The Skyscraper of Salvation Text: Proverbs 18:10
Introduction: Towers of Babel, Towers of Pride
Every man builds a tower. The only question is what kind of tower he builds, and on what foundation. The history of the world since the fall is the history of frantic, sweaty, and ultimately pathetic tower construction. From the very beginning, at the plains of Shinar, men have sought to build a tower to the heavens, to make a name for themselves. This is the essence of the Babel project. It is the architectural manifestation of human pride, the desire for autonomous security, a fortress of man's own making to keep God out and to keep man's glory in.
Our modern world is no different. It is littered with such towers, though they are not all made of brick and mortar. Some build a tower of wealth, thinking that a high bank balance will put them above the reach of calamity. Their portfolio is their fortress. Others build a tower of political power, believing that if they can just pass the right laws and control the right committees, they can engineer a utopia safe from all threats. Still others build a tower of intellectual pride, a fortress of academic credentials and sophisticated arguments, from which they can look down upon the simple faith of believers. But all these towers share two critical features: they are built by men, and they will all come crashing down.
The very next verse in Proverbs highlights the first of these follies: "A rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination" (Prov. 18:11). Notice the qualifier: "in his imagination." It is a fantasy fortress. When the real storms of life come, when death comes knocking, when the judgment of God arrives, these imaginary walls are revealed to be nothing more than painted scenery on a stage. They offer no real protection. They are towers of pride, destined for the dust.
Into this world of frantic, futile construction, our text today speaks a word of glorious, objective reality. There is a tower that stands. There is a fortress that will not fail. There is a refuge that is not imaginary, but is more real than the ground beneath our feet. It is not a tower we build, but a tower that has been built for us. It is a person, a character, an authority. It is the Name of the Lord.
The Text
The name of Yahweh is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is set securely on high.
(Proverbs 18:10 LSB)
The Divine Fortress (v. 10a)
Let us first consider the nature of this fortress.
"The name of Yahweh is a strong tower..." (Proverbs 18:10a)
In our shallow, modern understanding, a name is just a label, a convenient sound we use to get someone's attention. But in the Hebrew mind, and in the reality of God's world, a name represents the totality of a person's character, authority, and power. To know someone's name was to have insight into their very being. This is why God reveals His name to His people. It is an act of covenantal intimacy. And the name used here is Yahweh, the personal, covenant name of God. This is the name He revealed to Moses at the burning bush. It is "I AM THAT I AM." It speaks of His absolute self-existence, His eternal faithfulness, His sovereign power. He is the God who is, and who was, and who is to come. He is not a god who is dependent on circumstances; He is the God who determines circumstances.
This name, this character, this person, is a "strong tower." The image is one of military defense. In the ancient world, a strong tower was the central point of a city's defense. It was built to withstand siege engines, to repel invaders, to provide a high vantage point from which to see the enemy coming. It was the place of ultimate security. When the outer walls were breached, the people fled to the tower. To say the name of Yahweh is a strong tower is to say that God Himself, in His revealed character, is our perfect protection. His faithfulness is the foundation. His power is the walls. His omniscience is the watchtower. His love is the gate that welcomes His people in and shuts the enemy out.
This is not a metaphor for some abstract quality. It means that who God is provides absolute security. Is He sovereign? Then nothing can touch you apart from His decree. Is He good? Then whatever He decrees for you is for your ultimate good. Is He just? Then all wrongs will be righted and every enemy will be brought to account. Is He merciful? Then your sins are forgiven and you are welcomed in. Every attribute of God is another stone in the wall of this mighty fortress.
The Desperate Sprint (v. 10b)
A fortress is of no use if you are not inside it. The second clause tells us how to get in.
"The righteous runs into it..." (Proverbs 18:10b)
Who is this "righteous" man? In the ultimate sense, there is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10). If this tower were only for the sinlessly perfect, its gate would be rusted shut and its halls would be empty. No, the righteous here are those who have been declared righteous by faith. They are those who have abandoned all trust in their own towers of self-righteousness and have been clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. The righteous man is the justified man. He is not righteous in and of himself, but he has been credited with a righteousness from God.
And what does this righteous man do? He "runs" into the tower. He does not stroll. He does not saunter. He does not amble up to the gate to inquire about the amenities. He runs. Why? Because he knows he is in mortal danger. He hears the hoofbeats of the enemy. He feels the hot breath of the dragon on his neck. He knows that the world outside the tower is a killing field. The run is an act of desperation, an admission of helplessness. It is the sprint of faith.
This running is what the Bible elsewhere calls repentance and faith. It is turning from your own pathetic attempts at self-defense and sprinting with all your might into the arms of Jesus. You don't run to God because you have cleaned yourself up. You run to Him to be cleaned up. You don't run because you are strong. You run because you are weak and you need His strength. This is not a one-time act, either. The verb here implies a continual action. The righteous man is one who is continually running into the tower. Every morning, when temptations arise, he runs. Every afternoon, when anxieties press in, he runs. Every evening, when failures accuse him, he runs. The Christian life is a life of running to the tower.
The Exalted Safety (v. 10c)
The final clause describes the result of this desperate sprint of faith.
"...and is set securely on high." (Proverbs 18:10c)
The result is not just safety, but secure safety. The Hebrew word here means to be lifted up, to be exalted, to be placed in an inaccessible position. It is not simply that the door is shut behind you; it is that you are lifted to the highest parapet, far above the reach of the enemy. The arrows of the evil one cannot reach you there. The accusations of Satan sound like faint whispers from a world away. The chaos and turmoil of the world below look small and manageable from this divine vantage point.
This is the doctrine of eternal security, written in the language of architecture. When we run into Christ, we are not placed on probation in the courtyard. We are "set securely on high." Our lives are "hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). We are seated with Him "in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 2:6). This is a position of absolute, unassailable security. It is also a position of perspective. From the top of the tower, you can see the battle from God's point of view. You see that the enemy is real, but that he is also defeated. You see the turmoil, but you see the sovereign hand of God governing it all. To be "on high" is to begin to see the world as God sees it.
Christ, Our Tower
This proverb is a magnificent Old Testament portrait of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the name of Yahweh embodied. He is the Word made flesh. He is God's character and power made manifest to us. When the angel announced His birth, he said, "you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The name Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means "Yahweh saves." His very name is a declaration of the tower's function.
Therefore, Jesus Christ is our strong tower. To run into the name of Yahweh is to run to Christ. He is the one who provides perfect protection. The wrath of God against sin, which should have consumed us, broke over Him at the cross. He absorbed the full siege, and His walls did not break. He is the fortress that has been tested by the ultimate weapon, divine justice, and has stood firm.
So who is the righteous one who runs? It is any sinner who abandons his own tower of pride. It is the one who hears the warning sirens and, instead of trusting in his own wealth or wisdom, runs for refuge to the cross. It is the one who confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that God raised Him from the dead.
And what is the result? He is "set securely on high." He is justified. He is adopted. He is sealed by the Holy Spirit. He is seated in the heavenly places. He is safe. Not safe because he is a good runner. Not safe because he is a deserving refugee. He is safe because the tower is strong. His security rests not on the quality of his running, but on the impregnable nature of his refuge. Our salvation is not dependent on the strength of our grip on Christ, but on the strength of His grip on us.
So I ask you, what tower are you trusting in today? Is it a tower of your own making, a flimsy structure built on the sand of your own accomplishments or your own goodness? Or have you fled for refuge to the strong tower of the name of the Lord? Run to Him. The gate is open. Run to Him, and you will not just be safe. You will be set securely on high.