“A River to Make a City Glad” Psalm 46:4-7, Part 2
God is our Protector
We saw last week that God alone is our shelter and fortress for any and all calamities which attack us externally, but He is also an internal strength, whereby we are always renewed as we turn to Him. He is an always-present, never-failing God in trouble, during trouble, and through trouble. GOD IS OUR PROTECTOR. Therefore (a very large and meaningful word in scripture, THEREFORE) we never need to fear even if the earth is destroyed, and someday it will be destroyed: Jesus promised, “Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my Word will never pass away.”
Psalm 46:1-3: God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah (Pause: think about it!)
Today we look at the powerful Words of God in vs. 4-7 in Ps. 46.
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations 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 (Pause: think about it!)
God Is Our Pleasure (vs. 4)
Let’s center on verse 4 for a few minutes: “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.” What a huge change in the teaching of “water”! Last week in verses 2 & 3 we saw mountains tumbling into the sea causing a colossal, cataclysmic roaring of troubled waters and now we view a river whose streams “make glad the city of God.”
There actually is not any large river flowing through the city of God, which is Jerusalem, the Holy Place of the Most High God. There is a stream, much like the Jordan River, which turns into a river at certain times of the year. The stream of our text, flows through Jerusalem as a life-giving sweet stream, filling small canals along the way so that the city of God greatly rejoices. The canals or channels would not exist without the stream. They are filled from the stream, and so you are a channel of God’s life if you believe in Him for your existence. “God is our pleasure.” We worship Him! The Worship of Our God has Him at the center of our lives! We joy in Him alone. With Him, life and joy abound. Psalm 16:11 says: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” What an absolutely beautiful image!
Notice: she will not be moved…The people in the city rejoice in their safety within the city’s walls. Because of the presence of God, we will not be moved. Because He is a very present, never-failing help in trouble, our safety and our gladness and our joy are secure. When everything else feels like it’s impossible to enjoy, when Satan threatens to undo us and rob us of all joy, we can raise our eyes and realize we are in the city of God. God is with us! And one day, we will be with Him face to face in the new heavens and new earth. Nothing can steal this joy. More than that, we know we will wake up the tomorrow and God will still be with us to help us again. There will be new mercies every morning, mercies that will be enough for that day.
Rivers are a sign of Life in the Bible; Wherever God is and wherever He “lives”, there is life.
In Ezekiel 47:1-12, we see the abundant life which flows from the Holy presence of God:
1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.
2 He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.
3 And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles.
4 Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist.
5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.
6 He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?" Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.
7 When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other.
8 Then he said to me: "This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed.
9 And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live.
There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. (The Waters from God’s will be healing for His people, not destruction as for the wicked.)
10 It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many.
11 But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt.
12 Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine."
This marvelous picture which God gave to Ezekiel portrays the abundant life of the Holy Spirit flowing from the temple of God. As it flows it brings life to all that are touched by it. It continues to flow until it enters the Dead Sea and when it touches the Dead Sea it even brings that salt filled sea to life. That is what the Spirit does to us: He brings us to life, and then that life of the Spirit flows out of us, bringing life to others.
It is like a return to the Garden of Eden, when through the center of that Garden flowed a marvelous river which provided life and goodness in the presence of God. (Genesis 2:10) It not only looks back ward but it is also a picture of what is yet to come.
In Revelation 22:1-2 John saw another river: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” You can see a similar picture and the same language in revelation as in Ezekiel, and both are a return to the Garden of Eden.
So, rivers are a sign of Life but Rivers are also a sign of the abundance of God’s Saving and restoring Presence, not only in the physical but also in a Redeemed Life, a life that has been rescued from the bondage and death of sin. They are pictures of worship to our God as we proclaim His Grace in this dark world.
In John 7:37-39 we read this: “On the last day, that great day of the feast (the Feast of Tabernacles, celebrating God’s marvelous presence, His provision and His care for Israel during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness), Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
SO, the “River” in our text shows the abundance of God’s Presence in a Redeemed Life. “The River” which flows from the throne of God is the life-giving Spirit of God. The River is the power of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (who IS the Gospel), which fills our lives and flows out of our lives with the testimony of the Grace of God to save and to provide forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus.
God is our Power
Verse 5 exclaims: “God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.” God was in the midst of Israel. God’s people were powerfully encouraged that He dwelt with His people. The Temple and Jerusalem were known as God’s dwelling place. Today the Lord God still dwells with His people, the Church. They are the Redeemed of the Lord. The mountains will fall into the sea, the earth will be removed, the sea will become wild with rage, but God’s People will not be moved: The Gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church of our God. GOD SHALL HELP HER, our text pronounces. “At the break of dawn” was when the enemy would begin its attacks; when we are attacked, God will help us. That is His promise to His people. The Power is not ours, but God’s Power. He is our power; He is in the midst of us!
Listen to verse 6; “The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.” The Bible promises that there will be wars and rumors of wars. Nations will rise and mighty nations will fall. “The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved.” How does this happen? HE, God uttered His voice, the earth melted!”
The entire world rages and totters. Everything seems to conspire against you. The whole power of the cursed world heads in your direction. It may seem as though it is crushing you and what will God do? He utters his voice. He speaks. He opens His Almighty mouth and the earth melts before Him. It melts. Remember that in Genesis 1 God speaks things into existence, so if He does that to create it, don’t you think that He can speak it OUT of existence. Of course, He can: He who created the World by the Word of His Mouth can destroy the same with a Word from His Mouth. The God of hosts, the God who fights on our behalf, is with us as our fortress, and all He has to do is speak to win the battle for us. God is our Power!
People of God! Verse 7 exclaims: The Lord of hosts is with us; The LORD is Yahweh: He is the eternal self-existent one and He is the Commander in Chief of the Hosts of Heaven. He has come to us in the Life of His Son. He has invaded our hearts with the Holy Spirit and caused us to be born from above, born anew. He has promised to NEVER, NEVER Ever leave us or for sake us. He has called us by name, and we are His.
What should we possibly fear? The God of Jacob is our refuge. This God is only our Protector, He is our supreme Pleasure, the object of the worship of our lives, He is our Omnipotence, our all-Powerful God. Selah: Think about these things. Trust Him alone. Worship Him. Serve Him. Love Him.
Intro: Psalm 46:1-3: God is our Protector.
I. God is our Pleasure. (Psalm 46:4 Psalm 16:11)
A. Rivers are a sign of Life in the Bible; Where God lives, there is life. (Eze 47:1-12, Gen 2:10, Rev 22:1-2)
B. This river shows the abundance of God’s Presence in a Redeemed Life. (John 7:37-39) “God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. (46:5a)
II. God is our Power: (Psalm 46:5-7)
A. He who created by the Word of His Mouth can destroy with a Word from His Mouth.
B. The LORD of hosts is with us; The LORD is Yahweh: He is the eternal self-existent one, who will never leave us.
