The Misunderstood Battle Cry: “Be Still and Know That I Am God”
Misunderstanding the Bible is nothing new. Our confusion is only magnified in today’s world of memes and one-liners on social media. Single verses are often elevated to popularity because they fit some preconceived agenda we want to advance. Thus, a single verse can grow in popularity with no thought given to the actual context of the passage. For those who hold a high view of Scripture, this trend is alarming. It shows an utter disrespect for God’s word fueled by laziness. We need to approach the Bible on its terms. If the Bible is God’s word (which it is), then it should be handled rightly by those who follow it. What God means by his words is far more important than what we want them to mean.
Over the coming weeks, I will be writing about several popular passages that mean something different than how they are commonly understood. Today, we begin with Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” This passage has become a Christian cliché, as it appears on everything from bumper stickers to social media memes.
The Common Misunderstanding
When you read Psalm 46:10 you probably think of being physically quiet before God, of slowing down your frantic pace and finding time to read your Bible in some irenic setting. This passage commonly brings to mind serene landscapes and the idea of believers finding rest and peace before God. When facing hardships, what should the Christian do? Be still and know. Basically, we need to let go and let God handle our problems. There is a lot of theological truth here, it’s just not found in this passage. Modern Christians do need to spend more time in their devotions. We should prioritize spending time in prayer and the reading of his word. Nonetheless, this is not what the passage means. Not even close.
What Psalm 46:10 Actually Means
Psalm 46 is actually about war. It starts with the great promise that God is the refuge of his people, where they can find protection from the raging of the world (46:1-3). It then pictures how the nations rage against God and his people (46:6) before moving to God’s response of bringing destruction to the earth and the nations (46:8-9). This passage is the inspiration for Martin Luther’s great hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God.
The context of verse 10 is not a quiet time of prayer, Bible reading, and journal that we must document on social media (otherwise, it doesn’t count). The context is war. The setting is a battlefield. In this war, God protects his people and brings the nations into submission. Psalm 46:10 shows God entering the battlefield comprised of the raging nations and defeating them with a voice of command. When God says “Be still, and know that I am God!” it is not directed at God’s people, but at the rebelling nations. It is directed at the enemies of God. It is the royal command of the King of kings that defeats our enemies. The command—Be still and know—is how God defeats his opponents. Be still and know is the battle cry of the Lord directed at his enemies, not an encouragement for believers to find rest in God. He enters the battlefield and wins by the power of his voice. The HCSB translation helps us to see this, “Stop your fighting—and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” In short, Psalm 46:10 is about God defeating the nations and about him being exalted by all of creation.
Why It Matters
We tend to sand off the sharp edges of God to make him more palatable. Psalm 46:10 reminds us God rules and he conquers. There is coming a day when he will enter the battlefield and he will conquer simply by speaking. The nations will be stilled and left speechless. They will know that the Lord is God. This is fulfilled in Revelation 19:15-21 where Jesus descends and slays the nations as a sword comes out of his mouth. He defeats the nations by speaking, just as we are told will happen in Psalm 46:10. Christians need to remember that the Lord rules and that he is a conquering King. He is so great that the strongest nations will be defeated by his mere speech. On that day every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. This is what Psalm 46:10 is about. Of course, when we see this, it will also move us to rest in his power to save and move us to live in reverence before him.
Pastor Levi Secord
Christ Bible Church
