the gospel in one verse

(by Pastor Joe)

The Word for Today:  Proverbs 17 & 18

Mark this: Proverbs 18:10

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."

The Gospel in one verse.

There are many such examples in the Bible.

Try this:

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (1)."

or this:

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (2)."

or my personal favorite:

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (3)."

You can find many more examples in the Gospels or the rest of the New Testament, but not many people would expect one in the book of Proverbs. Yet, strangely enough, here it is, right smack dab in the middle. Between a warning against laziness and a maxim about wealth, the central message of the entire Bible is here. I want to look at this potent verse and chop it into four to help us better understand its implication.

1. "The name of the LORD..."

This is the big Who of the Bible. GOD’s name is a big deal! He is very jealous for His name because it is synonymous with who He is. All His attributes are wrapped up into it. Everything that He does, He does for the honor and glory of His awesome Name. Consider the words of an ancient song composed by Moses: "I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He (4) ." When you are talking about the Name of the LORD you are proclaiming all these attributes and more.

2. "...is a strong tower..."

This is the big What of the Bible. That idea of God being our place of defense is huge in Scripture. Consider this one verse: "He is our rock our fortress our deliverer our refuge our salvation our stronghold (5)." In ancient times before stealth bombers and plastic explosives, the best place to go to in the time of crisis was the strong tower. So whether it was an attacking army or a natural disaster- that’s where you went. God is not only a strong tower, but He's the only strong tower. Instead of being a god that we want to hide from (see Zeus, Odin, Shiva, Allah etc.) our God is the God whom we hide in.

Now we get to the second half of this verse- our role in the whole operation.

3. "...the righteous run into it..."

This is the big How of the Bible. We cannot save ourselves, we must find protection from another source. But any place of protection only works if you bring yourself into it. It did people no good to camp outside Noah’s Ark. If you were fleeing to a City of refuge- you had to go inside. Putting down roots in a nearby suburb would not cut it. The same is true of this proverb- you are only safe if you get in that strong tower. Anything less is disaster.

This passage also speaks of our speed. Most people I know have what I call a 5th gear, the problem is getting ourselves there. There is a difference between running after you hit a ground out in softball and when a German Shepherd is chasing you. The righteous sprint to the tower in the same way Peter and John sprinted to the empty tomb.

4. "...and they are safe."

This is the big WHY in the Bible. We run to God to be safe- we need a refuge in the storm and a fortress from our enemies. Safety is a key theme of proverbs and psalms because safety is a huge concern in life. Our world is not a friendly place- not physically, not emotionally and especially not spiritually. We need help. The name of the Lord is our strong tower!

This verse is not only great advice- it is the Gospel Message.  In each of the four gospels the following statement is made “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (6)!" God has many wonderful names- but his best yet is this- Jesus. And here is His message:

Jesus Christ is a strong tower! We run into him and are saved.

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(1) Romans 6:23

(2) 1 John 4:10

(3) 2 Corinthians 5:11

(4) Deuteronomy 32:3-4

(5) Psalm 18:2

(6) Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:9, Luke 13:35, John 12:13