Every year about 5 million tourists visit Italy to see the leaning tower of Pisa. This magnificient structure has been leaning for about 830 years. However, this tower’s origin lies in the fact that there was an architectural design and engineering flaw. It is leaning because it was built on unstable soil, and the foundations basically gave up.
Jehovah Metsudhathi
The Bible tells us about another tower.
Proverbs 18:10 – The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.
Psalms 18:2 – The LORD is my rock, and my fortress (Metsudah), and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
For King David who was a man of war, the strength and the position of the tower meant life and death. Defensive towers were used for shielding and offensive towers were used to rain down missiles on the enemies.
However David fought his battles differently. On one hand he did use the physical towers that were strategically built. But his strength came from the other tower – the name of the Lord.
Picture this classic moment in 2nd Samuel Chapter 5: David, newly anointed king over Israel, knew that the Philistines are on the hunt for him. What does he do? He heads straight to his stronghold (tower). Compare that to today’s “Situation Room” in the White House, where the President and military leaders plot strategic moves. But here’s the difference—David isn’t mapping out war plans in his tower.
2nd Samuel 5:17,19 (NIV): When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 19 so David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”
David won this round of the battle. But when the Philistines came back again to attack him, David went back to the Lord for the next war strategy.
22 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 23 so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees.
Having received new set of directions, David marched ahead as instructed and won that battle as well.
Life Application
1. Begin Early: David did not learn the art of relying on God when he became king and found himself in trouble. Way back, when nobody was looking, and he was alone dealing with lions and bears while taking care of his father’s sheep, David learned to trust God in those battles. His testimony was “The Lord who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will save me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37). Cultivate a habit of reading God’s Word and listening to his counsel at a young age.
2. Be Submissive. The battle in 2nd Samuel Chapter 5 was not David’s first battle. Despite his experience, David consistently seeks counsel from the Lord. It’s a valuable lesson: let’s make a habit of turning to the Lord, even when it might not immediately make sense to us.
3. Be Flexible. Humans are creatures of habit. When one method works, we stick to it, and we are reluctant to change our ways. David knew the Philistines well. After all, his first victory was against Goliath the Philistine. But he was willing to listen to the advice of the Lord when new battle plans were given to him.
Achieving victory against the enemy’s attacks is within your reach. When faced with discouragement, negative thoughts, or the temptation to quit, you can emerge as a triumphant warrior by running into Jehovah Metsudhathi, the strongest tower ever! He is your Lean-In, Lean On, Live In Tower.
Dew Drops of Manna 