The Twin Targets Of “Be Still And Know That I Am God”
When we are being still and knowing that he is God, it is not necessarily because we are looking at pleasant gardens of delight. Sometimes we are looking at the raw exercise of his power.
Psalm 46 is one of the better-known Psalms. That’s not quite accurate. One part of the Psalm is well-known, specifically, the words, “Be still and know that I am God.”
Two verses earlier, leading up to these words, the psalmist invites us to “Come, behold the works of the LORD…” Now, if you didn't know what came next and were asked to create a list of works of the Lord that people should behold, perhaps you would draw attention to the way he saves and redeems and pursues, or the way he is patient and kind and slow to anger. But that is not what the Psalmist chooses to focus on here.
Here he draws our attention to the Lord's ability to win wars and subdue the enemies of his people:
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
“Come, behold, the works of the Lord.” Look at what he's done. He is all-powerful. Nothing is beyond his sovereignty and control. So remember what he's done. Remember the events of ancient history where he has been faithful. Remember as well other events of more recent history in which he has shown himself to be faithful.
And because of this…
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
If you rip these words out of their context, it raises some difficulties. If you type “Be still, and know that I am God” into Google image search, the result is a plethora of scenes of serenity: people watching sunsets; people sitting on docks in meditative silence; people accepting these words as a direct and immediate personal message of comfort. You get a lot of images like this:
But what about God bringing desolations, making wars cease, breaking bows, shattering spears, and burning chariots? These are all descriptions of God using his power to bring the powers of the world into submission. Why then does he suddenly interject with this calming and personally direct statement? Why the quick pivot from violent imagery to peaceful serenity?
The question here is: To whom are these words addressed? Commentators are not completely unanimous on this, but many take these words to be addressed primarily to the nations and kingdoms that rally themselves in defiance of God.
Calvin, for example, sees this as a warning to those who war against God. “The Psalmist seems now to turn his discourse to the enemies of the people of God, who indulge their lust of mischief and revenge upon them: for in doing injury to the saints they do not consider that they are making war against God.”
And so perhaps these words are better paired with images like this:
To whom are these words addressed? Is “Be still and know that I am God” written to a calm Christian sitting on a dock enjoying a sunset? Or are these words written to the subdued and defeated enemies of God’s people? Are they being delivered in the soothing tone of Mr. Rogers? Or are they uttered with the fierce authority of Gandalf facing down the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm? “You… shall not… pass!”
This is an important point. When we are being still and knowing that he is God, it is not necessarily because we are looking at pleasant gardens of delight. Sometimes we are looking at the raw exercise of his power and both marvelling and taking comfort in the fact that he will preserve and protect us against any eternal harm.
When we are being still and knowing that he is God, it is not necessarily because we are looking at pleasant gardens of delight. Sometimes we are looking at the raw exercise of his power and both marvelling and taking comfort in the fact that he will preserve and protect us against any eternal harm.
Spurgeon, of course, wisely brings the two options together in three paired statements:
“Hold off your hands, ye enemies! Sit down and wait in patience, ye believers!”
“Acknowledge that Jehovah is God, ye who feel the terrors of his wrath! Adore him, and him only, ye who partake in the protections of his grace!”
“The boasts of the ungodly and the timorous [or nervous] forebodings of the saints should certainly be hushed by a sight of what the Lord has done in past ages.”
In the end, it is fair to say that these words are directed at everyone. To some as a fearful warning, and to others as an uncontested comfort.
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Michael Krahn is a pastor, the husband of Anne Marie, and the father of Madeleine, Olivia, and Sophia. Make a connection on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Michael i am sitting in my outdoor quiet place this morning, you know where that is. I am fully witnessing the blessings of God’s provision for our earthly delights. But in that same place i am reminded of Adam’s sin. I am resting from the exertions to keep my garden of delights free of invasive weeds, the need to physically remove destructive insects from devouring my Liliums that are a few days away from their first blooms. This garden of mine is an ever present reminder of God’s intended goodness towards us and i am forever thankful, but it does not come without my daily toil to keep it free from Satans destruction. Such is the lesson of life we must accept, and if we do accept this reality for this life, my faith and hope for the life to come grows.