Psalm 46

Personal Observations:

Superscription, Alamoth literally means maidens

v. 1, The psalmist begins with a praise to God; He is their refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble

v. 2-3, The psalmist declares that because of this very reality, they will not fear, no matter the circumstances

v. 4-7, Research this section

v. 8-9, It appears that God is stomping out the enemy; notably YHWH is used

v. 10, God declares that His people stop and know that He is God; He declares His exaltation among the nations and earth

v. 11, The psalmist declares God is with them, but he makes distinct use of YHWH; the psalmist essentially repeats what he said in v. 1 and repeats verbatim v. 7. He concludes the psalm in praise

(Cut and Paste observations to points of discussion when beginning outline)

Subject: What am I talking about?

ex. “Why is unity central to the Church?”

Complement: What exactly am I saying about what I’m talking about?

ex. Spiritual unity in the Church is a reflection of the oneness spread into every facet of the relationship between God and His people.

The Big Idea:

God’s presence and protection is worthy of praise

Prayer Requests & Praise Reports

Read Passage

Intro:

So not long ago we read from which was celebrating a King’s wedding, we now celebrate the King as refuge and on Resurrection Day, of all days.

“When you have fled to God for refuge and are delivered from the afflictions round about you, if you wish to give thanks to God and to recount his kindness toward you, you have .”

Athanasius On the Interpretation of the [OIP 69]

God, a Shelter and Refuge (v. 1–3)

The City of God (v. 4–7)

Behold the Works of the Lord (v. 8–11)

deClaissé-Walford, N., & Tanner, B. (2014). Book Two of the Psalter: . In E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, & R. L. Hubbard Jr. (Eds.), The Book of Psalms (p. 421). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

breaks fairly easily into three sections, the latter two marked by a repeated refrain and all three exhibiting a concluding selah. Thematically these sections include a radical trust expressed in cosmic, mythic terms (46:1–3), and .

Wilson, G. H. (2002). Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 715). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Athanasius On the Interpretation of the [OIP 69]

Luther’s battle-hymn, Ein’ feste Burg‚ took its starting-point from this psalm, catching its indomitable spirit but striking out in new directions. The psalm for its part proclaims the ascendancy of God in one sphere after another: his power over nature (1–3), over the attackers of his city (4–7) and over the whole warring world (8–11). Its robust, defiant tone suggests that it was composed at a time of crisis, which makes the confession of faith doubly impressive. But as the crisis is left unidentified, and the psalm ranges far beyond any local situation, there is little to be gained by historical speculation.

Kidner, D. (1973). : an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 191). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

The three strophes move from cosmic collapse (46:1–3) to national turmoil (46:4–7), then to divine intervention (46:8–11).

Futato, M. D. (2009). The Book of Psalms. In Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs (p. 168). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

God, a Shelter and Refuge (v. 1–3)

Point 2 (v. 4-7)

Flowing Joy in spite of National Upheaval (46:4–7). In this strophe it is not the waters that are roaring against God’s people; it is the nations that are in such an uproar. The nations are threatening to destroy Jerusalem itself, the capital city. But in the face of such national upheaval, the city is full of joy. This joy flows throughout the city like a figurative multibranched river, evoking the multibranched river that supplied the Garden of Eden with all that it needed (; see also and ).

The City of God (v. 4–7)

There is joy because the city is secure in spite of the threats. The city is secure, but not ultimately because of its many towers and fortified walls, which it certainly has (see 48:12–13). The city is secure because God is present there. The divine presence is the ultimate fortress (Brettler 1993:143; Kraus 1988:464). The “Lord of Heaven’s Armies” is present as the Divine Warrior. He will be there at the break of day, the earliest time for battle (Brettler 1993:144), to protect the city from attack. He need only raise his thunderous voice, and the would-be attackers will melt away. There is flowing joy in spite of national upheaval, because “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress” (46:7).

Futato, M. D. (2009). The Book of Psalms. In Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs (pp. 168–169). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

The High Priestly Prayer (John 17)

Point 3 (v. 8-11)

Behold the Works of the Lord (v. 8–11)

God, a Shelter and Refuge (v. 1–3)

v. 1, The psalmist begins with a praise to God; He is their refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble

v. 2-3, The psalmist declares that because of this very reality, they will not fear, no matter the circumstances

What’s the Main Point?

God is a refuge in the midst of all circumstances; a strength to His people and a very present help so that He people should never fear even when the world collapses.

The City of God (v. 4–7)

*note transition from roaring waters to calm river of joy

Wilson, G. H. (2002). Psalms (Vol. 1, pp. 716–717). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

v. 4, Jerusalem is filled with joy (a river of joy flows into the holy dwelling places of God)

v. 5, God is with His people, the city will not be moved by anything; as the NLT translates this section, from the very break of day, God will protect His city

v. 6, When nations and kingdoms oppose God’s people, God has to do nothing more than raise His voice and the earth melts (What Power! What majesty! HOLY HOLY HOLY)

v. 7, first LORD, first of two refrains (repeated phrases or verses), God is with His people, He is a stronghold to His people

Flowing Joy in spite of National Upheaval (46:4–7). In this strophe it is not the waters that are roaring against God’s people; it is the nations that are in such an uproar. The nations are threatening to destroy Jerusalem itself, the capital city. But in the face of such national upheaval, the city is full of joy. This joy flows throughout the city like a figurative multibranched river, evoking the multibranched river that supplied the Garden of Eden with all that it needed (; see also and ).

There is joy because the city is secure in spite of the threats. The city is secure, but not ultimately because of its many towers and fortified walls, which it certainly has (see 48:12–13). The city is secure because God is present there. The divine presence is the ultimate fortress (Brettler 1993:143; Kraus 1988:464). The “Lord of Heaven’s Armies” is present as the Divine Warrior. He will be there at the break of day, the earliest time for battle (Brettler 1993:144), to protect the city from attack. He need only raise his thunderous voice, and the would-be attackers will melt away. There is flowing joy in spite of national upheaval, because “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress” (46:7).

Futato, M. D. (2009). The Book of Psalms. In Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs (pp. 168–169). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

What’s the Main Point?

God is a stronghold to His people against the nations of the world and His presence among His people brings joy like a river.

Behold the Works of the Lord (v. 8–11)

a call to trust Yahweh who causes wars to cease (46:8–11)

v. 8-9, It appears that God is stomping out the enemy; notably YHWH is used

v. 10, God declares that His people stop and know that He is God; He declares His exaltation among the nations and earth

v. 11, The psalmist declares God is with them, but he makes distinct use of YHWH; the psalmist essentially repeats what he said in v. 1 and repeats verbatim v. 7. He concludes the psalm in praise

What’s the Main Point?

God is a Victor against the enemies of His people, therefore stop and know He is God; He is a stronghold and always with His people.

The Big Idea:

God’s presence and protection is worthy of praise

Read The High Priestly Prayer ()

Final Thoughts: Resurrection Day

Reference 1 Cor 15:12-19