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Originally posted by Veritas1
reply to post by SatoriTheory
Yes, I corrected it in my post. Mods, would it be possible to change it from psalm 42 to psalm 46. My mistake haha. Thank you.
The first part (verses 1-3) is a defiant declaration of confidence. Not only is God our refuge and strength. We will not be afraid even if we have to face earthquakes, explosions, floods and mountains falling into the sea. Saying that we should believe this is faith at its most romantic. Believing it when we are caught in the middle of a 9/11, an earthquake or a flood is faith at its most challenging. The ancient people of israel; rose to the challenge because of their experiences. The second part of the psalm (verses 4-7) describes an experience of delivrance from catastrophe. The tone of the author's poetry undergoes a surprising change. The waters that were roaring and foaming in verse 3 become the gentle streams of a life-giving river that symbolises God's grace. It gladdens the holy city where He dwells (verse 4). This is Zion which will neverfall even when nations are in uproar and melting away (verses 5-6). In the third part of the psalm the author praises God for his protection and for destroying Israel's enemies and their military equipment. This is probably an historical reference to some epic delivrance of Jerusalem from one of the sieges by attacking armies it faced during the first millennium BC. The destruction of Sennacherib's Assyrian army in 701 BC by plague when it was encamped outside the walls of Jerusalem is the most likely episode to have been in the psalmist's mind. The most dramatic moment in this triumphant account of past delivrances comes when God intervenes with the words: Be still and know that I am God (verse 10). It is an instruction that people under pressure, so often subsumed in the noise, hustle and bustle of their worldly priorities, would do well to take to heart. Sometimes it takes a crisis or catastrophe to bring us into contact with God. but if we want to listen to him and get to know him we must follow his command: Be still.