(6) The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. (7) The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Psalm 46:6-7

Explanation

At the end of this second stanza of the psalm, we are introduced to another kind of chaos and difficulty, especially for those who abide in Jerusalem, the city of God. Raging and moving heathens are coming for the people of God. Political and military might is foaming like the waters that roar, and like the mountains that are moving back in verse 2 and 3. 

To have whole raging kingdoms set themselves against your people and your city would certainly be cause for concern. We have seen the commentators, the talking heads on tv, pontificate about the potential dangers of nations across the world. We have probably had some bit of anxiety at some point about what could happen. The people of Jerusalem, the walled city of God, certainly could have had that same fear, but in much greater quantities, seeing the closeness of their enemies.

But they have already said their attitude towards these heathen hosts. They will not fear. Why? Because God is their refuge and strength. He is their help in trouble. 

Specifically in verse 6 the solution to the raging heathen is clear. “He uttered his voice, the earth melted.” The word for melted is a very descriptive word. It could mean melt like soften. The heathen are the mountain threatening to topple upon us, and God melts them. God softens them. Do you see in that the chaos becoming calm? The rage being melted? They are no match for merely his Word.

In verse 6, two names of God are given. It’s repeated in verse 11. Some think that when the psalm was sung that they would have repeated it between verses 3 and 4 like a refrain. 

The LORD of Hosts- Hosts are armies. He certainly was the LORD of the Army of Israel. He is also the God of angel armies. This is a cause for confidence.

The God of Jacob- Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “wrestles with God”. This was the name of their nation, and the patriarch, Jacob, certainly had wrestled with God. In that way, God had wrestled with and conquered Israel. They had submitted to him, and now He is with them. He is their refuge. The God who makes the mountains melt is the one on their side!

Application 

The fear of man is certainly a snare, a trap. We can spend a lot of time and energy worrying about what decision we should make based on the reaction of other people. Sometimes the question we ask is, “What will that person think?”, rather than “What is the right thing to do?”, or similarly and importantly, “What does God want?”. My security is found in the truth that when I do what God wants I am leaning into the truth, by faith, that He is my refuge. He is with me. What can the difficulty brought by others ultimately do to me? He makes the mountain melt with His Word.

Response

While it is not wrong to consider the response of others, today Father, I must seek to care about what you think and what you want as primary. Help me to make the most of my time, but not miss you in the midst of it. Thank you for being my calm in the difficulty. Amen.