Praise, Power and Peace in the Psalms #9 God’s Refuge
Part 2 Living Water - Psalms 46:4-7
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
God Our Peace
The psalmist moves from being swept away by the troubled waters of despair in the first three verses to the hope and confidence of the living waters.
He says, “There is a river whose streams shall make glad…” That river is the presence of God, it is the Holy Spirit of God in the midst of his people. In that presence, just like sitting beside a gently flowing river, there is peace. Isn’t that a beautiful metaphor? It’s used over and over throughout God’s word.
Psalms 36:8-9 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
The Prophets Ezekiel and Zechariah both saw in a vision the river of life flowing from the throne of God bring peace to Israel. John the last apostle saw it in the book of Revelation.
Here the Psalmist looks up from the difficulties of the present to see the eternal dwelling of God. Though he may feel swept away, God is in the midst of Zion and because God is there, Zion shall not be moved.
Where God is the psalmist says there is help vs. 5 the words “right early” lit. mean at the turn of the morning, the breaking of the dawn, at the darkest of the night light breaks forth and God’s deliverance is seen. Right early. It also means that whoever wrote this psalm was from East Texas, so we can claim it as our own. And you might want to do that “right early”
The Psalms also tells us that where God is there is power vs. 6 “The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: but he (God) uttered his voice, and the earth melted.”
Where God is there is also assurance vs. 7 he LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge
The meaning of the word Selah is lost to us, but most feel it was a musical notation. Much like our notation crescendo it might have meant to raise the voice. And if so on this phrase in vs. 7 the singers of this psalm would shout the promise. “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge!”
Have You Been to the River?
The Bible often uses rivers, springs and water as a metaphor of salvation. We see this especially in the story of Jesus and the woman at the well.
Turn with me to John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
The woman at the well needed living water, for her soul and for her world. She was a sinner, outcast, alone and living on the edge of her society, but then Jesus came and offered her “living water springing up into everlasting life.”
Listen to me. We are all like the woman at the well. We are sinners, outcast from the love of God and living on the edge of eternity. Like her we need the living water that only Jesus can give. Without Jesus there is no refuge, no assurance, no hope, but with him there is peace in the midst of the fiercest storm.
Jesus told her, if you only knew you would ask me for living water. If we only knew, who Jesus truly is, what Jesus has done, what he can give, then we will ask him for living water. Living water to wash away my sin, my fears and my guilt. Oh, have you sought and tasted the water of life? Are you now depending upon that well of water springing up within you in the time of your deepest troubles knowing that because God is in your heart, you will not be moved by the floods of trouble and strife. You have a place of peace because God is with you.
Like the Psalmist and the woman at the well if we have been to the river, if we have drunk the water of life, then one day we will experience another river this one the greatest of all eternity.
