1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see the works of the Lord,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.—The words from the Sons of Korah in Psalm 46:1-11
The Five Books of the Psalms—you did know that the Psalms were divided into five books, right?—contain so many wonderful and encouraging “songs.” We tend to think of King David when we think about the Psalms because he wrote so many of them. Another group of psalm-writers also shine. We know this group as “The Sons of Korah.”
During the time of Moses and Aaron, a member of the tribe of Levi named Korah led a rebellion against the God-ordained authority of these two leaders. As a result of their sin, the earth opened up and swallowed them. You can read this sad tale in Numbers 16. Fortunately, some of the family members survived and continued to minister in the Tabernacle. When King David came to appoint the Temple musicians, he named the Sons of Korah to the position of “Ministers of Music and Worship.” Oh, all right. King David didn’t use that particular title. But read this description from 1 Chronicles 6:
31 These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there. 32 They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.
Obviously, over the length of years between the incident at the time of Moses and the time of King David, the Sons of Korah had found favor with God and resumed their place of service in the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting. This reminds us, once again, that God forgives those who sin and also gives them a path of restoration.
But, more so, when we read through this particular Psalm of the Sons of Korah, we draw comfort from an amazing word picture.
“There is a river that makes glad the city of God.”
Indeed, God continually allows a river of His peace, joy, comfort, strength, and protection to flow over, around, and through us. He brings the gentle touch of His unfailing and ever-abiding love.
I don’t think anything expresses this better for me than a song, with words and music by tenor artist Scott Smith who also sings this solo. I hope this song will inspire you today, as you consider how wonderfully God brings genuine comfort, peace, and protection to your life:
Will you pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
Precious Father, we praise You for receiving the faithful service of the Sons of Korah and preserving their songs of praise for us to enjoy today. We acknowledge Your majesty along with Your every attribute that You have chosen to reveal to us through the experiences of our own lives. We bow before You in humility, recognizing that every good gift and every perfect gift we have in our lives comes from You.
We thank You that, through the words You have inspired the Sons of Korah to record in the Psalms, You display the magnificence of Your creativity. We praise You that You have chosen to extend Your great love to us and then to heap bountiful blessings on us continually.
Thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
