Psalm 46:1-11 TO THE CHOIRMASTER. OF THE SONS OF KORAH. ACCORDING TO ALAMOTH. A SONG. 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (ESV)
From time to time horrific things happen to stop us in our tracks and make us think of God and eternity. When people are not prepared to stop to listen to what God has to say through his revealed word, the Bible, He will use world events—an earthquake, a tsunami, war, an atrocious terrorist attack—or the current disruption to our lives with the COVID-19 virus, to challenge us in our busy lives to consider the living God our Creator. Faith in God’s protection, expressed so profoundly in this psalm, is both present and proleptic, reaching forward to the time of God’s ultimate conquest of chaos and establishment of peace. (Craigie, P. C. (1983). Psalms 1–50 (Vol. 19, p. 346). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.)
Psalm 46 is a particularly powerful Psalm of the living God in a time of difficulty. It was Martin Luther’s favourite psalm. In those days when he was opposed by Pope and Holy Roman Emperor and felt the pressures of his busy, turbulent life almost too great to bear, he would say to his friend Philip Melanchthon, ‘Come let us sing the 46th Psalm and let the devil do his worst!’ His hymn, A safe stronghold our God is still, A trusty shield and weapon is based on this psalm. Here is a psalm to bring comfort and strength to those who put their trust in God and to challenge those who have no time for God. The historical occasion … might very well have been God’s miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from the armies of King Sennacherib of Assyria during the reign of Hezekiah, c. 701 B.C. (cf. 2 Kin. 18:13–19:37; 2 Chr. 32:1–21; Is. 36:1–37:38).( Criswell, W. A., Patterson, P., Clendenen, E. R., Akin, D. L., Chamberlin, M., Patterson, D. K., & Pogue, J. (Eds.). (1991). Believer’s Study Bible (electronic ed., Ps 46:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
In addition to the regular headings, the inspired superscription, above the first verse, we see it addressed: ‘To the Choirmaster/Chief Musician’, ‘of the sons of Korah’ (the word ‘Psalm’ does not occur in the original) and ‘A Song’ (see Psalms 18; 30; 120–134) there is added ‘upon/according to Alamoth’. ‘Alamoth’ means ‘virgins’ and the exact phrase occurs again in a similar context during the celebrations associated with the arrival of the ark of the covenant at Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15:20). This would connect the contents of the psalm with the ark as the symbol of God’s presence among his people in the heart of David’s city of Jerusalem. Consequently, the most likely conjecture about the phrase Alamoth’ is that it is a technical musical notation, possibly indicating a song which was to be sung with female voices at a higher range (MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 783). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.).
Psalm 46 does not fall easily into any of the recognised categories such as praise, thanksgiving or prayer but it can be included among the ‘Songs of Zion’ (see Psalms 48; 76; 84; 87; 132) and has links with Psalms 2 and 24. It is clearly divided into three sections with a refrain marking the end of the second and third sections. All three describe upheavals of various sorts but in all circumstances God is seen as his people’s safety. The Psalmist of Psalm 46 calls God’s people to 1) Confessing God’s protection (Psalm 46:1–3), 2) Experiencing God’s presence (Psalm 46:4–7) and 3) Acknowledging God’s power (verses 8–11).
God’s people can know that “A Mighty Fortress is our God”, in times of trouble by:
1) Confessing God’s protection (Psalm 46:1–3)
Psalm 46:1–3 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah (ESV)
God’s people affirm that He is for them a ‘refuge’ and Books 1 and 2 of the Psalter press home this truth (Psalms 14:6; 61:3; 62:7–8; 71:7) and we are not allowed to forget it in the remaining Books (see for example Psalms 73:28; 91:2, 9; 142:5). The verb associated with this noun and often translated ‘trust’ first appears in Psalm 2:12 where we are assured of the (blessed) state of all those who ‘take refuge’ in God cf. Psalms 5:11; 7:1; etc.). Until recently, (people) have had few thoughts to spare for the possibility of a world catastrophe. But this psalm can face it unafraid, because its opening phrase means exactly what it says. Our true refuge/security is in God, not in God plus anything else. Refuge gives the defensive or external aspect of salvation: God the unchanging, in whom we find shelter. God’s ‘strength/power is also important in the psalms and closely associated with God’s protection (cf. Psalm 28:7–8; 59:16–17; etc.). It is one of God’s attributes by which he is able to rule over all (Psalms 93:1; 99:4). Strength probably implies the dynamic aspect: God within, to empower the weak for action. Both (“refuge” and “strength”) are summarized in the words “a very present help in trouble”, where the term very present has implications of his readiness to be ‘found’ (as the root is used in, e.g., Isa. 55:6) and of his being ‘enough’ for any situation (cf. the Heb. of Josh. 17:16; Zech. 10:10). (Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 192). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Please turn to Psalm 22
It is one thing to confess and sing of God’s attributes when all is well, it is quite another, when our world is turned upside down, to state confidently: ‘Therefore we will not fear’ (verse 2; see Psalm 23:4). “The earth” described here suggests stability (Ecclesiastes 1:4) but it can be ‘removed’ (literally ‘changed’). Earthquakes happen, causing landslides and rock falls that can drastically alter the earth’s appearance. These are metaphors for still more strange and violent disturbances and commotions. The revolutions and disturbances intended are probably those caused by the Assyrian career of conquest briefly described in Isa. 10:5–14; 37:18–27, and fully set forth in the annals of the Assyrian kings (cf. G. Smith’s ‘Eponym Canon,’ pp. 106–149; and the author’s ‘Ancient Monarchies,’ vol. ii. pp. 83–210).( Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Psalms (Vol. 1, p. 357). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
Psalm 22 speaks of God’s presence in these trials:
Psalm 22:19–28 19 But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! 22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. (ESV)
• This Psalm helps us to see the outcome of our personal trials in its relation to the whole of God’s people: Here the vindicated singer looks forward to telling forth God’s praise among the assembled congregation (vv. 22, 25). Indeed, the praising company will extend to the whole world (v. 27, (cf. Gen. 12:3; 22:18; etc.). That means we are to see our personal story of trouble and vindication as part of the larger story of God’s redemptive work in the world. Here is the triumph of faith over experience—to call on the God you have concluded is not there! The very ability to do so is the evidence that God never totally and finally forsakes his children (Lane, E. (2006). Psalms 1-89: the lord saves (p. 111). Scotland: Christian Focus Publications.)
Back in Psalm 46:3, it is the sea’s raging waters in particular that do great damage not only by tsunamis but by pounding the cliffs in severe storms. As a result, areas of land from Pickering to those of ocean coasts, have seen extensive erosion. These natural occurrences are illustrative of all the upheavals that can disturb and unsettle God’s people. Whatever the circumstances, the fear that leads to panic or paralysis has no place, for God is ‘a very present’ (more literally ‘amply found’ or ‘proved greatly’ in the sense of ‘amply proved to be’) ‘help in trouble’ (verse 1; see Psalm 22:19). God is our help even if the worst imaginable calamities should come upon us. This is what verses 2–3 are about, as the psalmist imagines the return of chaos, in which the “earth gives way and the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,” thus reversing the work of God on the third day of creation. Sometimes life is like that. The foundations of our established worlds are shaken, and chaos seems to have come again. I seldom read these verses without thinking of Elisabeth Elliot. She suffered the loss of two husbands. The first, Jim Elliot, was killed by Auca Indians in Ecuador while trying to reach them with the gospel. The second, Addison Leitch, was slowly consumed by cancer. In relating what these experiences were like, she referred to this psalm, saying that in the first shock of death “everything that has seemed most dependable has given way. Mountains are falling, earth is reeling. In such a time it is a profound comfort to know that although all things seem to be shaken, one thing is not: God is not shaken.” She added that the thing that is most needful is to do what the psalmist does later, to “be still” and know that God is God. God is God whether we recognize it or not. But it comforts us and infuses strength into our faltering spirits to rest on that truth.( Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary (p. 389). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
God’s people can know that “A Mighty Fortress is our God”, in times of trouble by:
2) Experiencing God’s presence (Psalm 46:4–7)
Psalm 46:4–7 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
From fearful destructive waters we are suddenly introduced to a ‘river’ whose “streams/channels” “make glad/gladden” God’s people (verse 4). It symbolises all that is pleasing, plentiful and satisfying (cf. Psalms 65:9; 87:7). Unlike so many capital cities of the world both ancient and modern, Jerusalem did not have a pleasant river flowing through its centre. To alleviate water shortage problems in times of siege, Hezekiah constructed a channel to take water from the Gihon spring to the pool of Siloam inside the city walls (2 Chronicles 32:30). The river imagery is used here in association with God’s presence to emphasise God’s protection of his people (cf. Isaiah 33:21). We are reminded of Eden with its river that watered God’s garden (Genesis 2:10). 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 (Ezek. 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…” (Rev. 22:1). (McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed., Vol. 2, p. 753). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
It is a picture that takes us through the Bible to the garden city of the new creation with ‘the river of the water of life’ flowing from God’s throne (Revelation 22:1–2; see Ezekiel 47:1–12; Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:8). It is that eternal city temple which is spoken of here as ‘the city of God’ where God has ordained to dwell (verse 4). In the time of David the temple had not yet been built. The ark, the symbol of God’s presence, resided in a special tent called the ‘tabernacle’ (verse 4; see Exodus 40:21; Psalm 43:3) which was erected in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:17). It was later placed in the temple that Solomon built (1 Kings 8:6). Jeremiah prophesied a time when it would be required no longer (Jeremiah 3:16–17) and the New Jerusalem is pictured as needing no such edifice for God to dwell with his people (Revelation 21:22). The whole city can be identified as God’s holy habitation/temple/dwelling place as this psalm indicates and, as Ezekiel prophesies, the city is called, ‘The Lord is there’ (cf. Ezekiel 48:35). Jerusalem as it became in the era of David and Solomon is used by psalmist and prophet to symbolise the whole company of God’s people with God residing among them. When Samuel was young Israel took the symbol of God’s presence for granted and used it like a lucky charm so that God had to teach them a lesson through defeat and humiliation (1 Samuel 4).
Please turn to 2 Chronicles 7
Jeremiah likewise warned the Jews against treating the temple as if it had magical powers of protection (Jeremiah 7:2–15). When the people of God looked to the Lord of the temple to seek his presence in prayer as Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah did, then God’s people were assured of his help and deliverance.
Repentance of God’s people is key for God’s deliverance and blessing. It is clearly, and famously spelled out in 2 Chronicles 7:
2 Chronicles 7:11-22 11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the LORD and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’ 19 “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’ ” (ESV)
• God’s purpose above all is to forgive his penitent people and heal their land. The specific vocabulary of this verse , for God’s people to humble themselves, pray, seek, turn) describes different aspects of heartfelt repentance. For the faithful of God, the description to ““Heal their land” includes deliverance from drought and pestilence as well as the return of exiles to their rightful home (6:38). For the Chronicler, this includes the restoration of the people to their right relationship with God. The decisive factor, as shown throughout the rest of the book, is whether the call to repentance is heeded (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 752). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
• Think about why God would want a change in the people of this land in allowing COVID-19? Why would he bring society to a halt? Think about what society has promoted that would be so offensive to God that when His command to halt this was not heeded, He made sure it was heeded by stopping everything. He sends new life into the world and we allow abortion. That’s now stopped. He makes people male and female and we allow people to be brainwashed that that is not so and sometimes surgically changed. That has been forced to stop. He sees people struggling with illness and our society wants to put them out of their misery by killing them, instead of helping them. He has put that to a halt. He has commended His people to be the salt and light of their communities and the world at large, but through so much activity, fear, or apathy, evangelism and care has not been done. Now God stopped all of those distractions so it could be done. In difficulties like our quarantine, God allow things to happen so we would all be about the work that He has called us to do.
The use of ‘Most High’ (referred to back in Psalm 46:4; see Psalm 7:17) as a name for God is interesting in this context. The ancient city of Salem (Jerusalem; cf. Psalm 76:2) was the place where Melchizedek ruled and exercised a priestly ministry on behalf of ‘God Most High’ (Genesis 14:18–22). Describing Him as ‘Most High’ points to God’s exalted position and to His sovereign power and authority over the nations (see Psalm 47:2).
Because God is Sovereign and “in the midst of “ His people, as verse 5 describes, the city of God remains; it is not ‘moved/toppled’ when everything else is disturbed and toppled (cf. verses 2–3 and 6). We are reminded that in the end-time upheaval with the shaking of the whole creation, the kingdom we are given in Christ is unshakeable (Hebrews 12:27–28). It is not because the city itself is able to withstand a natural catastrophe or enemy attack but solely because of God’s presence within her, helping and bringing salvation and hope. The idiomatic phrase here ‘when morning dawns/at the turning of the morning/at the break of dawn’ is used for the moment when the waters of the Red Sea returned, drowning the Egyptian army and bringing deliverance to Israel (Exodus 14:27). The first signs of the morning light came to signify a new beginning and fresh hope (cf. Psalms 5:3; 30:5). The people (of God) do not have an absentee deliverer, a defense that is only sometimes present. The Lord lives with His people. Consequently, His protection can be counted on.( Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (Ps 46:5). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
To emphasize the security of God’s people a parallel is now drawn between what is observed in nature (from what we have seen in verses 2–3) and among the nations (now in verse 6) with God’s city set in between, peaceful and unmoved (verse 4–5). Many commentators think Psalm 46 refers to the invasion of the Assyrian conqueror Sennacherib during the reign of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:13–19:37; Isa. 36:1–37:38). Hence the description: “The Nations rage, the kingdoms totter;”. Sennacherib led a vast army that overran the whole region and then came against Jerusalem. His envoys made mocking demands for the Jews to surrender. But on the advice of the prophet Isaiah, Hezekiah took his case to the Lord. In response to his prayer, God destroyed the Assyrian army in a single night. Isaiah 37:36 reports that “the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians.” Sennacherib withdrew in disgrace and was soon overthrown and murdered. This is how easy it was for God to deliver his people. As Psalm 46:6 exults, “he utters his voice, the earth melts.”( Phillips, R. D. (2019). Psalms 42–72. (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & I. M. Duguid, Eds.) (p. 37). Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.)
• God can defeat COVID-19 even when it seems like it is an army coming against our nation. God wants us to trust Him, call out to Him for deliverance. With a single word from His voice, this threat will melt.
The refrain in verse 7 reminds us of the opening confession (verse 1) and the statement concerning God’s presence in the city (verses 4–5). It is none other than the ‘LORD of hosts’ (cf. Psalm 24:10) who is there for them. For the first time in Book 2 of the Psalter we have a reference to God’s covenant name ‘LORD’ (Jehovah/Yahweh). The addition of ‘hosts’ underlines the fact that God is the all-powerful ruler of the universe. ‘God of Jacob’ (cf. Psalm 20:1; 24:6) in the parallel line again draws attention to God’s special relationship with his people. He is ‘Immanuel’ (‘God with us’; cf. Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10), who is known to us now as Jesus our Saviour (Matthew 1:22–25). To have the living and true God ‘with us’ (cf. Psalm 23:4) is to have the one who is able to deliver in troubled times and to be our ‘refuge’ or ‘stronghold’ (cf. Psalm 9:9), putting His people beyond the reach of any enemy, as the term suggests a different word to the one translated ‘refuge’ in verse 1.
Illustration:
In the 14th century, the Black Death was an epidemic of bubonic plague, a disease that spread through wild rodents and fleas where they lived in great numbers and density and in close proximity to humans. It spread far and wide resulting in the death of 50 million people in the 14th century, or 60 percent of Europe’s entire population. When the Black Death raised its nasty head again in 1527 in Germany, many people began to panic. People were fleeing for their lives. Yet, Martin Luther and his wife Katharina, decided to stay in their home. It wasn’t a stubborn response to the need to evacuate, but a loving response fueled by love and sustained by faith in their sovereign God. Rather than running for the hills, they turned their home into a makeshift hospital. They took in the sick, cared for them, demonstrated genuine Christian hospitality, and risked their own lives in the process. During this crisis, their son almost died. (http://www.deliveredbygrace.com/covid-19-lessons-from-martin-luther/?fbclid=IwAR2Gn7vp5KbOhP-KnSM2k21B-4FvUPvYUOTt_cvLCySzmNtuwafzC8gN280)
The constant companion of uncertainty, death, persecution, and pain multiplied the sorrows of German protestants, yet history records that it was sometime between the years of 1527-1529 that the reformer penned the great hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God. The hymn by Luther became an anthem to German protestants—and it is no wonder why when we see the sheer amount of political, social, natural, and spiritual instability surrounding them on every front. … Martin Luther based his hymn on Psalm 46, which undoubtedly reflects the reality that God’s people can confidently rest in His protection in the midst of all forms of chaos. (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/chorusinthechaos/martin-luther-and-the-black-plague/)
Finally, God’s people can know that “A Mighty Fortress is our God”, in times of trouble by:
3) Acknowledging God’s power (verses 8–11)
Psalm 46:8-11 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (ESV)
A call Finally goes out now to come and look at the deeds of Israel’s covenant God, ‘the LORD’. It is an invitation to the enemy nations and any among God’s people whose faith may be wavering. The outstanding act of God was the deliverance of his people from Egypt, an event that prefigures God’s greater work at Calvary. The ‘works of the LORD’ could also refer to more recent events within Israel’s memory just as the Christian Church remembers the great acts of God in times of spiritual revival. For God to bring deliverance to his people often meant appalling devastation, referred here to how “He has brought desolations on the earth” (‘cf. Psalm 73:19 for the enemy, as in the case of the Egyptians at the Red Sea).
The threat of further war is brought to an end not only by gaining victory over the enemy but by destroying the weapons of war, symbolised in verse 9 with the description of how God: “breaks the bow and shatters the spear;” and how “he burns the chariots/wagons with fire” (cf. Psalm 76:3; 1 Samuel 2:4).
Please turn to 1 Corinthians 15
These past victories were viewed as foretastes of the end-time day of judgment and salvation, when swords would be beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks (Isaiah 2:4; 9:4–5; Ezekiel 39:9; Micah 4:1–4). The cessation of war and the establishment of lasting peace for which people long, but is impossible for humans to achieve, is the certain future that the God of peace is working to establish. It is through the prince of peace, who has already won the decisive victory on the cross, confirmed by his resurrection, that this future hope is sure and certain (see Isaiah 9:6–7; Luke 1:31–33; 1 Corinthians 15:25–28).
1 Corinthians 15:20–28 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. (ESV)
• As the people of earth, who are represented here as those v. 22 “in Adam”, we are all experiencing the global consequences of sin. Sickness and death are a result of the fall of Adam. The tragedy of NOVID-19 is not death. The tragedy is death apart from Christ. Even though in this world we have the curse of sickness and death, because of the resurrection of Christ, He will eliminate sickness and death. This is the great hope for all those who put their faith and hope in Christ.
With these thoughts in mind, God now calls friend and foe in Psalm 46:10 to “be still/stop”, ‘desist’ and acknowledge God for who he is, that he reigns supreme over the superpowers and the whole earth (Isaiah 37:20). This is not a call for quiet reflection at a retreat, but a summons to hostile forces to abandon their futile attempts to fight against God and his people (cf. Psalm 2:10–12), and at the same time a call to his people to stop panicking and trust God. Instead of choosing a negative option, the people of God distinguish themselves by the pursuit of godliness: “Know that I am God.” The “knowledge” of God includes a factual knowledge about him, his past acts, and his promises. But in this context the psalmist calls on them to commit themselves to the Lord and to seek his “refuge,” “strength,” and “fortress” (vv. 1, 7, 11). The life of faith is lived continually in commitment to God’s sovereignty, rule, and ultimate exaltation over all the nations (v. 10; cf. Hab 2:13–14).( VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 354). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
The closing refrain in verse 11, is a fitting response from God’s people to the preceding call and it also has the effect of emphasising the confession with which the psalm began (verse 1). Solomon could write: ‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe’ (Proverbs 18:10). We can point to many occasions in history when the Lord intervened to protect his people from destruction. The destruction of the Egyptian army of Pharaoh at the Red Sea and of the Assyrian army of Sennacherib as it surrounded Jerusalem are but two examples. God’s protection of the church and the spiritual peace that is brought through … the gospel provide another level of fulfillment to these words. The complete fulfillment will occur only in the new heavens and the new earth (Rev. 21). There all wars, famine and sicknesses will have come to an end and perfect, uninterrupted spiritual peace will endure forever. As the people of Jerusalem could take comfort from the psalm when they were surrounded by hostile armies, as Luther could take comfort from the psalm when he was threatened by the pope and emperor, so we too can take comfort from this psalm through any danger, even to the end of the world. The words “Be still” are both a rebuke to a world in rebellion against God and an assurance of peace to his people. (Brug, J. F. (1989). Psalms 1–72 (2nd ed., pp. 194–195). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.)
(Format Note: Outline & some base commentary from Eveson, P. (2014–2015). The Book of Psalms: From Suffering to Glory (Vol. 1, pp. 292–297). Welwyn Garden City, UK: EP.)
