“For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.”
For You have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the rainstorm, a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a rainstorm against a wall, establishing that God's protection of the vulnerable and the poor is the theological center of the salvation that judgment accomplishes. The poor and needy, those without power or defense, find in God the stronghold they cannot find in human systems. The natural imagery—rainstorm, heat—suggests both the forces of nature and the metaphorical threats represented by the ruthless and the powerful. The protection from rainstorm and heat establishes God as the source of comfort and refuge in the face of threatening forces. This verse transforms the apocalyptic vision into a promise of personal protection and sustenance for the vulnerable.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a note on this verse
0/2000
No notes on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!