Psalms 46

Psalms 46:1

Psalm 46: God With UsDuring the First World War in an island community in the highlands of Scotland, young men were being called up in increasing numbers for military service. Each time contingents of them gathered at the pier to sail to the mainland, their relatives and friends assembled there and sang: God is our refuge and our strength, in straits a present aid; Therefore, although the earth remove, we will not be afraid: Though hills amidst the seas be cast; Though waters roaring make, And troubled be; yea, though the hills by swelling seas do shake. A river is, whose streams make glad the city of our God; The holy place, wherein the Lord most high hath his abode. God in the midst of her doth dwell; nothing shall her remove: The Lord to her an helper will, and that right early prove. Be still and know that I am God: among the heathen I Will be exalted; I on earth will be exalted high. Our God, who is the Lord of hosts, is still upon our side: The God of Jacob our refuge for ever will abide. from the Scottish PsalterThis scene is one of thousands in which God’s saints have been comforted by this Psalm in times of great crisis. No one can know the hearts that have been lifted as these majestic lines have been read in the sickroom, the house of mourning, the dungeon of persecution and the narrow chamber of suffering and tragedy. It was this Psalm that led a tried and harried former Augustinian monk named Martin Luther to pen his famous Reformation hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Its message is timeless and its encouragement unceasing. There are three distinct sections to the Psalm, which G. Campbell Morgan has titled as follows: 1-3 Nothing to fear. God is with us. The challenge of confidence.4-7 The Lord enthroned in Jerusalem. The secret of confidence.8-11 Peace on earth and worldwide dominion. The vindication of confidence.It is generally thought that the historical background of the Psalm is the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem when it was besieged by the Assyrian wolf, Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:1319:35; Isaiah 36:137:36). At this time the people of Judah were tremendously conscious of God’s presence with them in a unique way. And so the Psalm celebrates the praises of Him who is ImmanuelGod with us. 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. He is also “abundantly available for help in tight places” (NASB marg.). Blessed are we when we realize that our safety and protection lie not in riches or armies but in Jehovah alone! Imagine the worst that can happen! Suppose the earth itself should melt as if caught in the flow of a gigantic volcano. Suppose an earthquake should toss the mountains into the midst of the sea. Suppose a flood of water should roar and foam over the land, or that the mountains should stagger with wild convulsions of nature. Or think of the mountains as symbols of empires or cities, and the waters as nations. The very foundations of society are crumbling; kingdoms are toppling and disintegrating. The nations of the world are churning with political, economic and social confusion and trouble of unprecedented intensity is enveloping the world. But God . . . ! The worst that can happen is no cause for fear. God Himself is still with us! 46:4 He Himself is the river whose streams shall make glad the city of God. Actually the city of Jerusalem has no river. But everything that a river is to an ordinary city, God is to His holy habitationand more, for He is the fountain of life and refreshment, the river of mercy and goodness! There the majestic Lord will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, in which no galley with oars will sail, nor majestic ships pass by (Isa_33:21). 46:5 It is because God is enthroned in Jerusalem that she shall never be moved. God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. It has been a long dark night for God’s people, but soon the morning will dawn and Christ will take His rightful place, showing Himself strong on behalf of His own. 46:6 The nations of the earth may rage in fury; the kingdoms may totter. When God speaks in His wrath, the earth will melt in subservience to Him. 46:7 These words look forward in a special way to the Great Tribulation when the earth will be racked with violent disturbances of nature, with political upheaval, with wars and pestilences, and with inconceivable distress. Then the Lord will appear from heaven to crush all insubordination and rebellion and reign in righteousness and peace. At that time the believing remnant of the nation of Israel will say, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.“The assurance of this verse is inexpressibly sweet. The LORD of hosts is with us, that is, the LORD of the angelic armies of heaven. But He is also the God of Jacob. Now Jacob means “cheat” or “supplanter.” Yet God speaks of Himself as the God of Jacob.

Put the two thoughts together and you learn that the God of the angelic hosts is also the God of the unworthy sinner. The One who is infinitely high is also intimately nigh. He is with us in every step of our way, our unfailing refuge in all the storms of life. 46:8 By the time we get to verse 8 the tumult and cataclysms have ended. Man’s day is over. Now the King is seated upon His throne in Jerusalem. We are invited to go out and examine the field of His victory. Everywhere we look we see the wreckage of His defeated foes. Everywhere lies the evidence of the awful judgments which have descended on the world during the Tribulation and at His glorious appearing. 46:9 But now that the Prince of Peace is enthroned, wars have ceased throughout the world. What councils and leagues and summits have been helpless to achieve, the Lord Jesus brings about by His iron rod. Disarmament has passed from discussion to actuality. Weaponry is scrapped, and the funds formerly spent on munitions are now diverted into agriculture and other productive channels. 46:10 The voice of God rings out to all the inhabitants of the earth in accents of assurance and supremacy. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Every fear is stilled, every anxiety quieted. His people can relax. He is God. His cause is victorious. He is supreme among the nations, supreme over all the earth. It is from verse 10 that Katharina von Schlegel, the author of the hymn “Be Still, My Soul” drew inspiration. Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake To guide the future as He has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: the winds and waves still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below. 46:11 No matter what may happen or how dark the hour may be, the believer can still say with confidence and fearlessness, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” If the One who directs the armies of heaven is on our side, who can be successfully against us? The God of the unworthy worm Jacob is a fortress in which we can all take refuge from the storms of this uncertain life! Be still, the morning comes, The night will end; Trust thou in Christ thy Light, Thy faithful Friend. And know that He is God, Whose perfect will Works all things for thy good: Look upBe still. Florence Wills