Masada
Our Stronghold
Many years ago, the church I pastored at the time sent me on a trip to Israel. Our guide was an archaeologist and retired Israeli naval officer. He did a wonderful job of explaining the history behind the various sites we visited. Because he was an archaeologist, he was able to get us access to a tell that was actively being studied.
One of my favorite stops during our tour was Masada. I had watched a mini-series years earlier about the events surrounding the Jewish revolt and their last stand against the Roman legions on Masada. Masada is a plateau that sits near the Dead Sea. Herod had built a resort palace on Masada. When a Jewish revolt took place around 68 AD, the Roman armies marched through Israel, ultimately destroying Jerusalem and the Temple which has not been rebuilt since.
The last stand of Jewish rebels took place on Masada. For several years, a few hundred Jews held out against thousands of Roman soldiers by using the advantage being atop Masada gave them. When Rome finally was able to breach the top of Masada by using a siege mound they built with Jewish slave labor, they found that the Jews atop Masada had all died, (one among them volunteered to kill all the others and then commit suicide himself so that the others would not be guilty of suicide). They chose to die rather than be brutalized and forced to serve as slaves to the Romans.
The name “Masada” is used in Psalm 18:2. In the English Standard Version, it is the last word in the verse. It is translated as “stronghold.” The Lord is that high place upon which we take our stand by faith and overcome the devil’s onslaught. This imagery is stated in several ways at the beginning of this Psalm. The Lord is pictured as a “Rock” and a “Fortress,” and then a “Masada,” or a “Stronghold.”
Our security lies in the Lord. Take refuge in Him.
