Sheep (413 Occurrences)

Shaken (62 Occurrences)

Kir (11 Occurrences)

Depths (56 Occurrences)

Shadow (72 Occurrences)

Sinai (38 Occurrences)

Sounding (99 Occurrences)

Quarry (5 Occurrences)

3600 (2 Occurrences)

Vapor (6 Occurrences)

Zoar (12 Occurrences)

Ensign (21 Occurrences)

Den (19 Occurrences)

Drip (12 Occurrences)

Densest (2 Occurrences)

Month (197 Occurrences)

Mistake (5 Occurrences)

Peaks (5 Occurrences)

Pines (7 Occurrences)

Pontus (3 Occurrences)

Plateau (13 Occurrences)

Phoenix (2 Occurrences)

Poplar (4 Occurrences)

Publisheth (3 Occurrences)

Preparing (25 Occurrences)

Pamphylia (6 Occurrences)

Publishes (3 Occurrences)

Mountains: Abounded With: Wild Beasts
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