JULY 1, 2024 Psalm 48:2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. Several years ago, while on a trip to Israel, a dear friend of mine said of the land, “There is something in the dirt,” meaning that there was something special […]
JUNE 30, 2024 Psalm 48:1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain. There is an old idiom that says, “familiarity breeds contempt,” meaning that it is our nature to lose respect for a person or situation that we are well acquainted with. In fact, it is our tendency […]
JUNE 28, 2024 Psalm 47:8-9 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. When Jacob was near the end of his life, he called for his sons to gather together so that he might “tell you what shall befall you in […]
JUNE 27, 2024 Psalm 47:5-6 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! There are some who worship God in whispers and soft voices and there are those whose worship is loud and demonstrative. Personally, I’m more […]
JUNE 23, 2024 Psalm 47:1-2 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. Many Jewish commentators consider this psalm to be a sequel to the previous one in which God destroyed the nations’ ability to make war. An […]
JUNE 26, 2024 Psalm 47:3-4 He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. As discussed in the previous devotion, there is coming a day when Israel and the people of God will be elevated to a position […]
JUNE 25, 2024 Psalm 47:3-4 He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. In Genesis 25, there is a prophecy regarding Jacob and Esau in which it is disclosed that the two nations would always be at […]
JUNE 24, 2024 Psalm 47:1-2 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. As discussed in the previous devotion, there is coming a day like nothing experienced since the beginning of time — when God reigns on earth […]
JUNE 22, 2024
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
How many times have we heard this verse recited when we were in times of trouble? We even see it used in artwork to remind us that He is God and that, as weak and helpless beings, we must trust that He will see us through those difficult times. I certainly believe that the sentiment expressed here is valuable and it is needful that we discipline ourselves to be still and let God do what only God can do. However beneficial this idea may be, though, it is not necessarily what the psalmist had in mind when they penned these words.
The Hebrew word translated as “be still” means “to desist, stop” or “stand down.” Viewed within the proper context — God destroying the might of the nations in order to bring peace — it would seem the directive to be still is directed, first and foremost, at the enemies of God. In other words, He is encouraging them to quit resisting His will, to lay down their weapons and to know that He is God. In short, they are not capable of overriding His will in the earth; to the contrary, He will be exalted in the earth by all the nations whether they like it or not.
The main point we need to acknowledge is that God always gives the wicked opportunity to correct their ways before He takes decisive action against them. As it is written, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). These words are not just for the wicked among the nations, but is also true for His people. In fact, this statement in Ezekiel is actually directed at His people. And so, this is how He engages all of us — He gives opportunity for repentance before He administers correction. He prefers that we respond to His correction willingly and quickly without having to suffer public humiliation. But if we refuse, He will be God and we will be compelled to bow the knee. So then, it is always a good idea to stop what we are doing when in opposition to the Almighty and consider that He always wins. None can outsmart or outmaneuver Him but we all have the opportunity and ability to serve Him.
