Tuesday, 26 April 2016

For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. – Psalm 61:3



Today’s Scripture Reading (April 26, 2016): Psalm 61

Mickey Qajar lives in Dallas, Texas. If you met him, you might not realize that he should be addressed as Your Highness. Or that he is actually a Prince. His title is that he is the reigning pretender to the Sun Throne and the current holder of the title “Prince of Persia.” But the Qajar dynasty of Persia (the Qajar dynasty actually called the nation “The Sublime State of Iran) was overthrown in a rebellion in 1921 by Reza Khan of the Pahlavi Dynasty. And the government of Persia or the Sublime State of Iran officially became a government in exile in 1925. And in exile, they sought to find refuge in the United States.

This short psalm was likely written during a time when David was in exile and in need of finding a place of refuge. Again, the rebellion of Absalom is the most likely time period for the Psalm. For the Qajar dynasty, being in exile meant that they needed to find another place to live, a place that might be sympathetic to their plight. And they found that place in the United States. But the truth is that, for David, there was really no place to go. The nations surrounding Israel had been defeated and subdued by him. They were likely cheering the rebellion. So David leaves and hides in the wilderness or with friends that were willing to risk their lives in support of their king.

Yet David does not seem to be concerned. David is confident that the God who had been with him in the time of trouble with Saul, and with the early days of the divided kingdom and then with him during the reunification process of the nation, that that God was still with him in the current time of trouble. That God had always been his refuge and his strength. And there was no reason to think that that was going to change now.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 62 

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