THE HIDING PLACE |
The World, the Word & You!
Broadcast
Commentary by Dennis L. Finnan
“THROUGHOUT HISTORY, MANKIND HAS SOUGHT
PLACES OF REFUGE FROM THE TROUBLES AND DANGERS OF LIFE ¾
A PLACE WHERE ONE CAN HIDE AND BE DELIVERED. I’VE FOUND THAT IN THE BIBLE GOD
HAS PROVIDED FOR US SUCH A ‘HIDING PLACE.’”
I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about it…
…Everyone has heard of the most famous modern day “Hiding Place.” It was created and set up as a place of refuge from the dangers of the Nazi’s of Hitler’s war machine that was dedicated to destroying every Jew, and dissident to Germany’s high command. This famous Hiding Place was set up during World War II in Holland by the famous Ten Boom family. A book and film were created telling the wonderful story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family who were dedicated to saving alive the Jews and dissidents who were persecuted. To this day the little house in Haarlem, Holland is still standing and has become a Museum and memorial to all those who bravely fought and resisted the oppressive and murderous reach of the Nazi’s who occupied Holland during those days.
Yes Corrie Ten Boom one of the Ten Boom daughters in a dedicated Christian family, determined to provide a safe house and hiding place where Jews who were under siege could wait until the Dutch underground resistive movement could network with them and ferret them out of Holland to places of safety. However on February 28, 1944, this faithful Christian family was betrayed and the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, raided the Ten Boom House and arrested its six members. Casper (84), Willem (60), Betsie (59) Christiaan (24) who among the others were taken away to the prison camps died as a result, but one daughter Corrie Ten Boom survived and lived to tell her story of this famous Hiding Place. Well in a moment after our second musical pause, I want to talk about other hiding places, especially the one God has set up for you and me to escape the dangers and death that awaits us all in our future ahead …
… In the Bible we are told directly that God is also in the business of providing places of refuge for those oppressed, and in danger of life. Perhaps the most intriguing hiding places were the ones God told Joshua and the Israelites to set up in the land of Canaan when they took possession. These Hiding Places were called the Cities of Refuge, for they were designed by God Himself, as a place one could flee when life turned against you and the world around you sought and persecuted you even unto death. We read of this in the Book of Joshua,
Josh 20:1-6 (NLT) “The LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Now tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed Moses. 3 Anyone who kills another person unintentionally can run to one of these cities and be protected from the relatives of the one who was killed, for the relatives may seek to avenge the killing. 4 “Upon reaching one of these cities, the one who caused the accidental death will appear before the leaders at the city gate and explain what happened. They must allow the accused to enter the city and live there among them. 5 If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the accused to them, for the death was accidental. 6 But the person who caused the death must stay in that city and be tried by the community and found innocent. Then the one declared innocent because the death was accidental must continue to live in that city until the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of the accident. After that, the one found innocent is free to return home.””
We see here God understood that at times trouble would enter the lives of His children living together in the land. Even accidental death might occur that until it was fully examined, others might in the heat of anger pursue and hunt down the innocent. So God in mercy provided this HIDING PLACE, six cities of refuge set up evenly situated throughout the land of Canaan.
The cities of refuge are interesting and of theological
importance. “Ancient Jewish
commentators tell us how in later times, in order that the asylum offered to
the involuntary homicide might be more secure. In addition to providing these
six cities of refuge, God wanted to be sure those fleeing to these hiding
places would be able to easily get there. So, (1) the roads leading to the
cities of refuge were always kept in thorough repair, and required to be about
48 feet wide; (2) all obstructions along the way, were removed that might stay
the flier’s foot or hinder his speed; (3) no canyon was left, no river was
allowed over which there was not a bridge; and, (4) at every turning there were
posted signs erected bearing the words ‘Refuge,’ to guide the one fleeing for
refuge; Also, (5) when once settled in such a city the manslayer had a
convenient habitation assigned to him, and the citizens were to teach him some
trade that he might support himself, while he awaited a fair trial.”[i][i]
How wonderful
this was for the Israelites, that Gods cared enough about them to even consider
a provision to protect those who were innocently persecuted unto death. It was
these cities of refuge that inspired the Ten Boom Christian family in Holland
during World War II, to build inside their little house on the corner, special
hiding places where Jews, and dissidents could escape the murderous clutches of
the Nazi’s who sought their lives. The only surviving member of the Ten boom
family lived to tell her story. Corrie Ten Boom, now with the Lord traveled to
sixty-four countries in thirty-two years encouraging all that Jesus Christ is
the victor over all and everything, even the misery of the severe treatment she
got in the German prison camp during those dark days. She often said,
“No pit is so deep that the love of God is
not deeper still!”
Corrie discovered that first-hand in the brutal days of life in such a prison camp. After her release Corrie set out to tell her story and the story of God’s love which her family showed practically in Holland during the German occupation. They all risked their lives and all died fro it save Corrie, to obey God’s command to love our fellow man even unto death if necessary.
But do you know in the Bible God mentions something unique about Hiding Places. We reads in,
Psa 32:7 (NNAS) “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Today as Christians we are not exempt from the loneliness, grief, depression, anxiety, and even deadly persecution that can come in this sin cursed world. As such God wants everyone to know that the ultimate Hiding Place is God Himself! Psalm 32 where God nestled this comforting verse could be described in one word ¾ FORGIVEN! “This Psalm is quoted by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans, in Romans 4:7, 8 to show that justification before God, was by faith alone, apart from any works or righteousness even in the Old Testament period. However, the proof of this glorious truth lies not so much in what David says as in what he does not say. He is not speaking about a righteous man who earns or deserves salvation. He is talking about a sinner who has been forgiven of his sin and wrongdoing.” [ii][ii] Yes the Bible tells us of the greatest Hiding Place for all sinners to come and seek,
Psa 46:1 (NNAS) “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”
Now where can we exactly find this Hiding Place in this world of ours? Well God tells us in the Bible. He has provided signs along the way as we run to seek it. We see that,
In the New Testament, God reveals that the ultimate hiding place against the judgment of sin coming to us as felons of God’s righteous universe is in a man, a real live human being who is more than a man. We read in,
1 Tim 2:5 (NNAS) “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”
Yes, Jesus Christ is God’s Hiding Place, as Psalm 32:7 says “The Sinner’s Refuge” is in God Himself. You see all of us, none are exempt, are fugitives in this world. We are born that way, slaves to sin, under God’s righteous judgment, and condemned to die in eternity for our sin and disobedience to God’s law. We are told very clearly,
Ezek 18:20 (NNAS) “”The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.”
Rom 3:10-11 (NNAS) “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;”
Rom 6:23 (NNAS) “For the wages of sin is death….”
This is a gloomy situation most people have not understood. We think of God as a kind, loving being that would not hurt or harm anyone. Yet we fail to realize who He is! God is a holy and just God. He is perfect, sinless and His very being cannot look on nor tolerate any sin. He law has decreed that all who sin shall die. Thus we are sinners fleeing the sword of God’s justice that one day will fall on everyone unless… they seek out and find the Hiding Place God has provided. He tells us it is in the man Christ Jesus, and what He has done to stay the sword of justice.
Yes Jesus Christ is our Hiding Place that will keep us protected from sin’s penalty that awaits all of us on the day of our judgment. How is this possible? Well first of all unlike the Israelites who was permitted to flee to the six Cities of Refuge in Israel, “if” he was innocent of premeditated murder, all of us are not so lucky. We are guilty of sinning against God. If you don’t believe that then just read the Ten Commandments, and I defy anyone who would say I have NEVER broken any of them, not even once! The fact is we all have and there is only one eternal penalty for doing this – it is DEATH, the second death. We read of this in,
Rev 20:6 (NNAS) “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him ....”
Rev 20:11-14 (NNAS) “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”
Indeed so the Psalmist declares,
Psa 32:7 (NNAS) “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.”
The great question all of us must face and answer in this life is ¾ Have you sought the sinner’s Hiding Place God has provided? It is in Himself alone and can be found in this life when we flee to Jesus Christ. Yes the Bible says the Lord Jesus is the place of refuge against the fire of Hell coming, against the pains of sin in this life that burns and bruises us along life’s way. Scripture declares every sinner can come, and must come and flee to Him as their refuge. Have you my friend done so? We flee to our Refuge against the penalty of sin when we come to Jesus confessing our sins and calling upon Him to save us.
Rom 10:9-10 (NNAS) “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
A Safe Hiding Place is here and now, and the winds and din of God’s judgment may be just around the corner for us all. L.M Brewer has written a poem entitled, “CHRIST THE SINNER’S HIDING PLACE. I quote it for you know…
Psalm 32:7 - L.M. Brewer
HAIL, sovereign love, that first began The scheme to
rescue fallen man!
Hail, matchless, free, eternal grace, That gave my soul a hiding place!
Against the God who rules the sky I fought with hand
uplifted high;
Despised the mention of His grace, Too proud to seek a hiding place.
But thus the eternal counsel ran: "Almighty love,
arrest that man!"
I felt the arrow of distress, And found I had no hiding place.
Indignant Justice stood in view; To Sinai's fiery mount I
flew;
But Justice cried, with frowning face, "This mountain is no hiding
place!"
Ere long a heavenly voice I heard, And Mercy's angel-form
appeared;
She led me on, with placid pace, To Jesus, as my Hiding Place.
Should storms of seven-fold thunder roll, And shake the
globe from pole to pole,
No flaming bolt could daunt my face, For Jesus is my Hiding Place.
On Him almighty vengeance fell, That must have sunk a
world to hell;
He bore it for a chosen race, And thus became their Hiding Place.
A few more rolling suns, at most, Will land me safe on
fair Canaan's coast,
Where I shall sing the song of grace, And see my glorious Hiding Place.
Friend, although Corrie Ten Boom’s family lost their lives in saving Jews by providing in their home a hiding place, they found the greatest hiding place of all. They found Jesus Christ and as such were willing to give their all to help others oppressed, in need and in danger of their lives.
True Christian’s who have found their ultimate Hiding Place in Jesus Christ will likewise do the same to help others find their way. May the Lord Jesus Christ have opened your eyes to see your need of His Hiding Place, and for you to find no rest until you flee into His presence where there is eternal safety and peace…
…As sinners in this life, we are all running from the
coming judgment against us. We try to flee to the refuge of drink, pleasure,
drugs and the like, but none find refuge there rather NO HIDING PLACE! Friend
the only hiding place for the sinner is in Christ. I trust you have fled to Him
and entered His presence and keeping. He is the believer’s security, He is the
soul’s refreshment, He is the saints’ delight and He is the payment for our sins
in our place. May God grant His blessings to these words today for Jesus sake,
Amen.
· Radio talk #3401
· Broadcast date: August 26, 2001
· Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator
· Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast
· Address: P.O. Box 40133 Grand Junction, CO 81504
The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 22 years, and serves as General Director.
These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also.
For further information, reprints, or a listing of all topics, please write to our speaker, Dennis L. Finnan(dennis@wwy.org),or visit our webpage at http://www.wwy.org/