Be Still and Know that I Am God

Ps. 46:10 Psalm 46

Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds Psalm 46:10-11, focusing on God's command to the nations, "Be still, and know that I am God," and His affirmation, "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Martin argues that "Be still" is a command for the nations to cease their opposition to God and His people, not primarily a call for believers to calm their anxieties. He then details how God's purpose to exalt Himself is being fulfilled in part through triumphs of mercy and judgment throughout history and will be fully realized at Christ's return. The sermon concludes with a sober warning and gracious invitation to unbelievers, and a call to believers for comfort, believing prayer, and zealous activity in missions, grounded in God's immutable covenant commitment.

2 illustrations in this sermon

The Precise Meaning of 'Be Still and Know'

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Susanna Wesley's Apron

In this part of the sermon: Martin delves into the precise meaning of 'be still' as 'let be,' 'cease,' or 'back off,' using scriptural examples, and explains 'know that I am God' as a command to recognize…

An analogy of Susanna Wesley pulling her apron over her head to find quiet, used to contrast the common understanding of 'be still' (calm down) with the sermon's interpretation (cease activity).

The opposite of the mood you're in when the kids are screaming and hollering, mama this, daddy that. Just get away, and if you need to do as Susanna Wesley did, pull your apron up over your head, just be quiet, be still. But you see, that's not the meaning of the word. This word, as you have it in the marginal reading in the ASV, is translated, let be.

13:48 - 14:11 Read in full sermon

Illustrating 'Know That I Am God'

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King in a Village

In this part of the sermon: He uses an illustration of a king demanding homage from his subjects to explain what 'know that I am God' means for the nations, and extends this warning to unconverted…

An imagined scenario of a king visiting a village where subjects fail to give him due honor, illustrating what 'know that I am God' means: to give God the honor, obedience, fear, and love due to His majestic authority and person.

And know that I and I alone am God. To illustrate the meaning of the phrase, know that I am God, imagine a time when there were legitimate kingdoms ruled by legitimate kings. And a certain king, the king comes to one of the villages in his kingdom, and he finds as he comes in the middle of the day that the women are busy kneading the bread, washing clothes, and the husbands, and fathers and men are busy in their various places of enterprise, their shops and in the marketplaces. And the king comes in all of his royal attire, so it is evident to all that he is king.

18:27 - 19:12 Read in full sermon

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