Psalm Reflection - Week 3

Psalm 46 The God of Hosts is with us: our refuge and strength

Perhaps the line from this psalm that is most familiar is from vs 11: "Be still and know that I am God". Without much difficulty, perhaps we could spend this week simply reflecting on this thought and how it can touch and challenge us. But let us see what else we can find in this psalm that leads us up to this still point of peace and confidence; this sure place where we can live secure in God.

This is another of the Psalms of Zion, not unlike Psalm 122, that extol the importance of the traditions associated with Jerusalem. Zion is the secure fortress, the sanctuary that God chose as his own dwelling place. One desiring to be in God's presence went to Zion and here found life and blessing. In a limited way, Zion/Jerusalem is the political capital of Israel: a geographical place, but more significantly, it becomes a symbol of hope that shines to all parts of the world where God's people are scattered during whichever Exile disperses and threatens them. We also speak of the New Jerusalem where God promises to be with us always - the meaning of the name Emmanuel!

To recall the steps of our prayerful approach to a psalm, we begin by simply reading it then re-reading to note words and ideas that are repeated. It is easy to identify three sections of the psalm, each set off by the repetition of the phrase: "The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold". In the first part (vs 2-4) the image of God's strength is set against the chaos of creation unraveling. Water and sea represent primal chaos that was first ordered by God at creation. Against shaking mountains and raging sea, God stands unshakable. Can you associate any image or time in your own life when such chaos shook the very ground of your being?

The next section also speaks of water, but here it is a gentle river that gives joy and refreshes. For those of us who live in proximity to the shore of Lake Erie or the Niagara River, it is hard for us to imagine living in a place where the morning dew is cause for rejoicing and the tiniest stream is described in terms of a torrent that brings relief to the parched earth. Such is the land of Israel today. The Gihon Spring is a reliable water source that made Jerusalem a place where life was possible. The waters here symbolize something other than the waters of chaos. They are instead the waters that well up from the temple (as in Ezekiel 47). Here, the waters seem to be relocated from the Gihon to the mount of the temple and they flow down, bringing life to the land they touch and even making life in the "Dead Sea" possible!

Can you make some association between this psalm, the related readings and what Jesus says in John 7:37-38?
See Isaiah 12:1-6.

Throughout its history, Jerusalem escaped conquest and destruction several times. As a result of these "miraculous" deliverances, there developed among the people a seeming attitude of security even complacency. They thought since this is the dwelling place of El Elyon (God the Most High) nothing can take this city down, it will stand! Something of this attitude is reflected in this psalm. It is such an attitude that the prophets (especially Jeremiah) tried, unsuccessfully, to overturn. A sense of security is important but complacency can be a real threat to our living dynamically in the presence of God. If we think we are good enough, that we have all the answers; if we think we know where God is to be found, we may be surprised.

As Israel's story unfolds, they come to know that God has gone into Exile with his people and has departed his holy sanctuary. The Prophet Ezekiel makes this clear. It is not in magical expressions and repetitious practices, but in "being still" before this God who is someone we have come to know and to experience. "Be still and know that I am God" … how do you go about this? In Hebrew "to know" is not simply learning about something, but it means to experience it ourselves, intimately. We cannot figure God out. It seems that our minds take us only so far and then we are at the door of faith and mystery. Before this great expanse of unknowing, we can only bow in reverence and wait for God to show us the next step. This is the place of prayer. As important as study will always be to our earthly experience, there is more that we will never know than we will grasp. Prayer, the wise person discovers, is where God speaks to our heart. This reflects an attitude of reverence the Bible calls "Fear of the Lord".

Another step in our approach to a psalm invites us to associate images to other biblical texts. We have done some of this above. This fleshes out the meaning for us who have worked to become familiar with the Bible. One other association that we could point out is the name for God that is used: "El Elyon" meaning God most high, God supreme. It may refer to the high place where God dwells. Mountains are favorite dwelling places of the gods in the minds of ancient peoples. In Genesis 14: 17-24, Abraham comes to Salem (Jerusalem) and is welcomed by Melchizedek who blesses Abraham by God Most High. Abraham in turn invokes El Elyon, the God of Melchizedek, the God of Zion. This name El Elyon remains associated with Jerusalem even after David conquers the city as we see here.

Perhaps I have remained too long in Jerusalem! But having just returned from Israel with the final days spent in Jerusalem, it is fresh. We have "Walked around Zion, numbered its towers, reviewed its ramparts, examined its castles" (Ps 48 - a sister to Psalm 46). I am simply handing on to you what the psalmist instructs us to do in this same psalm (48): "tell the next generation that such is our God forever and ever who will lead us always."

We do not need to visit Jerusalem to experience God. Even Deuteronomy reminds Israel and us:" The word is very near you, already in your heart". It is my hope that these reflections and recollections will enliven your images and hopes. And there will be pictures…lots of pictures!