Rejoicing In National Freedom - Psalm 46
Rejoicing In National Freedom - Psalm 46
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 3, 2001 AM
What does the Fourth of July mean for you? Is it just another day to have off from work or do you pause and take notice of the nation and country you live in? Do you remember the story of freedom and the war for independence fought by those who were willing to risk it all for freedom’s cause? Independence Day is more than fireworks, picnics, and flags. It is the rejoicing and remembering that this grand experiment, this beautiful nation, this land of golden opportunity is like no other on earth. I believe this is true simply because of the grace and mercy of our Lord and God.
The nation Israel rejoiced in her national freedom as well. No other nation or people enjoyed such God-given personal freedom. When others asked, “What nationality are you?” they would respond with pride, “I am a Hebrew.” The Apostle Paul would remember with pride that he was “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews (Philippians 3:5)!” Even the sailors who demanded to know who the prophet Jonah was became frightened when he replied, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." (Jonah 1:9) Why this pride? Why this independent spirit? Simple, they knew whom they believed in and they knew where real freedom came from. This morning, before we celebrate another Independence Day, let us pause along with the Psalmist to remember where national freedom comes from and rejoice together in that truth.
READ: Psalm 46
Have we forgotten the hymn that rallied millions to the cause of the Reformation? “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing! Our helper He amidst the flood, Of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, And armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal.” And it goes on to remind us that “Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God’s own choosing; Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabbath, His name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle!” Amen! Martin Luther understood God is our fortress. The writer of the Psalm knew this to be true as well and we find the Psalmist exhorting us to remember…
I. God is our mighty fortress (vv. 1-3, 7, 11)!
1. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble!
1) The Psalmist knew where his nation’s power and might came from! David would sing, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God (Psalm 20:7).” Here, we see the Psalmist declaring that God is literally his nation’s “shelter from danger.” Nevertheless, also be aware of the word “our.” God is the believer’s refuge and strength, not for those who do not care! God is the helper of those who trust in His power and might. The motto that used to be this nation’s most treasured power is stamped on every coin: “In God we trust.” Do you know the Lord God as a refuge and strength?
2) Notice too that those who enjoy the freedom that only God can bring! The Psalmist would cry, “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging!” He knew the believer could trust in God to keep them safe. The Psalmist would later declare that, “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them (Psalm 145:18-19). Those who know God can run to him for safety!
3) God’s saints need not fear, even if many perils come against them! The language describes how great the perils may be that could come. No matter what happens, those trusting in Him are safe. The writer of Hebrews would say, “It is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf (Hebrews 6:18-20).” What anchors your soul during times of trouble when “waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging?” The believer’s freedom is found in the fortress of God!
EXAMPLE: Many live in fear in our nation today. I watched a special on ABC several years ago where John Stossel graphically proved how environmental groups have frightened even small schoolchildren into thinking that the oceans are rising, the climate is warming, and the forests are disappearing. Many were visibly scared. The sad fact is none of it is true. In fact, the earth’s temperature was much warmer during Jesus’ day and fluctuates regularly being much warmer or colder than it is now. The rain forest is not being bulldozed at the rates that have been grossly reported, and in fact, there is more forested land now in the USA than in the 1920s! The oceans have not risen and the weather is the same now as it always has been, we just have better weather reporting. Storms are not any fiercer, more frequent, or bigger than they ever have been according to NASA and the National Weather Service. Then why so much fear? I believe it is because people have misplaced their faith and trust in God. When schoolchildren are encouraged to worship Mother Earth in class, they begin to doubt the God who made the universe in the first place. Like the Israelites who needed to be reminded that God is to be our refuge and strength, we need to be told again as well. Freedom is found in knowing God is our mighty fortress!
When the young GI marched into the war-torn town in Italy, he heard over and over from the people, “Now we’re free, the Americans are here!” When the sights and sounds of the battle died down and the enemy had been repulsed back into the jungles of Vietnam for the seventh time, a cheer went up because there aloft and still blowing in the breeze was a small American flag. It reminded the men what they were fighting for, and when thousands of people make their way to this country each year, some legally and some illegally it is for the same reason: freedom. The Psalmist knew what this meant. He sang…
II. The Lord Almighty is with us (vv. 4-6)!
1. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells!
1) For the nation or individual who trusts in God, there is always a place of peace and joy! This is why the writer would write about “a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.” The Psalmist knew that “God is within her!” God was there in His temple in Jerusalem! The Psalmist could look up, see the temple, and know His God was always there. David would shout, “Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:4-5)!” There is comfort and calm found in the life that trusts in the Lord!
2) When God is within a nation, she cannot fail! The wonderful truth for any country, large like the USA or small like Israel, is that if God is at the core of the people’s faith “she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” Many nations have begun to trust in their ability to rule kingdoms, financial markets, or schools of learning and then have faltered and failed. They are in the dustbins of history. Look at the Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, or even Great Britain. Did you know that England’s national hymn used to say, “Hail Britannia, Britannia rules the waves”? This is no longer true. Why? It’s once grand cathedrals were filled with people, but now they are inhabited by insects and tourists. They have forgotten the Lord.
3) The Psalmist understood the truth that the God of Jacob must be a nation’s strength! The reason was obvious: “Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.” All God has to do is “lift his voice.” Nations can rage and rule, but all God has to do is speak and any nation is dust. It is interesting because the word for “nation” here is the Hebrew goyee meaning “heathen,” anyone who did not know God. There are those within our nation that rage like the heathen, but God is not moved. His truth and freedom is found in faith. The Lord Almighty is with us!
EXAMPLE: Years later, however, the city of Jerusalem did fall. Because of extensive idolatry in the temple (Ezekiel 8) and God’s presence left Israel and the temple (Ezekiel 10). Without His protective presence, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. Her walls were destroyed; her people were taken captive, and her wealth stolen. So great was her destruction that many years later Nehemiah would cry over the extensive damage and how Jerusalem was like a heap of rubble. Today we can go to several once great nations and see for ourselves that when God is forgotten in their midst, they are but dust and rubble. Even some modern cities like Paris are just rotten gutted places of degeneracy whose churches are silent. Is the same dust of death silently falling like ash on the cities of America? Perhaps. More than ever, it is time for God’s people to sing anew the song that the Lord Almighty is with us!
I want you to know that I am unashamedly patriotic. Like James Cagney who sang “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” I often feel that I am also “a real live nephew of my Uncle Sam.” I still get teary-eyed when the national anthem is sung at baseball games or when I see the flag pass by being carried with respect and dignity. However amidst all the patriotism and fondness that I have for America I realize that not all of this freedom I enjoy would ever have been possible without God’s direction and purpose. The Psalmist realized that as well for his nation. In fact, he sang that we are to…
III. Remember the saving deeds of God (vv. 8-10)!
1. Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth!
1) The Psalmist challenges us to come and look for ourselves at God’s “works”! Notice that he lists several of them for us: 1) God causes “desolations” (literally “wonderful things”)! Things like storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and such are the mighty works of God. He created them and they display just a portion of His power. 2) God “makes wars cease to the ends of the earth!” Only when mankind returns to God and recognizes the evil of war, can they cease. Isaiah reminds us that when God’s kingdom comes on earth nations will “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) Only when a nation remembers the works of God can it know real peace.
2) The Psalmist realized that proper peace is found only in the presence of God! God Himself calls for the people to trust in Him and know that He is God, for He will be exalted throughout the earth. Habakkuk reminds us that “the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him (Habakkuk 2:20).” The Psalmist reminds us that God calls us to "Be still, and know that I am God.”
EXAMPLE: One of the hardest things for many of us to do is to be silent. We do not like quiet. We like our rock music, our loud cars, and our surround sound TVs, our movies loud, in stereo, high definition, and earth shattering! Yet, if we are but silent for a few moments and allow God to speak to us, we will “Know that the LORD is God. It is he, who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3).” Jesus is called the Prince of Peace for a reason, because he brings inner peace to us and turns away God’s wrath. It is time for us as a nation to be reminded of the words of the Lord: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” We must remember the saving deeds of God!
Conclusion:
When the pilgrims first landed on this nation’s desolate shores so far from home, the first thing they did was kneel in prayer to remember Jesus Christ and His unfailing love for them. When Abraham Lincoln went to the battlefield of Gettysburg, he reminded his listeners of the presence of an almighty God who loved this nation. When George Washington gave his farewell address, he reminded the people that this nation would not long endure without the hand of God being recognized by its people. The news media was often perplexed as to why President Bush began each day in prayer. There is a reason for this. I told you before that I am unashamedly patriotic. Yet I am also unashamedly devout in my remembrance of the freedom I enjoy because of God’s hand on this nation. Today, the Psalmist reminds us: God is our mighty fortress, no matter what he is with us, and we need to remember the saving deeds of God!
----
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2011 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 3, 2001 AM
What does the Fourth of July mean for you? Is it just another day to have off from work or do you pause and take notice of the nation and country you live in? Do you remember the story of freedom and the war for independence fought by those who were willing to risk it all for freedom’s cause? Independence Day is more than fireworks, picnics, and flags. It is the rejoicing and remembering that this grand experiment, this beautiful nation, this land of golden opportunity is like no other on earth. I believe this is true simply because of the grace and mercy of our Lord and God.
The nation Israel rejoiced in her national freedom as well. No other nation or people enjoyed such God-given personal freedom. When others asked, “What nationality are you?” they would respond with pride, “I am a Hebrew.” The Apostle Paul would remember with pride that he was “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews (Philippians 3:5)!” Even the sailors who demanded to know who the prophet Jonah was became frightened when he replied, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." (Jonah 1:9) Why this pride? Why this independent spirit? Simple, they knew whom they believed in and they knew where real freedom came from. This morning, before we celebrate another Independence Day, let us pause along with the Psalmist to remember where national freedom comes from and rejoice together in that truth.
READ: Psalm 46
Have we forgotten the hymn that rallied millions to the cause of the Reformation? “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing! Our helper He amidst the flood, Of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, And armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal.” And it goes on to remind us that “Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God’s own choosing; Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabbath, His name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle!” Amen! Martin Luther understood God is our fortress. The writer of the Psalm knew this to be true as well and we find the Psalmist exhorting us to remember…
I. God is our mighty fortress (vv. 1-3, 7, 11)!
1. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble!
1) The Psalmist knew where his nation’s power and might came from! David would sing, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God (Psalm 20:7).” Here, we see the Psalmist declaring that God is literally his nation’s “shelter from danger.” Nevertheless, also be aware of the word “our.” God is the believer’s refuge and strength, not for those who do not care! God is the helper of those who trust in His power and might. The motto that used to be this nation’s most treasured power is stamped on every coin: “In God we trust.” Do you know the Lord God as a refuge and strength?
2) Notice too that those who enjoy the freedom that only God can bring! The Psalmist would cry, “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging!” He knew the believer could trust in God to keep them safe. The Psalmist would later declare that, “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them (Psalm 145:18-19). Those who know God can run to him for safety!
3) God’s saints need not fear, even if many perils come against them! The language describes how great the perils may be that could come. No matter what happens, those trusting in Him are safe. The writer of Hebrews would say, “It is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf (Hebrews 6:18-20).” What anchors your soul during times of trouble when “waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging?” The believer’s freedom is found in the fortress of God!
EXAMPLE: Many live in fear in our nation today. I watched a special on ABC several years ago where John Stossel graphically proved how environmental groups have frightened even small schoolchildren into thinking that the oceans are rising, the climate is warming, and the forests are disappearing. Many were visibly scared. The sad fact is none of it is true. In fact, the earth’s temperature was much warmer during Jesus’ day and fluctuates regularly being much warmer or colder than it is now. The rain forest is not being bulldozed at the rates that have been grossly reported, and in fact, there is more forested land now in the USA than in the 1920s! The oceans have not risen and the weather is the same now as it always has been, we just have better weather reporting. Storms are not any fiercer, more frequent, or bigger than they ever have been according to NASA and the National Weather Service. Then why so much fear? I believe it is because people have misplaced their faith and trust in God. When schoolchildren are encouraged to worship Mother Earth in class, they begin to doubt the God who made the universe in the first place. Like the Israelites who needed to be reminded that God is to be our refuge and strength, we need to be told again as well. Freedom is found in knowing God is our mighty fortress!
When the young GI marched into the war-torn town in Italy, he heard over and over from the people, “Now we’re free, the Americans are here!” When the sights and sounds of the battle died down and the enemy had been repulsed back into the jungles of Vietnam for the seventh time, a cheer went up because there aloft and still blowing in the breeze was a small American flag. It reminded the men what they were fighting for, and when thousands of people make their way to this country each year, some legally and some illegally it is for the same reason: freedom. The Psalmist knew what this meant. He sang…
II. The Lord Almighty is with us (vv. 4-6)!
1. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells!
1) For the nation or individual who trusts in God, there is always a place of peace and joy! This is why the writer would write about “a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.” The Psalmist knew that “God is within her!” God was there in His temple in Jerusalem! The Psalmist could look up, see the temple, and know His God was always there. David would shout, “Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:4-5)!” There is comfort and calm found in the life that trusts in the Lord!
2) When God is within a nation, she cannot fail! The wonderful truth for any country, large like the USA or small like Israel, is that if God is at the core of the people’s faith “she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” Many nations have begun to trust in their ability to rule kingdoms, financial markets, or schools of learning and then have faltered and failed. They are in the dustbins of history. Look at the Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, or even Great Britain. Did you know that England’s national hymn used to say, “Hail Britannia, Britannia rules the waves”? This is no longer true. Why? It’s once grand cathedrals were filled with people, but now they are inhabited by insects and tourists. They have forgotten the Lord.
3) The Psalmist understood the truth that the God of Jacob must be a nation’s strength! The reason was obvious: “Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.” All God has to do is “lift his voice.” Nations can rage and rule, but all God has to do is speak and any nation is dust. It is interesting because the word for “nation” here is the Hebrew goyee meaning “heathen,” anyone who did not know God. There are those within our nation that rage like the heathen, but God is not moved. His truth and freedom is found in faith. The Lord Almighty is with us!
EXAMPLE: Years later, however, the city of Jerusalem did fall. Because of extensive idolatry in the temple (Ezekiel 8) and God’s presence left Israel and the temple (Ezekiel 10). Without His protective presence, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. Her walls were destroyed; her people were taken captive, and her wealth stolen. So great was her destruction that many years later Nehemiah would cry over the extensive damage and how Jerusalem was like a heap of rubble. Today we can go to several once great nations and see for ourselves that when God is forgotten in their midst, they are but dust and rubble. Even some modern cities like Paris are just rotten gutted places of degeneracy whose churches are silent. Is the same dust of death silently falling like ash on the cities of America? Perhaps. More than ever, it is time for God’s people to sing anew the song that the Lord Almighty is with us!
I want you to know that I am unashamedly patriotic. Like James Cagney who sang “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” I often feel that I am also “a real live nephew of my Uncle Sam.” I still get teary-eyed when the national anthem is sung at baseball games or when I see the flag pass by being carried with respect and dignity. However amidst all the patriotism and fondness that I have for America I realize that not all of this freedom I enjoy would ever have been possible without God’s direction and purpose. The Psalmist realized that as well for his nation. In fact, he sang that we are to…
III. Remember the saving deeds of God (vv. 8-10)!
1. Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth!
1) The Psalmist challenges us to come and look for ourselves at God’s “works”! Notice that he lists several of them for us: 1) God causes “desolations” (literally “wonderful things”)! Things like storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and such are the mighty works of God. He created them and they display just a portion of His power. 2) God “makes wars cease to the ends of the earth!” Only when mankind returns to God and recognizes the evil of war, can they cease. Isaiah reminds us that when God’s kingdom comes on earth nations will “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) Only when a nation remembers the works of God can it know real peace.
2) The Psalmist realized that proper peace is found only in the presence of God! God Himself calls for the people to trust in Him and know that He is God, for He will be exalted throughout the earth. Habakkuk reminds us that “the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him (Habakkuk 2:20).” The Psalmist reminds us that God calls us to "Be still, and know that I am God.”
EXAMPLE: One of the hardest things for many of us to do is to be silent. We do not like quiet. We like our rock music, our loud cars, and our surround sound TVs, our movies loud, in stereo, high definition, and earth shattering! Yet, if we are but silent for a few moments and allow God to speak to us, we will “Know that the LORD is God. It is he, who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3).” Jesus is called the Prince of Peace for a reason, because he brings inner peace to us and turns away God’s wrath. It is time for us as a nation to be reminded of the words of the Lord: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” We must remember the saving deeds of God!
Conclusion:
When the pilgrims first landed on this nation’s desolate shores so far from home, the first thing they did was kneel in prayer to remember Jesus Christ and His unfailing love for them. When Abraham Lincoln went to the battlefield of Gettysburg, he reminded his listeners of the presence of an almighty God who loved this nation. When George Washington gave his farewell address, he reminded the people that this nation would not long endure without the hand of God being recognized by its people. The news media was often perplexed as to why President Bush began each day in prayer. There is a reason for this. I told you before that I am unashamedly patriotic. Yet I am also unashamedly devout in my remembrance of the freedom I enjoy because of God’s hand on this nation. Today, the Psalmist reminds us: God is our mighty fortress, no matter what he is with us, and we need to remember the saving deeds of God!
----
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2011 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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