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July 28th

The bible reading today is in 2 Kings 18 & 19 and Psalm 46, 80, 135.

The 2 Kings passages reveal the history of God dealing with rebellious Judah. The Psalms reflect a faith in God that Judah would need in turbulent times that would come upon them.

To me, the teaching in the biblical texts, especially in the songs, compel us to faith in God our Savior for every situation and circumstance. Some have called Ps 46 a “song of confidence in the midst of war”. They tie it to the days of Hezekiah when Assyria was seeking to run over Judah like they did Syria and the ten tribes of Israel.

Perhaps this would be a song sung by Judah even 8 years later when Babylon captured Jerusalem and took a half a million Judeans into exile for 70 years.

People were suffering from the loss of loved ones, loss of their homes, the loss of their lands, and the loss of their Temple. To some, it felt like the loss of God Himself.

And then, most possibly, the sons of Korah. Temple servants of the Lord who were apart of the mass exodus from Jerusalem. Perhaps they began to sing their faith out loud to encourage the broken and the fearful and the lonely as they left for slavery in Babylon.

Let’s listen to the song...“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭46:1‬ ‭

Judah, not our armies, not our walls, but “God” is our refuge and our strength to endure and overcome. O Soldiers of the Cross sing it out loud, believe it with all of your heart repeat it in the midst of the battles of life. “Our God” is our safety and “Our God” is our strength to fight on until the fight is won or we are carried home in the arms of our Lord.

Back to the text...“God is our refuge and strength, “a very present help in trouble.” 46:1

The Temple servers and singers must have watched their own people and their captors as they marched and sang out of the city of David. Especially as the verse was taken up by more and more people and the sound reverberated against the mountains surrounding Jerusalem and her Kidron Valley.

Judah...Our God is our help...not just in the future...but now in this sad present-tense experience. Disciples of Jesus Christ that’s the truth that we sing, because it is the truth that we believe. Jesus is our “very” help, meaning effectual and constant help.

Let us listen to the verse Jesus spoke out loud to his disciples who were about to go through a great loss of their own, with Jesus’s death on the cross and eventual ascension to the throne room of heaven.

“But the Helper (the Comforter, the Advocate, the Intercessor—the Counselor, the Strengthener, the Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14:26‬ ‭AMP‬‬

O Judah we sing your songs from God, because we too need to be compelled to faith. Faith in the Lord who is indeed our very present help in times of trouble.

Thank you, Jesus...Holy Spirit...heavenly Father.

Have a great day