Psalms 46:8

"Come, behold the works of Jehovah,

What desolations he hath made in the earth.

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.

Be still, and know that I am God:

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Jehovah of hosts is with me,

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

(Selah)"

"Come, behold the works of Jehovah" (Psalms 46:8). This, in context, was an invitation to the citizens of Jerusalem to behold the devastation of the army of Sennacherib, which the angel of God slaughtered in one night to the extent of 185,000 men. Cleaning up a mess like that required bonfires that lasted a long time, the war chariots, spears, arrows, shields and other military equipment providing fuel for the disposition of the dead.

Lord Byron's great poem catches the terrible magnificence of this Divine interposition upon behalf of God's people. There is an economy in God's wonders; he never intervenes unless it is absolutely necessary for the achievement of his eternal purpose. In this case, Jerusalem was surely doomed to destruction without Divine aid; therefore God came to the rescue.

"The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,

And their cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold.

The sheen on their spears was like stars on the sea,

When the blue waves roll nightly on deep Galilee.

Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green,

That host with their banners at sunset was seen,

Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown,

That host on the morrow lay scattered and strewn.

For the angel of death spread his wings on the blast,

And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;

And the might of the Gentile unsmote by the sword

Was melted like snow in the glance of the Lord."

- Lord Byron, The Destruction of Sennacherib

This incredibly impressive destruction of Sennacherib's army was a judgment of God so powerful, so effective, and so dramatic, that everyone on earth knew about it. Here was tangible, physical evidence of the most astounding kind that witnessed God's oversight of Israel. This mighty miracle was not done in some secluded corner of the world, but at the crossroads of all nations and of all history. This was one of the most amazing things that ever happened on this earth.

"What desolations he hath made" (Psalms 46:8). When this psalm was written, the smoke was probably still rising from the funeral of Sennacherib's destroyed host. All Jerusalem could see it, either from the walls of their city, or by a short journey to the battlefield where the army had been deployed (perhaps near Lachish). "If this does not prove that the Lord controls the destinies of wars, what does? If this is not a sufficient token that `God is our refuge,' what is?"[20]

"He maketh wars to cease to the end of the earth" (Psalms 46:9). Of course, the first meaning here is that God has the power to terminate any war at any time; but there seems to be here a prophecy of a time when wars shall be no more. It appears that we may not look for the fulfilment of this in the present dispensation, because Jesus cautions us about expecting "wars and rumors of wars." Nevertheless, we believe there will come a time when God in righteous wrath shall rise up and cast evil out of his universe; and then wars shall cease.

"He burneth the chariots in the fire" (Psalms 46:9). The word here rendered chariots actually means any two-wheeled contraption and would also include baggage wagons and other military devices as well as chariots. All such things were needed as fuel to help burn up the dead.

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10). Dahood interpreted this to mean that Israel, "Should not enter into alliances with other nations."[21] Many times it is God's will for his people to work with all their might; but, now and then, when all human endeavor is of no avail, and where there seems to be no hope at all, it may be time to "Stand still!" Thus it was before the Red Sea, when Moses commanded Israel, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord" (Exodus 14:23).

For comment on Psalms 46:11, see under Psalms 46:7, above.