"The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered His voice, the earth melted." — Psalm 46:6
Our text for today brings to mind another great reference to the "voice" of the Lord; "For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and [the earth] stood fast (Ps. 33:9)." Both speak of the power of God's voice, and/or His word, and together they form "bookends" for creation. The one relates to the origin of creation, the latter to its consummation. The Holy Spirit, through the apostle Peter, amplifies the thought here when He says,"… the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up [II Pet. 310]."
Between these two magnificent utterances lies "The History of the Human Race." Psalm 33 affirms the benevolence of God throughout history: "… the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord (v.5)." In our text for today the emphasis is on the malevolence of man that seems so to dominate history: "The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved… " This depressing note is prominent in scripture, and traced to Adam's foolish concession to the word of the adversary rather than to the Word of the Lord.
David asked, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?", then observed "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us [Ps. 2:1-3]." This disposition is echoed by the church under oppression in Acts 4:25ff, and it is the perspective that tends to dominate our thinking and tempt us to depression if we are sensitive to the state of the world in our day. And we are assured that things are not likely to get much better in this dispensation. Paul writes to young pastor Timothy , "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived [II Tim. 3:13]." The Savior Himself anticipated, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold [Mat. 24:6-12]."
The prophet Isaiah said, long before, "…the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked [Isa. 57:20-21]." Given these prophetic statements, we have no reason to expect "peace on earth" in our generation, but we may be encouraged as the trend of history confirms the extraordinary insight of the scriptures. The heathen raged, rage still and will continue to rage until the end of the age. And we must understand that the "heathen" include not only the primitives who worship idols and wear no clothes, but the well dressed sophisticates who populate university classrooms, corporate board rooms and government offices, and have no regard for the God of creation, Lord of heaven and earth.
The refuge of the righteous is, as it has always been, God Himself: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear… (Ps. 46:1-2)." To maintain our equilibrium in the troubled sea of this present world, we must maintain communion with Him. And, we must maintain confidence in Him. Our text declares, in the past tense because it is as good as done, since He is as good as His word, "He uttered His voice, the earth melted." Indeed, the day of the Lord will come, in light of which we are admonished, "… let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober… [and]… comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do." (See I Thess. 5:1-11).
For our encouragement,
"Pastor" Frasier
Our text for today brings to mind another great reference to the "voice" of the Lord; "For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and [the earth] stood fast (Ps. 33:9)." Both speak of the power of God's voice, and/or His word, and together they form "bookends" for creation. The one relates to the origin of creation, the latter to its consummation. The Holy Spirit, through the apostle Peter, amplifies the thought here when He says,"… the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up [II Pet. 310]."
Between these two magnificent utterances lies "The History of the Human Race." Psalm 33 affirms the benevolence of God throughout history: "… the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord (v.5)." In our text for today the emphasis is on the malevolence of man that seems so to dominate history: "The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved… " This depressing note is prominent in scripture, and traced to Adam's foolish concession to the word of the adversary rather than to the Word of the Lord.
David asked, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?", then observed "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us [Ps. 2:1-3]." This disposition is echoed by the church under oppression in Acts 4:25ff, and it is the perspective that tends to dominate our thinking and tempt us to depression if we are sensitive to the state of the world in our day. And we are assured that things are not likely to get much better in this dispensation. Paul writes to young pastor Timothy , "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived [II Tim. 3:13]." The Savior Himself anticipated, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold [Mat. 24:6-12]."
The prophet Isaiah said, long before, "…the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked [Isa. 57:20-21]." Given these prophetic statements, we have no reason to expect "peace on earth" in our generation, but we may be encouraged as the trend of history confirms the extraordinary insight of the scriptures. The heathen raged, rage still and will continue to rage until the end of the age. And we must understand that the "heathen" include not only the primitives who worship idols and wear no clothes, but the well dressed sophisticates who populate university classrooms, corporate board rooms and government offices, and have no regard for the God of creation, Lord of heaven and earth.
The refuge of the righteous is, as it has always been, God Himself: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear… (Ps. 46:1-2)." To maintain our equilibrium in the troubled sea of this present world, we must maintain communion with Him. And, we must maintain confidence in Him. Our text declares, in the past tense because it is as good as done, since He is as good as His word, "He uttered His voice, the earth melted." Indeed, the day of the Lord will come, in light of which we are admonished, "… let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober… [and]… comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do." (See I Thess. 5:1-11).
MARANATHA!!
For our encouragement,
"Pastor" Frasier
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