We have walked through Psalm 46, and heard from the Lord, “Be still and know that I am God” (v. 10). Obviously there was some event in Israel’s history where life was very bad for them, and God intervened.

So what might that event have been, and was their assessment in line with the threat before them?

Scholars believe that the event that triggered the sons of Korah to write Psalm 46 was most likely the Assyrian’s attempt to overrun Judah. These events are recorded in Isaiah chapters 36-37 and also in 2 Kings chapters 18-19.

In short, King Sennacherib of Assyria took over part of Judah, and arrived in Jerusalem to overtake King Hezekiah, Judah’s ruler (and thus, overtake the entire kingdom of Judah). The Assyrian king challenged the people to not trust in Hezekiah, nor trust in the Lord; in his boasting, he stated that neither Hezekiah nor Judah’s God was any match for him.

King Hezekiah went before the Lord, and the Lord sent Isaiah the prophet to let them know that He (God) would intervene on their behalf. The angel of the Lord went into the camp of the Assyrian army one night and killed 185,000 of their soldiers. King Sennacherib went home defeated, and two of his sons killed him as he worshipped his pagan god.

And now we know the rest of the story… or do we?

The story of God intervening on behalf of the king and people of Judah was good for them in their day of distress. Does God do the same for us?

The story of Easter is the reality that Jesus did come and rescue us, not from one crisis, but for all eternity. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, reminds us that “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.” (Romans 6:9-10 ESV)

May we carry in us the living reality of His sacrifice on our behalf, once for all.
Eternal life is a gift from God; may we receive it and live in thankfulness to God for His incredible sacrifice on our behalf.

Blessings,
~kevin