Psalms 46:9

_HE MAKETH WARS TO CEASE UNTO THE END OF THE EARTH; HE BREAKETH THE BOW, AND CUTTETH THE SPEAR IN SUNDER; HE BURNETH THE CHARIOT IN THE FIRE._ He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth. When He has destroyed the ambitious world-powers which caused wars, then peace ensues "unto the end of the earth." Compare Isaiah 14:4. HE BREAKETH THE BOW, AND CUTTETH THE SPEAR IN SUNDER; HE BURNETH THE CHARIOT IN THE FIRE - namely, the bow, the spear, and the chariot of the hostile world-power (Psalms 76:3). The overthrew of Sennacherib and the consequent quiet, is an earnest of the final triumph of the Prince of Peace, and of the previous destruction of all who now disturb the earth (Isaiah 2:4;...

6-11 Come and see the effects of desolating judgments, and stand in awe of God. This shows the perfect security of the church, and is an assurance of lasting peace. Let us pray for the speedy approach of these glorious days, and in silent submission let us worship and trust in our almighty Sovereign. Let all believers triumph in this, that the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, has been, is, and will be with us; and will be our Refuge. Mark this, take the comfort, and say, If God be for us, who can be against us? With this, through life and in death, let us answer every fear...

Verse Psalms 46:9. _HE MAKETH WARS TO CEASE_] By the death of Cambyses, and setting Darius, son of Hystaspes, upon the Persian throne, he has tranquillized the whole empire. That same God who for our unfaithfulness has delivered us into the hands of our enemies, and subjected us to a long and grievous captivity and affliction, has now turned our captivity, and raised us up the most powerful friends and protectors in the very place in which we have been enduring so great a fight of afflictions. _HE BREAKETH THE BOW_] He has rendered useless all the implements of war; and so profound and secure is the general tranquillity, that the _bow_ may be safely _broken_, the _spear snapped asunder_, and the _chariot burnt in the fire_....

HE MAKETH WARS TO CEASE UNTO THE END OF THE EARTH - Either in all the land, or in all the world. The overthrow of the Assyrian army would probably put an end to all the wars then raging in the world. The Assyrian empire was then the most mighty on the globe; it was engaged in wide schemes of conquest; it had already overrun many of the smaller kingdoms of the world Isaiah 37:18; and it hoped to complete its conquests, and to secure the ascendancy over the entire earth, by the subjugation of India and Egypt. When the vast army of that empire, engaged in such a purpose, was overthrown, the consequence would be that the nations would be at rest, or that there would be universal peace. Compare the notes at Isaiah 14:6. He breaketh the bow,

EXPOSITION THIS is a psalm of consolation. Israel, in great peril (Psalms 46:1, Psalms 46:6, Psalms 46:8, Psalms 46:9), consoles herself with the thought of God's might, his protecting care, and his ability to shatter all the combinations that her enemies may form against her. There is nothing to determine absolutely what particular peril is spoken of; but, on the whole, the allusions seem to point to the invasion by Sennacherib, rather than to any other event in Hebrew history. Critics of such diverse schools as Hengstenberg and Professor Cheyne unite in this conclusion. The metrical construction is very sim

HE MAKETH WARS TO CEASE UNTO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH,.... As at the birth of Christ, the Prince of peace, in the times of Augustus Caesar, when there was a general peace in the world, though it did not last long; and in the times of Constantine, signified by silence in heaven for half an hour, Revelation 8:1; when for a while there was a cessation from wars and persecution; and as will be in the latter day, and which is here chiefly designed; when nations shall learn war no more, and Christ's kingdom will take place; of which and its peace there shall be no end, Isaiah 2:4. The consideration of which may serve to relieve distressed minds under terrible apprehensions of present troubles and public calamities; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Song upon Alamoth. This Psalm is often called «Martin Luther's Psalm.» Whenever there was any great trouble, Luther used to say, «Let us sing the forty-sixth Psalm together, and then let the devil do his worst.» This is the Psalm, too, from which Mr. John Wesley preached in Hyde Park, at the time of a great earthquake. While the earth was shaking, and there was a great tempest, Mr. Wesley preached from the second verse: « Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.» Psalms 46:1. _God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble._ All creatures have their places of refuge. « As for the stork, the fir trees are her house. The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.» All men also have their places of refuge,

Psalms 46 The Deliverance and What Follows _ 1. God is our Refuge and Strength (Psalms 46:1)_ 2. His coming in power and glory (Psalms 46:4) 3. What follows His manifestation (Psalms 46:8). This is “a song upon Alamoth,” which means “maidens' voices” and calls to remembrance the song which Miriam and the women sang when the Lord redeemed His people by power at the Red Sea. The remnant delivered relates prophetically the experience of deliverance. They trusted in God as their refuge and strength, though the earth was moved and the mountains carried into the sea. Then He appeared and helped His people “at the dawn

XLVI. GOD THE REFUGE OF HIS PEOPLE. The poem is divided into three parts by the word Selah, which also marks its close. It was further divided by the refrain which occurs after Psalms 46:6 and Psalms 46:10 and, no doubt, originally stood after Psalms 46:3 also. The Ps. looks back to the deliverance from Sennacherib. _Cf._ Psalms 46:5, God shall help her at the dawn of the morning, with Isaiah 37:36: Early in the morning they (_i.e._ Sennacherib's troops) were all dead men. But it may be much later than the time to which it alludes. The confused st

BOW... SPEAR... CHARIOT. The weapons of war, corresponding with the preceding line war. See the Structure above....