A River That Makes Glad the City of God

We were supposed to advance in knowledge and make such progress in philosophy and wisdom that the age of peace was to have dawned by now. So much for the Enlightenment! It may not be accurate to say ours is the most tumultuous time in history, but it certainly isn't the least. Global turmoil continues to increase, nations posture for war, and every public gathering must secure against violence whether by a common criminal or by organized terrorism. In every age, believers have put their hope in God in the midst of hardships such as famine, wars and natural disasters as well as the persecution aimed specifically at Christ's followers. Their testimony is for our benefit today, reassuring us that God is a safe and ever present refuge in trouble. As it is written, "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God." This river flows from the very throne of God and of the Lamb, who is Christ, our Savior. It is he who said, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." He is the source of our life... unshakeable, glad-hearted eternal life. What shall we do when all the world seems falling apart? In the midst of both personal tragedy as well as global conflict and turmoil, we put our hope and rest in God, for his life-giving, life-sustaining presence gladdens the hearts of his people with whom he dwells. As we see his sovereign hand at work, his word to us is simply, "Be still and know that I am God." What shall we say but, "Our God is with us!"

Arc, Psalm 46

editing

Psalms 46:1-12

esv

mine

God is our c refuge

God is a safe shelter for us,

and strength,

and it is his power that upholds us,

series

a very d present 2 help

in that he is right at our side, sustaining us

in e trouble.

in the midst of troublesome circumstances.

temporal

actionmanner

Therefore we will not fear

Therefore we will not tremble in fear

f though the earth gives way,

even though all the earth were to tremble and collapse,

though the mountains be moved into g the heart of the sea,

that is, though the mountains were to slide right off their foundations and fall into the depths of the oceans,

though h its waters roar and foam,

or though the oceans were to rise in fierce and devastating waves,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

causing the mountains to shudder as the waves reach their slopes. Meditate on this.

actionresult

alternative

ideaexplanation

concessive

inference

There is i a river whose streams make glad j the city of God,

How can we be so sure? First, there is a river that flows right through the middle of God's city, its life-giving streams gladden the hearts of all God's people dwelling there.

the holy k habitation of the Most High.

to make clear, this is the holy, sacred place where God himself dwells.

l God is in the midst of her;

That is, God's presence is everywhere in that holy city;

she shall not be moved;

therefore she cannot be touched by opposition.

God will help her

God will guard and protect her

when morning dawns.

all through the dark of night, until morning dawns.

m The nations rage,

Yes, the nations are in turmoil,

the kingdoms totter;

and the kingdoms of men rise and fall;

he n utters his voice,

still, all it takes is for God to simply speak the word,

the earth o melts.

and as a result , the earth succumbs to his will.

p The Lord of hosts is with us;

Oh, what shall we say in response but that the Lord of heavens armies is the God who is present at our side;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

again, the God of Jacob is all our safety. Meditate on this.

q Come, behold the works of the Lord,

And second, Come, see for yourself all that God is doing - don't miss his hand in these matters,

how he has brought desolations on the earth.

That is... how he has brought the nations of the earth to nothing,

r He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

In that... he has brought all wars- in every corner of the earth- to a final end,

he s breaks the bow

by destroying their weapons: he shatters their bows at full draw,

and shatters the spear;

he snaps their spears in two,

t he burns the chariots with fire.

he makes a burn pile of their chariots [or shields] .

Tricolon Restatment

restate

Exp

u “Be still,

Therefore, he says to us, "Be still - do not fret and join the fray,

and know that I am God.

and be assured that I am God- sovereign over all the universe.

v I will be exalted among the nations,

Moreover, know that I will be honored as Lord of the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”

that is, I will be honored in every corner of the earth!"

progression

p The Lord of hosts is with us;

Oh, what shall we say in response but that the Lord of heavens armies is the God who is present at our side;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

again, the God of Jacob is all our safety. Meditate on this.

ground

Cross-References: Psalm 48 Psalm 87 Daniel 9:17-19 Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16 Hebrews 12:18-24 Revelation 3:12-13 Revelation 21:1-5, 9-11, 22-27 Revelation 22:1-5

discourse

Comments

Brian Burchell

that's helpful, Michael, thanks for responding.

Brian Burchell

Michael, I really love this! I attempted arcing Ps 46 so your work here was insightful. I particularly like how you added a column "mine" to explain the connection between propositions. Thank you.

Michael Lane

Thanks for the encouragement, Brian. I had landed on this Psalm because v.4 seemed such a rich metaphor, worth digging into. As for the "mine" column, I have found that paraphrasing the text, especially with the aim, as you say, of explaining the connections is one of the hardest yet most rewarding tasks.

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