When Our World Comes Apart (Psalm 46)

When Our World Comes Apart (Psalm 46) Most of us have had a time when it seemed as if our world was coming apart, when we felt as though everything not nailed down was coming loose. Psalm 46 was written in the aftermath of such a time a time when everything was going wrong and there was no hope; then God stepped in. As you look at the 150 psalms, you will see that some have notes before them, and some of those notes include historical references. Psalm 46 does not. Scholars speculate on the event that inspired this psalm. The event mentioned more than any other is when Jerusalem was spared from the Assyrians in 701 B.C. Whether that is the specific occasion or not, it fits beautifully. Let me remind you of the situation; then keep it in the back of your mind as we study Psalm 46. 1 The Assyrians were a world power, taking over the Middle East. Nation after nation fell before them. The northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen in 722 B.C. The only major nation that remained for Assyria to subdue was Egypt. Sennacherib headed for Egypt. In the way was the southern kingdom of Judah. Hezekiah was on the throne. Isaiah was the current prophet. Sennacherib swept into the land. He had more than 200,000 in his army. He attacked the powerful, fortified city of Lachish and leveled it to the ground. He destroyed forty-six other Judean cities. He sent a note to Hezekiah that said, in effect, Jerusalem is next! Then, one dark day, he led his forces up to the walls of Jerusalem. The Assyrians made their camp and prepared for the attack. Imagine the fear in the hearts of the people as an enemy was on their doorstep, ready to destroy them! Imagine that you turn on your TV and the announcer says, America has been invaded. Foreign troops have destroyed our armies. They are now ten miles away and are marching toward our city. 2 Put yourself in the place of these people as their world came unglued. In their minds, there was no hope. That night, however, God stepped in. A terrible plague struck. The next morning, 185,000 corpses lay on the ground. Sennacherib quickly left. It was this type of setting that caused the psalmist to write, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. It would be hard not to think today that our world is coming apart. Not long ago we met our youngest daughter, Angi, at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport as she returned from Japan. When we reached the terminal, we could not walk through just any door to meet Angi. We walked some distance to go through a security entrance where the guards checked for weapons. (I am old enough to remember when you did not have to do that when you went to the airport!) Angi stopped in Washington, D.C., on her way to Dallas/Ft. Worth. She told us that everywhere she went in that city, she was checked for weapons. Jo and I jokingly remarked that it will not be long until you cannot go to the grocery store 1

without going through a metal detector. It is a frightening world out there. We could think about the AIDS epidemic spreading around the world, spreading from the gay community, affecting more and more people. We could think of ecology and depressing topics like the burning up of the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect, how some predict it will cause some parts of the world to burn up and other parts to freeze. If we think on such things, we can begin to get really scared. Someone says, however, That doesn t affect me so much. It s my personal world that s coming apart. The last six months have been a nightmare. I don t know whether I m going or coming. It s family... or finances... or the future... or health... or a million other things. Whatever the cause, when we are overwhelmed, it is important for us to realize the truth of Psalm 46: God is our refuge. GOD IS OUR REFUGE (V. 1) The people who lived in Jerusalem had been depending on the walls of their city. They had been depending on the strength of their armies. Then the Assyrians came, and one by one their defenses were stripped away until they were face to face with their enemy. They had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. I wonder if God strips away our defenses to cause us to realize that God and only God, plus nothing, minus nothing, is our refuge. We may be using our families as our refuge; we may be using our mates as our refuge; we may be using the congregation we attend as our refuge; we may be using our health and bodily strength as our refuge; we may be using our jobs and the security they afford as our refuge. Every one of these can be stripped away, and suddenly we will stand there defenseless. When that happens, we had better understand this basic truth: It is God who is our refuge. The writer began the psalm by telling why he confidently said, God is our refuge. First, he said that he believed God was his refuge because of the person of God. The first word in the psalm is God. God is translated from the Hebrew word elohim, the oldest name in all of history by which men have addressed God. It means the mighty one, the great one, the powerful one. This word calls to memory all God has done in the past and all He will do in the future. Go as far back as you desire in human history; God has always been a refuge and strength to those in trouble. Anticipate as far as you wish in the future; God will still be a refuge and strength to those in trouble. We have an all-powerful God. In verses 7 and 11, another name of God is used. The NASB has the Lord of hosts. Lord is in capital letters, indicating that it is translating the untranslatable, the four letters from the sacred name for God, sometimes translated Javeh, Yaweh, or Jehovah. Host means army and often refers to the heavenly armies. The phrase Lord of hosts indicates that God has control over all things and power over all things. The NIV translates the phrase the Lord Almighty. Second, the psalmist said, I believe God is our refuge because of His protection. Two words are used to indicate the protection God has for us. The first word, refuge, refers to a hiding place, a secure place, a shelter. Often, what we need in the trials of life is a quiet place where we can go to still our souls. The second word the psalmist used is strength. Refuge speaks of defensive protection; strength speaks of offensive protection. We cannot spend our lives in a safe place; we have to get out and meet life. When we do, God gives us the strength to meet life s challenges. Third, he said, I believe God is my refuge because of His presence. To me, the most beautiful part of this verse is the phrase found in the last part. The KJV has a very present help in trouble. The original has troubles, plural. The word troubles literally means the tight places, the restricted places. Have you ever found yourself in a tight place? A few years ago, I saw a movie about a man who bought a house that was in a terrible condition. One day he was walking on the second floor and fell through the floor. He did not fall all the way, however; he got stuck halfway through. His head was on the second floor, and his feet were dangling from the living room ceiling. He was in a tight place and had to wait for help. We may never have fallen through a floor, but most of us know what it means to be in a tight place! Our Lord is a very present help in tight places. Very present means ever present. These 2

words emphasize two things. First, they emphasize the availability of God: He is always present. Second, they emphasize the sufficiency of God: He is a help ; He can take care of our problems. The word I want most to stress, however, is the word in : God is an ever present help in trouble. Someone asks, Where was God when my wife died? He was there. He is a help in trouble. He is there when you have problems. Another asks, Where was God when my child was so sick? He was there beside you. Another asks, Where was God when my mate left and my world fell apart? He was there. He is an ever present help in time of trouble. That does not mean we will always recognize His presence; that does not mean we will always utilize His strength; it does mean He is actually there. If we can learn to appropriate His love, strength, and care, we can meet whatever life may bring. Go with me through the heart of the psalm and notice the result when we understand that God is our refuge. IF GOD IS OUR REFUGE, WE CAN BE FREE FROM FEAR (Vv. 2, 3) Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride (vv. 2, 3). 3 The writer was trying to describe the indescribable. He was describing how he felt when the Assyrians came up to the walls. Further, he described for all generations how it feels when your world begins to come apart. Two things we think of as immovable are the earth and the mountains. We refer to the earth as terra firma, the firm earth. We look at the mountains, and they seem to be permanent. They were this way yesterday; they will be this way tomorrow. Notice, however, what happens to the earth and the mountains in this psalm: As we stand on the seashore, the earth begins to shake. (Nothing makes a person feel more insecure than to have the earth under his feet begin to tremble and shake!) The mountains begin to slide into the sea. 4 Ocean waves dash against the mountains, and the peaks crumble like sand castles on the seashore. The psalmist was describing how an individual feels when everything is going wrong in his life. Notice, however, that he said, Therefore we will not fear (v. 2a). Much fear exists in the world today. Sometime ago a company was commissioned to report on crime in America. As they did their research and took their polls, they discovered something they did not anticipate: We are a fearful people. 5 Four out of ten Americans have a formless fear. This is not fear of something specific; it is a sense of dread, a sense of foreboding, a fear that wakes you in the middle of the night, even though you do not know what you are afraid of. Another four out of ten are fearful of specific things. It may involve family or finances or the future, but it is a fear of something specific. The two groups overlap somewhat, but the conclusion was that seven or eight out of ten Americans suffer from fear. When we understand that God is our refuge, we will not fear. IF GOD IS OUR REFUGE, WE CAN BE IMMOVABLE (Vv. 4 7) Next, when we realize God is our refuge, we can be immovable. By immovable, I do not mean we will never change (we always need to change when we are wrong). Rather, I mean that whatever life may bring, because of the strength God gives us, our faith and peace of mind will not be stripped from us. Verse 4 begins with the words There is a river.... Notice the change in atmosphere in verse 4. Verses 2 and 3 portray a turbulent scene; suddenly, verse 4 shifts to a peaceful scene of a beautiful flowing river. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High (v. 4). The city of God in those days was Jerusalem. The writer pictured a stream flowing through the heart of Jerusalem. No literal stream flowed through the city of David. The writer was using pictorial terms to depict the presence of God, which is a calming influence in our lives. We are reminded of Revelation 21 and 22, which speak of the river of life in the holy city, the New Jerusalem, that flows from the throne of God. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved (v. 5a). In context, she refers to the city 3

of Jerusalem and her inhabitants. In other words, God s people will not be moved! The word translated moved means to shake something until it falls. The writer was saying, in effect, Even if this world shakes you until your teeth rattle, if you depend on God, you will not be moved! A contrast is being made here. The Hebrew word translated moved in verse 5 is translated change in verse 2: though the earth should change. 6 The writer was declaring that the earth may shake, the kingdoms may totter, but we will not be moved! (We sing, Just like a tree planted by the waters, I shall not be moved. ) God will help her when morning dawns (v. 5b). Imagine the people in the evening as they looked down at the campfires of the Assyrians, wondering when the army would attack and destroy them. Finally, they went to bed, but spent a sleepless night. Early the next morning they returned to the walls and looked down again. The campfires had died down, and there was no movement. When the sun had finally fully risen, they saw the dead bodies of their enemies. When morning dawned, they could see that God had helped them. The psalmist concluded that God can do anything! The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold (vv. 6, 7). The Hebrew word translated stronghold means a high place, an inaccessible place. 7 Some translations have the word fortress 8 : The God of Jacob is our fortress. This passage inspired Martin Luther to write the song A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. IF GOD IS OUR REFUGE, WE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS (Vv. 8 11) Third, if we understand that God is our refuge, we shall be victorious. As we read verses 8 and 9, imagine being an Israelite looking down from the wall at the Assyrian camp after it had been visited by the Lord. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire (vv. 8, 9). Aren t these words appropriate? God had given them the victory! Let us apply these words to ourselves. Think of the words from verse 9: He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth. Then think of the wars we fight: the wars against evil, the wars within ourselves against temptation, the wars with others that result in strained relationships. God can work in all these; God can make wars to cease. In verse 10 God said, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. (Emphasis mine.) God will be victorious, and He can make us victorious. Verse 11 says, The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. With God s help, we can win the victory! HOW CAN WE MAKE GOD OUR REFUGE? (v. 10) We now come to the hard part of this psalm, the part I lived with as I worked on this lesson, the part that makes David Roper hang his head in shame. We just looked at the last part of verse 10; now let us look at the first part and see how we make God our refuge, how we can appropriate His strength. We have probably heard the words from the KJV many times, but how often have we really thought about them? Be still, and know that I am God. The NASB has Cease striving and know that I am God. Cease striving? Wait a minute, Lord. We have been taught from our youth up to strive! We are supposed to work, to labor, to put forth effort, to extend ourselves. Our lives are filled with activity: We work and play and walk and run and jog and talk and listen and read and watch TV and engage in a million other activities. True but look at the verse again. It still says, Cease striving. The Lord is saying to us, Take some time to know that I am God! The Hebrew for be still or cease striving literally means let the hands hang down. We seldom let our hands hang down. We have our hands up, working and doing. 9 We have our hands up, fighting our own battles. 10 Sometimes we throw our hands up and say, What are we going to do? We flutter our hands and say, I m destroyed! 4

God, however, says, Let your hands hang down. Even when your hands are stripped of all you have used as a protection, take a deep breath and let your hands hang down. Stop and look at God s Word. Stop and look around you at God s world. Stop and look within at your own heart. Stop long enough to realize that God is still God, that God is still in control, that God can give you strength. This is so hard for many of us! It is hard to be still, to be quiet, to take time to listen to God. If we do not learn to let our hands hang down, God cannot be our refuge. CONCLUSION It is possible that some of us find it hard to believe that God really wants to help us with our problems. Yes, I have problems, but I haven t been the kind of person I should be. I m not going to bother God. Did you notice that in verses 7 and 11 God is called the God of Jacob? Think about that phrase. Normally, the Bible uses the expression the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This signified to the Jews the God of the patriarchs, the God of our ancestors, the God of our fathers. This phrase, however, is the God of Jacob. Notice that it does not say the God of Israel (Jacob s name was changed to Israel), but the God of Jacob. Do you remember what Jacob means? Jacob means the supplanter, the deceiver, the man who does not hesitate to cheat other folks. In other words, the name Jacob implies someone who is not a super-nice person. Our text stresses, however, that Jehovah is even the God of Jacob. In other words, the Lord was even the God of those who are not all they should be! Think back to the life of Jacob. Think back to the moment when God moved into his life, the night when Jacob got still (when he was asleep) and God gave him the vision of the ladder reaching into heaven. Even tricky Jacob learned the truth of the statement Be still cease striving and know that I am God. Even if you feel like a Jacob, be still, and know that God loves you, that God cares for you, that God can and will bless your life! NOTES 1 This lesson is based on a sermon preached by Rusty Peterman on April 19, 1987, at the Brown Trail church of Copyright, 1997, 1998 by Truth for Today ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Christ in Greater Fort Worth, Texas. Much of the illustrative material was adapted from that lesson. 2 Personalize this scenario for your community. 3 The word selah is found at the end of verses 3, 7, and 11. It is generally agreed that this word was not to be read or sung aloud; rather, it gave instruction to the singers. It may mean pause. 4 Those who live in Los Angeles, California, could identify with this scene! 5 Apply this to your own country. Every area has its special problems and special fears. 6 The KJV is better here, since it comes closer to translating both words the same. 7 Some translations also have refuge here, but in the original a different word is used in verse 7 than in verse 1. 8 Moffatt s translation is one. 9 Use your hands to demonstrate these different positions. 10 Make fists and assume a fighting stance. Using the Psalms In Devotionals Someone has said, A psalm should be experienced, not analyzed. There is some truth in the statement. Psalms are first and foremost songs. As a rule, we do not analyze the songs we use in our worship services. Rather, we sing them and let them touch our hearts with their melodies and messages. We have analyzed several psalms in detail in this issue, but we have also encouraged experiencing the psalms with two devotionals based on psalms. From time to time, however, it is good to have a devotional in which the psalms are not analyzed at all, but simply experienced. An uplifting worship service can consist of selected readings from the Psalms interspersed with prayers and appropriate songs (perhaps songs based on the Psalms). A good exercise to add to a devotional from the Psalms is a responsive reading. (In responsive readings, the worship leader and the congregation alternate reading aloud.) Many, if not most, of the Psalms were written to be read aloud. Some apparently were also designed for responsive reading, especially those with repeated phrases such as Psalm 136 ( For His lovingkindness is everlasting ). A problem in many congregations is that the members use a variety of translations, which makes it hard for all to read aloud at the same time. If you use responsive readings, it will probably be necessary to put the words before the congregation so that all can read from the same translation. To do this, choose a familiar translation and write the words on a chart or chalkboard, print them on a piece of paper, or put them on an overhead transparency. Be sure to indicate which words the members of the congregation are to read; you may want to underline those words. (Note: If necessary, get permission to duplicate the text from the copyright owners.) 5