"For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock."
Psalm 27:5
David has expressed his desire to live in the LORD’S house always (v. 4). His dwelling place is a safe place for His child. No harm or danger can touch His child there. To live with Him in His Temple has many benefits for His loved ones.
“For in the time of trouble.”
Do you ever find yourself in trouble? To be surrounded by danger, have affliction come to you? The Hebrew word for “trouble” means all kinds of wrong, evil, or hazards. When God’s child finds himself in the position of being encircled by trouble, here is what God will do…
“He shall hide me in his pavilion:”
This English word “pavilion” comes from the Greek word for “butterfly.”1 A “pavilion” is a tent stretched out on poles like a butterfly spreading its wings. There’s a beautiful picture. When in duress, my Father hides me in His pavilion and stretches out His wings over me, protecting me from all danger. To “hide” is to “store up like treasure.”2
“In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;”
He not only allows me to come to His front porch, but He brings me into the innermost room of His sanctuary, the intimate part of His dwelling. I am held in the secret part of His abode. No one and nothing can reach me to bring harm here!
“He shall set me up upon a rock.”
To be on a “rock” is to be safe from all of my enemies!
“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower,” (Psalm 18:2).
“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I,” (Psalm 61:2).
“Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress,” (Psalm 71:3).
The LORD is my help when I am in trouble!
1. Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
2. Brown, Driver, Briggs. Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.