Be Still…

Berean Baptist on June 20, 2016

 

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. (Psalms 46:10-11)

The Lord always has a purpose in the way He leads and it is always best to surrender to His divine purpose. If I had things my way, I would rather our congregational reading of the Psalms would fall at some different place than Psalm 46. This psalm is better suited for the message I will bring next week, but God has providentially decided this is what we should read this week.

There are allusions in this psalm to the tribulation in the end times when the nation of Israel will be rocked like never before. Verses 2 and 3 are compelling references to that horrible time. It is very difficult to imagine things could be worse for the Jewish people since Jesus pronounced an ominous forecast for them in Matthew 23:38. He said, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” This was the sure prediction of the fall of the entire Jewish system when both the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. Since that time, the Jews have been vagabonds, and in every century they have been hated above all people with many attempts made to exterminate them. If Hitler had been successful in winning in World War II, it may very well be the Jews would be nonexistent today. However, we know God still has His plan and no government nor any tyrant will destroy His chosen people from the earth.

Remarkably, the 46th Psalm was written at a time when another despot tried to destroy Israel. This was Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, who besieged Jerusalem with a great army and made plans to assault and destroy her if Israel did not surrender. King Hezekiah saw this massive force that was about to invade and he humbly went before God to implore Him for relief. The relief Hezekiah sought was quickly forthcoming without Israel shooting a single arrow in her defense. Instead, God dispatched one angel in the night who killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers as they slept. Within days, Sennacherib returned to Nineveh where he worshipped in the temple of his heathen god. As he did, his own sons came and murdered him. Psalm 46 was written in celebration of this silent victory. “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

In the last days during the time of tribulation, Israel will once again face extermination. The Antichrist will throw the combined forces of the world’s armies against her in an attempt to do what Satan has never before accomplished. By God’s marvelous providence, the God of Jacob will come to Israel’s aid. In Matthew 23:39, Jesus said He would not return for the Jews until they say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” He has not returned because Israel is not ready to turn to Him. Israel does not acknowledge Christ as king. In the worst days of the tribulation when Satan sends a flood against them, they will do what Hezekiah did. They will turn to the Lord as their only help and they will cry out for Him to deliver them. The great Sovereign will hear their cry and He will step foot on the Mount of Olives, the same place from which He ascended, and He will call a host of angels to come destroy the armies of the Antichrist just as He did the armies of Sennacherib.

Psalm 46 has always been a great comfort to those facing impossible situations. Martin Luther penned his great hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God from this psalm. Soldiers have sung its words before going into battle. Persecuted Christians have relied on it when facing torturous deaths. Perhaps you can find comfort in it today. The worst you can imagine is no match for God. Be still and wait. Call on Him and then wait quietly while He does His work. He is with us—the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Fairest Lord Jesus

Berean Baptist on June 4, 2016

Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. (Psalms 45:2)

When Jesus gave His disciples the model prayer, He first ascribed honor to God by saying, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”  This was His address to teach us that before we begin to speak to God, we must acknowledge His name is holy and He stands above all the creation. This address to the Father is preparation for the cry that should be on the lips of all God’s creatures. Jesus taught us to say, “Thy kingdom come.”

Our congregational reading today is from Psalm 45 which is one of the most outstanding of the psalms concerning the King of this great kingdom. A plea for the kingdom to come is not just for a change in the corruption that now exists in the world; it is not just for the lifting of the curse and the desire for our lives to be better. It is a joyful longing to see the King Himself. “Thy kingdom come,” is the plea for Heaven’s beautiful sovereign to come in splendor and glory, to be present with us, and to shine His radiance about us.

As the psalmist began this psalm, such sublime thoughts were the attitude of his heart. He picked up his pen and praises began to flow effortlessly as the ink went down on the parchment. He thought about the King and with enraptured thoughts he began to describe Him: “Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips…” Doesn’t this sound like John who in the gospel account wrote: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)? No one who has seen Christ by faith has any other view of Him. The psalmist wrote his words by faith for he had not seen Christ. How would he know what to expect? This is what the Holy Spirit does for all who have come to Christ by faith. The Holy Spirit inspired the psalmist as He spoke to his mind the beauties of Christ. He superintended the writing of the psalm. We are not inspired to write scripture but we are inspired with the meaning of it. The Holy Spirit teaches us and when we read these words we feel the same way. The Christ that we have not seen with natural eyes is met through eyes illuminated with faith. We see what we could never see before—in Him is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).

Notice how the psalmist says in verse seven that Christ has been anointed with the oil of gladness. Surely we wonder if he knew the full implications of what he wrote. This King is different from all others because combined in Him are two offices. He is both priest and King which was a combination unknown to Israel. These two offices are separate, always separate. And yet, the King is anointed with the oil of gladness which refers to the anointing oil by which priests were consecrated in their office. The combined kingship and priesthood of Christ is pictured in Melchizedek in the days of Abraham, and David mentions Melchizedek in Psalm 110, but not until we get to Hebrews in the New Testament do we understand the full significance of this mysterious Bible story. Is it not the Holy Spirit who blessed the psalmist’s pen with this thought?

And then we notice verse six in which Christ is declared to be God: “Thy throne, O God, is forever.” Again in Hebrews (1:8), we are told this scripture refers to Christ. Without question He is God, so we need not back down from those who say the Bible declares Jesus to be nothing more than a good man.

This psalm has so many wonderful lessons that like the psalmist it is easy to write and keep on writing. Unfortunately, bulletin articles are not good for endless thoughts. Even the great apostle John knew he could not write forever. He concluded the gospel story by saying the world cannot contain the books that could be written about Christ.

Read this psalm over and over and see if you do not feel the same. Thy Kingdom Come! Pray for it because it is this King that is fairer than the children of men who brings it.

Pastor V. Mark Smith