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Be Still And Know…

(Psalm 46:1–11)

Introduction: It’s on my heart this morning to look at Psalm 46.

That greatest of commentators, Matthew Henry said…

This psalm encourages us to hope and trust in God, and His power, and providence, and gracious presence with His church in the worst of times, and directs us to give Him the glory of what He has done for us and what He will do. Probably it was penned upon occasion of David’s victories over the neighboring nations (2 Samuel 8), and the rest which God gave him from all his enemies round about. We are here taught, to take comfort in God when things look very black and threatening (verses 1-5); to mention, to His praise, the great things He had wrought for His church against its enemies (verses 6-9); to assure ourselves that God who has glorified His own name will glorify it yet again, and to comfort ourselves with that (verses 10, 11). … It is said of Luther that, when he heard any discouraging news, he would say, “Come let us sing the forty-sixth psalm.”

The Pulpit Commentary says…

This is a psalm of consolation. Israel, in great peril (verses 1-3, 6, 8, 9), consoles herself with the thought of God’s might, his protecting care, and his ability to shatter all the combinations that her enemies may form against her. There is nothing to determine absolutely what particular peril is spoken of; but, on the whole, the allusions seem to point to the invasion by Sennacherib, rather than to any other event in Hebrew history. … “Upon Alamoth” in the title is best explained as a musical direction – to be sung upon high notes, with voices shrill and clear, like those of “virgins.”

There was once a notation in Christianity Today that said…

A “tribute” to William Shakespeare was included in the King James Version of the Bible, claims retired Anglican bishop Mark A. Hodson. The tribute appears as a “cryptogram” embedded in Psalm 46, says the bishop in a London Times article. The forty-sixth word from the beginning of the Psalm is “shake” (vs. 3) and the forty-sixth word from the end of it (not counting “Selah”) is “spear” (vs. 9), he explains. The guess is (that) some of the translators placed the cryptic tribute in Psalm 46 to honor Shakespeare on his forty-sixth birthday in 1610, when the Bible was being prepared for publication.

(From Paul Lee Tan’s “Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations” – #708)

I hate to argue with an Anglican bishop, but this Psalm has nothing to do with Shakespeare, but it has everything to do with Almighty God. And it was written to honor Him and Him alone.

Edward L. R. Elson wrote that…

Long ago in the fourteenth century when Sergius the hermit was leading his countrymen (in Russia), and Tartar (Turkish Muslim) hordes were overrunning his land, this Psalm was a source of strength and courage. Over and over, the godly hermit recited Psalm 46 and then led his revived men in a charge that drove the invaders back and brought ultimate victory. Throughout the ages men have been stirred by the realization that the Eternal God is available to them and that nothing, literally nothing, can overwhelm or destroy a man when he lives in this faith. (From Paul Lee Tan’s “Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations” – #8309)

You’ll notice in Psalm 46:10 that the Bible says…

(Psalms 46:10) Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Of this phrase “Be still, and know that I am God,” J. Vernon McGee said…

With the knowledge of this blessed truth we can be calm in time of trouble. There are storms blowing outside today. We are living in a mean old world; a wicked world. Tremendous changes are taking place. There are even convulsions in nature today. (But) He tells us to be calm in the time of storm.

This morning as we study Psalm 46, I want us to discover some things that we can recognize and know. We can know that…

I. There Is A Refuge

(Psalm 46:1–3)

It may be helpful if we work our way backwards in this section, beginning at verses 2 and 3, followed by verse 2, and then highlighting verse 1.

A. The Psalmist Refers To Our Circumstances

(Psalms 46:2-3) Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; {3} Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

1. The Psalmist Indicates That Our Stability May Be Taken From Us

(Psalms 46:2) Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

removed – Hebrew 4171. muwr, moor; a prim. root; to alter; by impl. to barter, to dispose of:-- X at all, (ex-) change, remove.

The idea here is that that everything in the world would be drastically changed.

Adam Clarke theorized that…

Probably the earthquake referred to, here means political commotions, such as those mentioned under the title; and by mountains, kings or secular states may be intended.

Barnes said…

[And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea] This may either be understood literally, as implying that they would “not” be afraid though the mountains, the most fixed and firm things of earth, should be uprooted and sunk in the ocean – implying that nothing earthly was stable; or, the mountains here may be referred to as emblems of that which seemed to be most settled and established on earth – the kingdoms of the world.

How this speaks of the sudden and radical changes that can take place in individual lives and in families and in governments and nations!

2. The Psalmist Indicates That The Situation May Be Tumultuous For Us

(Psalms 46:3) Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Listen to the meanings of some of the words employed in this verse…

roar – Hebrew 1993. hamah, haw-maw’; a prim. root [comp. H1949]; to make a loud sound (like Engl. “hum”); by implication it means to be in great commotion or tumult, to rage, war, moan, clamor:--clamorous, concourse, cry aloud, be disquieted, loud, mourn, be moved, make a noise, rage, roar, sound, be troubled, make in tumult, tumultuous, be in an uproar.

troubled – Hebrew 2560. chamar, khaw-mar'; a prim. root; prop. to boil up; hence to ferment (with scum); to glow (with redness); as denom. (from H2564) to smear with pitch:--daub, foul, be red, trouble.

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says of this word “troubled” (OT:2560 – hamar) that…

The verbal form of this root is illustrated in Psalm 46:4 in which “waters … be troubled.” … The masculine noun (form of this word) may have arisen from the trait of asphalt seething, or swelling up from the ground or coming to the top of the Dead Sea and/or its reddish-brown color.

The visual image is that of a body of water that is all reddish from the mud being stirred up and foamy from the scum.

Barnes said that the phrase “the mountains shake with the swelling thereof,” means…

The rolling ocean breaking against the sides of the mountains on its shore, and seeming to shake them to their foundation.

shake – Hebrew 7493. ra'ash, raw-ash; a prim. root; to undulate (as the earth, the sky, etc.; also a field of grain), particularly through fear; spec. to spring (as a locust):--make afraid, (re-) move, quake, (make to) shake, tremble.

Illustration: There was once a piece in Time magazine that read…

“She’s afraid to go to sleep, and she wakes up every time the bed moves. Her eyes get huge, and she quivers and shakes. Sometimes she walks in her sleep.” This 8-year-old victim of a new ailment that has hit both adults and children in Southern California — earth-quake jitters. The psychological damage is widespread and has affected many. Afflicted adults show extreme exhaustion, an unusual need for emotional support, and inability to sleep. The common denominator in many of these symptoms is excessive anxiety triggered by the realistic fear of a quake’s havoc. Causes of anxiety: the unexpectedness of the quake, and the fact that there is no place to hide.

(From Paul Lee Tan’s “Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations” – #2844)

The psalmist says that even though things may be taken from us and tumultuous for us, we will not fear. In other words, these transforming changes and troubling circumstances need not give us the jitters. As one writer put it, there is “Earthquake but not heartquake.” (From The Biblical Illustrator)

B. The Psalmist Refers To Our Courage

(Psalms 46:2) Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

1. Let’s Think About The Concept Of This Fear

fear – Hebrew 3372. yare', yaw-ray'; a prim. root; to fear; mor. to revere; caus. to frighten:--affright, be (make) afraid, dread (-ful), (put in) fear (-ful, -fully, -ing). (be had in) reverence (-end), X see, terrible (act, -ness, thing).

The word may refer to a sense of reverence and awe especially in the worship of God, but that is not the meaning in this context. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says that this word “fear” (OT:4172 – tiyraa’), especially the way that is used here in this verse, would indicate “the emotion of fear,” or “the intellectual anticipation of evil without emphasis upon the emotional reaction.” So, it may suggest an emotional terror or an intellectual dread.

2. Let’s Think About The Conquering Of This Fear

Albert Barnes said…

Our confidence in God shall be unshaken and abiding. Having Him for our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1), we can have nothing to fear. Compare Psalm 56:3.

(Psalms 56:3) What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

In “The Treasury Of David,” Charles Spurgeon spoke of “the reasons, advantages, and glory of holy courage.” He said that the “causes for fear” are “great and many.” But he also referred to “the great and one cause for not fearing. Fearlessness under such circumstances should be well grounded. God Himself is our refuge, and we confiding in Him are fearless.”

If, as some believe, the historical background of this psalm is the attack of King Sennacherib of Assyria against King Hezekiah of Judah, then it is interesting to read how Hezekiah responded to this threat in 2 Chronicles 32:1-8.

John Calvin noted that…

It is an easy matter to manifest the appearance of great confidence, so long as we are not placed in imminent danger. But if, in the midst of a general crash of the whole world, our minds continue undisturbed and free of trouble, this is an evident proof that we attribute to the power of God the honor which belongs to Him. When, however, the sacred poet says, We will not fear, he is not to be understood as meaning that the minds of the godly are exempt from all solicitude or fear, as if they were destitute of feeling, for there is a great difference between insensibility and the confidence of faith. He only shows that whatever may happen they are never overwhelmed with terror, but rather gather strength and courage sufficient to allay all fear.

C. The Psalmist Refers To Our Companion

The “therefore” of verse 2 is directly related to the facts set forth in verse 1. We will not fear because…

(Psalms 46:1) … God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

John Calvin said…

There would be no impropriety in limiting the language to some particular deliverance which had already been experienced, just as others also have rendered it in the past tense. But as the prophet adds the term tribulations in the plural number, I prefer explaining it of a continued act; that God comes seasonably to our aid, and is never wanting in the time of need, as often as any afflictions press upon his people.

1. God Is Our Almighty Haven God is our refuge and strength

Matthew Henry wrote…

God is our refuge and strength; we have found Him so, He has engaged to be so, and He ever will be so. Are we pursued? God is our refuge to whom we may flee, and in whom we may be safe and think ourselves so; secure upon good grounds (Proverbs 18:10). Are we oppressed by troubles? Have we work to do and enemies to grapple with? God is our strength, to bear us up under our burdens, to fit us for all our services and sufferings; He will by his grace put strength into us, and on Him we may stay ourselves. Are we in distress? He is a help, to do all that for us which we need, a present help, a help found (so the word is), one whom we have found to be so.

Cf. (Proverbs 18:10) The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

One writer said that in the statement, “God our refuge”…

There is an allusion to the cities of refuge. (But) God is to the Christian a refuge, which greatly excels those cities of Israel which were appointed for refuge to the man-slayer. It is in Jesus who is very near to the guilty; believing brings him into it at once; it is not temporary, but eternal; those refuges were only for the innocent, but this for the sinful; those were only for protection, not for liberty.

According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, the cities of refuge were “certain of the Levitical cities that were set apart to serve as places of asylum for the accidental manslayer; mentioned principally in Numbers 35:9-34; and Joshua 20. According to Joshua 20:7, (there were) six cities designated for this purpose in Joshua’s lifetime.”

refuge – Hebrew 4268. machaceh, makh-as-eh'; or machceh, makh-seh'; from H2620; a shelter (lit. or fig.):--hope, (place of) refuge, shelter, trust.

Albert Barnes said…

God is for us as a place to which we may flee for safety; a source of strength to us in danger. The first word, “refuge,” is from a verb meaning to “flee,” and then “to flee to” - ‎chaacaah ‎- or to take shelter in – denotes a place to which one would flee in time of danger – as a lofty wall; a high tower; a fort; a fortress. The idea here is that the people of God, in time of danger, may find Him to be what such a place of refuge would be. The word “strength” implies that God is the source of strength to those who are weak and defenseless; or that we may rely on His strength “as if” it were our own.

“Strength” means…

strength – Hebrew 5797. 'oz, oze; or (fully) 'owz, oze; from H5810; strength in various applications (force, security, majesty, praise):--boldness, loud, might, power, strength, strong.

2. God Is Our Available Helper

The Pulpit Commentary says “A very present Help in trouble,” means “literally, a very accessible Help - one easy to be found.”

present – Hebrew 4672. matsa', maw-tsaw'; a prim. root; prop. to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; trans. to find or acquire; fig. to occur, meet or be present:-- + be able, befall, being, catch, X certainly (cause to) come (on, to, to hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find (-ing, occasion, out), get (hold upon), X have (here), be here, hit, be left, light (up-) on, meet (with), X occasion serve, (be) present, ready, speed, suffice, take hold on.

In the context, this word has the idea that God as a helper has been found; He has arrived; He has been an able and powerful helper.

very – Hebrew 3966. me'od, meh-ode'; from the same as H181; prop. vehemence, i.e. (with or without prep.) vehemently; by impl. wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or superlative; espec. when repeated):--diligently, especially, exceeding (-ly), far, fast, good, great (-ly), X louder and louder, might (-ily, -y), (so) much, quickly, (so) sore, utterly, very (+ much, sore), well.

Albert Barnes said…

The word “very,” or “exceedingly,” is added to qualify the whole proposition, as if this were “emphatically true.” It was true in the most eminent sense that God had always been found to be such a helper

The Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament said…

The congregation begins with a general declaration of that which God is to them. This declaration is the result of their experience. Luther … renders it, (God is … a very present help) “in the great distresses which have come upon us.”

According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, the word “trouble” (OT:6869 – tsarah)…

Means “straits” or “distress” in a psychological or spiritual sense,

trouble – Hebrew 6869. tsarah, tsaw-raw'; fem. of H6862; tightness (i.e. fig. trouble); trans. a female rival:--adversary, adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, trouble.

Illustration: Several of the commentators and resources that I looked at in studying this chapter indicated that this Psalm did indeed have a special place in Martin Luther’s heart. In fact, J. Vernon McGee said…

Psalm 46 was Martin Luther’s favorite psalm. When he wrote that great Reformation hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” he probably had this in mind.

Listen to the Luther’s words in this great hymn…

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,

And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;

The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.

Thank God, we do have a refuge … and it is God Himself!

II. There Is A River

(Psalm 46:4)

In 1969, Max and David Sapp published a song that said…

There is a river that flows from deep within. There is a fountain that frees the soul from sin. Come to these waters, there is a vast supply. There is a river that never shall run dry.

Their song was based on this song and the statement in verse 4. As we think about this 4th verse…

A. Let’s Consider The Truth Of This River

(Psalms 46:4) There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

1. There Is A Contrast Wrapped Up In This Statement – It Represents Something Different

Albert Barnes said…

The image is designed to represent a state of peace and calm security in contrast with the rough and troubled ocean. While the ocean rages, and foams, and dashes against the mountains as if it would overturn them, the state of Jerusalem, the city of God, was well represented by a calm and gently-flowing river; a river of full banks, diffusing joy and fertility and beauty wherever it flowed. This image, to represent happiness, abundance, peace, joy, is one that is often employed in the Scriptures.

The Pulpit Commentary says…

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God. In contrast with the scene of tumult and disturbance in the world at large, which the writer has presented to us in verses 2-3, he now shows us, resting in perfect peace and tranquility, “the city of God,” threatened, indeed, by the nations, but undismayed by them, and calmly trusting in the protection of the God who is “in the midst of her.”

2. There Is A Confirmation Wrapped Up In This Statement – It Represents Something Definite

There is a river

J. Vernon McGee said…

Some expositors consider this river symbolic. I believe the river is a reality that speaks of the supply and the refreshment that God gives even today, and that river is the Word of God. In Psalm 1 we were told that the blessed man was planted by the rivers of water, which is the Word of God. Also the Scriptures mention a river that flows out from the house of God (Ezekiel 47). And in the Book of the Revelation John saw “…a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God… ” (Revelation 22:1).

The Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament says…

What is intended is the river of grace, which is also likened to a river of paradise in 36:8. When the city of God is threatened and encompassed by foes, still she shall not hunger and thirst, nor fear and despair; for the river of grace and of her ordinances and promises flows with its rippling waves through the holy place, where the dwelling-place or tabernacle of the Most High is pitched.

Mr. Spurgeon said…

There is a river. Divine grace like a smoothly flowing, fertilizing, full, and never failing river yields refreshment and consolation to believers. This is the river of the water of life, of which the church above as well as the church below partakes evermore. It is no boisterous ocean, but a placid stream, it is not stayed in its course by earthquakes or crumbling mountains, it follows its serene course without disturbance. Happy are they who know from their own experience that there is such a river of God.

One preacher whose comments were recorded in “The Biblical Illustrator” said of this river, “This I take to be the mercy of God; His kindness to the miserable.”

Yet another preacher whose comments are found in “The Biblical Illustrator” named J. Cummins said…

The fourth chapter of St. John … shows that by the river spoken of, the Holy Spirit of God is meant. Under the figure of a river the properties and excellencies of the Spirit of God, here described as flowing through the Scriptures and the Church, are set forth.

Cf. (John 7:37-39) In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. {38} He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. {39} (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

The Bible Knowledge Commentary says…

The Lord’s presence was like a peaceful flowing river (in contrast with the perilous torrents of verse 3).

B. Let’s Consider The Tributaries Of This River

(Psalms 46:4) There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

1. He Speaks Of The Branches Of This River

streams – Hebrew 6388. peleg, peh'-leg; from H6385; a rill (i.e. small channel of water, as in irrigation):--river, stream.

6385. palag, paw-lag'; a prim. root; to split (lit. or fig.):--divide.

According to Albert Barnes, when the psalmist mentions “the streams” of this river…

The allusion here is undoubtedly to the canals, watercourses, or rivulets that were led off from the main stream for the purpose of supplying fountains and watering gardens.

The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary says…

The “river” in Paradise parting and becoming “four heads” (Genesis 2:10) is the original ground of the imagery. The “river” is first mentioned as a whole; then follows its particular “streams,” representing God’s manifold ways of grace to His Church.

The streams speak of the channel of grace that flows into my life, and your life, and countless other lives. Thank God for the streams!

2. He Speaks Of The Blessing Of This River

Spurgeon said…

The great fear of an Eastern city in time of war was lest the water supply should be cut off during a siege; if that were secured the city could hold out against attacks for an indefinite period. In this verse, Jerusalem, which represents the church of God, is described as well supplied with water, to set forth the fact that in seasons of trial all sufficient grace will be given to enable us to endure unto the end.

And because of this supply and because of the streams, the residents of the city of God are made “glad”! In other words, they would rejoice or be joyful because of the streams of this river. A person usually doesn’t get glad about water unless they are thirsty. That’s why Jesus said…

(Matthew 5:6) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

For those who are thirsty for the water of grace and mercy and the Holy Spirit … be glad, because the streams are flowing.

According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, the word “glad” (OT:8055 – samach)…

Usually refers to a spontaneous emotion or extreme happiness which is expressed in some visible and or external manner. It does not normally represent an abiding state of wellbeing or feeling.

But according to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, this root word…

Denotes being glad or joyful with the whole disposition as indicated by its association with the heart (cf. Exodus 4:14), the soul (Psalm 86:4); and with the lighting up of the eyes (Proverbs 15:30).

C. Let’s Consider The Territory Of This River

(Psalms 46:4) There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

1. This River Flows To The Place Of Habitation

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states of the Kidron valley and the river bed or brook that runs the course of this valley…

Except at the irrigated gardens, the ravine is a dry valley containing water only during and immediately after heavy rain, but in ancient times the rocky bottom, now buried beneath many feet of rich soil, must have contained a little stream from Gihon for at least some hundreds of yards. This was the “brook that flowed through the midst of the land” (according to 2 Chronicles 32:4).

Cf. (2 Chronicles 32:4) So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?

Warren Wiersbe says of this verse, and even this last part of the verse, that…

The scene shifts into the city of Jerusalem where the people are confined because of the Assyrian army camped around them. Water was a precious commodity in Palestine and especially in Jerusalem, one of the few ancient cities not built on a river. Wisely, Hezekiah had built an underground water system that connected the Spring of Gihon in Kidron with the Pool of Siloam within the city, so water was available (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:30). But the psalmist knew that God was their river and provided them with the water of life (36:8; 65:9; 87:7; and see John 7:37-39).

(Psalms 36:8) They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

(Psalms 65:9) Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.

(Psalms 87:7) As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee (speaking to Zion).

As The Pulpit Commentary says…

The direct application is, of course, to the earthly Jerusalem, which the armies of Sennacherib were threatening.

But this, I believe, is only part of what the verse means. As The Pulpit Commentary goes on, it says…

To this city he assigns a “river, the streams whereof make her glad;” imagery in which we may recognize the perennial fountain of God’s grace – that “pure river of water of life,” which, welling forth from the throne of God and of the Lamb, continually refreshes and gladdens the Church of Christ (Revelation 22:1), whether her dwelling-place be the earthly or the heavenly Jerusalem.

This river of grace flows to my habitation, and it can flow to your habitation – to irrigate our lives and refresh us.

2. This River Flows To The Place Of Holiness

the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High

holy (place) – Hebrew 6918. qadowsh, kaw-doshe'; or qadosh, kaw-doshe'; from H6942; sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary:--holy (One), saint.

If the “city” represented the place of the Jews habitation, then the “tabernacles” represented the place of Jehovah’s habitation. It was the place of worship, the sanctuary.

Barnes said…

[The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High] Of the “tent” where the Most High is supposed to abide. The word is applicable to any habitation or dwelling-place; but in the Scriptures it is applied especially to the sacred tent erected by Moses in the wilderness, and ultimately removed to Mount Zion by David, as the divine abode on earth. It is sometimes, also, applied to the temple; and if this psalm was written, as I have supposed, in the time of Hezekiah, it would be applicable to that. The tabernacle and the temple were alike divided into two parts – the holy and the most holy place – and hence the “plural” term is sometimes applied to them.

His grace can flow to my house and His grace can flow to the church house!

Illustration: Any personal or experiential knowledge that I have of rivers is related to the French Broad River that begins its flow in my home county in western North Carolina.

The French Broad River Blueway guide says…

Wilma Dykeman describes the mountains of the French Broad as real ancients that were old before the Rockies even began to form. The mountains are part of the Appalachians, the oldest mountains in the world. In fact, the river is older than the mountains in which it now finds itself. It has the distinction of being the third oldest river in the world, following the Nile River in Egypt and the New River in West Virginia (The French Broad, 1955, p.10). … The headwaters are in Western North Carolina in Transylvania County outside of Rosman, a small town surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest. From the headwaters to the North Carolina State line, the River is 116 miles long. The Tennessee section of the River travels another 102 miles through four Tennessee counties, Cocke, Jefferson, Sevier, and Knox to merge with the Holston River east of Knoxville, forming the Tennessee River.

The headwaters of this river are made up of 5 distinct sections, or forks, that join together near Rosman to become the French Broad River

[pic]

The things that stand out in my mind about this river is that it has flowed my entire life. It has never dried up! And it flows through so many different areas and towns and counties … in two different states, until it changes into another river.

Similarly, the river of God’s grace and mercy and kindness and spirit has never ceased in its flow. And it flows to many different places. And it will continue to flow in our lives here until it changes and becomes a new type of river in heaven. Thank God for the river!

III. There Is A Reassurance

(Psalm 46:5–11)

G. Campbell Morgan wrote that…

Comment on this great song of confidence seems almost unnecessary, so powerfully has it taken hold upon the heart of humanity, and so perfectly does it set forth the experience of trusting souls in all ages, in circumstances of tempest shock.

Having reminded us that “There Is A Refuge,” and “There Is A River,” the psalmist now sets before us the truth that “There Is A Reassurance.” And certainly, contained in these lines in verses 5 thru 11 are words that reassure the distressed child of God. Observe how…

A. We Can Find Reassurance In The Declared Presence

(Psalms 46:5-7) God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. {6} The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. {7} The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

1. Notice How God’s Presence Was Demonstrated In The Midst Of His City

(Psalms 46:5-6) God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. {6} The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

vs. 5

midst – Hebrew 7130. qereb, keh'-reb; from H7126; properly it means the nearest part, i.e. the centre.

help – Hebrew 5826. 'azar, aw-zar'; a prim. root; to surround, i.e. protect or aid:--help, succour.

Albert Barnes said…

[God is in the midst of her] God is in the midst of the “city” referred to above-the “city of God.” That is, He dwelt there by the visible symbol of his presence, the Shekinah; He was there “actually” as a help and a protector. It was his chosen abode, and as long as such a Being dwelt in the city, they had nothing to fear.

The Pulpit Commentary states…

[God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved] While the world is being turned upside down (verses 2, 3, 6), the Church is unmoved – since “God is in the midst of her.” [God shall help her, and that right early]; literally, at the turning of the morning, or, in other words, “at the break of day” (compare Psalm 30:6; 49:14; Isaiah 17:14). The deliverance of Israel from Sennacherib came, it is to be remembered, when it was discovered “early in the morning” that in the camp of the Assyrians were 185,000 “dead corpses” (2 Kings 19:35).

Cf. (2 Kings 19:35) And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary says…

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 49:14). Affliction may pass a night with the Lord’s people; but with the morning dawn Yahweh dislodges it from its resting-place, and gives in its stead abiding salvation.

vs. 6

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved Cf. Isaiah 36:18-20

he uttered his voice, the earth melted Cf. Isaiah 37:36

Charles Spurgeon explained that…

The heathen raged. The nations were in a furious uproar, they gathered against the city of the Lord like wolves ravenous for their prey; they foamed, and roared, and swelled like a tempestuous sea. The kingdoms were moved. A general confusion seized upon society; the fierce invaders convulsed their own dominions by draining the population to urge on the war, and they desolated other territories by their devastating march to Jerusalem. Crowns fell from royal heads, ancient thrones rocked like trees driven of the tempest, powerful empires fell like pines uprooted by the blast: everything was in disorder, and dismay seized on all who knew not the Lord.

He uttered his voice, the earth melted. With no other instrumentality than a word the Lord ruled the storm. He gave forth a voice and stout hearts were dissolved, proud armies were annihilated, conquering powers were enfeebled. … How mighty is a word from God! How mighty the Incarnate Word. O that such a word would come from the excellent glory even now to melt all hearts in love to Jesus, and to end for ever all the persecutions, wars, and rebellions of men!

The Keil and Delitzsch Commentary says…

If peoples and kingdoms become enraged with enmity and totter, so that the church is in danger of being involved in this overthrow – all that God need do is to make a rumbling with His almighty voice of thunder

2. Notice How God’s Presence Was Definite In The Midst Of His Children

(Psalms 46:7) The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

The word “is” in the King James Version is italicized indicating the word has been added twice in this verse by the translators. But the addition by no means diminishes what the psalmist is conveying. Rather, it enhances the statement. He is with us; He is our refuge!

Barnes says…

[Of hosts] ‎the word (hosts) sometimes translated “Sabaoth.” The word means literally armies or military hosts. It is applied, however, to the angels which surround the throne of God; and to the stars or constellations that appear to be marshalled in the sky. … God is called Yahweh of hosts because He is at the head of all these armies, as their leader and commander; He marshals and directs them – as a general does the army under his command. … (This name) represents Him as the ruler of the hosts of heaven, that is, the angels and the stars.

Even though He is “the LORD of hosts,” and even though He is with the myriad of angelic beings and the millions of astrological bodies, the psalmist said He “is with us”! The promise in this Psalm is that “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” This is not a dime store promise, but it is a 7-11 promise because it is stated both in verse 7 and verse 11.

In his “Guide to the Psalms,” W. Graham Scroggie said, “It must be observed that references to ‘Jacob’ in the psalter are generally, if not always, to the nation and not to the individual.” As the Pulpit Commentary says, He is “our covenant God.”

However, G. Campbell Morgan said…

The twice repeated refrain (verses 7, 11) is full of beauty as it reveals the twofold conception of God which is the deepest note in the music. He is the King of all hosts. He is the God of the individual.

B. We Can Find Reassurance In The Divine Power

(Psalms 46:8-9) Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. {9} He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

1. Through God’s Power, There Is An Evidence Of Devastating Works

It’s almost as if one is summoning all of Hezekiah’s men to come see what had taken place in the Assyrians camp…

Cf. (Isaiah 37:36) Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says of the word “corpses” (OT:6297 – peger) that it…

refers to the corpse of men, never of animals (except Genesis 15:11), and not just the body immediately after death, but the corpse in which decay and stench have started (Isa 34:3; cf, John 11:39). The idea of “dead/death” is contained in peger, though twice it is qualified by the word metîm – “dead” (2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37:36).

desolations – Hebrew 8047. shammah, sham-maw'; from H8074; ruin; by impl. consternation:--astonishment, desolate (-ion), waste, wonderful thing.

The word “desolations” refers both to the ruinous action of heaven and the response of appalment and horror.

I watched a broadcast of David Jeremiah preaching through his series on “What In The World Is Going On.” And he was talking about the Battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19 when the armies are defeated by Christ and the fowls of the air come to feast upon the dead bodies. And as he was talking about this graphic, gory scene, Dr. Jeremiah simply said, “Don’t mess with God!”

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words says of the word “earth” (OT:776 – erets) that it can refer to “the temporal scene of human activity, experience, and history.”

2. Through God’s Power, There Is An Ending Of Different Wars

(Psalms 46:9) He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Barnes said…

The overthrow of the Assyrian army would probably put an end to all the wars then raging in the world. The Assyrian empire was then the most mighty on the globe; it was engaged in wide schemes of conquest; it had already overrun many of the smaller kingdoms of the world (Isaiah 37:18-19. … When the vast army of that empire, engaged in such a purpose, was overthrown, the consequence would be that the nations would be at rest, or that there would be universal peace. [He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder] That is, He makes them useless, as a bow that is broken is of no value, or a spear that is cut into parts. [He burneth the chariot in the fire] … The expression here may refer to a custom of collecting the spoils of war into a heap, and setting them on fire. This was particularly done when the victors were unable to remove them, or so to secure them as to preclude all danger of their being taken again and used against themselves. … The idea here is that God had wholly overthrown the foe, and had prevented all danger of his returning again for purposes of conquest.

What have you been trying to use to fight against God? It is pointless.

C. We Can Find Reassurance In The Deliberate Pause

(Psalms 46:10-11) Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. {11} The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

1. There Is A Pause For The Purpose Of Recognition And Reverence (and even Relaxation)

Be still, and know that I am God

be still – Hebrew 7503. raphah, raw-faw'; a prim. root; to slacken (in many applications, lit. or fig.):--abate, cease, consume, draw [toward evening]

know – Hebrew 3045. yada', yaw-dah'; a primary root word meaning to know (properly to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, fig., lit., euphem. and infer. (including observation, care, recognition, and causat. instruction, designation, punishment, etc.).

Albert Barnes wrote…

[Be still] The word used here – from ‎raapaah ‎– means properly to cast down; to let fall; to let hang down; then, to be relaxed, slackened, especially the hands: It is also employed in the sense of not making an effort; not putting forth exertion; and then would express the idea of leaving matters with God, or of being without anxiety about the issue. Compare Exodus 14:13, “Stand still, and see the salvation of God.” In this place the word seems to be used as meaning that there was to be no anxiety; that there was to be a calm, confiding, trustful state of mind in view of the displays of the divine presence and power. The mind was to be calm, in view of the fact that God had interposed, and had shown that he was able to defend his people when surrounded by dangers. If this is the divine interposition when Jerusalem was threatened by the armies of the Assyrians under Sennacherib, the force and beauty of the expression will be most clearly seen.

In the stillness, come to the realization of Who He is.

(He said that He would be exalted even among those who do not know Him.)

2. There Is A Pause For The Purpose Of Repetition And Reflection

(Psalms 46:11) The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

There is a repetition of pausing throughout this psalm as seen in the word “Selah” (verses 3, 7, 11). And in fact, there has been a repeating of the entire statement in verses 7 and 11, which some commentators believe should also have been included in its entirety at verse 3 as well.

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says of this word “selah” that it is…

A term of unknown meaning, probably of musical significance. … Many are the conjectures as to its meaning, but nothing certain is known. … The primary meaning of the words seems to be “cast up.” (One of the derivative words has the idea of building a road or highway higher than the adjacent terrain.)

Perhaps the idea is to pause when the song or psalm comes to an intersection of thought, and be raised up (or cast up) taking a higher road of contemplation.

Strong’s Concordance offers this definition…

selah – Hebrew 5542. celah, seh'-law; from H5541; suspension (of music), i.e. pause:--Selah.

Fausset’s Bible Dictionary says this word is found…

Seventy-one times in the Psalms, three times in Habakkuk (3:3,9,13). From shelah, “rest.” A music mark denoting a pause, during which the singers ceased to sing and only the instruments were heard. … It is a call to calm reflection on the preceding words. … The selah reminds us that the psalm requires a peaceful and meditative soul which can apprehend what the Holy Spirit propounds.

Spurgeon said of this word “Selah”…

Here as before, lift up the heart. Rest in contemplation after praise. Still keep the soul in tune. It is easier to sing a hymn of praise than to continue in the spirit of praise, but let it be our aim to maintain the uprising devotion of our grateful hearts, and so end our song as if we intended it to be continued.

SELAH bids the music rest. Pause in silence soft and blest;

SELAH bids uplift the strain, Harps and voices tune again;

SELAH ends the vocal praise, Still your hearts to God upraise.

(From The Treasury of David)

Regarding the fact that the Lord is with us, Spurgeon quotes from the biography of Charles Wesley by Rev. William C. Larrabee saying…

On Tuesday Mr. Wesley could with difficulty be understood, though he often attempted to speak. At last, with all the strength he had, he cried out, “The best of all is, God is with us.” Again, raising his hand, and waving it in triumph, he exclaimed with thrilling effect, “The best of all is, God is with us.” These words seem to express the leading feature of his whole life, God had been with him from early childhood; his providence had guided him through all the devious wanderings of human life; and now, when he was entering the “valley of the shadow of death,” the same hand sustained him.

Conclusion: Last Monday marked the 61st anniversary of the death of Civilla Martin. She passed away at the age of 81 on March 9, 1948 in Atlanta, and she is buried in the Westview Cemetery in Atlanta.

When she was in her mid to late thirties, she said…

I was confined to a sick bed in a Bible school in Lestershire, New York. My husband (Walter Stillman Martin) was spending several weeks at the school, making a songbook for the president of the school. “God Will Take Care of You” was written one Sunday afternoon while my husband went to a preaching appointment. When he returned I gave the words to him. He immediately sat down to his little Bilhorn organ and wrote the music. That evening he and two of the teachers sang the completed song. It was then printed in the songbook he was compiling for the school.

In that place of stillness, on the sick bed, she wrote these words…

Verse 1

Be not dismayed whate’er betide,

God will take care of you;

Beneath His wings of love abide,

God will take care of you.

Chorus

God will take care of you,

Through every day, over all the way;

He will take care of you,

God will take care of you.

That is the message and truth of this psalm. God will take care of you.

Be still and know Him today!

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