The God Of Israel Is Our Fortress - The One Year Book of Psalms

Psalm 46:8-11

8Come, see the glorious works of the LORD:

See how he brings destruction upon the world

9and causes wars to end throughout the earth.

He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two;

he burns the shields with fire.

10“Be silent, and know that I am God!

I will be honored by every nation.

I will be honored throughout the world.”

11The LORD Almighty is here among us;

the God of Israel is our fortress.

Interlude

The fourteenth century was not a good time to be Russian. The Mongol hordes, led by Genghis Khan, had invaded a century earlier and still dominated Russia. The people chafed under “the Mongol yoke.”

But there was a quiet Christian renewal going on. Seeking new intimacy with God, a man named Sergius had established a monastic community outside of Moscow. The spiritual fervor of these monks caught on in the surrounding communities as nobles and peasants alike sought to know God better. It also inspired an artistic explosion, as new religious icons were created in many churches in the area.

During this time twelve-year-old Dmitry became Grand Prince of Russia. Living in Moscow, he learned a great deal from this Christian leader, Sergius. When Dmitry later gathered Russian forces to fight the Mongols, he encouraged his outnumbered troops with the words of Psalm 46: “The Lord Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” Emboldened by these words, Dmitry won an important battle against the Mongols.

Now we must be careful not to conclude that God will reward us with victory simply because we claim Psalm 46 as our battle cry. We can see from verse 9 that God ultimately desires peace, and eventually he will cause all wars to end. But we can be certain that God is our fortress, and we can look to him for our refuge from those who seek to harm us.

Be still, my soul:

Thy best, thy heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways

Leads to a joyful end.

KATHARINA VON SCHLEGEL

Fascinating Fact

On his deathbed, John Wesley found peace in the reading of this psalm.

Notable Quotable

Verse 10 “resembles the command to another raging sea: ‘Peace be still!’ and the end in view is stated in terms not of man’s hopes but of God’s glory.”

DEREK KIDNER