Page 47 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised

Many Christians today, while claiming that Jesus Christ is their sole God, have many other lesser gods in
their lives. As ancient Israelites added these deities to their worship of the Lord, so have many believers
added other gods to their lives. Wealth and what it can buy have secured a large portion of the hearts
of many believers. Pride and position, and status occupy others. The quest for entertainment has
captured many believers into its grasp. As we look back and judge the Israelites for their wandering
away from the Lord, we need to carefully look within at what other gods have captured our hearts. Is
the Lord God your only God?

Towers of Safety (Judges 8:9, 17)

Towers were a standard feature of ancient cities. Often a city wall would be punctuated with regularly
placed towers. Such towers were widened spaces in the wall where a larger number of defenders could
withstand attackers attempting to gain entry. Towers allowed city residents to watch the outer parts of
the walls from a slightly forward position. They also provided a somewhat flanking position against
attackers trying to scale or undermine the walls.

Towers were also built on hilltops. These served as watchtowers to detect approaching enemies or as
signaling places for communication between larger communities.

Families also constructed towers for personal safety and storage of farming implements. Such towers
have been found with the full range of household artifacts, symbolizing their domestic usefulness.

Citizens of smaller communities could not afford to build strong walls to protect their villages. They
sometimes built one strong, tall building, a tower to which they could flee in times of distress. Especially
for smaller communities, the time investment for building towers was great, which made a tower a
valuable prize of the citizenry.

Gideon was so distressed at the lack of support his effort received from the people of Penuel that he
punished them by tearing down their tower (Judges 8:8, 9, 17). They were left vulnerable and stripped
of what must have been an object of community pride. Such a punishment would have been long
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remembered.

Most mentions of towers in the Bible refer to a literal tower, but they were also used figuratively as a
symbol for protection and provision. God is our tower, as evidenced by verses such as these: “You
have been my refuge, a tower of strength against the enemy” (Ps 61:3) and “The name of the LORD is a
strong tower. A righteous person runs to it and is safe” (Prov 18:10). The original hearers of these
verses would have had an immediate mental picture of safety and security. God protects us against
the dangers of the world and the attacks of Satan, and those who take refuge in him have nothing to
fear.

88 Ibid., p. 315.

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