You must be very much on guard for unanticipated sins which overtake you by surprise, and even more for presumptuous sins. This is very detrimental to holy familiarity, for the holy Jesus will withdraw Himself, and the soul will lose her liberty and her suitable frame. And if one has fallen, he must hastily arise and seek atonement and satisfaction in Christ’s ransom.

WILHELMUS À BRAKEL, THE CHRISTIAN’S REASONABLE SERVICE, VOL. 2, 96.

Psalm 46 

Verses 1-7

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he utter his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Verses 8-11

Come, behold the works of the Lord, 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 heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

There are two distinct sections to Psalm 46.   Verses 1-7 are a corporate meditation upon the conflicts and flux of life. However, the meditation is from the perspective of knowing that God is near and that God is our help. Thus, this meditation leads to doxology — a corporate declaration — the “refrain” in verse 7: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge!”

Verses 8-11 takes the prior doxology and applies it to a future vision of peace, a meditation on how God will sovereignly bring an end to war. The prior confession in divine help, in verses 1-7, is the foundation for the subsequent meditation upon the optimistic view of the future. Thus, this additional meditation leads to additional doxology — another corporate declaration — the repeated “refrain” in verse 11: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge!”

The corporate nature of this Psalm is obvious; the plurals “our” and “we” and “us” are used throughout, and are reinforced by the militaristic refrain “the Lord of hosts”, i.e., “the Lord of armies is with us.” Both sections, verses 1-7 and 8-11, conclude with the same “refrain” which emphasizes God’s divine presence and help. Israel is proclaiming that God is near. Israel is proclaiming that God is her divine help, see verse 5 — “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved.” Israel is also proclaiming assurance in the fact that God is her divine help, see verse 10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.”

In this Psalm Israel meditates upon conflicts and flux, but Israel meditates in light of her knowledge that God is present. Israel’s confession of faith in divine help and her corresponding assurance organically flows from her knowledge and trust in the gracious presence of God. This should also be the case today for Christians: we know that God is near to us in Jesus Christ, and that God through Jesus Christ is our divine help. God has “delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). Indeed, because of Jesus Christ, the Lord of hosts is with the Church. Indeed, because of Jesus Christ, God is refuge and strength of the Church.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Therefore, consider how Psalm 46 is:

•  Profitable for doctrine because we are reminded of the doctrine of the sovereignty of God, which ought to be a constant source of comfort. God is sovereign and he is sovereign all the time! Even if the world were to “fall apart” and chaotic waters cover the mountains, God would still be our refuge and strength! This means that no matter what happens to us in life we have assurance that God is near and that God is our help.
•  Profitable for correction because this Psalm will most forcefully confront us when we are walking through the “hard providences” of life — those times which are more-often-than-not a road or a type of journey that we never would have chosen of our own volition. It is especially easy (tempting) during those times to doubt that God is near and that God is in control. And yet this Psalm mentions conflicts (meditates upon them!), but only in order to declare that such uncertainties are overshadowed by God’s presence and sovereign care. This Psalm looks affliction in the eye from the vantage point of dwelling in the presence of God. And from that vantage point Psalm 46 provides correction: even when we emotionally feel like God is distant and not in control, that is when we learn to trust God and place our assurance in God. In Psalm 46, when we are plagued by doubts, God speaks to us, and reminds us that he is near and that we need to place our trust in Him. We learn to do this by patiently and expectantly obeying God, who commands us to “be still” and know that He is God.
•  Profitable for instruction because it teaches us that God will not only be our strength and refuge today but also in the optimistic future (verses 8-10). God’s sovereignty is also over the future, and God has revealed that He will be victorious in the future, and thus, that it will be peaceful – “He maketh wars to cease” (verse 9) . . . I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (verse 10). Christians are wise to be instructed by verse 10: the God who is near is the “Lord of hosts” of a peaceful future, and because of the work of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, it is a peaceful Christian future. Through the work of the Cross and the preaching of the Gospel, God is making wars to cease, breaking bows, cutting spears in half, and burning chariots with fire. All conflicts have a shelf life and expiration date.

As Scottish minister John McCheyne said, writing in a pastoral letter in 1839, “It is no small joy to be able to sing Psalm 46 in the dark and cloudy day.”  The realization that God through Jesus Christ is near and our divine help is “no small joy,” particularly when conflict, affliction, and the flux of life are all too near. In such turbulent times we need to meditate — “Be still, and know that I am God.” And our meditation will lead to doxology, we will join the congregation and corporately declare the gracious presence of our Lord and Savior: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge!”

The soul who thus beholds Jesus, the heart going out in love towards Him, will share with her Beloved the frame of her heart, her love, and her grief for not loving Him more. She will bring all her needs to Him, reveal her desires to Him, make supplication to Him, plead affectionately with Him, and beg of Him sweetly for the fulfillment of her desire. She listens to what Jesus has to say to her, turns herself to His Word, deeming it to be the voice of her Beloved. This is particularly true when with clarity, power, and sweetness He impresses a text of Scripture upon her heart, causing her to speak to Him in return, giving expression to all the questions generated by her love, which in turn causes Jesus to reply to her. In doing so the soul will lose and forget herself, and it will grieve her if this dialogue is broken off, or if her body is too weak to endure the intensity of her desires as well as the kisses and influences of His love.

WILHELMUS À BRAKEL, THE CHRISTIAN’S REASONABLE SERVICE, VOL. 2, 95.

The Lord Jesus not only gives many and excellent benefits to His church, but He and His Church mutually belong to each other, are united with each other—and exercise communion with each other, all of which is wondrous beyond comparison. These three elements comprehend all true felicity.

All true believers are the property of Christ, and Christ is the property of all true believers. This is indicated by the possessive pronouns “mine” and “his,” which so frequently are employed in the Song of Solomon, as well as in many other texts. “My beloved is mine, and I am His” (Song 2:16); “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled” (Song 5:2).

This is first of all based and founded upon a gift. The Father has given them to the Son. “Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me” (John 17:6); “Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession” (Ps 2:8).

The Father has likewise given the Son to believers. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isa 9:6); “And gave Him to be the head over all things to the church” (Eph 1:22).

WILHELMUS À BRAKEL, THE CHRISTIAN’S REASONABLE SERVICE, VOL. 2, 87.

In order that you may be stirred up and be active concerning this, calmly consider first of all that there are but two kings in this world, each having a kingdom: the kingdoms of Christ and of the devil, which are mortal enemies to each other. A third kingdom does not exist. Every person upon earth is either a subject of King Jesus or of the devil, the prince of darkness. No matter who you are individually, you are truly a subject of one of these two kingdoms. You are neither neutral nor a subject of both kingdoms simultaneously. Therefore, to which kingdom do you presently belong? What do you have to say for yourself? If you neither know nor have ever given this any thought, come and sit next to me for a moment; let us consider this matter, and then make a heartfelt and eternal choice. Whose subject do you wish to be? Whom do you choose to be your king?

WILHELMUS À BRAKEL, THE CHRISTIAN’S REASONABLE SERVICE, VOL. 2, 56.

It is the duty of everyone who desires to be saved to turn to the church, making diligent effort to be accepted as a member of the church community.

WILHELMUS À BRAKEL, THE CHRISTIAN’S REASONABLE SERVICE, VOL. 2, 55.

Evasive Argument #3: The antichrist will only appear at the end of the world and will be destroyed by Christ’s coming unto judgment (2 Thess 2:8).

Answer: It is not true that he will appear near the end of the world’s existence. This is nowhere written in
Scripture. “The last days” refers to the entire New Testament dispensation (cf. Acts 2:17; Heb 1:1-2). The time of his
fall will come, and Christ will come with His judgments to destroy him even prior to His coming in judgment. If this
text is understood as referring to the final judgment, one ought to know that even after the destruction of the antichrist, which will occur prior to the millennium (Rev 19:20; Rev 20:4), his spirit will nevertheless prevail in many. He will only be destroyed when Christ comes in judgment.

WILHELMUS À BRAKEL, THE CHRISTIAN’S REASONABLE SERVICE, VOL. 2, 52-53.

The fact that Rome has become entirely apostate is demonstrated everywhere in this book. Rome places its declarations and traditions next to, and in opposition to, the Word of God. Rome forbids the reading of the Bible, commands that a piece of bread be worshipped as God, has introduced the worship of angels and deceased saints, has erected images and altars, claims authority for itself to forgive sin, promotes the apostasy of the saints, teaches that man is not only able to be perfect but can also perform superfluous works which the pope then keeps in his treasure chest and distributes according to his pleasure. Rome denies that the merits of Christ atone for all sin, original and actual. It teaches that one can and must earn heaven himself. It has fabricated the existence of purgatory, and on behalf of the living and the dead, sacrifices Christ anew in the mass. All Romish errors are too numerous to be mentioned here. These sufficiently demonstrate that Rome and its followers have become apostate concerning the faith.

WILHELMUS À BRAKEL, THE CHRISTIAN’S REASONABLE SERVICE, VOL. 2, 49-50.

Manifold Divine Speeches

In From Paradise to the Promised Land, the following observation is made about the third book of the Pentateuch: “Although Leviticus continues the story of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Canaan, almost 90 percent of the book consists of divine speeches on a variety of topics.”[1] The sheer volume of divine speeches demands one’s attention.

Similarly, in his textbook on the Pentateuch, Victor P. Hamilton elaborates on the revelatory nature and extensiveness of the divine speeches in the book of Leviticus:

Leviticus underscores that the material found in its chapters is divinely-revealed content. No hint is given that any institution described is incorporated from another religious system. Nor is there any indication that the substance of the book is the product of a committee on liturgy that imposes on the community its recommended means of worshipping God.

The revelatory nature of the material in Leviticus is underlined by the fact that twenty of the twenty-seven chapters begin with the formula, “the Lord said unto Moses.” The exceptions are chapters 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, and 26. And some of these simply continue the emphasis of the preceding chapter (hence the absence of the formula), or else contain this formula in the body of the chapter instead of at the beginning.[2]

Leviticus is chockablock with divine speeches that divinely reveal how to approach and worship God, and much of the content is verbatim divine speech. The two narratives that record events rather than divine speeches also underscore the revelatory nature of this material: Leviticus 8:1-10:20 and 24:10-23 are both narratives which contain stories about individuals who commit egregious sins and are judged unto death, and, in the former event, Nadab and Abihu die because their offerings are not regulated by the manifold divine speeches,[3] and, in the latter event, Moses and Israel wait for the Lord’s commandment before condemning and executing a blasphemer.[4] The theme “The Lord said” is not tertiary but central to even these two respective narratives about high-stake events, which also underscores the “divinely-revealed content” in the book of Leviticus.

Leviticus in Context

T. Desmond Alexander argues for the close connection of Leviticus to the rest of the Pentateuch:

The book of Leviticus continues the story of Exodus by describing what takes place in the thirteenth month after the Israelites’ divine deliverance from Egypt (cf. Exod. 40:17; Num. 1:1). As a result, the books of Exodus and Leviticus and, as we shall later observe, also Numbers are closely connected. Leviticus both assumes the erection of the tabernacle, which forms the climax of the book of Exodus (40:1-38), and records the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests, fulfilling the instructions given to Moses by the LORD in Exodus 29:1-46. Leviticus must therefore be read in conjunction with Exodus, both books forming part of the continuous and carefully composed narrative that comprises the Pentateuch.[5]

Special revelation, in Leviticus, is drank as from a firehose, and this must be read in conjunction with the rest of the Pentateuch. In Leviticus, the sacrifices (1-7), the priestly ordination (8-10), the distinctions between physical and moral impurities and holiness (11-26), and the vows (27), they all are of a revelatory nature, and the content of this revelation is intimately connected to the preceding events, e.g., Exodus, consecration of priests, instructions for sacrifices, etc. What is the chief message of the “divinely-revealed content” in the book of Leviticus, which is connected to the rest of the Pentateuch? In a word, as one author summarized, “Leviticus summons Israel to a holy life.”[6] This holy life is characterized by sacrifice, priests, and holy instructions. This holy life is connected to holy space—the Tabernacle. The two questions, “Where to worship a holy God?” and “How to worship a holy God?”, are connected respectively in Exodus and Leviticus. These Pentateuchal books are closely connected and together they emphasize that it is the LORD alone who “places at the disposal of the Israelites a way of restoring and maintaining a harmonious relationship with their God.”[7] It is a merciful and gracious God who provides both a locality and manner by which his people may enjoy his special presence and fellowship. The book of Leviticus summons Israel to a holy life that is regulated by the manifold divine speeches.

Impact of Leviticus

Leviticus emphasizes the majesty and holiness of God: God condescends to abide in the Tabernacle with Israel, but the sanctuary is a holy place which simultaneously emphasizes that God is divine and draws near to but yet is also separate from his creatures, i.e., the basis of Israel’s approach is solely God’s revealed will. How should insights and revelation from Leviticus modify our behavior or thinking? As one author said, commenting on the revelation of the Mosaic period, “The coexistence of these two elements, that of trustful approach to God and that of reverence for the divine majesty, is characteristic of the Biblical religion throughout.”[8] Approaching God, even in the NT era, still requires both these elements: trustful (submissive) approach with awe and reverence.

[1] T. Desmond Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Pentateuch, 3^rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012), 237.

[2] Victor P. Hamilton, Handbook on the Pentateuch (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1982), 245-246.

[3] Regarding the sin and the reason why Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord for offering “strange fire”, Michael Bushell explains: “The phrase is unusual and does not occur elsewhere in Scripture, though a similar phrase in Exodus 30:9 forbids the offering of “strange incense” . . . . The word used for “strange” is a common term with the basic meaning of “strange” or “foreign”. The noun form means “stranger”. The question is what it was about the fire in this case that made it “foreign”. It was not the fire itself or the incense, for these were indistinguishable from the fire and incense offered at other times. The problem was with the manner in which the fire was offered. The passage makes this clear. The fire was “strange” because God had “not commanded them” to offer it. It was as simple as that. God viewed offerings that He had not commanded as “foreign” or “strange” intrusions. The sin of Nadab and Abihu was one of presumption, of making an offering not commanded by God” (Songs of Zion: The Biblical Basis for Exclusive Psalmody, 4^th rev. ed. (Norfolk: Norfolk Press, 2011), 165-166). In the book of Leviticus, the content of the divine speeches discloses how God desires to be worshipped, e.g., sacrifices, priests, purity, etc. This parallels the book of Exodus: God discloses where worship shall take place—the locality of worship is the Tabernacle, which was a type constructed after the heavenly pattern (Heb. 8:5; Exod. 25:40).

[4][4] In Leviticus 24:10-23, the son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the name of the LORD. He was brought to Moses, and he remained under arrest and in their custody while Moses and Israel waited “that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them” (verse 12). It isn’t until after the Lord speaks (verse 13) that Moses then instructs Israel to stone the blasphemer (verse 23). Even this narrative about an event underscores divine speech: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying . . .” (verse 13).

[5] T. Desmond Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land, 237.

[6] Victor P. Hamilton, Handbook on the Pentateuch, 246.

[7] T. Desmond Alexander, From Garden to the Promised Land, 257.

[8] Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2017), 150-151.

Every kingdom has its borders and border markings within which its subjects reside and by which they are separated from others. The kingdom of heaven is likewise separated from all nations, and functions independently without intertwining itself with other spheres of sovereignty. This separation does not pertain to locality, region, or city, as was true in the Old Testament, but she is separated from others by fellowship and confession. Thus, the church does not wish to have those within its community who still belong to the world or embrace a false religion. The church wishes to be separate in order that the kingdom of Christ may be all the more evident. . . .

As the church is separated from the rest of the world, she is likewise united internally, which is evident from the word congregation itself, it being expressive of her internal fellowship. This is evident by virtue of her separation, and by way of comparison she is called a house which is built by the uniting of individual stones. She is called a body, consisting of many united members; a flock, consisting not of sheep who are dispersed but who are gathered together; and a kingdom in which the subjects are united for mutual protection.

WILHELMUS À BRAKEL, THE CHRISTIAN’S REASONABLE SERVICE, VOL. 2, 21.