The Psalms of the Siege

Psalms 46, 47 and 48, often referred to as the psalms of the siege, were written at the time of the siege of Jerusalem during Hezekiah's reign. First, some background.

When the children of Israel escaped from the slavery of Egypt, they took the promised land by force. The heathen were evicted, the children of Israel moved in, and everything was fine.

One day the children of Israel decided they wanted a king. Everyone else had a king, so they bitched to Samuel about not having one and told him to sort it out. Neither Samuel nor God were happy about it, but Israel got their king. Saul, however, turned into an arrogant stubborn dickhead, so God gave the responsibility of looking after his people to David.

Solomon ruled after his father David's death, but because of idolatry, the kingdom was divided into two. Solomon's son Rehoboam ruled in the south, in Judea, while the northern tribes united under Jeroboam. The southern tribes under Rehoboam became known as the Kingdom of Judea, thus differentiating them from the northern tribes of Israel under Jeroboam. Hezekiah was one of those Judean kings. He was also a man who loved God.

2 Kings 18:9,10
And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

We must also understand that taking countries back in those days was a little different than it is today. Nowadays we bomb folks, then trundle in with tanks while Special Forces work behind enemy lines to mess up logistics, supplies and communications. The king of Syria didn't have airplanes, bombs, tanks, grenades and rifles, he had bows and arrows, swords, and spears.

Although formidable weapons in hand to hand combat, bows and arrows, swords and spears were not much use against fortified city walls. Once the people ran inside, locked the gates, and placed archers on the city walls, there wasn't much invaders could do except camp outside and starve everyone out. Depending on how well stocked the city was, that could take months, even years. If there were dozens of walled cities to lay siege to, taking a country could take decades. The siege of Samaria mentioned here lasted three years. That's how long it took to starve the people out. Three years. And that was just one city. Taking entire countries didn't happen overnight. Countries were taken city by city, siege by siege.

2 Kings 18:10-12
And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:

Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.

The bible states here why this happened. To not obey the voice of God is to turn your nose up at the bible. Idolatry, homosexuality, and witchcraft always lead to the destruction of entire civilisations. Most people think I talk shite. Well, I don't care what people think. Unless people come back to God and his word and start living it again, it is herded to the gas chambers of the new world order they will be. I'm trying to save lives here. I love people enough to want to help them. The communists murdered over 40 million Russians and Chinese when they took those countries. Do you think the communists have changed? They've been planning your extermination for decades. Better get back to the word folks, because Lucifer is still the god of this world.

Hezekiah lived and ruled in Jerusalem, the capital city of Judea. He watched as Israel fell, city by city. He saw Samaria fall. He knew the siege of Jerusalem was coming. In fact, he had years to prepare. It took the Assyrians years to reach Jerusalem. Hezekiah walked by the spirit and God told him how to prepare.

Deliverance doesn't come by magic. God gives us information, and if we listen to him, we are more than conquerors. It took Noah 120 years to build the ark and prepare for the flood. He spent 120 years building a boat in the middle of the countryside. He was laughed to scorn. I can assure you, they weren't laughing when the rains came. People today wonder what happened to entire civilisations thousands of years ago because they all just suddenly disappeared. They all drowned. Only Noah and his family survived. That's the truth, and I don't care what historical experts say to the contrary. All they're doing is repeating parrot fashion what they read in books written by assholes. The bible has to be our standard for truth.

Hezekiah prepared for the siege. He knew it was coming. What are you doing to prepare? Do you think the money you have in the bank is going to keep you safe when hard times come? Do you think the government is going to give you money when hard times come? Do you think the police are going to protect you when hard times come?

God is our refuge and strength, not the banks, not the government, not your stocks and shares, not the police, and certainly not the money you think you have in the bank. If you don't have any gold, you don't have any money anyway. If your trust is in the banks, I don't fancy your chances when hard times come.

Can you fish? If not, why not? Get yourself some gear, learn how to do it, and learn how to clean and cook fish. Can you grow food? If not, why not? Can you hunt, clean and cook game? If not, why not? These are survival skills which will help to keep you alive when everyone else is dying in the streets. Can you sew? Can you knit? Can you make clothes? If not why not? Do you think your stupid designer fashions are going to keep you warm and dry through a long winter of hard times?

How long would you survive if the electricity went down? How long would you survive if there was no gas available? Could you heat your home and cook your food if there was no electricity or gas? If not, what are you doing about it? If you're not doing anything about it because the money you have in the bank is the god you put your trust in, God won't be able to do anything for you when hard times come. If you don't take believing action and do something to prepare, you won't survive a world at war.

Food, clothing and somewhere comfortable and warm to live is how we should be thinking, not how many cars we can park on the drive, or how many tellies we can cram into our houses.

1 Timothy 6:7,8
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Hezekiah had years to prepare. He got to work with God's help, and Jerusalem was ready when the siege came. Get together in your home churches and prepare together so you're ready should hard times come.

One thing Hezekiah did was tunnel a few hundred yards through solid bedrock to pipe water into the city. And they did it without power tools. They chipped their way through bedrock and brought water into the city. When the siege hit, they had fresh running water flowing into the city from outside the city walls.

Hezekiah's tunnel, or the Siloam tunnel as it's also called, still exists. It's still there, and it's an absolute marvel of engineering. With God's help, Hezekiah chiselled 530 metres through bedrock to bring fresh water into the city. His tunnel is still there and you can go to Jerusalem and walk through it.

The thing is, that tunnel didn't just happen by magic. The people didn't just sit there all day and watch telly. Hezekiah didn't just sit there and ignore the world. Jerusalem didn't have their trust in the world banks and the stock markets. The people didn't just idle their days away, thinking God would take care of everything, and nothing bad would ever happen to them. That kind of thinking would have killed them. Without that tunnel, and the years of believing it took to chisel it through the bedrock, they would not have survived that siege. When the siege came, Jerusalem had fresh water running right into the city through that tunnel. Understanding this helps us to understand psalms 46-48, the psalms of the siege.

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

How was God their refuge and strength? Because they all sat there for years ignoring the world? Because they all put their trust in their wallets? Because they all thought the banks would look after them? If that's how they'd thought, they would have died in that siege.

God was their refuge and strength because they believed for years to prepare. They chiselled 530 metres through solid bedrock with hand tools to bring water into the city. What are you doing to prepare so you will survive should the world cave in? What are you doing to prepare so you will survive should the banks and the stock markets collapse and you lose all your money? What are you going to eat if all the supermarket shelves are empty and all the shops are smashed and looted? How are you going to heat your home if there's no electricity?

God is our refuge and strength, yes, but only when we believe. He is a very present help in trouble for those who believe, just as he was a very present help for those people in Jerusalem because they prepared. Hezekiah and the people were surrounded by a hostile force who had taken the entire country. Jerusalem was the last city. If it fell, the nation of Israel would have been destroyed. Destruction and death was right there, at the city gates, they could see it from the city walls all around them. Did it bother them? No, they had fresh water flowing right into the city. They could grow food, they could water their animals, they had fresh eggs, milk, butter, cheese, vegetables and meat. That tunnel supplied all their need. They survived because they prepared.

What are you doing to prepare should the sieges come? Will you be able to eat if the world's stock markets crash and the banks close their doors? Will you be able to clothe yourself and your family if the money runs out and hard times come? Will you be able to protect yourself, your home and your family should the cannibals come sniffing around your house looking for fresh meat? You think I'm scaremongering? Fine, put your trust in the banks and make the stock markets your god.

Let's look at a bit more of the historical background of these psalms. Listen to what Sennacherib had to say when he sent his spokesman, Rabshakeh up to the walls with a few words for Hezekiah.

2 Kings 18:19-25
And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me.

Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.

But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

The world sure has a big mouth. Rabshakeh just forgot to mention which god he served. Incidentally, it's the same god the freemasons and all the religions of the world today serve. Lucifer is the god of this world. Don't you see that yet?

2 Kings 18:28-37
Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' [Judeans] language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria:

Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:

Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:

Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.

Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?

Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?

But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Do you believe the world is going to look after you when hard times come? Do you think the god of this world is going to give you cisterns and vineyards? Do you believe the banks are run by wonderful men who care about you? God is our refuge and strength, yes, but there's nothing he can do if you put your trust in the world and think the money you have in the bank will take care of you.

2 Kings 19:1-37
And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.

It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.

So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.

Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.

And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,

Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?

Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar?

Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?

And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.

Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,

And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.

This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.

I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.

Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.

Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.

And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.

For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.

By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.

For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

Can God take care of us of even if we're surrounded by enemy troops and our cities are under siege? Yes, he can, but only if we listen to him and prepare. If we ignore the warnings, he won't be able to help when the sieges hit. All life works by believing, not by magic.

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith [believing] it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

How we diligently seek God is by diligently seeking his word. His word is his will, and as we diligently seek the word, we get our answers. As we carry out the instruction, we get the deliverance. That's believing. Start preparing for hard times. Learn to hunt and fish, learn to grow food, learn to sew and make clothes, learn how to live without electricity, learn how to live without phones and internet. Learn how to survive, learn how to look after yourself and your families. Prepare together in your home churches. Back to Psalm 46.

Psalm 46:1,2
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;

With an understanding of the historical background, these verses come alive. Hezekiah and the people were looking over the walls of Jerusalem at one of the most terrible armies on earth. Despite their circumstances, they refused to fear because they knew God was their refuge and strength. They had brought fresh water into the city. They were prepared and they knew God was their present help in trouble. Would God have been their refuge and strength had they laughed at God years earlier and done nothing to prepare?

Psalm 46:3
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

That army was so massive the ground would have literally shook with the thundering of tramping soldiers. I'll bet they were singing dark songs and rattling their swords on their shields. I'll bet the whole world seemed to shake as that army marched up to the walls of Jerusalem. If we ever feel under pressure, these psalms are a good place to go to in our minds.

Psalm 46:4
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

What river do you think this is referring to? Yes, it was the fresh waters flowing into the city through the tunnel they'd spent years chipping away at. That fresh water was only there because they believed in God. That river flowing through the tunnel made them glad.

The old testament was written for our learning, so what can we learn from this? Well, Hezekiah and the children of Israel were facing death, starvation, and the loss of all their property. It surrounded them. Every time they looked over the city walls they could see it. Fear would have killed them. Unbelief would have killed them. They prepared for the siege, they chiselled through bedrock with hand tools to bring water into the city. That's how God was able to deliver them.

Chronicles tells us that all those men who died overnight in Sennacherib's army were his officers.

2 Chronicles 32:21
And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels [his own sons] slew him there with the sword.

One hundred and eighty five thousand officers indicates an army of millions. Perhaps the officers ate in a different mess from the soldiers, like today, and their food was poisoned. Who knows? Who cares? The point is, if God could deliver his people back then in Jerusalem, can he deliver us today? Yes, of course he can, but what are we doing to prepare?

There have been a number of severe depressions in the last couple of hundred years, and hundreds of wars. What are you doing to prepare should war and hard times come? What are you doing to prepare should the electricity go down and the shops have no food? What are you doing to prepare should the banks collapse and all your money is gone? What are you doing to prepare should the world's stock markets crash and there is no food or money? These are very real possibilities. What are you doing to prepare? If you do your best, God will be there for you and take care of you, but if your trust is in your government and in the banks, you'll make good pork chops for the cannibals. Better wake up people, the devil is still the god of this world.

Did you know that Sennacherib knew about the tunnel supplying water to the city and tried to find it so he could cut it off? He searched for it and didn't find it.

God's people had their needs met because they believed God, they trusted his word, and they refused to fear. That tunnel still exists. It was cut through solid bedrock to channel fresh water from the Gihon spring, which was outside the city walls, to the pool of Siloam, which was within the city walls. It is 1,750 feet long, 530metres, and it was hewn through bedrock. Those people were prepared. If your trust is in the money you have in the bank, you are putting your trust in uncertain riches, you are gambling with your life.

Today, some say that Hezekiah didn't build that tunnel. The world always lies about the power of God. Here's the testimony of the word.

2 Chronicles 32:30
This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

It's the word that stands, not what men say. Sure, someone found rubble in the tunnel with pottery that predates Hezekiah by 100 years. So what? Antiques are hardly anything new are they? Lots of people have things in their homes more than 100 years old. The world is a bad loser, that's all. Don't put your trust in gobby bastards who strut around with their heads up their arses thinking they know everything, put your trust in the word. Hezekiah built that tunnel and God's people survived because of it.

Modern experts believe Hezekiah's tunnel would have taken 4 years to chisel through the bedrock. What are you doing to ensure you, your home churches, and your families will have their need met should the world's stock markets crash, and the banks collapse? Are you laughing at me? Show me in the word any place where God tells us to put our trust in the world.

All life works by believing. If your trust is in the banks and in your government, you have no understanding of the spiritual nature behind the courses of this world. Hezekiah looked down at Sennacherib's armies encamped around the walls of Jerusalem, and was confident God would deliver them because they had prepared. What are you doing to prepare? If you do your best, God will be there for you, just as he was there for Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. Back to psalm 46.

Psalm 46:5-11
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 uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

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.

Look at the power in these words. Were those people terrified of Sennacherib? Not at all, they weren't afraid of him in the slightest. How they put their trust in God was by acting on the information he gave them by hewing out that tunnel. They survived because they prepared. They were victorious because they prepared. They were more than conquerors because they prepared.

Selah means consider these words. It means, go back and read them again, and again, and again and consider them deeply. Three times Selah is used in this psalm. Not once, not twice, but three times - selah selah selah. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble selah, selah, selah. Read the records of Hezekiah again and then read psalm 46 again. Consider these words deeply for they are powerful enough to break enemy sieges and deliver us from death.

Psalm 47 and psalm 48 were also written at the time of that siege. Knowing their background brings them to life in a remarkable way.

Psalm 47:1-9
O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.

He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.

He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.

The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

Sure, God delivered Hezekiah and his people, it was easy, but it took believing on the part of the people to prepare. If they'd ignored God and not prepared, had they not bothered to dig that tunnel, had they not spent years preparing for the siege, they would not have survived. God doesn't do magic tricks, he gives us information, he gives us intelligence on how to be victorious. If we don't listen, we won't be victorious over anything. Psalm 48 is the last of these psalms of the siege.

Psalm 48:1-6
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

God is known in her palaces for a refuge.

For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.

They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.

Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

Zion was the rocky fortress within Jerusalem. It was the most feared fortress on earth at that time. Inside it, Hezekiah and his people were safe from the seething mass of unbelieving gentile soldiers swarming around the city walls. Sennacherib sent his best commanders, his best warriors, his best strategists, his best orators, his best engineers, the best of everything he had to try to come up with a plan to take Jerusalem. They schemed and plotted, but Hezekiah and his people had put their trust in God and they had prepared well. The psalm says that when the enemy saw Zion, when they looked up at that fortress, they were troubled and ran away. It says that fear took hold of them, and pain, as of a pregnant women in labour. Sennacherib had sent them to take Jerusalem and they knew they could not do it.

Psalm 48:7
Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

We know there were over a hundred and eighty thousand officers, so we can safely assume the army was well over a million soldiers strong. They had been taking the country city by city for years. Have you any idea how much food they would have needed every day?

The greatest merchant fleet in the world at that time was based in Tarshish. Sennacherib was supplying his massive army using the ships of Tarshish. The ships hauling Sennacherib's supplies were wrecked by a storm and sank to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. These days it is the International Red Cross ferrying huge cargoes around the world to keep terrorists in arms, ammunition and food. The arrogant bastards even have the nerve to label it as humanitarian aid. Perhaps it's time we started torpedoing the fuckers and sending them to the bottom of the ocean to join Sennacherib's navy.

Psalm 48:8-14
As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.

We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.

According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.

Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.

Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.

Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.

For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

God will be there for us, always. He's like that, he's amazing. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will be there for us, even under siege. If wars come, if the stock markets collapse, if the banks close their doors and all the money is gone, if gunshots ring out in the streets and people are dying all around us, God will still be our refuge if we prepare.

Psalm 91:4-7
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.