Trusting God (Psalm 46:1-3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/19/2012 12:45:32 PM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Trusting God

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Psalm 46:1-3

            Message of the verses:  As we begin to look at this wonderful psalm I would like to say a few personal things about Psalm 46.  This is another one of the psalms that I committed to memory many years ago.  Martin Luther used Psalm 46 as a guide to write “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”  After the attacks of 9/11/2001 there were many Pastors who used Psalm 46 as their text for their messages.

            “INTRODUCTION TO PSALM CHAPTER 46   (From Matthew Henry’s Commentary)

            “This psalm encourages us to hope and trust in God, and his power, and providence, and gracious presence with his church in the worst of times, and directs us to give him the glory of what he has done for us and what he will do: probably it was penned upon occasion of David’s victories over the neighboring nations (2 Samuel 8), and the rest which God gave him from all his enemies round about. We are here taught,

   “I. To take comfort in God when things look very black and threatening, #Ps 46:1-5.

   “II. To mention, to his praise, the great things he had wrought for his church against its enemies, #Ps 46:6-9.

   “III. To assure ourselves that God who has glorified his own name will glorify it yet again, and to comfort ourselves with that, #Ps 46:10-11. We may, in singing it, apply it either to our spiritual enemies, and be more than conquerors over them, or to the public enemies of Christ’s kingdom in the world and their threatening insults, endeavoring to preserve a holy security and serenity of mind when they seem most formidable. It is said of Luther that, when he heard any discouraging news, he would say, Come let us sing the forty- sixth psalm.”

“Subject: Happen what may, the Lord’s people are happy and secure, this is the doctrine of the Psalm, and it might, to help our memories, be called THE SONG OF HOLY CONFIDENCE, were it not that from the great reformer’s love to this soul-stirring hymn it will probably be best remembered as LUTHER’S PSALM.”  Charles H. Spurgeon

“Psalm 46 was the scriptural catalyst for Martin Luther’s great hymn ‘A Mighty Fortress is Our God.’  This psalm also launches a trilogy of psalms (i.e., 46,4,48); they are all songs of triumph.  Furthermore, it has also been grouped among the so-called ‘songs of Zion’ (cf. Pss 48, 76, 84, 87, 122).  Psalm 46 extols the adequacy of God in facing threats from nature and nations.  God indeed protects (cf. vv. 1, 7, 11)) His people upon the earth (cf. vv. 2, 6, 8, 9, 10).  The major burden of Psalm 46 is that God provides stability for His people who live in two exceedingly unstable environments.

“Title:  The new element in this title is ‘Alamoth.’ The early Gr. Translation (LXX) interprets this technical term as ‘hidden things.’  However, the Heb. Word normally has to do with ‘girls’ or ‘young maidens.’  Consequently, the most likely conjecture about this phrase is that it is a technical musical notation, possibly indicating a song which was to be sung with female voices at a higher range.”  (John MacArthur Study Bible)

 

            As I look to what Dr. Wiersbe writes in his introduction I find that it is his belief that Psalm 46’s background is from the victory over the Assyrians by the Lord that is found in 2Chronicles 32 and also found in Isaiah 36-37. “ 22  So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.”  This verse from 2Chronicles 32 sums up what happened in Judah during the reign of Hezekiah when the Assyrian’s tried to conquer Judah sometime after they had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  The story is one that great faith in God is seen by Hezekiah and also Isaiah and also great power by God in destroying the Assyrians and a classic OT story.  I can certainly understand why Dr. Wiersbe has written that Psalm 46 was written from the background of this event.  He goes on to say that Hezekiah was a great poet who possibility wrote Psalms 4-, 47, and 48, which we have already learned from John MacArthur that these three psalms are a trilogy.  It is also possible that all three psalms were written from the background of this same event.

            Dr. Wiersbe writes “The emphasis in this psalm is on the presence of the Lord with His people (vv. 1, 5, 7, 11) and the difference it makes when we trust Him in the changes and difficulties of life.  The psalm focuses on the Lord and what He is to His trusting people.”

            We will look at the first focuses on the Lord and what He is to His people in today’s SD and then try and look at the last two in tomorrow’s SD.

 “God Is Our Tower of Strength (vv. 1-3):  “1 For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth. A Song: God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3  Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.”

            “1  For the choir director: A song of the descendants of Korah, to be sung by soprano voices. God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. 2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come  and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam.  Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!  Interlude”  (NLT)

            In the NASB we see the word “refuge” in verse one and in the KJV the word “refuge” is also seen in verses seven and eleven while in the NASB we see the word “stronghold” in verses seven and eleven.  The word in verse one means a shelter, a rock of refuge and the word stronghold means a high tower a fortress. God is seen as a dependable refuge for His people in both of these words and that is what the psalmist is conveying to his readers.  When we look at some of the stories of Israel in the OT, especially when they are in their land which begins with the book of Joshua, we see that when they got into trouble, and most of their trouble was due to unbelief they would call upon Egypt to get them out of their own mess.  God wanted them to call upon Him to help them, but also wanted them to confess their unbelief in Him as they turned to idols and Egypt for help.  I see the same thing happening in the Church today as when a person gets into trouble on many occasions they will try and get out of it themselves and only when their attempts fail will they pray, when I believe that God wants us to pray first when trouble comes.  In the story of Hezekiah he went through a time when he was prideful and would not call upon the Lord for help, but learned from this mistake and Hezekiah became one of the very best kings Judah ever had.

            I have highlighted two phrases in Psalm 46:1-3 as seen above and the reason I did this was because they are tied together for the reason we do not fear.   It is because God is our refuge and strength.  Paul knew this and this is one of the reasons, perhaps the main reason, he could write that he had learned to be content.  Paul took these words and moved them ten inches from his head to his heart, something that we all must do in order to learn contentment.  Hezekiah also knew this wonderful truth.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There are times when the ten inches from my head to my heart seems to be miles apart, but God has not given up on me and for that I am thankful.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.     Continue to learn contentment as I trust the Lord with the circumstances of life and continue to grow in my walk with Him.

2/19/2012 1:57:35 PM