This Reformation Day we take a closer look at the appointed
Psalm for the day, Psalm 46. “God is our
refuge and strength.” “The God of Jacob is our fortress.” These words in particular inspired Martin
Luther to write his great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” The hymn is a sort of paraphrase of Psalm 46,
and a profound sermon in its own right.
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
A refuge is a place where you go when the going gets
tough. That’s our God! A place of safety
in a time of danger. He is our strength
– that is also to say that we, ourselves, have no strength to speak of. When trouble comes, He is our help – our only
hope. But he is present with us, not far
off, but ever near. By his word, and in
his sacraments, he is with us always, even to the end of the age.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the
earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of
the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
This world is a scary place, because it’s broken by
sin. We, ourselves, are broken by
sin. The creation, the earth, the
mountains, the seas – all of it seems against us. If the very ground beneath your feet isn’t a
sure place to stand, then, what? If the
mountains themselves tremble when the flood waters threaten, then how can we
survive? But we will not fear. Because God is our refuge and strength. And he who created earth and sea and all that
is – he is our help in time of trouble.
4 There is a river
whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
And now a picture of a better place, a peaceful home – the
city of God. The dwelling place of God
with his people. It has a river, it has
everything we need. Most importantly,
God is present there with us, in the midst of her, ready to help when morning
dawns. Just around the corner.
The Book of Revelation keys in on this imagery, too. It pictures our eternal home, our heavenly
dwelling, as an idealized Jerusalem. The
city of God in which there’s no suffering or fear or anything impure. More than just a safe place to hide, it is a
place to delight and rejoice. And with
all the earth shaking and quaking and mountains quivering like pudding, the
people of the city of God shall not be moved.
What a contrasting picture.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
But it’s not just the creation that is against us – the
mountains and seas. The nations
rage. There are enemies out there, angry
and raging foes who would take our lives.
Enemies of the church. Enemies of
the Gospel. Ready to ridicule and
ostracize, persecute and oppose. That’s
why even Luther had to hide out in the Wartburg Castle for a time.
And even worse, our real struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the spiritual forces behind the scenes. Kingdoms and powers, devils all the world may
fill, all eager to devour us. And of
course, they work under the influence of the Old Evil Foe himself, who wants
nothing good for us, only death and despair. Deadly woe.
But God is our refuge and strength. Therefore we shall not fear. Our Old Evil Foe is judged, the deed is done,
one little word can fell him.
8 Come, behold the works of
the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
You think the fearsome armies of evil have the upper
hand? Oh, no. Come behold the works of the Lord. Look, just look and see what our God does to
them. He brings desolations on the
earth. That is to say, he destroys our
enemies in the most decisive fashion. He
makes wars cease, even to the ends of the earth. He even destroys the weapons of war, the bow,
the spear, the chariot, so that no further war can be made. The enemy is utterly undone, by the Lord, the
God of Jacob, our helper in time of trouble.
But look what Luther does with this in his hymn: He further describes and identifies the Valiant
One, whom God himself elected. Our
champion in the fight! Our
representative on the field of battle!
The one, the only one who can and does bring us the victory. Ask ye, “who is this?” Jesus Christ it is! Of Sabbaoth Lord, that is, the Lord of the
heavenly armies. With legions and
legions of angels at his beck and call, an army far more fierce than anything
the old serpent can say. This is not
even a fair fight. Christ wins the
victory, he wins it for us, and he holds the field forever.
And ask ye, how does he do it? How does our Champion defeat the Old Evil
Foe, and all the raging nations, the angry fallen nature and the sin at the
root of it all? With one little word,
the word of the Gospel. It’s not the
usual weapons of war, or the every-day way to fight a battle. Our Champion wins by losing his life. He defeats death by dying. He destroys the forces of evil by taking all
sin on himself, and submitting to destruction on the cross. And thus he rescues us from sin, death and
the power of the devil. Thus he secures
for us an eternal victory.
So, we too must let the one little word remain – the word of
the gospel – the little word that can fell the ancient dragon. It’s why we Christians need no take up spear
and bow, or sword or gun. Christ fights
the battle for us, and only calls us to hear and believe the word. There’s not fevered anxiety about this
fight. There’s a calmness in the midst
of it – even if the enemy rages and arrows are whizzing by our heads. He says:
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
Profound and simple words of faith. Be still.
Trust. He’s got this. No sin can condemn you. No devil can vex you. Not even death can end you. Be still.
And know, be certain and confident, that he is God. He’s your God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The final victory is his.
He, our God, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is exalted among the
nations, as the Gospel goes for the and disciples are made by baptizing and
teaching. He is exalted in the earth,
when on the last day he returns in glory, and ushers in the new heaven and new
earth, the eternal home for all who belong to him.
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
The refrain repeats, the same words that began the
psalm. The Lord of hosts is with
us; we are not alone. He and his heavenly forces stand with
us. And we stand safe and secure in him,
our fortress. A mighty fortress is our
God. And Christ holds the field, for us,
forever. The kingdom ours remaineth.
Amen.
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