642 - 2 A VERY PRESENT HELPDecember 15, 1981
Henry F. Kulp
PSALM 46: 1 - 3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
Here we have a glorious portion of Scripture—as a matter of fact, as I study the Psalms this is one of my favorite, and I would like to share some thought with you out of it this morning.
1/ There are two methods to approach this Scripture and to teach it. First, there is what we might designate as the exact method—this is the method a scholar uses to determine the exact purpose of the writing and its place in all the structure of the Bible. If we were to use this particular method or approach, we would see that this is a Messianic or Millennial Psalm, the age of which all the prophets had dreamed of down through the centuries. It is the age when the God of Jacob, the Lord of Hosts is seen in the midst of His people on this earth.
2/ The other method of Bible study is to apply the spiritual lessons to present day situations. We are going to look at it in its Millennial setting, then we are going to see how we can apply it to our everyday life. This is the way we must study the book of Psalm.
3/ This was one of Martin Luther’s favorite Psalms. And from this Psalm he wrote the great hymn that I love and I am sure you do. “A Mighty Fortress is our God”.
4/ Let us get the background of this Scripture. The great majority of commentators agree that the 46th Psalm was penned by Hezekiah doing the Assyrian siege at Jerusalem.
We can read of this event in II Kings 18, 19 and Isaiah 36, 37. A good read.
(Location: Upper Mesopotamia, including parts of northern Iraq, northeastern Syria and northwestern Iran.)
5/ Now let us see a little more about the background of Judah. There were many do-gooders who were very much in evidence in that day in Judah. It is a familiar strain we hear from the do-gooders today. They said, in effect, let’s abolish our Calvary. They believed in a disarmament program. Then they went a step beyond this. The Jewish state department not only abolished the military but they also had a foreign aid program. They made certain economic concessions to the Assyrians, and we read about this in II Kings 18: 14 - 16 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house. At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
(The total quantity of gold collected was approximately one ton; of silver, 3-3/4 tons; and of bronze, 2-1/2 tons. He even stripped the gold from the doors and pillars of the temple.)
For five years before the Assyrians invaded, Hezekiah sent millions of dollars of the tax payers money to them.
6/ Every Jew actually paid two-tenth of his income as a tax. One-tenth for the upkeep of the temple and one-tenth for the priesthood. Then every third year one-tenth went to the poor of the land. Although this today is called tithing, it was actually a system of taxation for the Jews. Offerings were the spiritual giving over and above the tithe.
7/ But what happened to a large portion of their taxes? Hezekiah took them out of the temple treasury and hustled them over to the Assyrians. A lot of people involved in these programs, then as today, were sincere. We must at least give them that much credit—they think they are doing a good thing, but do-goodism is not the answer.
8/ It is the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, that Sennacherib, the king of Assyria attacked all the defense cities of Judah and took them, Isaiah 36: 1. That is, all except Jerusalem. Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.
9/ Isaiah 36: 2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.
Now he sends Renshekah against the holy city with a great army of 185,000 soldiers, and that was an immense army for that day.
10/ Humanly speaking there seemed to be no help or hope for the city of Jerusalem. They had dismissed their military and all they had was a few fortifications left.
11/ Renshekah, rather than going to Hezekiah, went to the wall, and there in the coarsest of language threatened the officers and the men on the wall in the Hebrew tongue. He did this to strike fear into their hearts and into the heart of Hezekiah, then he tried to get the men on the wall, the soldiers to distrust Hezekiah.
12/ II Kings 18: 28 - 31 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria: Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand: Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:
13/ Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Hezekiah took two wise steps showing what a truly great and godly king he was.
1/ He rent his royal robes and covered himself with sackcloth, and he went into the house of the Lord.
Isaiah 37: 1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
2/ Isaiah 37: 3, 4 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.
He sent Eliakim and several others to Isaiah, the prophet with the message of the day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy for the children are come upon us, and there is no strength to bring us forth. We have come to the end of our wits, of our ability, our strength.
14/ ISAIAH’S PROPHECY
Isaiah 37: 6, 7And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
What a response Hezekiah received from the prophet. It contained much to reassure him and to set his heart at rest. Here is a prophecy concerning Rebshakeh. He did hear a rumor and returned to his own land, but not without sending an insolent message, this time to Hezekiah himself. And he said—let not thy God in whom thou trusteth deceive thee. He said, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands by destroying them utterly. And do you think you are going to be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them? And where are their kings today?
15/ HEZEKIAH’S PRAYER
Isaiah 37: 14 - 20 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open thine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only.
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messenger and read it and went up to the Lord and spread it before the Lord and he prayed.
16/ In response, God again sent a message to Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah, a message which closed with a great promise.
Verse 33 - 35 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
I will defend this city to save for My own sake. For My servant David’s sake.
17/ ISAIAH’S PROPHECY FULFILLED.
Evidently Sennacherib has come personally to take Rabshakeh’s place and his exploits had been great, but now notice, verse 36, 37. Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
18/ The angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians, and Sennacherib alone had been spared to witness the fate of the great army, and then to suffer death at the hands of his own son.
Verse 38 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
19/ These are the circumstances that caused Hezekiah to compose the 46th Psalm, one of the Psalms which are referred to in Isaiah 38: 20 The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.
20/ Let us look at Psalms 46 it is divided into three stanzas, each one ending with the word Selah. The first stanza deals with God as a refuge of His people, the second with the blessing of those less protected, and the third with the glory of God in the outcome.
21/ Let’s consider these stanzas in order and look at them in the light of the Pauline epistles.
22/ The Hebrews word, rendered refuge in Psalm 46: 1 means literally a high tower out of reach of all enemies.
23/ God is our refuge, a high tower, and strength a very present help in trouble. What does this mean? It means that He is there. He is in the Holy City when the Assyrians were about to attack. He was there when they laid siege for a year to the city, and what he means is the city of God is safe because God is in the midst of her.
We see that in verse 4, 5. 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.
Notice verse 7, 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
24/ Some men take refuge in position, in wealth, in friendship, and in associations. Some men even take refuge in health, and health cannot buy another day, nor can business when God says, this is your time to depart. Let me stress to you, happy is the man who can say, God is my refuge and my strength.
25/ This Psalm has an assurance for the present and also for the future. It is written, God is our refuge and strength. At this moment Jesus Christ can be that to every believer, and He is going to be it to you in the future.
26/ Let me ask you, what is your refuge? Everyone has one. Some, their refuge, their high tower, is an ivory tower. It is a false place to which they flee. It will not stand in a time of trouble.
27/ Psalm 46: 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Notice, Hezekiah says we will not fear. This is followed by a picture of frightful upheavals, landslides, tidal waves, earthquakes. Of course it is symbolic language, and it is what he and Jerusalem had faced during the Assyrian siege. But the main thrust of the first stanza is that the city of God could not be overthrown because God is there. He is in the midst to help her—His Shikinnah glory filling the Holy of Holies in the temple.
28/ But what Hezekiah and the Isrealites had in Jerusalem in Psalm 46 is nothing compared to what we have.
We today are the temple of God.
Ephesians 2: 21, 22 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
He says an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builded together an habitation of God through the Spirit.
29/ Colossians 1: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
God has no temple, no home on earth today, but His blood-bought church, the individuals who are trusting in Jesus Christ, and if the city could be saved with God dwelling in the city, think how safe we are, and what a refuge we have when God dwells in us individually.
30/ Notice the next thing I would like you to see. Where is Christ right now? He is at the right hand of the Father, and we have union with Him. We are as good as in Heaven right now. Therefore how can any thing on earth cause us to fear? What wonderful truths are ours in Paul’s epistles. I would never trade what I have in Jesus Christ and the Pauline epistles with what Hezekiah had, in Psalm 46.
We may not have the angel of the Lord slay our enemies, but we can know that Christ in us is a much better position with a Heavenly future stretching before us.
31/ Verses 2, 3 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
As we look at them in our lives, the believer does experience trouble, disappointment, and discouragement. He encounters great enemies.
32/ The children of God in Jerusalem faced a tremendous army and tremendous enemy. They had a year of siege in which their strength and belief in the high tower was to be tested. I am sure some of the Jews there lived rejoicing, trusting what God had promised. I am sure some who were safe even though they didn’t realize it, trembled and wept and were in great distress. I am sure there were Jews living in Jerusalem who did not look upon God as a high tower of refuge. Instead their eyes were constantly upon the enemy, the Assyrians, and they saw what a great and formidable army it was, and they knew they could not fight against it. So they trembled and were in great distress.
33/ Now look at stanza #2 verse 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.
Notice the contrast. The raging sea outside of Jerusalem and there was within what Hezekiah called a river, the streams thereof to make glad the city of God.
34/ Foreseeing such an emergency as the siege of the Assyrians, Hezekiah had wisely provided an abundant supply of water for the city.
II Kings 20: 20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
He made a pool, a conduit and brought water into the city so that however long a siege might continue the city would not be without a plentiful supply of water—what a wonderful thing to have during a time of siege.
35/ Was this what Hezekiah referred to when he wrote about the river, the streams whereof made glad the city of God? Absolutely not. For he declares that these refreshing streams issue from the Holy place. The dwelling place of the Most High. Notice, God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. God shall help her, and that right early.
36/ Verse 7 The stanza closes with the words, the Lord of Hosts is with us, the Lord of Jacob is our refuge—Selah.
You look back upon the life of Jacob, and you realize one thing that stands out. Jacob wanted God and His blessing, therefore we read in Psalm 146: 5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help.
37/ As we apply this to our everyday life, we realize in this gloomy world, this world of sorrow, war, crime, our refreshment is not in circumstances, nor in things, but in God himself, in Christ, in Whom we have been made one.
38/ Philippians 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say, Rejoice.
39/ I often marvel at Paul as he was in prison in Rome.
Read Ephesians 6: 10 - 14 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Paul knew what that meant. He was being severely tested at this point, and having done all to stand therefore.
Ephesians 3: 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
(Editor: And having done all that you can, STAND.)
AMEN
REF: 11/15/1981 / 642-2 A VERY PRESENT HELP / 01/19/2021
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