Psalm 27:5 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.
David’s confidence in God
David says that even though his enemies came to destroy him (2); in spite of the danger he looks to God for safety (1). David is trusting in God for his earthly salvation as well as his eternal salvation. But why was it that God would preserve David?
David had a heart for God
David was declared by God to be a “man after His own heart”. This means that David sought after the things of God and desired God’s honor. When David went against Goliath his concern was for God and His name(1 Sam 17:26, 45-47). David was concerned about God’s anointing upon Saul when Saul was trying to kill him (1 Sam 24:6). In this Psalm David speaks of his desire to seek God (4, 8, and 11).
It is God’s nature
By His very nature God hates evil and extends grace to His own. God is here pictured as a warrior conquering the evil enemies of David (who also the enemies of God). God’s laws forbid their actions – they rebel against God’s justice, but David pursues and loves God’s law and justice. The very nature of God places David in the pavilion. (5). Pavilion literally means a protective covering and it was used for the tent of the commander-in-chief. Here, with The Commander-in-Chief, David will be safe and fortified against the enemies’ assaults. He will be guarded and safe even on the battlefield because if the pavilion fails, then the battle is lost and God has failed. Hidden in His pavilion, we are as safe as He is safe. God sees to it that we are not frightened (13) amid the din of battle and we shall share in the ultimate victory.
In this world there will be war and struggles but in the next there will be unbroken peace. We are assured of the outcome; therefore we can “wait on the Lord and be of good courage.”