For years I have posted verses from the Psalms and a brief comment on Facebook and now am turning them into a blog. It is my conviction that the Psalms, as found in the Bible, are an example for us of honest communication with God. The psalmists express a wide range of emotions, circumstances, and requests. God is not afraid of our questions, doubts, or concerns. Join me as we learn from the Psalms to process our emotions through the character of God, and see him more clearly.

Monday, November 1, 2021

Psalm 46 A Very Present Help

The Sons of Korah whose psalms are most closely tied to Jerusalem and the Temple wrote one to be sung that would encourage a panicked people to focus on the steadfast protection of a non-slip Lord! Since the psalm is short, I will quote it all here.

Photo: Greg K, Dueker
1God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

 

Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (ESV)

God is our Refuge

This psalm contains some of the most familiar phrases from the entire Book. Specifically, in verse 1,

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.

And also the admonition of verse 10a Be still and know that I am God” are often quoted in sermons and Christian literature alike. If we know that God is our fortress, then it will enhance our ability to “be still” in trusting the Lord through tumultuous times.

Nature Gone Wild

Photo by Yosh Ginsu on Unsplash
On the surface, from a distance of at least 2500 years, the catastrophic nature imagery in the first section (v.1-3) reads like a Weather Channel "Top 10 Worst Ancient Disasters" special. It indicates that no matter how devastating of a natural catastrophe God’s people may face, our hope is in the Lord who is our refuge. This means that our hope is not in mountains to protect us from armies, nor in oceans to protect us from the navies of ambitious empires. God’s people are to look to him first and always as their mighty fortress.

Nations Run Amok

From perhaps a more historical-culturally informed perspective, we see earth and sea, mountains and waters, used as multiplied metaphors used to describe the chaotic and seemingly unstoppable advance of an enemy army like the Tsunamic waves of the sea that swallow up cities and strongholds (mountains) along the way. Peter Craigie, in his commentary, explains how the Lord both aspects of nature and nations fit, and yet there is also an eschatological element to be considered.

In the psalm, the natural implication of this creation theology is drawn out and expressed in a statement of confidence. Because God controls both history and nature, the chaotic threat which both may offer to human existence may be faced fearlessly. The very worst manifestation of chaos is merely a threat, for the Creator has mastered chaos. And yet, as Gunkel rightly observed, there is an eschatological element in the psalm, though it is implicit rather than explicit. The order of creation has been established, and yet the reality of human existence is that there continue to be manifestations of chaos. Faith in God's protection, expressed so profoundly in this psalm, is both present and proleptic, reaching forward to the time of God's ultimate conquest of chaos and establishment of peace.[1]

In verse 6a, we see the connections as “the nations raged” much as the waters “roar and foam” (v.3a) and the kingdoms tottered much as the mountains had been “moved into the heart of the sea” (v.2b). In light of these parallel images, it is likely that the context for this psalm was God’s deliverance of Judah from the Assyrian army at the time of Hezekiah and Isaiah (à2 Kings 18-19; Isaiah 36-37 for the narrative). Such was a time when Jerusalem certainly would have fallen if not for the intervention of the Lord on their behalf. The Assyrians had amassed an impressive undefeated record as they marched toward Jerusalem like a slow-motion tsunami.

Are We Fearful or Glad?

Like with the citizens of Jerusalem, our fears cry out for us to worry and hide. Yet our pride cries out that we can handle it on our own. We fight and grab and protect our own little slices of the world. Yet, in doing so we eventually become discouraged and are tempted to despair if we don’t put our faith in the Lord God.

Photo: Greg K. Dueker 2021
But what about “the river whose streams make glad the city of God” (v.4)? How does that verse fit this proposed historical setting? If this happened at the time of Hezekiah, John Philipps suggests that this river refers to the tunnel the king had built to bring the waters from the spring of Gihon (originally outside the city walls) into the city, thus giving it the ability to hold out against the Assyrian siege.

Knowing that sooner or later the Assyrian army would besiege Jerusalem, Hezekiah had taken wise and practical steps to ensure that Jerusalem had an unfailing water supply, no matter how long the siege. The spring of Gihon, located below the steep eastern hill of Ophel in the deep Kidron Valley, Jerusalem's most ancient water supply, was exposed to enemy attack. Hezekiah diverted the spring through a conduit, 1777 feet long and hewn out of solid rock, into a reservoir inside the city's walls. He then completely covered the ancient spring so that the enemy would not know it was there. Throughout the fearful siege, there was "a river, the streams whereof made glad the city of God." The psalmist tells us of this river, how impassive was its flow (46:4), and how impotent was its foe (45:5-7). 

        For all his great strength and cunning, the enemy knew nothing of this unfailing source of inner refreshment without which the city could not have lasted more than a month or two. Without that hidden river Jerusalem would have fallen, not from the strength of the foe without, but from weakness and failure within. Instead, the city had a secret river that kept it strong. [2]

Hezekiah's Tunnel with a constant flow of water
DavidbenaCC BY-SA 4.0
, via Wikimedia Commons

This tunnel was and is quite a feat of engineering! It is very smooth inside. The two ends of this aqueduct have been excavated and visitors to Jerusalem can walk through the ankle-deep water from the spring to its other end near what was once the Pool of Siloam. I have walked through this tunnel and appreciated how refreshing it was on a hot summer day! I can imagine it was quite calming for the city to have such a hidden source of water when facing attacks from outside. Certainly, as Christians, we have access to a spiritual source of life that cannot be taken from us!

As this psalm makes clear, God is our fortress whether we are facing geologic turmoil, political strife, or both. God is still God, and his plans and purposes will be established. Everything else that we think to be solid and safe isn't. Earthquakes and invasions both have a way of shifting our stance and our perceptions regarding what is solid.

Also, if this historical setting is correct, then the “works” and “desolations” that the Lord has brought would refer to the overnight destruction of the Assyrian army (2 Sam 19:35; Isa. 37:36).

And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

A biblical faith, such as that encouraged here, acknowledges our trust in God's character and power despite the overwhelming problems we face, then it quiets our hearts and directs our gaze, expectantly, to watch God work! And it is much better for us if his name is exalted... that means that we would honor and value and lift up his character as the greatest good. If we who claim to follow him did that consistently, just think how different the world would be!

Quite A Ride

Photo by Jacob Kiesow on Unsplash
There are several different emotional / tempo shifts in this psalm...from the frantic description of natural disasters (v.2-3) to the calm and serene river of God (v.4), and then back to nations raging and desolations being wrought, ironic though they are (v. 6-9). Then back again to v. 10-11. Where are the peace and calm? They are in God...no matter what else is going on outside! In the end, the gladsome river is a symbol of the presence of the Lord himself in the midst of his people.

I am so glad, in light of the string of recent events in 2020-21 that we can hope in something more stable than the earth itself, someone more steadfast than a political party, and some place where no attack against us can prosper! Even today, we can "be still” and know that the Lord is God"! Yet have we made God our refuge and strength or are we still trying to fight our battles or pull off an epic escape by doing it ourselves?

The key to being still is trusting that there is no need for us to fear...for we are in God's hands. We are neither alone nor undefended. God doesn't promise a trouble-free life, but he is a "very present help in trouble”! And this world is not all that there is to the life that he shares with us.

With Us!

Did you notice that the promise of verse 1 is recast and twice repeated as a chorus (in verses 7 and 11) in this psalm? This chorus should ultimately inform our understanding of the psalm and the steadfast approach to life it describes. It reads, 

The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Patrick Henry Reardon in his work on the Psalms notices this refrain and comments as to its Christological significance.

“The twofold refrain says that God is “with us” in Hebrew ‘imannu. A close look at that word shows it to be most of the name of the Messiah, “Immanuel,” which literally means “with us God.” “God with us” is, of course, Christ our Lord, abiding in our midst all days, even to the end of the world.” [3]

As we head towards the Advent season, let us find our stability and our gladness in the presence of Immanuel, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is indeed God with us! He invites all who are thirsty to come and drink!

And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. (Rev. 21:6)

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Rev. 22:17)



[1] Peter C. Craigie, Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 1-50, (Word: Waco, TX) 1983, 346.

[2] John Phillips, Exploring the Psalms: Psalms 1-88 (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1988), 366.

[3] Patrick Henry Reardon, Christ in the Psalms, (Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press), 2000. 90.

 

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