Title: God Who Helps (Psalm 46:1-11)
Contents
♣ Introduction
When faced with extreme situations, people turn to absolute power.
- Look at Hymn 384.
This hymn was sung by the Reformer as he proceeded to the Synod under the threat of the Holy See. He waged a fight against the Vatican, whom he had no rival. He sang this hymn of absolute trust in God as he proceeded to the seat of the Inquisition, where he was prepared to die. The lyrics of this hymn are based on the content of this psalm.
If you look at the contents of this poem, you can see that it sings the joy of being saved from the extremely dangerous situation caused by war (text verses 6-10). The date of the content is expected to be around the time of Hezekiah, the 13th king of southern Judah. In the days of King Hezekiah, the national crisis caused by war was the war with Wah (2 Kings 18:13-19:37).
The Assyrian king's invasion terrorized all Judah. He came with an army of 185,000 men and besieged and threatened Jerusalem. Since the country was facing a sudden threat, human methods were first mobilized.
- 2 Kings 18:14-16, “Hezekiah king of Judah sent to Lachish and said to the king of Assyria, ‘I have sinned. leave me and go back I will see what the king puts on me.” Then the king of Assyria gave three hundred silver talents and thirty gold talents to Hezekiah king of Judah. Then Hezekiah gave all the silver that was in the house of the LORD and in the treasury of the king's house, and at that time Hezekiah king of Judah took off the gold from the gate of the LORD's house and the gold that he had overlaid on all the pillars, and gave it all to the king of Assyria."
It wasn't because King Hezekiah had no faith. King Hezekiah was a king recognized by God (2 Kings 18:3-7). However, human prayers and offerings did not solve the problem. On the contrary, Assyria, who was arrogant, began to oppose God in earnest.
- 2 Kings 18:35, “Who is able to deliver Jerusalem out of my hand, because whoever delivered the land out of my hand among all the nations?”
Then Hezekiah began to cling to God. He opened the letter of the king of Assyria before God and prayed. As a result, God intervened, and the Assyrian army that insulted God was destroyed and King Sennacherib was assassinated. It was the end of the proud king and army who despised God (2 Kings 19:20, 35-37) This was God's war (text verse 10).
Problems can never be solved by human methods. In particular, we must not forget that people of God have a life that is governed by the will of God.
The poet sang the thrill of being saved from such a crisis situation.
1. God is the refuge of life!
No matter what threats may encamp around us, our God is the only refuge that can keep us safe. The writer of Proverbs confirms that fact.
- Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower. The righteous will run to it and find safety.”
The trials that saints face in the world are never easy or weak. The world is armed with the power of the king of the world and opposes the saints.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, “The coming of the evil one will come according to the works of Satan, with all powers and signs and false miracles and all deceitfulness of unrighteousness to those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth. You cannot be saved.”
No matter how good a believer is, in the face of Satan's challenging attacks, he cannot help but feel fear and tremble. Look at Job! Will you be able to stand unwaveringly in the face of such attacks, such as the loss of property, the death of your children due to disaster, the contempt and abandonment of your beloved wife, your own illness, and the misunderstanding of your close friends?
King David, King Hezekiah, Prophet Elijah, and Peter, the chief disciple of Jesus, had no choice but to fall in front of Satan's formidable temptations and challenges. However, they were able to remain as people of faith because they acknowledged their weakness and completely trusted in God.
When a person depends on his own ability, wealth, or wisdom, he is bound to be defeated. As I said earlier, when any great man of faith is in crisis, we must not forget that human thoughts appeared first. Therefore, believers must continue to train in godliness so that they can think of God first even when faced with urgent matters. Only Jehovah God is the safe zone for the saints (Psalm 23).
2. God is the help of life.
Psalm 121:1-2, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where will my help come from! My help is from the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth.”
In particular, the phrase “God will help you in the morning” in verse 5 means special divine help. The Bible often describes the coming of God's help in the morning. It is also because there were great events of salvation in the morning (Exodus 14:24,27-The head of the Egyptian army/ Joshua 6:15,16-The fall of the city of Jericho/ 2 Kings 19:35-Delivery from Assyria).
The members of the early church, when persecution and tribulation were the most severe in the history of the church, were able to pass through that crisis with the help of God. It is said that this stream of help starts from the sanctuary of God and reaches the tabernacle of the saints. In other words, the help of the saints comes from Jehovah God.
- Verse 4 / Revelation 22:1, “And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” / Ezekiel 47:1, “He brought me to the gate of the temple. The front was facing the east, and water came out from under the threshold, and flowed eastward, and then flowed down to the right hand side of the altar husband.”
God helps believers in many ways. As saints, we must always trust and depend on God's help.
3. God wants people to depend with their whole heart.
Look at verse 10. He said, “Be still and know that I am God.” “Stay still” means “to stop” or “to stop”. In other words, it is an abbreviation of ‘stop your efforts’. It is the voice of God that stops the futile efforts of those who do not depend on God.
The phrase “Know that you are God” is to “show that you are God”. God sees the things that humans can do. When people think that it is no longer possible, they intervene and testify that God is God. This is because God's helping the saints is not to reveal the saints, but to reveal himself. That's why you can't help people when they're trying to do something on their own.
- Lev 26:45, “I will remember for them the covenant I made with their fathers, whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the LORD.”
God does not work to gain approval from people. Rather, it is a supreme consideration to awaken foolish human beings who have forgotten the order of creation. Therefore, believers must seek and rely on God's help with all their hearts.
Giving people work, saving them and helping them with signs and wonders is to make them realize that they are human and that God is God. It is also a beautiful consideration for the future of the saints.
This year, I pray that all of our members will enjoy satisfaction and peace in the Lord by relying on God with all their hearts.