Does Psalm 46:10 Encourage the Believer to Rest in God?
The Church has been drawn to a lot of “feel-good’ plaintive choruses
including ‘Be Still and Know That I Am God.[1]’ As a new Christian I recall singing that in
the churches I attended. It was
comforting and consoling.
Be
still and know that I am God
Be
still and know that I am God
Be
still and know that I am God
I am the Lord that healeth thee;
My boundless mercy shall endure; I love you with a steadfast love; and ending
with In Thee O Lord I put my trust
This chorus is based upon Psalm 46:10 (ESV), 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be
exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46 is related to Psalm 45 in that is
describes God’s rule over the world. This psalm was the basis for Luther’s famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is
Our God.” “Nothing in the text specifies the occasion when it was written, but
the destruction of the Assyrian army of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35) is a
dramatic example of the way in which this psalm was fulfilled during the
history of this world.” [2] Reading Spurgeon’s Commentary on this Psalm he
writes, “Hold off your hands, ye enemies! Sit down and wait in patience,
ye believers! Acknowledge that Jehovah is God, ye who feel the terrors of his
wrath!”[3] Who is to be still? God’s enemies? The nations? Or the Church,
the People of God?
Structure
Psalm 46 is divided into two by an important insertion: “The Lord
of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” (Psalm 46:7 and 11 ESV) Verses
1-7 form the first stanza and verses 8-11 for the second. Because the first half exclaims the glorious
relationship with God, we assume that the second half is written to the same
audience. But the tone and audience of
this Psalm change in verse 8. The latter part describes God’s war against His
enemies.
The Immediate Context: Psalm 46:8–10 (ESV)
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on
the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of
the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots 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!”
English Text
Comparison:
|
ESV
|
NIV
|
KJV
|
TANAKH
(The Jewish Bible)
|
|
““Be still, and
know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in
the earth!””
|
“He says, “Be
still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be
exalted in the earth.””
|
“Be still, and
know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in
the earth.”
|
““Desist! Realize
that I am God! I dominate the nations; I
dominate the earth.””
|
The key question is,
“Who is this passage written to?” The
notes in the ESV Study Bible conclude: “Since the address in v. 10, be still,
and know, is plural, readers should imagine God speaking these words to the
nations, among whom he will eventually be exalted.”[4]
The notation in the NET Bible would affirm this perspective. “This statement may be addressed to the hostile nations, indicating
they should cease their efforts to destroy God’s people, or to Judah,
indicating they should rest secure in God’s protection. Since the psalm is an
expression of Judah’s trust and confidence, it is more likely that the words
are directed to the nations, who are actively promoting chaos and are in need
of a rebuke.”[5]
“God commands the
forces of chaos (vv. 2–3) and the nations (v. 6) to stop their raging and
recognize Him as God (2:10–12).[6]
Likewise the Geneva Study Bible understands the verse: “He warns
them who persecute the Church to cease their cruelty: for also they will feel
that God is too strong for them against whom they fight.”
There are also those that disagree.
For example: “These
words appear to be addressed not to the enemy, but to Israel herself. What joy
is brought to our souls when we are confronted with a problem which has no
solution, and yet God works it out for our good and His glory.”[7]
But the profound expositors Keil & Delitzsch write: “The mighty deeds of Jahve still lie visibly before them
in their results, and those who are without the pale of the church are to see
for themselves and be convinced. In a passage founded upon this, Psalm 66:5, stands מפעלות אלהים;
here, according to Targum and Masora (vid., Psalter, ii. 472),מפעלות יהוה.”
[8]
Summary
Verse 9 gives us the clear context necessary to properly interpret
verse 8. The day is coming when God will
bring all His enemies into submission.
With one command of His voice He will cause wars to cease and He will be
exalted. He will be acknowledged as
God. I believe the New Testament
collorary to this passage is Philippians 2:9–11 (ESV):
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Conclusion
The command to cease striving is very likely God speaking to the
nations who are fighting against His people and His purpose. “You won’t win, so
quit while you can!” I don’t think, in light of this interpretation that
this is a verse a Christian wants to claim.
Claiming it makes you an enemy of God. This would be in line with the
Jewish Targum and some of the Church’s best expositors.
Does this mean that the Believer has no confidence to rest in God? Absolutely we do; but not based upon Psalm
46:10!
[1] Lee Herrington | Tom Fettke, © Words: 1992 Word Music,
LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)
Music: 1986 Word Music, LLC (a div. of
Word Music Group, Inc.)
[2] Brug, J. F. (1989). Psalms 1–72 (2nd ed.). The People’s Bible (192). Milwaukee, WI:
Northwestern Pub. House.
[3] http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps046.htm
[4] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (994). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[5] https://bible.org/netbible/
[6] Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D.,
& Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife
Study Bible (Ps 46:10). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[7] KJV Bible
Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (1040). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.
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