My Strong Tower - Part 2

My Strong Tower - Part 2

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 2 Kings 9 >

Photo: Tower of David and Jerusalem Walls at Night by Adiel Lo    
 CC by SA 3.0


Did you see Part 1 of this study? If not, you might want to go back and take a look so that Part 2 makes sense.

In part one we got some insight into the use of a tower, based on what we learned of the tower at Shechem.

Let's take a look at another tower in the Bible and see if we can discover a little more of what it means when we say God is our Strong Tower.


2. Tower at Jezreel
Before we go into what took place at the tower at Jezreel, a little background might be useful to set the scene. At the end of 2 Kings 8, we find that King Joram, son of evil King Ahab had gone to Jezreel to recover from wounds suffered in battle with the Syrians.

At the beginning of chapter 9, we learn that while Joram was in Jezreel, Elisha sent a prophet to find Jehu, anoint him with oil and deliver this message:

"Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of the servants of the LORD at the hand of Jezebel." 

[Jezebel, as you may know, was the wife of Ahab.]

Imagine this young army captain's surprise.  Here he was, meeting with other military leaders, and this prophet barges in and insists on speaking with him alone.

The prophet not only pours oil over Jehu's head but basically tells him, "God says you're the king now and you have to kill everyone that's left of Ahab's family."

Jehu immediately obeyed the word of the LORD and set out to find Joram.

As Jehu approached Jezreel, he was spotted by a watchman.

"And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company."

Where was the watchman? He was at his post, high above the city, in the tower.  It was from that vantage point that he was able to see an enemy approaching and to sound the alarm.

In part 1 of this study, we learned 2 important points about a tower:

- a tower is a regarded as a safe zone.
- a tower is a place to run to when the enemy comes.

In 2 Kings 9, we find a watchman in the tower, using the tower as a means to see who and what was approaching so that he could give a warning.

Take a look at the solemn instruction God gave to Ezekiel.

"Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand." (Ezekiel 3:17-18)

So, what can we conclude about our Strong Tower?

- As long as we stay with our Strong Tower (who is obviously stronger and more able to protect than any tower made by human hands) we are safe. 

- Since we stand on our Strong Tower, we have a job to do. 

Those are just a couple of suggestions regarding what conclusions we may draw about our Strong Tower from the way in which towers were used in Bible times.

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10)

Questions
1. In what ways has God been a strong tower for you?
2. What is the job of a watchman?

Share your thoughts in the comment box below.