Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Today is 2-for-1 Friday!
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The Questions
1) What two things are being contrasted in this song?
2) What is the premise of the song and why is that enough?
3) What does the conclusion reveal? (verses 8-11)
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.
2 Therefore we will not be afraid,
though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple
into the depths of the seas,
3 though its water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah
4 There is a river—
its streams delight the city of God,
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5 God is within her; she will not be toppled.
God will help her when the morning dawns.
6 Nations rage, kingdoms topple;
the earth melts when he lifts his voice.
7 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
8 Come, see the works of the Lord,
who brings devastation on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease throughout the earth.
He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces;
he sets wagons ablaze.
10 “Stop your fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
11 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
Original Intent
1) What two things are being contrasted in this song?
It’s God versus Trouble in the songwriter’s matchup. Not just simple troubles, but serious, life-shattering troubles. War, national conflict, and the earth itself giving away are the most intense trouble the Psalmist can imagine. In similar language, we might say “the end of the world”. Everything from stepping on a tack with bare feet to the end of the world is being encompassed by this songwriter. His intention is to point everyone listening to his voice of leadership and singing along with his words to clearly understand that there is no one and no thing that can “out-trouble” the Lord God Almighty. God is endlessly mightier, stronger, and more capable than any trouble we might encounter, even death itself.
2) What is the premise of the song and why is that enough?
The entire song can be boiled down to one phrase, “…a Helper who is always found…” (verse 1), which makes the premise an easy statement: Regardless of circumstance, there is a Helper who can always be found active and present. Facing that divorce…a Helper who is always found. The friend who mocked and turned against you, leaving you hurt….a Helper who is always found. When the exhaustion overtakes you, when the family relationships are too intense, when the wound is too deep, or even when the screeching of a toddler is too high pitched…..a Helper who is always found. Like perfectly fitted bookends, the songwriter who began with his power-packed phrase, wraps up his harmonies with these words, “The Lord of Armies is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” There is no place we can run from His presence, no momentary lapse when He might leave us or become so frustrated He cannot abide with us, and no difficulty too extreme for Him to handle. He is always found.
3) What does the conclusion reveal? (verses 8-11)
The final section of the song, finds its climax hinging on these incredible words, “Come, see the works of the Lord…”(verse 8) What makes this invitation so unfathomably remarkable to the casual observer is how the entire psalm has been couched in the darkest depths of trouble, difficulty, and insurmountable odds, yet the overall tone has been laced with intoxicating hope. These are not mere words the author paired together with a handsome melody because he enjoyed the lyrical flow. The entire song is a testimony, a witness, and a bold declaration of how the Lord God has worked in the psalmist’s life personally. This is the author’s story, it’s his own song of redemption because he has seen the hand of the Lord be a mighty stronghold, an impenetrable stronghold, and a constant helper always ready to be found even in the midst of horrific devastation in the circumstances playing out in front of him. As a result of the author’s deeply personal, and firsthand, experience with the Lord God Almighty, he cannot help but excitedly encourage all who hear, “Come! See the works of the Lord!”
Everyday Application
1) What two things are being contrasted in this song?
The psalmist uses descriptors like “happy, immoveable, always found, never afraid, help, strength, and peace” throughout his psalm to emphasize the all-encompassing delight of the Lord’s presence and His unshakeable power over all types of trouble, even the strongest ones we face. Death is our strongest foe, yet even this is no match for the Lord God. And in Christ Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as He shed His blood for us on our behalf, taking the punishment we deserved and dying the death we earned because of our sin, He proved that even death was an enemy who could not defeat God Almighty. This same everlasting, abundant life that raised Jesus from the dead is offered to each of us. This life becomes ours, full satisfaction, and true delight is ours in ever-increasing abundance when we take the Lord God at His Word that He did indeed take the punishment we deserved and is right now offering His righteous life in place of our sinful one. To have confidence in the face of every trial, trouble, and heartache on earth is one thing, but to have this confident peace and hope for all of eternity as well is a gift beyond description!
2) What is the premise of the song and why is that enough?
Whether you’ve followed Jesus for years or only a few days, our perspective on God is always being stretched and adjusted and grounded back on the anchor of truth as we submit to the teaching of the Holy Spirit living within us. Sometimes it’s easy for us to manipulate our view of God to see Him as being “too busy” for my need or “not caring” about this small issue. We can even fall into the trap of thinking God will do His part if we do ours by “bucking up” and working harder. All of these are terribly inaccurate pictures of God, and the psalmist, as inspired by the Holy Spirit Himself, is here to remind us of truth. We have a very present, always present, fully capable, mighty to save, God, fighting for us! Every moment. Every single breath. Every exasperation. Every heartache. Every celebration we relish. He is fully present, and fully prepared, to be the strength that sustains, carries, and helps us in ways we can’t even comprehend. The daily question for us is, are we believing in the actual God of Scripture or we making a miniature counterfeit who neither cares that deeply or is powerful enough to conquer every trouble?
3) What does the conclusion reveal? (verses 8-11)
Anyone who has truly been made new in Jesus by crossing the line of faith can boldly testify of the all-surpassing power of the Lord God Almighty. This magnificent passion we have to tell anyone who will listen of this consuming Holy God who has renewed our hearts, indwelt our souls, re-shaped our lives, brought new purpose, and deep satisfaction is purposefully designed by God! We all walk through tragedy on various levels and in different seasons of our lives because we live in a fallen, sinful world awaiting its final restoration by the returning Christ. For believers in Jesus who walk through those fires of life while anchored in the unshakeable truth of a God who never leaves and is our ever-present help and mighty stronghold, the ways we experience God are meant to be broadcasted! The trials are intense, the loss is heartbreaking, the grieving is long, the ache is not to be shoved under a rug, but neither is the reality of a with-us-God. He will faithfully redeem the broken places that we might join with the psalmist and declare, “Come! See the works of the Lord!”
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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