Toni’s Title
The God of Jacob Is Our Fortress
ESV Title
God Is Our Fortress
Literary Type
This is a hymn, and a song of Zion.
Hymns
Hymns extol the glory and greatness of God as it is revealed in nature and history, and particularly in Israels’s history. Hymns praise God in general terms for his power and faithfulness as creator of the cosmos, ruler of history, and creator/redeemer of Israel to bring blessing to all the world. Israel’s hymns stress God’s active involvement in the life story of Israel. Hymns typically demonstrate motives for worshipping and praising God. A clear example is Psalm 117, the shortest psalm, just two verses:
1 O praise the Lord, all you nations; *
praise him, all you peoples.
2 For (= Hebrew ki) great is his loving-kindness towards us, *
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Praise the Lord.
Hymns were used for exuberant worship in the temple and the synagogue. The people of God before the Incarnation invite us to celebrate and praise with them in hope of the kingdom of God and his Messiah. Hymns, like all psalms, show Christians how to praise God who has acted in creation, in revelation, and in redemption, and who is acting decisively in establishing his kingdom on earth. They do not ask anything; they simply rejoice in God’s presence.
Examples: Psalms 8, 19:1-6, 33, 66:1-12, 100, 103, 104, 145-150, and others
Songs of Zion
Several psalms express the view that God chose Zion as the earthly center of the divine rule. Mount Zion was the site of the Jerusalem temple. It was the place where God chose to be present in the midst of the people. So it became a sanctuary to which the people made pilgrimages. To the psalmists, Zon was the center of historical meaning that God had disclosed to Israel and, through Israel, to the whole world. The psalmists glorify Zion at that location. Zion came to represent the meeting place of heaven and earth and a foreshadowing of eternal life.
Examples: Psalms 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 121, 122
NT Prayer Guide
Ro. 8:31-39
Superscription
To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song.
46
Deus noster refugium
1 God is our refuge and strength, *
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, *
and though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters rage and swell, *
and though the mountains shake at its tempest.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, *
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; therefore she shall not be moved. *
God shall help her at the break of day.
6 The nations are in an uproar, and the kingdoms are moved, *
but God has lifted his voice, and the earth shall melt away.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; *
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
8 O come and behold the works of the Lord, *
what devastations he has brought upon the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease in all the world; *
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, and burns the chariots in the fire.
10 “Be still then and know that I am God; *
I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us; *
the God of Jacob is our refuge.