READING SCRIPTURE IN CONTEXT - PSALM 46:10

 

"Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth."

Many Christians use this verse when they're going through times of pain, struggle, and suffering to remind them that God is in control if they would just sit down, clear their minds, and meditate on who He is.  And not only that, they don't even use the rest of the verse.  They stop at the word "God".  Maybe they do so because it doesn't fit in with their interpretation of what they think the verse means, so they just leave it out.

But that is not the context in which this verse is used.  Let's go back to verses 6-9:

“The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Fortress.  Selah

Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations upon the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.”

 

The words "be still" come from the Hebrew word "rapa", which means "cease striving". When you look at the four verses before verse 10, you'll notice these verses are referring to times of war and nations raging against one another.

Imagine a schoolteacher at recess and he/she sees their class fighting with one another, or a law enforcement officer witnesses a group of men brawling in the street, and they come upon this group and yell, "STOP FIGHTING!!"......this is the equivalent to what is going on in verse ten. The schoolteacher has the authority over his/her class, and the police officer is the civil authority within that community where the men are fighting. God has authority over all the nations of the earth, and He is demanding all men to stop contending with one another and acknowledge that He alone is sovereign over all.

This is why it's so important to use a Hebrew and Greek lexicon and a good commentary when studying Scripture AND read all verses within context of the chapter. This makes understanding the verses a bit easier when we have all the information needed for correct interpretation.