We can imagine that the Hebrews were
delirious with delight. History had known nothing like it. It was a defeat to
the pride and might of King Sennacherib, a defeat from which he would never
recover. Never again would Assyrian armies tramp across Judean hills. Hezekiah
went quietly to his room, looked over his previous psalm, Psalm 46, the psalm he
wrote the night before reminding himself and the people of the LORD who was their
refuge, their river of life and joy, and the ruler of all the earth.
To really appreciate and understand these Psalms,
please take the time to read about this event in 2 Kings 18-19 and Isaiah 37.
As the people of Israel praise their God
to the Gentiles around them, they make three affirmations about Him.
First in verses 1-4, they acknowledge that
God Is an Awesome King.
In Psalm 46:10, the people were told to “be
still and know that God is their God”.
Remember when the people of Israel left Egypt and they came to the Red
Sea, and Pharoah was pursuing them with his mighty army? The mountains were on both sides, the sea was
in front of them and Pharoah was behind them!
They had no where to go! It was then that Moses said, "Do not be
afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will
accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see
again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your
peace" (Exodus 14:13-14). Maybe
this is what Isaiah and King Hezekiah were thinking about the night before
surrounded by the Assyrian army with no way out!
But now we move from "Be
still" (46:10) to shouting, clapping, and the blowing of trumpets. Jewish
worship was enthusiastic, but they also knew how to be quiet before the Lord
and wait upon Him (Lam. 2:10; Hab. 2:4; Zeph. 1:7; Zech. 2:13). Since the theme
of the psalm is the kingship of the Lord, they worshiped Him the way they
welcomed a new king (1 Samuel 10:24; 2 Kings 11:12-13, 20). "The shout
of a king is among them" (Numbers 23:21).
The early church patterned its worship
after the synagogue and emphasized prayer, the reading and expounding of
Scripture, and the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. When the
Jewish people clapped their hands and shouted, it was to the Lord in response
to His marvelous works. They did not do it to praise the people who
participated in the worship service.
To know God is to know One who is
awesome in all that He is, says, and does (Psalm 65:8; 76:7, 12). Jerusalem's
deliverance from Sennacherib proved once more that the God of Israel was
greater than all gods and deserved all the praise His people could bring to
Him. He gave them victory over the nations in Canaan and gave them the land for
their inheritance (135:4; Ex. 15:17; 19:5; Deut. 4:21, 37-38; 32:8). Since God
chose the Jews in His love and gave them their land in His grace, what right
did the Assyrians have to try to take it from them? (See 2 Chron. 20:10-12.)
The land of Israel is very special to the Lord and He watches over it (Deut.
8:7-20; 11:10-12).
We need to remember today that we are
His chosen ones! Ephesians 1:3-4 tells us, “Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…”. Today we are His special children!
Jesus told us in Matthew 10:29-31, “Are
not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the
ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
You don’t need to fear! You can trust
our awesome God today to take care of your every need!
God bless!
