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Last updated on
June 7, 2002
The Song of Holy Confidence
Delivered June 2, 2002
by Pastor Werner De Jong
Text: Psalm 46
Main Idea: God is a reliable presence and help in every trouble.
Purpose: To encourage the listeners that they are not alone when they experience trouble, for God Almighty is with them and able to help them. To challenge the listeners not to fear when trouble comes, but to trust in the God who delights to help his people.
Introduction: The lectionary reading for the Psalms today is Psalm 46. According to its heading, Psalm 46 is a song intended to be sung "according to Alamoth," which translated likely means that it is to be sung "by soprano voices." I neither have a soprano voice, nor am I tempted to sing for you, but I will read it with my best baritone! (Read Psalm 46).
This Psalm has always been one of the favourite psalms of the church, the world over. To illustrate that fact, let me say this: this Wednesday during supper my sister Margaret asked me what I was going to be preaching on. When I told her Psalm 46, she immediately became quite animated and began reciting the Psalm in Creole, the language of Haiti, before I ever had a chance to tell her what the Psalm was about. She already knew it by heart. She went on to explain that this psalm is very dear to the Haitian Christians. That makes sense to me, for the theme of the psalm is that God is a reliable presence and help in every trouble, and there is probably no more troubled nation in the western hemisphere than Haiti. Times of trouble tend to make us feel afraid, insecure, uncertain, alone, perhaps even abandoned by God. But this Psalm reassures the believers in Haiti of the wonderful truth that they are not alone, that God is with them to help and comfort them, that God will provide strength and a safe refuge in the midst of the storm.
Of course not only Haitians, but people everywhere, experience times of trouble. In our own congregation we have families struggling with sickness. Others may be experiencing financial stress, employment difficulties, strained or broken relationships, or the loss of a loved one. All around us, in our neighbourhoods and through the media, we also hear stories of abuse and violence. What I appreciate about the Bible, and especially the psalms, is that there is never any attempt made to cover up the reality of trouble and suffering in human existence. The Scriptures are very real in their open and honest acknowledgment that life can be hard and painful, even for God's people. Some of the psalms, for example, are psalms of lament, which mourn the pain of loss, and which insist that we not try to cover up the harsh realities of life, but acknowledge our pain, and the pain of the world as it really is. There are psalms that voice human resentment and which cry out to God for vengeance against enemies. And there are also psalms of confidence, like our psalm, Psalm 46, which remind us that in the midst of trouble God is still there. Each of these types of psalm have their place: sometimes what we need most is to lament before God, to express our deep pain and sadness to God; at other times we need to express our anger before God at those who have hurt us; and at other times, we need the reassurance that is expressed so well in the refrain of our Psalm, which occurs twice, in vv. 7 and 11: "The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge."
Background: The people of Israel used to hear these words sung by the soprano voices in the choir when they would gather for public worship at the temple in Jerusalem. As they listened, the words must have resonated deep within their hearts and minds, for they lived in turbulent times. Large, aggressive foreign armies were constantly on the march, eager to expand the boundaries of their empires, and little Israel was often caught in the crossfire. Jerusalem herself, the capital, was regularly exposed to such assault, and had to endure more than one military siege.
At such times, and when other troubles threatened, whether personal or corporate, the song encouraged the people not to be afraid, as we hear in verse 2: "... we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea." In other words, even in life's most threatening moments, we will continue to trust our God. Even if the sea itself threatens to dissolve the earth, the choir sang, our trust will not turn to fear. In those days, many people were afraid of the sea, for in the world view of the time they believed that the only thing preventing the dry land from sinking into the ocean were the mountains, mountains which were anchored deep in the waters, great pillars which kept the earth afloat. So this psalm expresses supreme confidence when it says that even if earthquakes come, even if the mountains, these great support columns, are shaking in the heart of the sea, the people will continue to trust God.
In all likelihood we don't share the ancient fear of the earth losing its boundaries between sea and land, of the earth losing its order and reverting to a state of chaos, but we have experienced chaos when the foundations of our lives that we take for granted, like good health or loving relationships, suddenly become threatened. We know what it is like when these pillars that support our lives begin to shake, and we know what it is like to feel that our lives may become unglued, and we know what it is like to feel that we are going to sink, and not be able to rise above the surging waters. At times like this, when we are rocked by life's storms, we may ask ourselves, "How can we go on? Where will we find strength when life seems to be falling apart?" It is questions just like these that our psalm addresses, and it does so by drawing our attention back to God, and reassuring us that God is a reliable presence and help in every trouble. For the rest of this message I simply want to look at the affirmations this psalm makes about God, for it is God we are encouraged to trust.
God is our refuge and strength (v.1): Immediately, as soon as the temple choir begins to sing this song, the gathered worshippers hear these words: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." That may be an abrupt beginning, but it is a wonderful affirmation of faith, a reminder to the listeners that God was with them in times of anxiety and distress, as a safe refuge where they could find shelter. It also reminded the listeners that they didn't have to search desperately for hidden reserves of strength when conflict raged, for God was their strength, God would hold them and protect them and see them through all of their difficulties. Their hope was not in their armies, or their fortresses, or the city walls of Jerusalem. Rather, their hope was in the presence of the Lord with them, the only true and living God. Spurgeon: "Other nations may boast of their impregnable castles, placed on inaccessible rocks and secured with gates of iron, but God is a far better refuge from distress than all these." For God is all powerful and loving, and God never withdraws himself from his people who are afflicted.
That includes us. We too are not alone when troubles come our way. In the Scriptures God says to us, "I will never leave you or forsake you," and Jesus says, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." God is constantly present with us, close at our side, ready to supply mercy and grace whenever we need it. This is emphasized in our song when we hear that God is not only a "present help," but a "very present help," closer to us even than friends or family can be. (Footprints poem?)
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved (v.4-5): Let me move now to another thought. The next affirmation this psalm makes about God is found in v. 5. It reads: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God himself lives in the city (Jerusalem); it shall not be moved, God will help it when the morning dawns." The image here is of Jerusalem under siege by a foreign army, which is camped all around the city walls to prevent escape, and to prevent food and other supplies from entering in. Such sieges were also intended to intimidate, to strike fear into the hearts of the inhabitants.
But the greatest fear of an Eastern city during a siege was that the water supply would be cut off. If a secure supply of water could be found, most cities could withstand a siege indefinitely, for prolonged periods of time. But if the water supply was cut off, a city would fall in a matter of weeks. Jerusalem was at one time in a very precarious position, for the city had no natural source of fresh water, which is why King Hezekiah dug what is known as the Siloam tunnel, in order to bring fresh spring water from a hill outside the city to a pool, the Pool of Siloam, inside the city walls. That may be what is alluded to when our song speaks of a river whose streams make glad the city of God. But above all, this is figurative language, symbolic language which suggests that nothing can prevent God's love and grace from flowing to his people, even in times of suffering. When God's people endure seasons of trial, whether OT Israel, or the NT church, God's all-sufficient grace will be given to enable us to endure until the end. God's grace to us will never be cut off. It is this grace of God which gives us as the church our particular character, we are a people who are given love and help and strength and refuge in all of our trials. Just like a great river defines the character of a town or a city, so too God's river of grace defines who we are, and gives us our character.
In addition to all this, our soprano choir also sang of the comfort that is to be found not only because God's city is supplied with life giving water, but above all, because God himself is in the midst of the city. If the city is besieged, then God is also besieged within it. This says two things. First of all, it says that God understands what the people in the city are enduring, for he is enduring the very same thing. God does not abandon his suffering people, but God remains in the city with them while their enemies do their worst to destroy them. When God's people suffer, then God also suffers. In the same way, the NT teaches that Jesus is present among us, in the church, even though we may experience great problems and difficulties. Jesus suffers with us, he remains with us "in the city," so to speak, whether we are experiencing sickness, or persecution, or temptations, or loneliness, or loss. Whatever the case may be, Jesus understands our pain, our sorrow, our fears and insecurities. This is why he says, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heave burdens, and I will give you rest."
But we must not think that God is present with his people only as a source of comfort. He is also their strength, he is the one who will prevent them from coming to ultimate harm. Once again, as the psalm says, "God himself lives in the city. It shall not be moved." How can the city be moved unless her enemies first remove her Lord? And who is strong enough to remove our Almighty Creator from his chosen post? It can't be done. His presence renders all hope of capturing and demolishing the city utterly ridiculous. In the same manner, in the NT Paul says this of our Lord, Jesus Christ: "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?....No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Let me read the rest of the quote from the New Living Translation: "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Through our faith in him, Jesus has taken up his post among us as well as within our hearts, and he has chosen to remain there, and shall not be moved from it! Therefore all those who maintain faith in Jesus also shall not be moved–as the song goes, we shall not, we shall not be moved!
God makes wars cease to the ends of the earth (v. 9): Finally, our song of holy confidence reassures us that when we are troubled, God will take up our cause and fight for us. Concerning those who would attack Jerusalem, the song says: "God makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth." God's plan for creation is to restore shalom to all the earth, a plan that will fully be realized when Jesus returns to establish the fullness of God's kingdom. In the meantime God calls upon our enemies to "be still." God's call to "be still" is not a pious, romantic or spiritual articulation, as it is often construed to be. It is rather a powerful command which tells the attacking enemies and the forces of chaos to stop their foolish assault upon God's people.
Ultimately what the song is affirming here is the simple truth that God stands up for his people. God does not sit idly by when troubles come our way, or when enemies attack and provoke us. God is not like the coward who does nothing when others are being hurt. This may not always be apparent in the present, for God still allows humanity to have free will, but one day God will judge the earth, and all people everywhere will know that God is God. One day "at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow...ane every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Application and Conclusion: As we conclude, we need to say this: the intent of this song was not simply to entertain, but it was intended to comfort God's people and to lead them to place their trust in him. Our psalm finally comes to an end with a repetition of the refrain:"The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge." This is a precious privilege which cannot be too often considered, it is a truth of which those who know the goodness of God never grow weary.
We can summarize the message of our psalm very simply–when we are experiencing times of trouble, we are not alone, God is with us, and God loves us very much. God is all power, and all love, so we need not fear. God is on our side, God chooses to dwell with us, and God will never leave or abandon us. It is this faith which makes us unafraid. It is this faith which enables us to endure and to overcome our trials. Concern and caution may persist, but for those who make this profession, they will find that God is true to his word, and they will experience God with them, whether it is in the midst of the besieged city, whether it is in the midst of the storm that threatens to topple the mountains, or whether it is in times of sickness, times of loss, times of financial stress, times of unemployment, or any other sort of trouble.
So let us place our trust in the God who is with us. And whenever the storm clouds gather and our lives are threatened by darkness, let us also remember to sing songs like the 46th psalm, for there is nothing like a good song, a song that uplifts our great God and Saviour, to stimulate our faith. We are going to sing again now, not Psalm 46, but #585 in our hymnals, a song which once again reminds us of the glorious truth that God is with us all the time.