Be Still and Know He is God
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· 18 viewsChristians can trust in Jesus when everything else seems to be crumbling.
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It Is Never Too Early to Be Thankful
It Is Never Too Early to Be Thankful
What a privilege it is to be a Christian! There are many things to be thankful for even before we consider the good things that come as a result of salvation:
- God’s mercy and grace
- God’s creation and provision
By acknowledging Jesus as your personal Savior more things are added for which to be grateful
- Forgiveness of sins
- The Spirit of Christ within us
- The Gift of the Holy Spirit to empower and equip us
- The fruits of the Spirit that become an integral part of our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We have the promise of an amazing future
- This world is not our home. One day we will be with Jesus in paradise.
- We are destined to rule and reign with Jesus for eternity.
We could continue on to all the promises of God and maybe we should. It would certainly be a good exercise during this time of Thanksgiving! It is so important that we remain thankful, even in the difficult times.
Thankfulness in the Storms of Life
Thankfulness in the Storms of Life
Thankfulness is acknowledging the great truths about God.
"The greater your knowledge of the goodness and grace of God on your life, the more likely you are to praise Him in the storm." — Matt Chandler
I would like to use this morning to examine one of the Psalms that does exactly what this quote by Matt Chandler points out. Regardless of how loud the circumstances, trials, or seasons of your life may be, God is still in control. It is Psalm 46.
The historical origin of this psalm cannot be certainly determined. Probably it was composed when Jerusalem was harassed by Sennacherib’s armies, 2 Kings 18. A quick recap of the account would be that the king of Assyria had conquered Samaria and was now marching on Jerusalem. King Hezekiah had stripped the temple of its gold in an attempt to buy off Sennacherib. It wasn’t enough, and Assyria’s supreme commander openly mocked King Hezekiah before the final siege. But Hezekiah called out to the Lord and a prophecy was delivered to the king through Isaiah: [1]
Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.’ ”
Imagine witnessing this situation in real time! As a resident of Israel, you have known about this massive army coming. You heard the insults of the supreme commander. In addition, you are aware of the prophetic word. That is what makes Psalm 46 so amazing!
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
History tells us that 185,000 Assyria’s would be killed by the angel of the Lord. Today this Psalm provides hope and light every time what we are under attack from the enemy, circumstances, or seasons in our lives. God is faithful! We will triumph if we trust in Him!
Enjoying Every ‘Bite’ in This Psalm
Enjoying Every ‘Bite’ in This Psalm
This psalm is written very precisely with 3 strophes, or stanzas, and 2 refrains. I’d like to work our way through it bite by bite. Let’s begin with the 1st strophe.
God Delivers Us from Chaos
God Delivers Us from Chaos
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
The Jews envisioned the world as being supported by pillars above the waters. If the waters became too violent, the world would topple into the seas. Chaos manifests in many ways.
Regardless of its source, chaos usually appears when two things happen: fear increases and control decreases. A sharp increase in fear, and a quick decline in control, produces the chaos gap. Peace quickly evaporates in the chaos gap.[2]
“Increased fear and loss of control”- have you experienced this in your lives? Marriage, the decision to have a child, political and economic change, aging, sickness, job changes…. the list goes on and on. These all have the same thing in common, an increase in fear and the loss of control.
Early maps of the world had statements like “there be giants” or pictures of sea monsters on lands and in seas that had been unexplored. Even in the days of this Psalm, the people would have known the Ugaritic myth of “Yamm”, the chaos sea monster told by neighboring nations.[3]
Mark Futato makes an interesting personal observation.
We will not fear, he says, even if the world as we know it—more than that, the world as God has defined it—collapses before our very eyes. I know of no more radical profession of faith anywhere in the Scriptures. Such faith, with its corresponding absence of fear, is built on the truth that “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble” (46:1).[4]
Futato places it with 2 other powerful Biblical expressions:
Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
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.
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.”
What amazing courage and trust! How should we deal with chaos? Understand that God is our refuge and strength!
When God Speaks, there is Order
When God Speaks, there is Order
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
Just reading these verses makes my heart jump! What a contrast from the waters of verses 2-3. This water, a river, make the city of God glad. It is a symbol of God’s blessings and renewal. These verses are a response to the chaos that we saw in the earlier verses. The forces of Assyria would not overcome the promises of Israel’s God, and the chaos of our lives will not overcome us when we have our trust anchored to the Lord.[5]
- The mountains that shook and fell in verse 2 will not ‘totter’
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
- If God so much as “lifts His voice” the nations will melt
o Command voice. In the army, "command voice" refers to a distinct, clear, and authoritative tone of voice used when giving commands, characterized by proper inflection, projection, and a sharp cadence, ensuring that orders are understood and executed promptly by all personnel within hearing range; essentially, it's a way of speaking that demands immediate and correct action from those receiving the command.
o No one has a better command voice than the Lord!
Verse 7 is the first refrain and is a wonderful response to what we just learned or remembered!
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Say it! Believe it! Say it, again!
God Demonstrates His Powerful Control
God Demonstrates His Powerful Control
Let’s move on to the 3rd and final strophe (thought) of the Psalm. Again, we see how God can overcome the chaos – this time, chaos, specifically, that is brought on by the enemy.
Psalm 46:8–10 (NIV)
Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Again, we aren’t sure when this Psalm was written but scholars think it was probably during the conflict with Assyria. Was it when the army advanced? After the insults of the supreme commander? After the prophetic promise to Isaiah? Or, after news of the decimation of the Assyrian army? I like to think it was after the prophetic word.
I prefer to believe it was after the prophetic word because chaos is always somewhere. Will I be okay? Will my family be okay? Will I ever get better? Can the situation change? Can restoration take place? Well, the Bible gives us so many promises. I believe that we can speak the promises beforewe see the results and be firm in believing that it is going to take place!
Be Still and Know That He Is God
Be Still and Know That He Is God
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
This is the phrase that God dropped into my heart for this morning. As I studied this psalm I wondered, “Who is God speaking to? The faithful or the enemy?” Grammatical it is to the chaos but it communicates to the faithful as well.
“Be still” The term raphah means “to release” or “let go”. God commands the forces of chaos and the nations to stop their raging and recognize Him as God.[6] The words “he says” are not in the Hebrew but were supplied in the translation for clarification.[7]So, it flows this way…
Psalm 46:8–10 (NIV)
Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
(He says), “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Wars and weapons are released and let go. Can you translate this to Jesus as he spoke to the violent seas, “Peace, be still” and the winds and waves obeyed?
He is able to speak to both the chaos and into our hearts!
This leaves one final verse, a summation of the entire Psalm and a powerful truth to every Christian today…
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
[1]F. B. Meyer, Through the Bible Day by Day: A Devotional Commentary, vol. 3 (Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, 1914–1918), 75.
[2]https://influencemagazine.com/practice/chaos
[3]Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 923.
[4]Mark D. Futato, “The Book of Psalms,” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009), 168.
[5]John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Ps 46:4.
[6]John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Ps 46:10.
[7]Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Ps 46:10.
