6 this evening. This will be
the last Bible study for the summer. Last year we took July
and August off. We're going to do that this time
around as well. The book of Exodus in chapter
1, you have the enemy of God's people. Chapter 2, you have the
deliverer of God's people. And then chapter 3 is the God
of the Deliverer. So when we come back in September,
we'll look at chapter 2, the Deliverer of God's people. But
tonight, Psalm 46. I'll read the psalm and then
we'll look at it in some detail. To the chief musician, a psalm
of the sons of Korah, a song for Alamoth. God is our refuge
and strength, the very present help in trouble. Therefore, we
will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though
the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though
its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with
its swelling. Selah. There is a river whose
stream shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the
tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her. She
shall not be moved. God shall help her just at the
break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms
were moved. He uttered his voice, the earth
melted. The Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come behold the works
of the Lord who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease
to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the
spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire.
Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah. Now, in terms of a historical
application of this particular psalm, it is general enough to
be useful to the people of God at all times. Commenting on this,
John Gill says, it seems rather to be a prophecy of the church
in gospel times, and is applicable to any time of confusion and
distress the nations of the world may be in, through any kind of
calamity, when those that trust in the Lord have no reason in
the least to be afraid." That's a good reminder. There is chaos
going on in the world today, but certainly as the people of
God, we have no reason in the least To be afraid, in Psalm
46, is one of the pieces of rationale behind that. Edwards makes a
similar observation. This psalm seems to be a song
of the church in a time of great revolutions and desolations in
the world. Therefore, the church glories
in God as her refuge, and strength and present help, even in times
of the greatest troubles and overturnings. And then Matthew
Henry in his commentary says concerning Luther, it is said
of Luther that when he heard any discouraging news, he would
say, let us sing the 46th Psalm. I suspect that Luther would be
singing the 46th Psalm quite a bit in our own generation. So I want to look at this under
four heads. First, the assurance of God's presence. You see that
in verses 1, 7, and 11. Secondly, the demonstration of
God's power in verses 2 to 6. Thirdly, an invitation to consider
God's works in verses 8 and 9. And then finally, that command
to rest in God's sovereignty in verse 10. But notice the assurance
of God's presence. Again, verses 1, 7, and 11. God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble. Verse 7, the Lord of hosts is
with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge,
Selah. And then the psalm ends on that
high note as well. The Lord of hosts is with us.
the God of Jacob is our refuge, Selah. Now these are the songs
of Zion. Together with Psalms 47 and 48,
they are songs of triumph and are called the songs of Zion. And as we look at this particular
psalm, it is very important, and the psalmist reminds us to
consider God. In the midst of chaos, in the
midst of turmoil, in the midst of affliction, the people of
God must not fall prey to forgetting God, but rather to remembering
God and to understanding that He is always present with His
people. So, in terms of this particular
psalm, along with many others in this altar as a whole, there
is this emphasis on knowing our God. So, I would call this the
importance of theology proper. Theology, as a broad word, simply
means the study of God. When we say theology proper,
we mean specifically the doctrine of God. And there's no more encouraging
thing on the face of this earth than to study God, to know who
God is in terms of His triunity, in terms of not only His being,
but in terms of His works, both His extra works, the things that
He does relative to His creation. So the believer is to boast ultimately
in the God that he knows, not in armies, abilities, or riches. Notice in verse 1, God is our
refuge and strength, not armies, Not horses, not battlements,
not military savvy, but it's God who is our refuge and our
strength. And this statement indicates
that He is an impenetrable refuge and He possesses omnipotent strength. So He is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble. And then notice as well that
the Lord is well-proved. That statement, a very present
help in trouble. The margin has an abundantly
available help, but literally it means to be well-proved, tried
and proven. And it's a blessed statement
there at the end of verse 1, a very present help in trouble. The Bible never lies to us. It never tells us that everything
is always going to be hunky-dory. You're going to live a perfect
life. Everybody's going to be pleasant. There's going to be
no wars. There's going to be no rumors of wars. There's going
to be no chaos. There's going to be no abortion.
There's going to be no euthanasia. There's going to be none of that.
The Bible doesn't tell us that. The Bible highlights the reality
that there is trouble. but it punctuates that reality
with the knowledge that God is with His people. David says this
in Psalm 23. Though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, thou art with me, thy rod and thy
staff, they comfort me. He doesn't say, I can't believe
there's a valley of the shadow of death in my path. And the
psalmist here doesn't say, I can't believe that there's actually
trouble. There's always going to be trouble in the Christian
life, but we have this present God. we have the God of Jacob,
we have the One that is, in fact, well-proved. As Gil says, whether
inward or outward, of soul or body, the Lord helps His people
under it to bear it, and He helps them out of it in the most proper
and seasonable time. They are poor, helpless creatures
in themselves, nor can any other help them but the Lord. who made
heaven and earth, and he helps presently, speedily, and effectually. Remember, he does this for his
glory, he does this for the ultimate good of his people. Now, it may
seem at times that it's not speedily, but at the same time, we need
to understand that God has everything under absolute control, and though
there are troubles for the Christian, we have this present God in our
lives. And then he highlights the reality
that this God is a very present help in trouble, but then in
verses 7 and 11, notice what he says, the Lord of hosts is
with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. The Lord of hosts
underscores God as divine warrior. David oftentimes extols God in
that sort of a mindset. This is the reality. It's God
who fights for His people, ultimately. When you trace this theme out
in Scripture, especially in the nation of Israel, when they were
successful on the field of battle, it was ultimately because Yahweh
gave them victory. When they were defeated, it was
oftentimes the case, or most of the times the case, that it
was because of their sin and God brought that chastening upon
them. But He is, in fact, the divine warrior for His people.
Spurgeon says this is the reason for all Zion's security and for
the overthrow of her foes. The Lord rules the angels, the
stars, the elements, and all the hosts of heaven, and the
heaven of heavens are under His sway." Again, a very encouraging
concept or theme to consider. The Lord of hosts is with us,
so the divine warrior, but he goes on in the latter half of
verses 7-11 to call Him the God of Jacob is our refuge. That
underscores the fact that He is our covenant God. He is the
covenant Lord. Now, in our church, we like covenant
theology. We understand that covenant theology
is sort of the architecture of the Bible. It's sort of the skeletal
framework upon which redemptive history is ultimately written.
But we would be foolish to conclude from that that it's only a theoretical
enterprise. It's only something for the theologians
in the seminary. No, covenant is the basis of
our comfort. Covenant is the basis of our
safety. Covenant is the basis of our
security. And the psalmist underscores
that. The God of Jacob is our refuge, Selah. The blessing of
covenant theology is not its superiority over other constructions. Though it is, it is certainly
correct in light of dispensationalism. It is certainly correct in light
of new covenant theology. But it's not simply something
that we best our theological opponents with. It is the ground
of our comfort in a covenant-keeping God. The Lord Most High is, in
fact, the God of Jacob, and as a result, He is our refuge. So the assurance of God's presence
is absolutely crucial when we go through times of tumult, when
there are afflictions, when there are hardships, when there are
trials. We ought to, with Luther, whenever there's any discouraging
news, we ought to say, let us sing the 46th Psalm. Let us reflect
upon the reality that He is our refuge and strength, a very present
help in trouble, that the Lord of hosts is with us, and the
God of Jacob is our refuge. Now notice in the second place,
verses 2 to 6, the demonstration of God's power. Note first the
implication drawn out in 2A. therefore we will not fear."
It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? Again, our theology isn't
just simply to promote head knowledge or cognition, but it's supposed
to stabilize our souls and speak security to our hearts. Because
God is our refuge and strength, because God is a very present
help in trouble, verse 2a, therefore we will not fear. That is constantly
a constant refrain from God to His people throughout the Old
Testament and as well when we see it in the New Testament.
Remember when Paul is in need of encouragement in Acts chapter
18, our Lord Jesus appears to him by way of vision and He tells
Paul not to fear. Now, we ought to assume that
at least the propensity was in Paul to fear, or else Jesus wouldn't
have issued him that particular encouragement. So it is the case
that even a man of the caliber of the Apostle Paul needs to
be reminded not to fear, because the enemies of God are ultimately
going to be defeated by God. But this is a most excellent
implication and one that we ought to hold on to. Therefore, we
will not fear. And then he highlights this contrast
in verses 2, 3, and 6. Notice the chaos on earth in
verse 2. Therefore, we will not fear,
even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried
into the midst of the sea. Though its waters roar and be
troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling, say
law." Those are the disturbance within the natural order. And
even in the midst of that, we're not supposed to fear. We're not
supposed to be stricken by or paralyzed. Take the present crisis
in terms of the pandemic. Should we be cautious? Yes. Should
we be alert? Yes. Should we sneeze on each
other? Absolutely not. But should we
fear and be paralyzed and struck down so that we are unable to
even move or engage in our normal business? Not according to the
psalmist. God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear. even
though the earth be removed, even though the mountains be
carried into the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and
be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling, say
law." So the disturbance of the natural order is never an excuse
for the people of God to lose it. It is never an excuse for
the people of God to be struck with fear or paralyzed by fear. But as well, the rage of the
nations. Notice what he says in verse
6. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved, he uttered his voice,
the earth melted. John Calvin says it is an easy
matter to manifest the appearance of great confidence, so long
as we are not placed in imminent danger. But if, in the midst
of a general clash of the whole world, our minds continue undisturbed
and free of trouble, this is an evident proof that we attribute
to the power of God the honor which belongs to Him." So you
see what he says there. Having confidence and no fear
with reference to God is pretty easy when everything is going
well. But when there is chaos in the
natural order, or when there is chaos among the nations of
the earth and the sorts of things that are spoken of here in verse
6, the nations raged, the kingdoms were moved, he uttered his voice,
the earth melted, all of that nevertheless should encourage
the people of God. to continue to look at their
God who is their refuge and strength, that God of Jacob, that Lord
of hosts, that divine warrior. He doesn't stop being those things
for us in the midst of natural disturbance. He doesn't stop
being that for us in the midst of the rage of the nations. God
is not thrown off of His throne, and in fact, what the psalmist
does here is he sets up this contrast. Notice the chaos in
the natural order in verses 2 and 3, and then in verse 6 you have
the rage of the nations, but couched in between that, in verses
4 and 5, notice it says, "...there is a river whose streams shall
make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle
of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she
shall not be moved. God shall help her just at the
break of dawn." In other words, there is a contrast drawn out
by the psalmist to indicate that whatever may obtain on this earth
does not rattle God. It does not shake God, it does
not de-God God, and it certainly does not dethrone God relative
to the various things that are going on on the face of the earth.
And you see that Scripture does this in various places. Notice
in Psalm 48, verses 1-3, "...great is the Lord, and greatly to be
praised, in the city of our God, in His holy mountain, beautiful
in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, and
the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is in
her palaces, He is known as her refuge." You have that statement
in the prophet Isaiah 41.10, Fear not, for I am with you.
Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes,
I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous
right hand. So while the nations are raging
and while there is disturbance in the created order, that doesn't
shake God. It doesn't frustrate God. It
doesn't stop God. The kingdom of Jesus Christ marches
onward. Christ promised that he would
build his church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against
it. And we as his people need to embrace that and walk by faith. Turn to the book of Revelation
where you see this contrast on vivid display in the first few
chapters. The first few chapters of Revelation
indicate this contrast as well, like we have there in Psalm 46. So verses 2 and 3 indicate disorder
among the created order. Verse 6 tells us that there's
rage in the nations. But 4 and 5 tells us that God
sits amidst the calm dignity of His throne room, and there
He is unshaken. And because of that reality,
we the people of God shouldn't fear. They cannot cast God down. If you're familiar with the book
of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3 are the letters to the churches
in Asia Minor. These were historical churches.
These aren't periods in church history. They were specific churches
in Asia Minor in the first century, and Jesus wanted to communicate
specific lessons to these churches. Well, one of the things that
you soon see, as you read through chapters 2 and 3, is that the
people of God did not have a cakewalk in that first century situation. There were martyrs, there was
persecution, there was great antipathy against the people
of God, there was great animosity. I mean, we're seeing some of
this in the book of Acts. Just think about the Apostle
Paul. Who in their right mind would ever want to persecute
that man? Who in their right mind would ever want to do any
harm or any malady to that brother? But men in sin aren't in their
right mind, so they see him as a threat. But we see that early
church marked by the kinds of chaos and the kinds of disorder
that are commonplace throughout the history of the church. So
you've got chapters 2 and 3, chaos on earth. You know where
chapters 4 and 5 go? It goes to heaven. It shows us
God's perspective. It shows us the throne room.
The emphasis in chapter 4 is on God as Creator, and in Revelation
chapter 5, God as Redeemer. You have the same sort of contrast
in chapters 6 and 7. You have the seals open, and
then in chapter 7, you've got this vision of a great multitude
standing before the throne room of God. And then another contrast
in chapters 13 and 14. Chapter 13 is one of those notoriously
scary chapters in the Bible. It shouldn't be scary whatsoever
because the beast is under the command and control of God Almighty. You've got this beast from the
sea, you've got this beast from the land. These are political
powers, religious powers. These are those employed against
the people of God. So you get that chaos in chapter
13 and then notice how chapter 14 starts. So you see there is
this contrast drawn out for the people of God. While it may be mayhem and bedlam
on the face of the earth, that hasn't shaken God. The reality
of His absolute sovereignty should instill great confidence and
hope and composure and stability among His people. Why? Because
He's our refuge, because He's our help, because He's a very
present help in our times of trouble. It is a most glorious
thing. One man, Vern Poitras, in his
brief commentary on the book of Revelation, says when God's
people are beset by temptation or persecution, a revelation
of God's character and glory is the best remedy. I'm not altogether
convinced we believe that, I mean not you specifically, but we
generically within the context of the church. We see the sorts
of tumult that we witness and we need some sort of therapy,
but it's typically not theology proper. We need some sort of
a boost, but it's typically not. God is spirit, infinite, eternal,
and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice,
goodness, and truth. You see, men in calamity, in
Scripture, went to God. Poitras goes on to say, His power
guarantees the final victory. His justice guarantees vindication
of the right. And His goodness and magnificence
guarantee blessing and comfort. The blood of the Lamb demonstrates
that solid redemption has already been accomplished. Even in the
midst of trials and persecution, God is still the ruler. He controls
everything. Again, the contrast that you
see here in chapters 13 and 14, back in chapters 6 and 7, and
then again in chapters 2 and 3, and then the contrast with
chapters 4 and 5. John takes pains to point the
people of God to where their hope is, to where their refuge
is, and to where their encouragement is. One other place in the book
of Revelation, turn to chapter 1 for just a moment. Revelation 1, verse 4, John to
the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace to you and peace
from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from
the seven spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ. Notice the triune sort of greeting. This is the Father, the Spirit,
and the Son that He is referring to. When He says, from Him who
is, and who was, and who is to come, that's a reference to the
Father. The seven spirits there doesn't mean there's seven Holy
Spirits. Seven is the number of perfection or completeness.
It's just highlighting the reality of the blessedness of the Holy
Spirit. And then from Jesus Christ. And now John describes Jesus
Christ according to his threefold offices. He is prophet, priest,
and king. Notice the faithful witness,
that's the prophet, the firstborn from the dead, that's the priest,
and the ruler over the kings of the earth, that's the king.
But if you look at what John says there, he does not say,
the one who's going to be the ruler over the kings of the earth,
the one who in some future millennial kingdom will be the ruler over
the kings of the earth. That's not what John says. John
tells us when he's on the island of Patmos for the Word of God
and for the testimony of Jesus, while he is undergoing persecution,
this is punishment, he's not on this island because it's got
a good golf course, he's not on this island because it has
good buffets, he's on this island because he's a Christian, he
now encourages himself and the people to whom he writes with
reference to this reality, that Jesus is the ruler over the kings
of the earth. You're supposed to keep that
in mind as you read the rest of the book of Revelation. So
that when you get to chapter 13, and you see this beast from
the land, and this beast from the sea, and you see all the
world sort of following after them, you don't lose your mind.
You don't forget. You don't conclude that somehow
Jesus is on a holiday, Jesus is somehow on vacation, Jesus
is now incapacitated. No, right then, as John wrote,
Jesus is the ruler over the kings of the earth. I have to tell
you, I think that John was writing conspicuously to encourage and
to comfort the people of God in the book of Revelation. One
other scheme or one other theme that he brings out, more often
than anything, is the crown of Christ. In other words, he highlights
the kingship of Jesus all throughout the book of Revelation. Why do
you think he does that? Because they have unbelieving
Jews trying to persecute them. Not trying, but actually persecuting
them. And now by the time John writes
Revelation, the Roman Empire is in full swing in terms of
their animosity or antipathy against the Christian Church.
I think I said the other day that Nero initially was pretty
well restrained. He had some good guys that kind
of kept him in check. But as time went on with Nero,
and it was Nero that saw the Christians as not being a sort
of subset of Judaism. It was Nero who blamed the Christians
for the burning of the city of Rome. And so there was a lot
of antipathy against the people of God in the book of Revelation.
So it shouldn't surprise us that what John does is continually
point us to the throne to consider the reality that Christ is the
ruler over the kings of the earth. So back to Psalm 46. What the
psalmist is doing here in this song of triumph is not simply
unique to him, but it is something that the biblical authors do
frequently to encourage the people of God that He is our refuge
and strength, a very present help in trouble. Now notice thirdly
in verses 8 and 9. He tells us that God's works
are worthy to behold. Verse 8, come. Behold the works
of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease
to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the
spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire. You see, we are to ponder not
only who God is, but what God has done. And the way that you
and I ponder that is by being in the Scriptures, by reading
our Bibles as private individuals, by reading our Bibles collectively
as family units, and by reading the Bible in church and hearing
sermons and all those sorts of things. In order to deal with
the various things that affect the people of God on earth, again,
theology proper, Who God is, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
from everlasting to everlasting. All that the Bible says concerning
Him, with reference to His perfections, the being of God. But as well,
His works add extra. That means, with reference to
the creation. It says, Come, behold the works
of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. I mean, look at
the movement of man throughout the entirety of Earth's history. There have always been these
uprisings, there's always been these attempts to ultimately
stop the people of God, or to stop the church of God. I mean,
we're reading the book of Exodus, or studying the book of Exodus.
Pharaoh, with his genocidal rage, couldn't do it. Nero couldn't
do it. Guess who sort of emerged after
the city burned and after they were blamed on? It was the Christians. We continue to march on because
our Christ is King. He's enthroned at the right hand
of the Father and we are to behold the works of the Lord who has
made desolations in the earth. He makes war cease to the end
of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the
spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire."
Again, read through the book of Joshua, which is a prophet. The former prophets include Joshua
through 2 Kings. But read Joshua. Joshua 10, for
instance. When the Lord God Most High comes
to deal with the enemies of Israel, He does it with great big hailstones. It's the Lord who fights. It's
the Lord who routes. It's the Lord who causes panic
among the enemies of God Almighty. What does David say when he bests
the giant in the Valley of Elah? He gives glory to God. He wants
Not only Israel to know, but He wants the entirety of the
earth to know that there is a God in Israel and He is able to put
down blathering Philistine giants named Goliath. Whenever we see
God's people engaged in mighty exploits, we see God working
in the midst of them and bringing those things to pass. And so
the psalmist tells us, he invites us, to come behold the works
of the Lord. Spurgeon says, "...the joyful
citizens of Jerusalem are invited to go forth and view the remains
of their enemies, that they may mark the prowess of Jehovah and
the spoil which his right hand hath won for his people. It were
well if we also carefully noted the providential dealings of
our covenant God, and were quick to perceive his hand in the battles
of his church. Whenever we read history, it
should be with this verse sounding in our ears. Again, very good
counsel. When you read church history,
for instance, or when you read history that's not even necessarily
church history, God is over it all, and God works all these
things out for His glory and for the good of His people. And
before we leave this point, the psalmist invites us, come behold
the works of the Lord. May God give us the grace to
have that mindset of the psalmist to invite others as well to marvel
at the works of the Lord. Again, people, not just Christian
people, but all kinds of people, are affected by pandemic, they're
affected by civil unrest, they're affected by disease, they're
affected by death, they're affected by the various sorrows that certainly
punctuate life in this world. Let us be the sorts of people
that say to them, come, behold the works of the Lord, who has
made desolations in the earth. He makes war cease to the end
of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the
spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire. If the psalmist had that mindset,
then it is good for us as the people of God to have that mindset
as well. Paul tells us we should have
that in the book of Philippians. In Philippians 2. Philippians
2 at verse 12. Therefore, my beloved, as you
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling. For it is God who works in you
both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Verse 14, do all
things without complaining and disputing. There's definitely
a sermon there to be sure. But then notice what he goes
on to say, that you may become blameless and harmless children
of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation
among whom you shine as lights in the world. holding fast or
holding forth the Word of Life, so that I may rejoice in the
day of Christ, that I have not run in vain or labored in vain."
So we're both to shine as lights in a crooked and perverse generation.
And as we're able to hold forth that Word of Truth, and it may
not be native, and it may be something that you struggle with,
and I'm certainly not pigeonholing anyone, Okay, by the time we
come back in the fall, you better have witnessed to five people,
you should have told them, come behold the works of the Lord.
But I believe that this is something that God's people want, and if
it's something that God's people want, they should pray to God
to give them the boldness, to give them the opportunity, to
give them the wherewithal and ability to be able to speak truth
into the lives of people. that are messed up and need help
from on high. And then the final thing we see
in this psalm is the command to rest in God's sovereignty
in verse 10. Imagine that. This is what our
God commands us. Be still and know that I'm God.
I've got this. God is in control, but it's not
simply addressed to the people of God. It is for their comfort,
but it's also addressed to the enemies of God for their warning.
J. A. Alexander interprets it this
way alone. He says, these words are addressed
to the discomfited foes of Jehovah and his people. Cease from your
vain attacks upon my people. Learn from what you have already
seen and felt, that their protector is divine, and that he is resolved
to be acknowledged as supreme, not only by his chosen people,
but by all the nations and throughout the earth. So yes, it is a command
to the people of God to rest in the sovereignty of their God,
but it's also a command to the nations of the earth to be still
and know that God is God, and that if he is able to maintain
calm dignity in the midst of the chaos that affects this earth,
and he's able to make wars cease, he's able to shut down the various
machinations of man, then the enemies of God should fear considering
this God. And when we know this, and when
we understand this, it puts into perspective Paul's statement
in Romans chapter 8. When he says, if God is for us,
who can be against us? In the final analysis, whatever
this world may throw at us, our God is bigger, our God is better,
our God is stronger, and our God preserves his people and
is committed unto that. In fact, in Philippians chapter
1, Paul says, I know and am convinced that he who began this good work
in you will complete it unto the day of Christ. Romans 8,
what does he say? He gives us a litany of anything
that could possibly hurt or damage our relationship with God, and
he says there's nothing that shall separate us from the love
of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Famine, sword, peril,
suffering, none of that stuff is a match for our living and
true God. So the psalmist commands the
enemies to be still and know that the God of Israel is in
fact God, and He will bring judgment to bear upon them. But with reference
to the believer, notice what he says, Be still and know that
I am God. With reference to the be still,
doesn't just simply mean a cessation of physical activity. It's rather
a description of our submission to God, submitting to His authority,
bowing before Him, resolving to receive His counsel and His
government, and living according to what He has written in the
Word of God. With reference to this command to be still, John
Gill says, not that they should be like sticks and stones, stupid,
indolent, or unconcerned at the commotions that were in the earth,
and be unaffected with the judgments of God, and be wholly silent
and inactive. but that they should not be fearful,
nor fretful and impatient, or restless and tumultuous, but
be quiet and easy, resign to the will of God, and live in
an assured expectation of the appearance of divine providence
in their layout. In other words, trust God that
He's got this under control. If He was able to control Israel
from its inception until the coming of the Messiah, that is
a most glorious accomplishment. Because Israel, as a body politic,
as a religious community, tried everything in their power to
run from their God. It's not their fidelity, it wasn't
their righteousness, it wasn't their goodness that brought the
promises of God to fruition in the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ. It was rather God's preservation, God's protection over those people,
and God's keeping everything together. while they went in
through this world, or through this world, in the midst of great
calamity. So we are to be still and then
notice, we need to recognize His majesty, or again, another
invitation to understand who God is. Be still and know that
I am God. The practicality of theology
proper in good times is summarized by Peter in 2 Peter 3.18. But
grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. The knowledge of God or a good
understanding of theology proper in bad times is shown us here
in Psalm 46. It's shown us in the Upper Room
Discourse when Jesus says, in this world you will have tribulation,
but be of good cheer, I've overcome the world. So it is not the case
that only in the good times we need to be studying who God is,
and then in the bad times we kind of forget all about that.
No, it's that understanding of who God is that stabilizes the
weary soul, the afflicted soul, and the soul that is witnessing
the chaos in the world around. Gilligan says, and know, own
and acknowledge that He is God, a sovereign being that does whatsoever
He pleases. See, that's something very crucial
as well. When you study Old Testament
specifically, certainly New Testament, you see it also. God could have
stopped the various sorts of onslaughts against the covenant
people. God certainly has the sovereign
prerogative to stop the suffering with reference to Nigeria, or
in Pakistan, or in India. God hasn't been stripped of His
sovereignty. But remember that God has a morally
sufficient reason for the evil that exists. It will ultimately
redound to His glory and it will ultimately issue forth in the
good of those who love Him, those who are the called according
to His purpose. If the devil ever whispers in
your heart or in your ear, well, God must not have the power if
He's allowing all these sorts of things to happen. We need
to fortify our hearts with Scripture, and to be still and know that
God is God, that He has this under control, that everything
that occurs, occurs according to plan, and again, the end game
is His glory and the good of His church. So back to Gil, know,
own and acknowledge that He is God, a sovereign being that does
whatsoever He pleases. that He is unchangeable in His
nature, purposes, promises, and covenant, that He is omnipotent,
able to help them and deliver them at the last extremity, that
He is omniscient, knows their persons, cases, and troubles,
and how and where to hide them till the storm is over. that
He is the all-wise God, and does all things after the counsel
of His own will, and makes all things work together for good
to them, and that He is faithful to His word and promise, and
will not suffer them to be overpressed and bored down with troubles.
Great statement, and certainly from a man that knew his theology
proper. John Gill was a great Baptist
theologian, but he was a great theologian in the classical Christian
tradition because he understood who God is. He understood what
our confession said concerning God, says concerning God. He's
without body, without parts, without passions. that God is
pure spirit. All those things are absolutely
vital for the people of God to stabilize, to secure, and to
encourage our hearts to deal with the various things that
life throws our way. And intriguingly, these two things
go hand in hand. Be still and know that I am God. The knowledge of God brings stillness
in the soul, doesn't it? The knowledge of God brings stillness
in the soul. When we have that stillness of
soul, guess what's a good subject for us to consider? The knowledge
of God. And then in terms of the very
blessedness of the command, be still and know that I am God,
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
We are not commanded to be restless and fearful, We are commanded
to submit to the sovereign rule of our glorious God. We are commanded
to know Him who is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand. This is our refuge in times of
challenge. God is our refuge, God is our
strength, a very present help in trouble, and we need to be
still and know Him. As well, we need to understand
that He has a purpose and plan that includes His glory and our
eternal welfare. Again, we may suffer on this
earth, we may have great affliction and great turmoil and great trial,
but as that man of God Moses says in the 90th Psalm, we're
only here for maybe 70 or 80 years, and after that, we fly
away. The people of God fly away into
the very presence of God wherein dwells righteousness, where there
are no abortion clinics, where there is no civil unrest, where
there is not the sorts of things that we see as commonplace in
this world. So God has all things under control. He is bringing his people ultimately
to vindication, and we as his people need to walk by faith
in these things. And that is the crucial aspect
of faith. Remember, in fact, let's just
turn there, Romans 4, I think we could all stand a dose of
Abrahamic faith. In Romans 4, verse 16, I know
we're jumping into the midst of an argument, but we're going
to just pull out a couple of things here. Verse 16, Therefore
it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that
the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those
who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith
of Abraham, who is the father of us all. As it is written,
I have made you a father of many nations, in the presence of him
whom he believed, God, who gives life to the dead, and calls those
things which do not exist as though they did. who, contrary
to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of
many nations, according to what was spoken, so shall your descendants
be." Does that ever ring true with any of us who, contrary
to hope, I mean, Psalm 46, in the picture envisaged there,
in terms of the calm dignity of the throne room, we can't
see that. We don't see the streams that
are sort of flowing through Zion and around the very throne of
God. We walk by faith in that reality. We don't see it visibly, but
we see it with the eye of faith. And at times, there is this contrary-to-faith-ness
that we actually do see in the world around us. And I'm not
even talking about the world and the civil unrest. There's
compromise in the church. There's a de-emphasis upon gospel
preaching. There is more of an emphasis
on Marxism, even within the professing church, brethren. That is a big
problem, and that ought to cause us great alarm. But with reference
to this contrary to hope state that he found himself in, nevertheless,
in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations,
according to what was spoken, so shall your descendants be.
And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body
already dead, since he was about a hundred years old, and the
deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving
glory to God." I mean, this is divine commentary on the person
of Abraham. Brethren, you know we studied
the person of Abraham. Was he perfect? Did he struggle? Were there issues? Absolutely. But what is divine commentary
in the hand of Paul with reference to this Abraham? He walked by
faith. He was a man of God. He did not
waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened
in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that
what he had promised, he was also able to perform. And therefore
it was accounted to him for righteousness. You know, as well as I do in
Genesis chapter 15, God makes that promise to him again, that
he's going to have land and he's going to have seed. And Abraham
specifically says, Lord, give me a sign. And yet, when all
is said and done, the overarching theme of Abraham's life is one
of faith. You see this with reference to
certain kings in Judah as well, the good kings in Judah. They
weren't perfect kings, but at the end of their lives, there
was summary statements that they did what Yahweh had commanded.
In other words, they understood who their God was, and they lived
in light of who that God is. And that's the instruction of
the psalmist in Psalm 46. So, in conclusion, there is,
first, the presence of trouble in the life of the believer.
The believer is not immune from that. Remember that story in
Matthew 8, when Christ is in the boat with the disciples.
What happens? They almost drowned to death.
Christ is in the boat, and yet, there is a storm on the sea,
and there is, according to historians, and according to those who know,
great big waves obtained on the Sea of Galilee, such that seasoned
fishermen, men that made their living on this lake, or on this
sea, rather, they were actually terrified. So just because Christ
is in your boat, doesn't mean you're not going to have any
storms. But the reality is that Christ is in the boat with them
and Christ sees them to safety. So there is trouble in the lives
of God's people. So that if you and I are given
the privilege by God to tell sinners to come and behold the
works of our God, don't lie to them, don't tell them. Once you
come to Jesus, you'll be rich and famous and you'll be much
better looking and everything will go well for you. Don't lie
to people, don't tell them things that are simply False, don't
be a health, wealth, and prosperity so-called gospel peddler. The
reality is Jesus tells us that in this world you will have tribulation. But the blessed remainder of
the verse says, but be of good cheer for I've overcome the world.
I think in many ways that statement summarizes the entirety of the
book of Revelation that John would go on to write. Secondly,
the knowledge of God in the life of the believer. In Psalm 46,
we're told to pursue this for our comfort. Not our earthly
comfort, you know, laying on the couch and having a fan and
a nice cup of tea. No, that's not the comfort, soul
comfort. Soul stability. The ability to
navigate in this world, walking by faith, not by sight, not ever
concluding or ever thinking that somehow the enemies of God are
going to win. I've got news for the enemies
of God. They're going to lose. They'll always lose. The Lord
Most High is the victor. And that is precisely the vision
that we get at the end of the book of Revelation. So he commands
us to know him for our comfort, for our benefit, and for our
strength. And then thirdly, in terms of
the comfort we possess as believers, we sang, the soul that on Jesus
hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not, desert to his
foes. That soul, though all hell, should
endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake. I'll
never, no never, no never forsake. Please sing that at my funeral
if I die before you. That song is most glorious in
terms of God's faithfulness. How firm a foundation. There's
another one we sing. Though troubles assail us and
dangers affright, though friends should all fail us and foes all
unite, yet one thing secures us, whatever be tied. The promise
assures us the Lord will provide. And then as well, the comfort
we possess as believers is found throughout scripture. Consider
Deuteronomy 1, 29-31. Then I said to you, do not be
terrified or afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before
you, He will fight for you. Remember, the plains of Moab
is where Deuteronomy takes place. It's a series of exhortations
given by Moses prior to their entrance into the promised land.
So Moses rehearses their history. Moses reaffirms their covenant
responsibility under God. The book ends with a statement
concerning blessings and curses and all that sort of thing. But
with reference to exhortation and sort of the historical prologue
to the book in Deuteronomy 1, Moses says, "...the Lord your
God who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all
He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness,
where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries
his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this
place." Now, that's not how Israel viewed the wilderness. They did
not, for a moment, see it as a good thing when Yahweh was
carrying them. They whined and they grumbled
and they complained for just about the entirety of the wilderness
wanderings. In fact, we have the second generation
in the book of Deuteronomy. Why? Because the first generation
whined so much and grumbled so much that God cut them off, and
so the second generation goes in. But the prevailing view in
terms of the wilderness was not God carrying Israel the way that
a man carries his son. Even though they didn't see it
that way, that doesn't change reality. That is precisely what
had happened when God took care of His people there. And then
finally, with reference to the end of verse 10, Be still and
know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.
I think at times Christians get paralyzed or at least a bit of
fear concerning Islam. Well, it's the most rapidly growing
religion out there. We get scared about communism
and we get scared. Not that we shouldn't be alert,
not that we shouldn't be mindful, but again, Christ wins. He builds His church. The gates
of Hades shall not prevail against it. Turn to the book of Revelation.
There's a great multitude that no man can number from every
tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Look at the missionary promise
embedded in this passage. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.
C.H. Spurgeon said, I will be exalted
among the heathen. They forget God. They worship
idols, but Jehovah will yet be honored by them. Reader, the
prospects of missions are bright, bright as the promises of God.
Let no man's faith fail him. The solemn declarations of this
verse must be fulfilled. I will be exalted in the earth
among all people, whatever may have been their wickedness or
their degradation. Either by terror or love God
will subdue all hearts to himself. The whole round earth shall yet
reflect the light of his majesty. All the more because of the sin
and obstinance and pride of man shall God be glorified when grace
reigns unto eternal life into all the corners of the earth.
That is a most blessed and an encouraging statement, so that
when we read these letters from Voice of the Martyrs, on the
one hand, it is discouraging to hear what's happening to little
kids, or to young people, or to families connected to the
Lord Jesus Christ, but on the other hand, we need to trust
the promises of God. The gospel is going forth, Jesus
is building His church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. Well, let us close in a word
of prayer. Our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you
for this psalm, and I pray it would be sung often by us in
the midst of this world, that we would continually reflect
upon the truth of who you are and your works, what you have
done. God, I pray that we would walk by faith, not by sight.
And even when there's those contrary to faith sort of circumstances
that we face, like the barrenness of Abraham and Sarah, May we
nevertheless, in hope, believe and walk by faith in the Son
of God who loved us and who gave himself for us. I pray for this
church, that you would encourage our hearts, that you would strengthen
each and every one. I pray that you would bless and
provide that environment again where everybody can come together.
I pray for the elderly people in our congregation, for those
who are perhaps more vulnerable to this illness. I just commit
them to you and to the word of your grace and pray that you
would watch over each one and encourage their hearts. And we
ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
