A Mighty Fortress:
When we are engaged in difficult circumstances and struggles,
we are to be assured that someday we will dwell safely in a heavenly city
that will never be destroyed.
Here's Gene:
Earlier in Psalm 44, the whole thrust of that psalm, was God silent?
In this psalm it's just the opposite. God
is not silent. And you see that right
here in the first verse, Psalm 46:1:
"God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is
always found in times of trouble. ... The LORD of hosts
is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold."
This is not a reflection that you feel God is silent.
This is a reflection that God is here. God is present. We can trust Him.
He is active in our lives. And again as Francis Schaeffer
wrote, "He is here and He is not silent."
And he wrote that during a period
of what we might call the "silent years" where God is not manifesting Himself
in incredible miracles. But that doesn't mean He isn't here. One of the greatest
miracles is He's given us the Word of God, which describes
who He is and His presence. Now,
when you look at this, again, you have,
definitely, a historic reference
to Jerusalem. Here it is.
Again, let me just say that "God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found in times
of trouble." Now, I believe that
this could be referring to some kings. Some good kings.
By the way, when you look at the northern kingdoms,
there were no good kings. They were all evil.
When you look at the southern kingdoms
and the kings in the southern kingdom of Judah,
there were a few good ones. Most of them were
evil. One of the good ones, by the way, was
King Hezekiah. In fact,
we read that "there was not one like him," before
or after, as far as the kings of Judah.
He was a very righteous King. Wasn't perfect.
But he was very righteous. And because
of his activity. Because he destroyed the Baals. He destroyed the
idols. He destroyed the high places where they were worshiping false gods.
God, in one instance, in 2 Kings
chapters 18 and 19, we see a marvelous story
of God giving Hezekiah, miraculously,
incredible victory over the king
of Assyria. In fact, it was tons of loss of life.
Not because of what the army's of Judah were doing but because of
God's miraculous
protection of them. God was there. God was their refuge.
Another illustration might be
King Jehoshaphat. Now, Jehoshaphat was a good king, as well, in Judah. But not
totally as righteous and as good a king as Hezekiah
because Jehoshaphat did not destroy the high places.
But relatively speaking, compared with the others,
he was a good king. And God gave him victory over the
Moabites and the Ammonites. And Jerusalem is mentioned:
victory over the city of Jerusalem.
So here we have references
to victories that God gave
to righteous kings. Now notice Psalm 46:4.
Here's the historic because it's referring to Jerusalem.
No question. "There is a river--its streams delight
the City of God," ... And the City of God is Jerusalem.
... "the holy dwelling place of the Most High."
That's a historic reference. And it's making reference to Siloam stream. Those of us who've been to Israel,
we've seen what was the Siloam
spring where the blind man,
in John chapter 9, went and washed the mud off of his eyes.
And right there by Siloam spring
is Hezekiah's tunnel, 1,500 feet
under the city of Jerusalem. You can walk it. And it's an incredible experience.
You're in the dark except for a flashlight, walking through water
up to your knees. That stream
still flows today in Jerusalem. It's a marvelous,
marvelous, incredible work: the way in which they
built that tunnel to bring fresh water into Jerusalem during the time
of Hezekiah. Now that's historic. Right?
But look at Revelation 22.
This is not referring to a stream
in Jerusalem today. Or even in Hezekiah's day.
This is an eternal river.
An eternal river. "Then he showed me the river
of living water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God
and of the Lamb down the middle of the broad street of the city."
This is not an historic city
or a present city. This is a future city.
This is the New Jerusalem that is referred to
in Scripture. In fact, the author of Hebrews
made reference to this city even
when Abraham was called. And notice what we read:
"By faith Abraham, when he was called,
obeyed [and he] went out to a place he was going to
receive as an inheritance." Now he left Ur of the Chaldees.
He was a pagan. He worshiped false gods.
God in His grace called him. Called him,
his wife Sarah, and his family.
And "He went out, not knowing where he was going."
This was God's sovereign grace in his life.
"By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the
land of promise," ... There we have
Canaan. ... "living in tents with Isaac
and Jacob, [who were] coheirs of the same promise."
And this was a new experience
because Abraham was a very wealthy man. And back in Ur of the Chaldees
he wasn't living in tents.
He was living in, probably, somewhat of a palatial
type of setting. But now he's a foreigner. We read about that:
"For he was looking forward to" ... What?
"The city." What is that city?
It's the new Jerusalem. Didn't understand it all,
but he had enough knowledge that he was looking forward
to the city. "[For] he was looking forward
to the city that has foundations,
whose architect and builder is God."
That is not the historic Jerusalem.
This is the new Jerusalem and we read about this
in Revelation 21
where John had this incredible vision.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away," ... Now, literally,
that's talking about what you see when you look into
the sky. And even through a telescope beyond which we cannot even conceive what's
out there. A new heaven and a new earth. This is referring to the earth on which we live.
... "for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away, and the sea no longer
existed." Then John says,
"I also saw the Holy City,
new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride
adorned for her husband."
Again, that metaphorical language of the bride
and the husband, of course, which represents the Lord
Jesus Christ. Marvelous,
incredible scene in relationship to
what God has repaired for us
eternally. Those of us who've been to Israel--
it's just an incredible experience.
And it's just a marvelous experience to go into Jerusalem today. But to imagine
a new Jerusalem. But back to the historic setting
and the present. You see, this was a psalm
that Martin Luther really was inspired
to write his song "A mighty Fortress is our God."
So here is the question for reflection and response:
When Martin Luther penned the hymn "A Mighty Fortress is our God," which is based
on the psalm, why did he often refer to our battle against Satan and evil?
Because we are in a battle. Now. Satan is alive and well.
And Martin Luther, of all people, sensed that battle.
Because he was in an unusual struggle, breaking away
from false teaching and coming into a knowledge
of justification by faith and faith alone.
And when you read these words, it takes on real meaning.
The song really has powerful,
powerful meaning as it grows out
of Luther's experience. He wrote: "A mighty fortress is our God."
And of course, this is a translation from the German.
But in essence, this captures what was written in German:
"A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe;" ... Who's that? That's Satan.
... "For still our ancient foe; doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate
on earth is not his equal."
Then we have the 2nd verse and you can see the relationship here.
"Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing," ...
He couldn't win this battle.
... "were not the right man on our side," ... Who's that? Jesus Christ.
... "the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask you that may be?" ... Well here's the answer.
... "Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name, from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle."
Verse 3: "And though this world, with devils filled," ...
And of course, I'm sure he was thinking about Ephesians 6 where we have all
these principalities and evil that surround us.
"And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us."
As a body of believers, he's talking about here.
"The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him." And what is that word?
Well in the 4th stanza, Luther wrote:
"That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours, thru him who with us sideth."
In other words, this is the Word become flesh. Jesus Christ.
"Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
the body" ... And this sounds like the apostle Paul.
... "the body they may kill; God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever."
So Luther was inspired by the truth
for the present. Although this projects to the future
in the new Jerusalem, it also applies to the present.