Run To The Lord! Series

Run to The Lord!

Psalm 46

Introduction:

We all face troubles in life. You face the, I face them… everyone faces them… saved and unsaved alike.

Job 5:7 – “…man born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble.”

Truth = as long as we live in a fallen world we are going to face troubles… when troubles come they are unexpected and unwelcomed.

Subject Ps. 46: “Trouble” = last word in v.1

Penned after a national crisis in Judah:

The Assyrian invasion of Judah 700 yrs before Christ. King Hezekiah sat on the throne and the prophet Isaiah was proclaiming God’s message in Jerusalem. Word came that an invincible army was making its way toward Judah… Armies of Sennacherib represented the greatest war machine the world had ever seen… and the cruelest. They were ancient terrorists… known for their atrocities… merciless toward their victims. Now, making their way toward Judah – war inevitable.

Assyria = conquered nation after nation – when they finally reached the borders of the N. Kingdom of Israel it quickly crumbled and fell, destroyed forever… now the Southern Kingdom of Judah on the verge of collapse… Assyrian hordes had breached its outer defenses and taken town after town… only Jerusalem remained, its inhabitants trapped… besieged by the armies of Sennacherib.

Sennacherib = gloated that he had Hezekiah trapped like a “caged bird.”

Sent an envoy with terms of surrender… Hezekiah instead of panicking and capitulating to the enemies demands… did what you and need to do in times of trouble … He ran to only One who could truly help him… ran to the Lord!

Hezekiah = went into the Temple in Jerusalem and prayed to the God of Heaven.

2Kings 19:17-19 – “Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.”

That evening God stopped Sennacherib in his tracks. In one night, an angelic warrior destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.

British Museum in London there is an exhibit dedicated to the history of Assyria and King Sennacherib… 6-sided clay artifact known as the Taylor Prism in which Sennacherib wrote of this event… yet he never explained why he was unable to capture Judah and Jerusalem.

Sum up the answer in one word = God!

Psalm 46 = beautiful hymn of praise to God – Palmist is celebrating a great time of deliverance from trouble.

Same God helped Hezekiah in his time of trouble is the same God that can and will help you me in our times of trouble.

Divinely Inspired Title:

Don’t know human penman – may have been Hezekiah, Isaiah or some other godly poet in Judah.

“Alamoth” = Heb word – “young women” – relates to a virgin… hymn of praise was to be sung by a young lady’s soprano choir.

Psalm = divides into 3 stanzas: marked by the word “Selah” (vv.3,6,10)

Truth = our Sennacherib’s are going to come – need to do what Hezekiah did – Run to the Lord!

Several reasons why…

1. Our Refuge!

Look: v.1

“God is… a very present help” = an abundantly available help.

God = Elohim – (lit) majesty and might… creative name for God.

The God who spoke the worlds into existence… the God who controls the universe… is the same God who knows our names… has the very hairs of our head numbered… the One who knows when a sparrow falls to the ground… and tells me that I am of more value than many sparrows. That God is our Helper!!!

“Refuge & strength” = place of safety and strength – there are no places of ultimate safety on earth… but there is One in Heaven and His name is Jesus!

What does it mean for God to be our refuge???

“Refuge” = used over and over again in the Psalms – interesting in each instance the imagery changes.

A. God is our Refuge like a Rock

Psalm 62:7 – “In God is my salvation and my glory:

the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.”

Psalm 94:22 – “But the LORD is my defence;

and my God is the rock of my refuge.”

Many of the Psalms written by David when he was on the run from Saul… find refuge in the caves that honeycombed the Judean mountains. Constantly being pursued by Saul’s henchmen… his life in constant danger… hide himself in those caves.

From his songs learn that David’s true hiding place was in God… He alone was his strength, rock, defence, refuge, our shelter of safety!