Musing on a Psalm

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
     he utters his voice, the earth melts.
​The LORD of hosts is with us;
     the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalms 46:6-7

'The nations rage'? Where did this come from? Why are they angry? And at whom? This is another reminder of a basic theme of the Bible. Have you ever wondered why there are so many battles recorded in Moses and the Prophets? It's Israel against the nations. But this is not just some political conflict. Israel is the outpost of the Kingdom of God. The nations are arrayed against it because they are under the rule of Satan. This is part of what God's comments in Genesis 3 are about. It's the seed of the woman, those allied to God, against the seed of the serpent, those allied to Satan. The issue is about whose kingdom will rule the earth. The Psalm refers to this ongoing warfare and reminds God's faithful that they have nothing to fear. 'The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.' They are protected. But it's not just a matter of a good defense. 'The kingdoms totter.' They give way. They are toppled. And that is because the God of Jacob is a conquering God. All the earth will come under His rule.

This warfare is not over. Even to our day, it's still the seed of the woman against the seed of the serpent. Or to say it differently, it's the Church against the world. And the issue is still the same. Who will rule? And we know the answer to that. 'All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me.' (Matthew 28.18) Jesus has been given the authority to rule, and He is a conquering God. As His Church pursues its mandate to make all the nations into disciples the day will come when all will submit to King Jesus and Satan and his kingdom will be utterly destroyed. All we need to do is to prove faithful to our mandate and to trust Him to protect us in the midst of the battle. Victory is ours.