Concerns And Comfort Within Psalm 46 Series

Text:

Psalm 46 (KJV) 6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. 10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.: 6-11

Title: The Concerns & Comfort within the 46th Psalm!

Intro: We are indeed living in troublesome time! It seems with each passing week the problems of our nation and world are mounting! New strains of the Coronavirus are being discovered, and the recent election seems to have driven a deeper divide within our nation!

Is there a hope that we can hold unto?

Well the Psalm that we have considered the past week and this week seems to be truly what the word of God is defined as by the writer of Hebrews:

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. -KJV

A double- edged sword implies that it can hurt as well as heal! It can convict and convert the reader! So my proposition from today’s Psalm is this:

Proposition: A study of Psalm 46:6-11 will provide us with words that comfort as well as convict! The way it affects you will primarily be determined on the basis of your relationship with God, so let’s begin to look at it under the light of several perspectives:

I. The Conflict!

A) Conflict?

Psalm 46:6a The heathen raged, (raging)-KJV

1. Though is this is metaphorical, allegorical language, it does paint a very practical past and present tense picture of our world even today that should and does concern us?

B) Concept?

1. Heathen raging?

a) Rage -?????? (ha·mu)

i. To murmur, growl, roar, cry aloud, mourn, rage, sound, make noise, tumult, be clamorous, be disquieted, be loud, be moved, be troubled, be in an uproar, to make a lot of commotion to be boisterous, turbulent, agitated like the waves of the sea!

C) Context?

1. Many historians believe that this Psalm was penned during the time of King Hezekiah:

Isaiah 36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 2 Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.

2. The king of Assyria raged against the Lord’s people by sending this threat:

Isaiah 36: 8 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 9 How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 10 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’”

3. Here you see a picture of the “heathen” the gentile nations rising up against, speaking out against, threating, boasting against, disquieting and dishearting the people of God!

Charles Spurgeon - The nations were in a furious uproar, they gathered against the city of the Lord like wolves ravenous for their prey; they foamed, and roared, and swelled like a tempestuous sea.

4. This has been the experience of Jerusalem!

a) Attacked repeatedly throughout it’s history!

b) During its long history, Jerusalem has been attacked 52 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, besieged 23 times, and destroyed twice.

Q: Why?

Matthew 5:35b Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.-NIV

Zechariah 8:3 This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain -NIV

Ezekiel 48:38b “And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there.” NIV

5. Sennacherib at the time of the text, was a “heathen king” determined to conquer it! conquest!

6. Throughout Jerusalem’s adversaries have been like ravenous wolves, circling the Holy City, wishing to devour it, and the people of God.

Psalm 46:6a The nations made (making) an uproar, -NASB