You Cannot Be Moved
As King Hezekiah looked out beyond the walls of protected Jerusalem, he knew the odds were against him as the massive Assyrian army surrounded the little city. During the days of Hezekiah no more than 10,000 people inhabited Jerusalem, and yet Hezekiah looked out over a sea of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers waiting for the word from their king to ransack Jerusalem.
The walls of Jerusalem were not enough to stop the destructive force of the impatient foreign army, and Assyria in those days was synonymous with devastation and destruction. Hezekiah probably thought this was the end of the kingdom of Judah and its capital city.
The king of Assyria challenged Hezekiah’s faith in the Lord saying to him, “What confidence is this in which you trust?” (2 Kings 18:19), and the Assyrian king did not want to hear Hezekiah say of the Lord, “Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (2 Kings 18:35).
Hezekiah felt trapped both physically and spiritually. The great king cornered Hezekiah inside the walls of Jerusalem and he trapped Hezekiah’s God inside of a box.
God Is Not Moved (Ps. 46:4-7)
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The biblical account above is the backdrop to Psalm 46, “Be still, and know that I am God.” The last thing Hezekiah could do is “be still”: From a human perspective the city and his people were as good as gone. Yet Psalm 46 reminds the frantic and frightened king, “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved” (Ps. 46:4-5).
The psalmist draws Hezekiah’s attention away from his fear (the Assyrian army) and forces him to look toward the Temple, the dwelling place of the Lord, “the tabernacle of the Most High” the protector of Israel who “neither slumbers nor sleeps.”
So if the presence of the Lord is in the city then “she [Jerusalem] shall not be moved.” Even though the odds are against Hezekiah and Jerusalem, God will protect the people and the city.
Our enemy, Satan, works no differently today than he did during the days of Hezekiah. He still desires to draw our attention away from God’s presence in our lives and he demands us to focus on our fears and failures.
The psalmist urges us to have a different attitude when the enemy encroaches on us. Even though the “nations raged, and the kingdoms were moved,” which was Hezekiah’s fear, God’s presence was in the city, so the city remained safe and protected.
Amazingly, the same presence of God that dwelled in the Temple and protected Jerusalem from her enemy now dwells in the lives of those who believe in the Messiah Jesus. So even though the enemy may be surrounding you today, YOU CANNOT BE MOVED!
Click here for Part 1 of What’s Your Source of Confidence where we look at how You Have A Place To Hide (Ps. 46:1-3).
Click here for Part 3 of What’s Your Source of Confidence where we look at how God is with Us (Ps. 46:8-11).
CJK
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