Psalm 46

SLIDE 1 Turn to Psalm 46. It is believed that this psalm was written during the reign of Hezekiah after God delivered Judah from an attack by the Assyrians. You may be familiar with this story which is found in 2 Kings 18-19, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 36-37. That it is recorded three times in Scripture should tell us something of its importance.

At that time, Assyria was the dominant power in the region. They had already captured the king of Israel and taken the ten northern tribes into captivity. Now, Assyria had its sights on Jerusalem.

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, led his army to Jerusalem and encamped around it, hoping to starve the people into surrender. Tired of waiting for Hezekiah to surrender, Sennacherib had one of his commanders yell to the people in the city. The commander told the people not to trust Hezekiah to protect them. He also said that God couldn’t protect them. No one else had been able to stop Sennacherib, why did they think they would be. It would be easier for them if they just surrendered.

Sennacherib wrote about his attack on Jerusalem. He compared the city to a bird in a cage. There is nothing the bird can do to help itself and there’s no way to escape. That’s how certain he was of capturing Jerusalem.

But Hezekiah didn’t surrender. Instead, he prayed. That night, the angel of God attacked the Assyrian army and killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When they got up the next morning and saw all the dead men, Sennacherib withdrew his remaining army and went home. Once he got home he was assonated by his sons. Neither he nor the Assyrians ever attacked Jerusalem again.

I would encourage you to read the story. It’s a great illustration of trust in God when things seemed out of control and how provided. It was this deliverance that Psalm 46 is probably about.

The superscript should sound familiar by now.

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.

Like the previous two psalms, Psalm 46 is directed to the director of music and it also was written by the sons of Korah. We do see a new term though – alamoth. It may refer to a soprano. Some believe alamoth refers to the pitch of the music. It could also refer to the types of instruments that were to accompany it.

There are several pictures of God that we see in this psalm.

SLIDE 2 First, God is our immovable refuge.

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

Note how the psalmist describes God. God is our refuge. A refuge is a structure that provides shelter from the elements of nature. When storms come you want to be inside where it’s warm, dry, and safe. You don’t want to be outside in the elements. That place of safety from the weather is a refuge. God is a refuge for those who trust in him. God offers us his protection.

But God is also strong. The Hebrew word is spelled “oz” but is pronounced “oze.” Did you ever boast to a friend that your dad was stronger than their dad? I never did. I never heard anyone else do that either. The only place I ever heard that was in the movies. When someone made that claim what were they saying? They were saying that their dad could protect them. However, could he protect them from someone stronger than he was? No. Is there anyone or anything stronger than God? No. God is stronger than anyone or anything we could ever imagine. God is the strongest. He was stronger than the Assyrians and he’s stronger than any enemy we face. We can trust in him.

Next, the psalmist tells us that God is always with us. 1 Kings 18 tells us the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. It hadn’t rained for three-and-a-half years. Elijah then challenged the false prophets to see who worshiped the true God. They were to build an altar to Baal. If Baal really was a god and not just a piece of stone, he would send fire from heaven to light the sacrifice they placed upon the altar. The false prophets of Baal took the challenge and built an altar. After sacrificing a bull and placing it on the altar, they began to call on Baal to answer them and send fire. From morning till noon that shouted but nothing happened.

Then, Elijah started making fun of them. SLIDE 3

At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” (1 Kings 18:27)

SLIDE 4 So that’s what they did. They danced, they cut themselves, and they implored Baal to answer them but still nothing happened. Nothing happened because Baal is nothing but a piece of stone. God however, is always with us. Psalm 121 declares: SLIDE 5

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. SLIDE 6 3 He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:4)

SLIDE 7 God is always with us. We don’t have to worry about him being too busy or uninterested. God hears our prayers and always answers.

Have you heard the story of the little who was being tucked into bed during a big storm? He was reluctant to let his mother leave though she assured him that Jesus loved him and would look after him. The little boy then replied, “I want somebody with skin on!”

I think we can understand the little boy’s feelings. When we are in distress, we want someone close beside us. Though we can’t see him, the psalmist assures us that God is always with us.

We know that God is with us but we don’t always feel it. However, we can’t base our faith on our feelings. God is always with us. We know it but often quickly forget it when something bad happens. In Psalm 139 David reminds us of God’s presence. He says it doesn’t matter where he goes, God is always with him. SLIDE 8

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. SLIDE 9 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. SLIDE 10 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12)

SLIDE 11 It is comforting to know that there is nowhere we can God that will prevent God from being with us.

Because of these things, the psalmist says he will trust in God no matter what.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:2-3)

The psalmist says that even if the earth seems to be falling to pieces around him he will still place his trust in God. His faith is not based on what is happening in the world, his faith is based on the promises and character of God.

It reminds me of the comment Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego made when King Nebuchadnezzar threatened them with death if they didn’t bow down to the golden image he had constructed. SLIDE 12

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. SLIDE 13 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. SLIDE 14 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

SLIDE 15 It didn’t matter what happened to them, their faith in God would not be shaken. They would always trust God. Their faith in God gave them confidence to do what was right even in the face of death.

The exterminator came out Tuesday to spray the building. I don’t remember where he goes to church, but I always enjoy discussing the Bible with him. Tuesday he was commenting on the peace that God gives. He had been to a funeral for an older woman in their congregation and described the peace the husband had. He recalled the peace he had felt years earlier when his own brother had died. He said there is no way to describe it. Paul does. I’ll read it in the KJV which I think we’re all familiar with: SLIDE 16

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7, KJV)

God gives us a peace the world simply cannot understand. We have peace because we know that God is always with us. And we have peace because we know when we die that we will be with him. God was with the people of Jerusalem when they were attacked by the Assyrians and he will always be with us, our immovable fortress that provides a place of safety.

SLIDE 17 Second, God is our inexhaustible river.

In verse 3 the psalmist described turbulent waters. In verse 4 he describes water that brings gladness.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. (Psalm 46:4-5)

Unlike the turbulent waters of the sea, the streams of God are continual, peaceful, and life giving.

Jerusalem was a unique city of antiquity in that is wasn’t built along the side of a river. Cities were always found close to a water supply. The psalmist talks about a river flowing through the city, but there is no river that flows through Jerusalem. Because of this, when the Assyrians attacked Jerusalem, they thought they could starve the people out. They stopped up the water supply. Or at least they thought they did. What the Assyrians didn’t know was that Hezekiah had ordered a tunnel to be dug to bring water into the city in the event of an attack. He knew Sennacherib would eventually make his way to Jerusalem so he prepared. Because it needed to be done in a hurry, they started at both ends and dug toward the middle. Somehow, without any GPS to help figure out where they were, the two met. It starts at the Gihon spring and flows through the tunnel to the Pool of Siloam. The difference in the height of the tunnels 1,700 foot floor from beginning to end is twelve inches. Even by today’s standards the tunnel is considered an extraordinary feat of engineering. If you visit Jerusalem you can walk through it.

The river that flows from the throne of God is mentioned in Ezekiel, Zechariah, and in Revelation 22 which we read it last Sunday evening. God is the ultimate source of all that we need.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:6-7)

As Psalm 2 mentions, the nations rage and conspire against God. They turn their backs on him and rebel against him as if they could actually stop him. But they can’t.

I think of the child fighting against an adult and all the adult does is put his hand on the child’s forehead. The child thinks he can win but that’s all it takes to stop him. God has no problem overcoming the forces that wage war against him. All God has to do is speak and the earth melts away.

God is describes at the Lord Almighty or the Lord of Hosts. It refers to God’s position as Captain of all the angelic army. 2 Kings only mentions one angel killing the 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Think what a host of angels could do. And God rules over them all.

The psalmist again reminds us that God is with us. Remember what Paul wrote to the Romans: SLIDE 18

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

Then a few verses later he added: SLIDE 19

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. SLIDE 20 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, SLIDE 21 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

God is with us and fights for us.

SLIDE 22 And third, God is our invincible ruler.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. (Psalm 46:8-9)

When Sennacherib invaded Judah he thought he was the greatest thing the world had ever seen. He defied the kings he faced, the armies that fought for them, and the idols they worshiped. He didn’t think he could be stopped. He had the inhabitants of Jerusalem given this message: SLIDE 23

32b Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will deliver us.” [FYI, he uses the word Yahweh.] 33 Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? SLIDE 24 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? SLIDE 25 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand? (2 Kings 18:32b-35)

SLIDE 26 That’s being pretty arrogant. But the psalmist tells us that God is in control. It is God that controls the armies of nations, he is in charge of the rising and falling of countries, and no leader comes to power without his consent. As we read in Romans: SLIDE 27

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1)

SLIDE 28 Just look at the history of the world and see how God has ordered the world to bring about his grand plan.

The psalmist then gives us God’s response to all this proud boasting.

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

Be still. Stop fighting against God and relax. We like to be hands on and in charge of our own lives but the Lord is God not us and we are his servants. Therefore, we need to yield our lives to him.

People may rebel and refuse to worship God but one day people will acknowledge that he is God. Proverbs tell us to: SLIDE 29

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

We are to do two things. First, we’re to trust God. Saving faith is not simply believing that God exists. As James wrote, even the demons believe God exists. Saving faith is trusting God. We must trust God more than we trust ourselves. We may think we’re pretty smart but God is always smarted. Second, we must acknowledge him. To acknowledge him is to recognize how God has worked in history and in our lives.

SLIDE 30 That’s what the psalmist wants from us. He wants us to have a biblical worldview. He wants us to look at the world with the knowledge that God exists in the world and that God is at work in it. Therefore, we should give him the glory due his name.

Let me give you an illustration. SLDIE 31 On Tuesday of VBS the kids were given a pair of cardboard shark glasses. During the lesson time Grant managed to tear his in half. He was upset about it and I told him I’d fix them after the class. So, after they left I got some tape, taped them back together and gave them to Jordan. When they got ready to go home Jordan handed the repaired glasses to Grant. I’m told that Grant was amazed. He couldn’t believe they had been fixed. Jordan told him that I’m the glasses fixer. I don’t know about that, but I can tape two pieces of cardboard back together.

SLIDE 32 What happened in that story? Jordan made me look good in Grant’s eyes. That’s what we’re supposed to do with God to the world. We’re supposed to make God look good by acknowledging all that God does for us. We’re to boast about God’s love, his grace and mercy, his kindness, forgiveness, protection, and promises. That’s how we glorify him. People are quick to boast of the great things they have done but rarely if ever give God credit for the things he does for them. We are to bring glory to God and make him look good.

Listen to how the psalmist acknowledges and glorifies God.

11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:8-11)

The psalmist ends by repeating verse 7. This was probably a refrain or chorus repeated by the people.

There are times when God allows us to get in difficult situations in order to grow our faith and so that he will be exalted.

What circumstances or people threaten or cause you to fear? Are you turning to God? In what ways has God made himself known to you in your life? Have you told others what God has done in your life?

SLIDE 33 Martin Luther, an important leader in church history, was mightily used by God to bring reformation to the church. The year 1527 was the most difficult of his life. After ten demanding years of leading the Reformation, a dizzy spell overcame him in the middle of a sermon on April 22 of that year, forcing him to stop preaching. Luther feared for his life. On July 6, while eating dinner with friends, he felt an acute buzzing in his ear and lay down, again convinced he was at the end of his life. He partially regained his strength, but a debilitating discouragement set in as a result. In addition, heart problems and severe intestinal complications escalated thoughts of his eminent death.

Luther later wrote about this saying, “I spent more than a week in death and hell. My entire body was in pain, and I still tremble. Completely abandoned by Christ, I labored under the vacillations and storms of desperation and blasphemy against God.”

What was worse, the dreaded black plague had entered Germany and spread into Wittenberg where Luther lived with his family. Many people fled, fearing for their lives. Yet Luther and his wife Katy remained, believing it was their duty to care for the sick and dying. Although Katy was pregnant with their second child, Luther’s house was transformed into a hospital where he watched many friends die. Then without warning Luther’s one-year-old son Hans became desperately ill. With death surrounding him on every side, Luther was driven to seek refuge in God as never before. Psalm 46 became the strength of his soul.

As a result, Luther expanded its truths into the hymn for which he is most famous, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” It majestically proclaims God to be our all-sufficient refuge in our weakest moments.

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 [the devil]

Doth seek to work us woe –

His craft and pow’’r are great,

And armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal.

That word above all earthly pow’rs,

No thanks to him abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours

Thru 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.

Like Martin Luther, the author of Psalm 46 found refuge in God during difficult times. We can find that same refuge when we turn to him.