Psalm 46

Immediately we have a title: “To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon the Alamoth.” In the Hebrew this is a part of the first verse. The chief musician is the choir director. The sons of Korah were those who were singing the praises of the Lord daily in the temple. “A song upon the Alamoth” should actually be translated “a song set to the Alamoth.” The alamoth is a high key. We have a message of God’s grace in deliverance.

In verses 1-3 we see the people of Jerusalem besieged by the great Assyrian army under Sennacherib. In this time of crisis we have a generation ready for such a disaster. The disaster of the Assyrian invasion brings them to the point of maximum application of Bible doctrine. So the Jews are not depending upon their army or their leader, Hezekiah.

Verse 1 – “God” is in the plural [Elohim]. All members of the Godhead are involved in the plan of God. The next word is, is not found in the original. ‘God our refuge [fortress].’

“and strength” is literally, and power; “a very present help in time of trouble” – the Hebrew says, “as a help in distress, he is found faithful.”

Translation: “God [Elohim] our fortress, our strong fort, as a help in distress he is found faithful.”

Verse 2 – “Therefore [here is our conclusion] we will not fear, though the land be destroyed.” Fear is a mental attitude sin. Mental attitude sins produce self-induced misery; “though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.” Here is freedom from fear, not because the people have great protection from the point of military force or success in battle, but because they have doctrine in their souls and occupation with the person of Christ. Therefore they are not disturbed by disasters and difficulties which beset.

Verse 3 – “Though” does not occur. “The waters thereof roar” – waters is a reference to the Assyrian invasion. The great armies come like a flood, a broken dam with the flood moving to destroy the city. Cf. Isaiah 8:7.

“and be troubled” – lit. “they are destructive, the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.”

“Selah” – musical rest. It actually denotes a spiritual rest. These people were resting on something. They believed doctrine, and the Lord was more real to them than the threat of the Assyrians and therefore were resting in the fact that their walls were not the walls of Jerusalem but were Bible doctrine.

Verses 4-7, a brief description from the standpoint of doctrine of the siege of Jerusalem.

Verse 4 – “There is” is not found. “A river [water]” – this refers to Isaiah 8:6. Water is often used for the Word of God. So even though the Assyrians are described as a roaring flood water coming to destroy there is a water stronger than the flood waters of the Assyrian army—the water of the Word, Ephesians 5:26.

“and the streams thereof” – application of Bible doctrine to the pressure or disaster experience. So the streams refer to doctrine applied. The only way we can apply doctrine is to know it.

“shall make glad the city” – the phrase shall make glad is one verb in the Hebrew, samach which means inner happiness. It is the word for joy. It is in the piel stem—intensive. This means intensive inner happiness based on Bible doctrine. The imperfect tense here means the action is not completed, it goes right on. So here we have Jews in the city with inner happiness based on doctrine, and the fact that they are no threatened by Sennacherib doesn’t bother them at all; “the city of God” refers to Jerusalem.

“the holy place” refers to the temple and the holy of holies in the temple which speaks of Jesus Christ. So the holy place of the tabernacle simply refers to occupation with Christ.

Verse 5 – the importance of revival which leads to learning doctrine. “God in the midst of her [the city of Jerusalem]”—this is the doctrine in the souls of the believers; “she shall not be moved fall down]” – Jerusalem will not be captured.

“God shall help her, and that right early [very soon].”

Verse 6 – the story of the Assyrian invasion when Jerusalem refused to surrender. “The nations raged.” The Assyrians were very angry; “the kingdoms were moved” – we know that this has passed because now we have a qal perfect, a past action, already completed. The kingdoms have already been moved—northern Palestine, the Egyptians, etc. Even though this has been the pattern of the Assyrian conquest this is not going to be the case with Jerusalem. Sennacherib has run into the weapon called Bible doctrine.

“he [Jesus Christ] uttered his voice” – the Lord Jesus Christ slaughters armies by His voice. Cf. Revelation 19. This is described in Isaiah 37:36 where 180,000 died. Jesus Christ opened His mouth and they were destroyed in an instant. Jesus Christ responds to Bible doctrine, to grace concepts.

“the land melted” – the Assyrian army was destroyed.

Verse 7 – the perfect defense. “The Lord of hosts with us.” The Lord of hosts is a military term, a title for Jesus Christ when He puts on His military hat. He is also called “the God of Jacob” and this is what is behind the deliverance of the Jews. Jacob was a chiseller, a rat. Esau was much nicer, though he left much to be desired. But it is Jacob who received Christ as saviour. He was suddenly changed from Jacob to Israel after a wrestling match with Jesus Christ, the one who gave Jacob salvation and blessed him, though Jacob never earned or deserved anything from God.

“is our refuge. Selah”—you rest on this.

Verses 8-11, a description of the deliverance of Jerusalem.

Verse 8 – “Come, behold the works of the Lord.” The works of the Lord refers to God’s grace. Everything depends on who and what God is. To behold the works of God you have to know doctrine. The more doctrine you know the more you understand God’s working.

“what desolations he hath made in the land” – look at what He did to the army of Assyria. First there was a great army, and then there was a big hole in the ground. They are all dead!

Verse 9 – “He maketh wars to cease.” The Assyrian war came to an abrupt end. He destroyed this great army that had never lost a battle for 200 years.

Verse 10 – as a result of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Be still”—raphah in the hiphil stem [causative], a hiphil imperative, and it means to be relaxed, to be caused to be relaxed. Only Bible doctrine relaxes the believer, it produces the mental attitude of relaxation. “Be relaxed [on the basis of doctrine].”

“and know” – it is knowledge of doctrine that changes everything. Knowledge of doctrine means knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. But these words switch to the qal imperative. The qal really produces the cause for the hiphil stem. In other words, if you are going to be relaxed there has to be a cause. Under the grace of God the relaxed believer is the believer who knows Bible doctrine. The greatest virtue in the Christian life is to know Bible doctrine.

“I God” – know Him through Bible doctrine.

“I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the land” – the land of the Jews. Only grace can exalt God. God does the doing. In this case this is the work of Jesus Christ destroying the Assyrians. Man [the Jews of Jerusalem] simply receives what God has done. They are delivered.

Verse 11 – the refrain. “The Lord of hosts [Jesus Christ in His military role] with us; the God of Jacob our fortress. Selah.”—just put this in your mind and relax.