Grace Fellowship 06/29/08 The Fugitive and His Refuge Proverbs 14
Let’s begin today by reading our text from the book of Proverbs, chapter 14.
1 The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands. 2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him. 3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, But the lips of the wise will preserve them. 4 Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox. 5 A faithful witness does not lie, But a false witness will utter lies. 6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands. 7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit. 9 Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor. 10 The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy. 11 The house of the wicked will be overthrown, But the tent of the upright will flourish. 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. 13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, And the end of mirth may be grief. 14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above.
15 The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his steps. 16 A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident. 17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of wicked intentions is hated. 18 The simple inherit folly, But the prudent are crowned with knowledge. 19 The evil will bow before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous. 20 The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor, But the rich has many friends. 21 He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he. 22 Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good. 23 In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty. 24 The crown of the wise is their riches, But the foolishness of fools is folly. 25 A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies. 26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. 27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. 28 In a multitude of people is a king's honor, But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince. 29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly. 30 A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones. 31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. 32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness, But the righteous has a refuge in his death. 33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known. 34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people. 35 The king's favor is toward a wise servant, But his wrath is against him who causes shame. (Proverbs 14:1-35, NKJV).
On April 17th of the year 1521, Martin Luther stood before what, in English, looks and sounds like a very bad meal. It was called the Diet of Worms. In German, I believe it is pronounced the Dee-et of Verms. A Diet was an assembly of rulers gathered together to deliberate issues, make decisions and issue decrees regarding those matters.1 Usually they were of a religious nature because the state and the church were so intertwined as to be virtually one entity rather than two.
Worms, or Verms, was the location, the name of the city in Germany where the Diet met to question Martin Luther about some of his teachings. He had raised a number of serious issues regarding Roman Catholic doctrine, particularly in regard to Soteriology, or the Doctrine of Salvation. He had, in essence, rediscovered the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace alone, which was in serious conflict with the Church in which he was a professor of Theology.
Luther was commanded by the Diet to recant his teachings. To recant literally means to un-say something. To take back something that has been said or taught.2 The Diet wanted Luther to state publicly that the things he had been teaching and writing regarding the unbiblical nature of much of the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church were all wrong. Not only was he being ordered to deny everything he had written and taught, but if he did not recant, he would be excommunicated from the church. In other words, he would lose his own salvation.
Luther asked the Diet if they would give him time to think about his response to them. He didn’t know if he was right in all that he had been saying that contradicted Rome. They mercifully granted his request. The next day, Luther was brought before the Diet again, and once again, he was asked “Do you, or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain?” Luther responded by saying, “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason, . . . my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”3
Luther was approached again in the following days by a committee to persuade him to change his mind, but he would not. Therefore an edict4 signed by the Emperor was written which said, “He has sullied marriage, disparaged confession, and denied the body and blood of our Lord. He makes the sacraments depend upon the faith of the recipient. He is pagan in his denial of free will. This devil in the habit of a monk has brought together ancient errors into one stinking puddle and invented new ones. We have labored with him, but he recognizes only the authority of Scripture, which he interprets in his own sense. We have given him twenty-one days, dating from April 15th. Luther is to be regarded as a convicted heretic. When the time is up, no one is to harbor him. His followers also are to be condemned. His books are to be eradicated from the memory of man.”5
Luther was condemned as an heretic. It was now against the law for anyone to harbor him, to protect him from the civil authorities. Eventually, if he was arrested, he would be burned at the stake. But Frederick the Wise, the Elector of Saxony, a very prominent Roman Catholic ruler in Germany and the founder of the university in Wittenburg where Luther taught, had other plans. He secretly commissioned men to protect Luther, although they could not tell Frederick how they would do it, so he could honestly claim ignorance of Luther’s whereabouts.
Then, on May 4th, 1521, “[W]ith a few companions in a wagon he was entering the woods on the outskirts of the village of Eisenach when armed horsemen fell upon the party and with much cursing and show of violence dragged Luther to the ground. The one companion, privy to the ruse, played his part and roundly berated the abductors. They placed Luther upon a horse and led him for a whole day by circuitous roads through the woods until at dusk loomed up against the sky the massive contours of Wartburg Castle. At eleven o’clock in the night the party reined up before the gates.”6
Frederick the Wise saved Luther’s life by having him kidnapped and taken to a safe place. It was at Wartburg Castle that Luther was delivered from his enemies, and he translated the New Testament into German. Wartburg Castle became a refuge for the fugitive. Originally, European castles were places of protection from an invading enemy, a place of retreat. Even though there were no castles in Bible times like the ones in Europe in the 1500’s, the people of the Bible understood what a castle was:
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. (Psalms 18:2-3, NKJV).
God Himself is a castle to run to in times of danger, a place of refuge from our enemies.
1 Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah (Psalms 61:1-4, NKJV).
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10, NKJV).
A strong tower, a shelter, a rock, a fortress, a stronghold. Proverbs 14:26 which we read earlier says, “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. 7” (Proverbs 14:26, NKJV).
God is a refuge to His children. The word “refuge” is an interesting, and precious word for the Christian. We seem to have replaced the idea of refuge with vacations. Why do we take vacations (assuming we take vacations)? In order to get away from the everyday, humdrum, repetitive, routine of daily life. It is a chance to go places and see things and escape the duties and responsibilities of whatever is normal. It is a break from the ordinary, and a time of refreshment and encouragement. Or at least that’s what it’s supposed to be, until you get the credit card bill.
A vacation can be like a short-term, temporary refuge from normal. But strictly speaking, that is not what a refuge really is. Listen to this definition of a refuge: That which shelters or protects from danger, or from distress or calamity; a stronghold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; a place inaccessible to an enemy.
For several weeks, thousands of people living along the Mississippi River have been looking for refuge from calamity. They have used who knows how many bags filled with sand, piling them around their homes day and night, higher and higher, to protect themselves from destruction by the flood waters. Sometimes the sandbags hold, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they protect, sometimes they don’t.
I’ve never been in a flood. I’ve never been in a hurricane or an earthquake. I’ve never seen a wildfire like the ones that are burning hundreds of homes in California. I’ve never witnessed a foreign army invading my country. I’ve never had anyone try to kill me. If I have any enemies other than Al Qaida, I don’t know who they are, and I doubt that they actually want me dead. So I suppose I don’t really have any need for something like Wartburg Castle. The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. Luther needed a strong tower to run to for safety. But as far as I can tell, I’m not in danger. I don’t need a refuge. I don’t have any real enemies.
So when Proverbs 14:26 talks about a refuge, how is that relevant to us? “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.” Listen to the definition once again: That which shelters or protects from danger, or from distress or calamity; a stronghold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; a place inaccessible to an enemy.
1. A stronghold which protects by its strength Are you ever weak in a spiritual sense? If we were really honest, and if the Lord were to reveal to us just what kind of stuff we’re really made of, it would not be impressive. Why did the apostle Paul say in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”? Why would an apostle need strength? What was the context of that statement? Listen to Philippians 4:12 - “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” (Philippians 4:12, NKJV).
Why don’t people ever quote verse 12? You hear verse 13 all the time. But we better understand that 13 comes as a declaration of Christ’s faithfulness to make us strong in times of danger, difficulty, distress, calamity, and weakness. Paul experienced abasement, hunger, and need. It was in those circumstances that he ran to the Lord Jesus as his refuge and was protected by God’s strength when he was weak. In difficult times, we need a refuge, a stronghold which protects us by its strength.
2. A sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness, a place inaccessible to an enemy -
We have said many times that we are our own worst enemy. The Scriptures tell us we have three perpetual enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Any one of them is deadly. All three together are overwhelming. But all three, the world, the flesh and the devil, call to us incessantly to come and join in their folly. The whole world in which we live now in the 21st century was described in the 1600’s by John Bunyan’s city of Vanity in The Pilgrim’s Progress:
“Almost five thousand years ago there were pilgrims walking to the Celestial City, as these two honest persons [Christian and Faithful] are: and Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, with their companions, perceiving by the path that the pilgrims made, that their way to the city lay through this town of Vanity, they contrived here to set up a fair; a fair wherein should be sold all sorts of vanity, and that it should last all the year long. Therefore, at this fair are all such merchandise sold as houses, lands, trades, places, honors, preferments [promotions, or preferential treatments], titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures; and delights of all sorts, as harlots, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not.
And moreover, at this fair there is at all times to be seen jugglings, cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves, and rogues, and that of every kind. Here are to be seen, too, and that for nothing, thefts, murders, adulteries, false-swearers, and that of a blood-red color.” 8
America is Vanity Fair. Living here, we are assailed by our spiritual enemies daily, hourly, moment by moment. That is why Paul commands us to put on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6. That is why we are commanded repeatedly to persevere in faith. That is why faith is work. And that is why Proverbs 14:26 and 27 are not only true, but relevant for every believer: “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.”
But the final enemy is the one enemy that cannot be avoided, which is Death. But even Death can be, and for the Christian, Death is defeated. Even in death, the Christian has a refuge:
7 But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. 9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. 10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. (Psalms 9:7-10, NKJV).
In the final day of judgment (definitely a time of trouble for multitudes of people), even in that day, God is a refuge for those who know His name. They put their trust in Him. Those who believe in the hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus will finally enter into a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness, a place inaccessible to an enemy. We will have no enemies there. In that heavenly castle, in that celestial city is a sanctuary. It is a place of holiness where nothing unholy can enter. It is inaccessible to our enemies, but it is home to those who are robed in the righteousness of Christ. Only the sinless can live there, and nothing but what is holy can touch us in that place. It is a place of rest from the battle. There is no need of armor in our heavenly refuge because there is no conflict. We are kept safe in that bastion of holiness forever. Heaven is the strong tower in which we shall live forever, our eternal sanctuary from everything unholy, even from our own unholiness.
We have a refuge, both here and now, that is better than Wartburg Castle. God is our refuge and our strength. A very present help in time of trouble. Whatever your trouble, run to Him. The name of the LORD is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe. He does not forsake those who seek Him.
1 Diet /Di´et/, n. [F. diète, LL. dieta, diaeta, an assembly, a day's journey; the same word as diet course of living, but with the sense changed by L. dies day: cf. G. tag day? and Reichstag.] A legislative or administrative assembly in Germany, Poland, and some other countries of Europe; a deliberative convention; a council; as, the Diet of Worms, held in 1521. (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language 1913)
2 Recant /Re·cant´/ (rē̇·kănt´), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Recanted; p. pr. & vb. n. Recanting.] [L. recantare, recantatum, to recall, recant; pref. re- re- + cantare to sing, to sound. See 3d Cant, Chant.] To withdraw or repudiate formally and publicly (opinions formerly expressed); to contradict, as a former declaration; to take back openly; to retract; to recall. (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language 1913)
3 Bainton, Roland H., Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, Meridian, 1995, p.144.
4 Edict /E´dict/ (?), n. [L. edictum, fr. edicere, edictum, to declare, proclaim; e out + dicere to say: cf. F. édit. See Diction.] A public command or ordinance by the sovereign power; the proclamation of a law made by an absolute authority, as if by the very act of announcement; a decree; as, the edicts of the Roman emperors; the edicts of the French monarch. (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language 1913)
5 Bainton, p.147.
6 Ibid., p. 150.
7 Refuge c.1386, from O.Fr. refuge, from L. refugium "a taking refuge, place to flee back to," from re- "back" + fugere "to flee" (see fugitive) + -ium "place for." Refuge Ref"uge\ (r?f"?j), n. [F. r['e]fuge, L. refugium, fr. refugere to flee back; pref. re- + figere. See Fugitive.]
1. Shelter or protection from danger or distress.
2. That which shelters or protects from danger, or from distress or calamity; a stronghold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; a place inaccessible to an enemy.
8 The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1628-1688) Date: 2001-06-24, Published by Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library ccel@www.ccel.org. Original source by Logos Research Systems, Inc. http://www.logos.com