The name of the LORD is a strong tower
Devotional for October 16 · Proverbs 18:10 · 12-minute read
10The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. 11A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city; it is like a high wall in his imagination. 12Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor. 13He who answers a matter before he hears it— this is folly and disgrace to him. 14The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit? 15The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it out. 16A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men. 17The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him. 18Casting the lot ends quarrels and separates strong opponents. 19An offended brother is harder to win than a fortified city, and disputes are like the bars of a castle. 20From the fruit of his mouth a man’s belly is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. 21Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. 22He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD. 23The poor man pleads for mercy, but the rich man answers harshly. 24A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.
Context
Proverbs 10 to 22 gathers short sayings, usually two lines long, introduced as “The proverbs of Solomon” (Proverbs 10:1), king of Israel around 970–930 BC. Unlike the opening chapters, there is no continuous speech here: each proverb is a small observation about life. But neighboring proverbs often speak to one another, and the attentive reader notices contrasts. Proverbs 18 talks a lot about the mouth and words (vv. 4, 6-8, 13, 20-21) and about relationships, like the offended brother and the loyal friend.
In ancient cities, the tower was the highest and best-protected part of the walls, the place people ran to when the enemy arrived. In the Bible, God’s name is not a label but the revelation of who He is. When God proclaims His name to Moses, He describes His own character: compassionate, gracious and faithful (Exodus 34:5-7). To run to the name of the LORD, then, is to run to the character He has revealed. And the next verse (v. 11) shows what other refuges people tend to trust in.
What the text says
- v. 10: The movement is active: “the righteous run to it and are safe.” Safety does not come from the strength of the one running, but from the place they run to.
- v. 11: The rich man also has his “fortified city,” but the text adds a detail: “it is like a high wall in his imagination.” The security exists more in his head than in reality.
- v. 12: Right after comes the contrast between the heart that is proud before a downfall and the statement that “humility comes before honor.” Running to a tower means admitting you need protection.
Reflection
Everyone has a tower. When fear comes, we run somewhere: money in the bank, control, other people’s approval, the phone, endless work. Proverbs 18 sets two refuges side by side. The first: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” The second, in the next verse: “A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city; it is like a high wall in his imagination.”
The difference between the two is subtle and decisive. Both images speak of protection, a tower and a fortified city. But one is real, and the other exists mostly in the imagination of the one who leans on it. The proverb does not say money is useless; it says money promises a security it cannot fully deliver. Illness, loss, guilt and death get through any wall. The question of the text is not whether you have resources, but where you run when everything closes in.
Running to the name of the Lord is not repeating a magic word. In the Bible, the name reveals the character. Whoever runs to God’s name runs to what He has shown Himself to be: merciful, faithful, just, near to those who seek Him. And there is something humble in this. Verse 12 reminds us that the heart that is proud is headed for a downfall, “but humility comes before honor.” Only someone who admits they are exposed runs to a tower. Running to God is not weakness; it is no longer pretending we are our own wall.
The New Testament takes one more step. Paul picks up the prophet Joel’s promise that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved and applies it to those who confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-13). For Christians, the refuge has a name and a face. That does not guarantee a life without storms; the first Christians faced many. It guarantees that there is a safe place for the soul, and that whoever runs to it is not turned away.
The chapter goes on to speak of relationships: the offended brother who shuts himself off like a fortified city (v. 19) and the friend who stays closer than a brother (v. 24). It is a reminder that we also put up walls against one another. Whoever learns to run to God can lower some defenses before other people. Today, when fear shows up, notice where your heart runs first. And choose, on purpose, to say His name before anything else.
Connections
- Exodus 34:5-7 (cross-reference): God proclaims His own name to Moses by describing His character, which explains what it means to run to His name.
- Psalms 61:3 (cross-reference): David calls God a refuge and a strong tower against the enemy, the same image as Proverbs 18:10.
- Romans 10:13 (cross-reference): Paul quotes Joel 2:32 about calling on the name of the Lord and applies the promise to confessing Jesus as Lord.
To apply
- Heart: Where does your heart run first when fear shows up?
- Relationships: Against whom have you put up a wall, like the offended brother in verse 19, and what step can you take to open a door?
- Today: The next time you feel anxious, stop and pray Proverbs 18:10 before you reach for your phone or try to fix everything on your own.
Prayer
Lord, Your name is a strong tower. You are compassionate, faithful and just, and in You there is true safety. I confess that I often run first to other towers: money, control, people’s approval, and only afterward remember You. Forgive the pride that makes me pretend I am my own wall. Teach me to run to You when I am afraid, and to lower the defenses I have raised against the people close to me. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
To memorize: Proverbs 18:10
Today's step: Write Proverbs 18:10 on a piece of paper or on your phone’s lock screen, and pray it whenever you feel afraid over the next 24 hours.
To go deeper: read Proverbs 18; Psalms 61 and get to know Prayer.