A Study by Scott Sperling Psalm 46 - God is Our Refuge   For the director of music. Of the sons of Korah. According to alamath. A psalm.   1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  Selah    4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.   Selah    8 Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations He has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.   Selah In this world of doubt and uncertainty, of turmoil and travails, we all need a refuge.  This psalm proclaims:  “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (vs. 1).  As our “refuge”, our God is our “only, impregnable, accessible, delightful place of retreat.”  As our “strength”, our God is “all-sufficient, unconquerable, honorable, and emboldening.”  As our “ever-present help”, our God is “ever-near, sympathizing, faithful, real, and potent.” [Spurgeon, 350]. The fact that God is our “refuge” should provoke a response in our lives.  The Psalmist suggests we should make a resolution:  “Therefore we will not fear” (vs. 2).  Our lives should reflect that God is our “refuge and strength”.  The test of our faith that God is our “refuge and strength” is the amount of fear that we have.  Do you fear circumstances around you?  Do you fear the future?  Do you fear death?  Faith in God as a loving Father should drive this fear away. “Nothing can guard the heart of God’s people against the terror of possible, or imminent troubles, save faith in God” [Dickson, 266].  The Psalmist tells us we should not fear even the direst of circumstances:  “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” (vss. 2-3). After verse 3, the Psalmist places a “Selah”.  Most commentators believe that “Selah” was some sort of musical direction, most likely denoting a pause, or musical interlude.  In this psalm, each section of the poem is followed by “Selah”.  In the next section of the psalm, the blessings of those who have God as their refuge are described:  “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells” (vs. 4).  The children of God have the privilege of bathing in the river of God’s blessings, the river of God’s grace, the fountain of life (see Ps. 36:8-9).  “The streams of spiritual blessings flowing from God through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Ghost, make glad the city of God continually” [Plumer, 524]. “Divine grace like a smoothly flowing, fertilising, full, and never-failing river, yields refreshment and consolation to believers.  This is the river of the water of life, of which the church above as well as the church below partakes evermore” [Spurgeon, 340]. The children of God dwell in the fortress of God, the city of God.  God dwells with them, and so the safety of the children of God is sure:  “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day” (vs. 5).  In time of war, the first shots of a battle are typically fired at break of day, but the children of God have nothing to fear with God as their fortress.  Those of the world have no such security.  In the world, there is turmoil:  “Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall” (vs. 6).  The Almighty God is in control:  “He lifts His voice, the earth melts” (vs. 6).  We need not fear:  “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (vs. 7). The ability of God to be our refuge and fortress is demonstrated by His works:  “Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations He has brought on the earth.  He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire” (vs. 8).  Throughout the history of Israel, there have been many occasions when God has intervened militarily on behalf of His people.  We ourselves can look at our own lives and recall instances of God’s intervention.  We should make sure that our eyes are spiritually tuned to be able to recognize the work of the Lord in our lives, so that we will be strengthened in our faith, and so that we will have confidence that God is our refuge and fortress as we pass through times of trouble in the future. The best way to improve our recognition of God’s work in our lives is to tune the world out, and spend time in quiet prayer and meditation.  As the Lord exhorts:  “Be still and know that I am God” (vs. 10). “Because men cannot understand where they are going, or what is their duty, so long as their passions are aloft, so long as their minds are tumultuous, busied about many things, and distracted from what is most necessary; it is good for people, from time to time, to gather in their straying thoughts, to silence their passions and perturbations, and humbly compose themselves for observation of whatsoever God requireth of them” [Dickson, 270]. The exhortation, “be still and know that I am God”, is made for our good.  God is God, and He lives and works, so it is to our benefit to know our God.  Regardless of whether we seek to know Him, God tells us:  “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (vs. 10).  It is for our good if we join in this exaltation of God.  If we do, we can join with the people of God and dwell in the unconquerable fortress:  “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (vs. 11).       ----------- Bibliography and Suggested Reading Alexander,     Joseph     Addison.     The     Psalms     Translated     and Explained .  Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1864.  Anonymous.        A    Plain    Commentary    on    the    Book    of    Psalms . Philadelphia:  Henry Hooker and Co., 1857. Barnes,    Albert.        Notes    on    the    Book    of    Psalms .        New    York:      Harper & Brothers Publishing, 1871. Bonar,   Andrew.   Christ   and   His   Church   in   the   Book   of   Psalms .     New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860. Calvin,   John.      A   Commentary   on   the   Book   of   Psalms .      3   Vols.     Oxford:   D.   A.   Talboys,   1840.   (Originally   published   in   Latin in 1557).  Clarke,   Adam.   The   Holy   Bible   with   a   Commentary   and   Critical Notes .        Vol.    III.        London:        William    Tegg    &    Co.,    1854.      (Originally published in 1831).  Cowles,   Henry.      The   Psalms   with   Notes,   Critical,   Explanatory and Practical .  New York:  D. Appleton & Co., 1872. Darby,    John    Nelson.        Practical    Reflections    on    the    Psalms .      London:  Robert L. Allan, 1870. Delitzsch,     Franz.          Biblical     Commentary     on     the     Psalms. Edinburgh:        T    &    T    Clark,    1892.    (Originally    published    in 1860). Dickson,   David.   An   Explication   of   the   Other   Fifty   Psalms,   from Ps. 50 to Ps. 100. Cornhill, U.K.:  Ralph Smith, 1653.  Exell,    Joseph    S.    and    Henry    Donald    Spence-Jones,    eds.    The Pulpit   Commentary .   Vols.   17,   18,   &   19.   New   York:   Funk   & Wagnalls Company, 1884.  Hengstenberg,   F.   W.      Commentary   on   the   Psalms .      Edinburgh:     T & T Clark, 1864. Henry,   Matthew.      An   Exposition   of   All   the   Books   of   the   Old   and New     Testament .          Vol.     II.          London:     W.     Baynes,     1806. (Originally published in 1710). Horne,   George.   A   Commentary   on   the   Book   of   Psalms.       New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1854. Jamieson,     Robert;     Fausset,     A.     R.;     Brown,     David.          A Commentary:   Critical,   Experimental,   and   Practical   on   the   Old and   New   Testaments.       Glasgow:      William   Collins,   Queen’s Printer, 1863. Kidner,    Derek.    Psalms     (in    2    Vols.).    Downers    Grove,    IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008 (first published in 1975). Kirkpatrick,   A.    F.    The    Book    of    Psalms    with    Introduction    and Notes    –    Books    II    and    III     (from    The    Cambridge    Bible    for Schools    and    Colleges).    Cambridge,    UK:    University    Press, 1895. Lange,   John   Peter,   ed.   and   Philip   Schaff,   trans.      A   Commentary on    the    Holy    Scriptures:    Critical,    Doctrinal,    and    Homiletical .      New York:  Charles Scribner & Co., 1865.  Maclaren,    Alexander.    The    Psalms     (in    3    Vols.,    from    The Expositor’s    Bible,    ed.    by    W.    R.    Nicoll).    New    York:   A.    C. Armstrong and Son, 1901. Perowne,   J.   J.   Stewart.      The   Book   of   Psalms:      A   New   Translation with Explanatory Notes .  London:  George Bell & Sons, 1880. Plumer,   William   S.      Studies   in   the   Book   of   Psalms .      Philadelphia:     J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1872. Scott,   Thomas.   Commentary   on   the   Holy   Bible ,   Vol.   III.   London: James Nisbet, 1866. Spurgeon,   Charles.      The   Treasury   of   David .      6   Vols.      London: Marshall Brothers, Ltd., 1885. Tholuck,   Augustus.      A   Translation   and   Commentary   of   the   Book of Psalms .  Philadelphia:  Martien, 1858. Trapp,   John.      A   Commentary   on   the   Old   and   New   Testaments . Vol.   II   (Ezra   to   Psalms).      Edmonton,   Canada:   Still   Waters Revival    Books    (www.PuritanDownloads.com).    (Originally published c. 1660). VanGemeren,   Willem A.,   (Gaebelein,   Frank   E.,   ed).      Expositor’s Bible   Commentary ,   Vol.   5   –   Psalms   to   Song   of   Songs.      Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1991. -- Most    of    these    books    (those    in    the    public    domain)    can    be downloaded,    free    of    charge,    from    the    Classic    Christian Library,  at: http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com