A Tale of Two Refuges

“I looked on my right hand and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.” Psalm 142:4,5 (bold print added)

This is one of David’s psalms, and it’s one that he wrote while hiding in a cave. Unlike most of us who have only gone into a cave for exploring, or a field trip to figure out the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite (still can’t remember that one), David was fleeing for his life. A refuge was a pretty important place to him. It was life and death in fact.

In these two verses we see the word, “refuge” twice, but don’t be deceived. These are not the same refuge. They aren’t even the same word.

In verse 4, “refuge” comes from the Hebrew word, manowc, which means flight, refuge, place of escape. David was saying that in his moment of desperate need, people had failed him, and there was no way of escape from his troubles. How’s that for sounding familiar? We’ve all been there (maybe not in a literal cave, though).

In verse 5, “refuge” comes from Machaceh, which means refuge, shelter (from rain or storm, from danger). David, who had been running for his life (for YEARS, mind you), could count on the LORD, as a sure place of protection, of safety, of shelter, of rest. And that’s what we all need when we’re in trouble. Sure, we may not have a crazy king and his army after us, but we all have troubles – relationships, money, kids, job stress, studies, schedules, health issues…

Now, I’ve used my super cool android app (My Sword – available on the android market for FREE) to look up these words in the original language, but that wasn’t really necessary was it? Look at what it says in plain English: David had two refuges, just like we all do. Verse four’s refuge that failed him, and verse five’s (the LORD) he could count on, which leaves us with this last thought:

Now that you’ve heard the tale of the refuges –in which will you trust?