Overview
To choose the waters of Shiloah is to trust God quietly underneath the noise instead of trusting the arm of the flesh. The waters of Shiloah were the stream, fed by a fountain, that flowed silently beneath Jerusalem to the pool of Siloam, never disturbed while Sennacherib’s Assyrian army roared all around the city walls. In this teaching Rev. Rico Magnelli reads Psalm 46 alongside Isaiah 8:6 and John 9, showing that Israel rejected those waters and was conquered, while Hezekiah and Judah stood, believed and were delivered without one arrow being fired. Be still means cease from your own efforts, remain unoccupied with the roaring, and know Elohim experientially as God’s power in action.
Transcript
Psalm 46 and the Siege of Jerusalem Under Hezekiah
Let’s go to Psalm 46, please. We want to think about choosing the waters of Shiloah. You know, some scholars believe that this psalm refers to the events that happened regarding King Hezekiah and when he was besieged by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, in Jerusalem.
And there’s some great truth in here and certainly applicable in our day and time and certainly during this time. And let’s take a look at this because we have a choice to make. And in the very difficult circumstances, God’s people made a very specific decision.
In Psalm 46, verse 1, it says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. The word God here in the Hebrew is Elohim. Elohim is always in the plural, indicating the majesty of God. And that name is used seven times in this psalm. Seven indicating that spiritual perfection. God is our refuge.
He’s a shelter. He’s a shelter. And he’s our strength and a very present help in trouble. When we’re in trouble, God becomes our shelter. God becomes our strength. And that reality becomes more and more magnified.
Therefore Will Not We Fear, Though the Earth Be Removed
In verse 2, it says, therefore will not we fear. And that is really what we’re guarding against in so many aspects, is that we don’t get afraid. And there are certain things, surely, that go on today in our day and time that can cause us to be tempted to be afraid.
God doesn’t want us to be afraid, no matter what it is, because he’s our refuge. He is our strength. And he will help us when we’re in trouble, just like he did for the children of Israel.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Certainly, that would be a devastating thing to observe, to see the earth removed, the mountains carried into the sea. That would cause some concern.
The Roaring Waters as a Figure of the Assyrian Army
And God is saying, not even those things should stir us to fear, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah, the waters thereof roar are a figure of speech, a resemblance by implication. And what it is, is a comparison by implication, because you have to understand what’s going on here.
What’s going on here is the king of Assyria, the most powerful king at this time, is surrounding and has surrounded Jerusalem with his vast army. They are besieging the Jerusalem with their accusations against God, writing letters and saying things to the people that are on the wall around the city. And the roaring waters are referring to the roaring of the Assyrian host.
They’re like roaring waters, they shake you, because you look out over the vast area and all you see is an army all the way around you. That’s what the children of Israel will consider it. And it says, Selah.
What Selah Means, and the River in Psalm 46:4
Selah is an indication of stopping and considering. And often there’s several truths that are being connected by this Selah. And here you have the roaring water, and then we’re gonna see in verse four, the river.
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof, Selah, there is a river. The streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, Elohim, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. And this river is referring to the waters of Shiloah, the stream underneath the city of Jerusalem, beneath Zion, that led to the pool of Siloam.
The Pool of Siloam in John 9 and the Man Born Blind
And that pool of Siloam is mentioned in John. Keep your finger here and let’s take a look at John really quick, the Gospel of John. This is a really familiar record.
And you wonder if Jesus Christ had this in his mind. Perhaps even the man born blind had this in his mind, this record of Hezekiah and the deliverance. In John chapter nine, verse one says, and Jesus passed by and saw a man which was blind from his birth.
And his disciples asked him saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? That was a popular idea that the Pharisees were moving that made people be very sin conscious. Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned nor his parents. But that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Meaning as a result, the works of God would be made manifest. I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle. And he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay and said unto him, go wash in the pool of Siloam.
That’s a reference to Shiloah, which by interpretation sent. He went his way therefore and washed and came seeing.
Waters That Go Softly While the Army Roars Above
The waters of Shiloah were a stream that was fed by a fountain and they flowed underneath. They were silent and they flowed underneath. And it had significance because all around them was this entire army roaring. And yet underneath quietly, the waters of Shiloah were moving softly and gently the whole time, never disturbed by the roar that was around them.
And this is significant because God is drawing our attention to something physical in order to teach us a spiritual truth. God is our refuge.
Isaiah 8:6: This People Refuseth the Waters of Shiloah
Look at Isaiah 8, please. We’ll be back to Psalm 46, Isaiah 8. In Isaiah chapter 8, we’ll see a reference to this. Now, Isaiah was a prophet and he was a contemporary of Hezekiah that told Hezekiah that he needed to get his affairs in order because he was going to die. And Hezekiah prayed to God.
After he prayed, Isaiah turned around and told him he had another 15 years to live. So there was a lot going on while this besieging of Jerusalem is going on. It’s pretty wild. These are real people.
But in Isaiah chapter 8, verse 6, it says, forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah, that go softly and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son. Rezin was a king of that time, perhaps of Syria. And Remaliah’s son is in reference to the leadership in Samaria, which was the capital of Israel, the northern 10 tribes.
Why the Northern Tribes Fell and Judah Stood
So what this is saying is Israel that had already been conquered by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, they refused the waters of Shiloah. They were gonna more trust in Syria or in their own arm of the flesh. That’s what this is referring to. And Hezekiah kept those two southern tribes and retained the truth of the word and kept the Christ line going.
The word refused there actually means it’s a lot stronger. It’s like to reject, despise or abhor. Wow. No wonder they got conquered. They rejected Jehovah. They rejected God’s protection and blessing, the Lord God.
Most People Live Life on the Surface: Look Deeper for the Deep Things of God
And those waters go softly. And see, that’s the way often our lives are. We go into the midst of the world. There’s so much hubbub. There’s so much noise. But yet in our hearts, we trust in the Lord our God. He is the waters of Shiloah that move through our hearts. Underneath it all, He’s constantly supplying our need and bringing the life-giving water of His word.
See, most people live life on the surface. You gotta look deeper. That’s where God hangs out. And that’s where you’ll get your answers. You can’t look at it on the surface. You gotta look deeper. It talks about it in Corinthians. He shows us the deep things of God. The deep things of God. If you wanna be peaceful, you gotta go deep. You can’t look at the surface of life. And especially when they’re really busy, most people build it as a habit to just look at the surface of life. And they won’t find God there.
God Is in the Midst of Her: Psalm 46:5-7
Psalm 46, in verse five. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. Elohim is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. Elohim shall help her and that right early. Elohim again, in reference to the creator, but God’s power in action.
The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved. He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord Jehovah, here’s the first time the name Jehovah comes up, of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge, Selah.
Why He Is Called the God of Jacob
The God of Jacob, Jacob refers to the grandson of Abraham. Jacob was the supplanter, the contender. Later, God changed his name to Israel, which means God rules, giving Jacob a name to live up to. But what’s so interesting here, he calls him the God of Jacob, the God of Jacob. That’s the natural lineage.
And God was willing to work with Jacob where he was at. Jacob had to rise up in his believing to really embrace that name of Israel, much like we have to do to put on the mind of Christ. God worked with him where he was. And this was before God gave him that name to live up to. And this is being brought back to God’s people’s remembrance. Hey, remember Jacob, where he was at? And look what God did for him.
He’s the God, he’s the Elohim of Jacob and is our refuge, Selah. Selah here, again, connecting the confidence and the promise of God with the deliverance from the enemy. The most formidable foe Israel could face.
Not One Arrow Was Fired
And yet not one arrow was fired. A lot of words exchanged, but no arrow was fired. God discomfited the whole bunch. He fought for his people. Verse eight, come behold the works of the Lord. What desolations he hath made in the earth.
Yeah, that whole army, that whole situation was turned around completely because they stood, they believed, and they trusted in the waters of Shiloah. What an amazing illustration. Verse nine, he maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow and cutteth the spear in sunder. He burneth the chariots in the fire.
Be Still and Know That I Am God: Cease From Your Own Efforts
Then that great verse number 10, verse 10, be still and know that I am God. And I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth. Be still. In the Hebrew is the sense of cease from your efforts. The Greek can be understood as being unoccupied. When we trust God, we remain unoccupied with the roaring of the waters. We cease from our own works. We look to him to supply what we need.
Just like the children in Judea under Hezekiah. There’s really nothing they could do. They had to trust in God. We do the same thing. I know there’s a lot of noise around us, a lot of confusion in the world, but we have the waters of Shiloah to trust in. And God will absolutely bring the deliverance to us in every category.
And then it says, be still and know that I am God. In the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, the word know means to experientially know. They were to experience Elohim, meaning God’s power in action. Like I said, they didn’t have to fire one arrow against this army.
And you apply that to us today. We don’t have to go the world’s route. We just respond with the truth of God’s word and the love of God. And we put our trust in the Lord, our God. And he will see us through every challenging situation, no matter what it is. And then it says, the Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob, there it is again, is our refuge, Selah.
The Choice: The Arm of the Flesh or the Waters of Shiloah
It’s a great Psalm. There’s a lot of terrific truth in here. But the point being is that God’s people had a choice to choose the arm of the flesh or to trust in God. The waters of Shiloah moving softly underneath the situation. And when you get still and peaceful, speaking in tongues really contributes to that.
When we get peaceful on the inside, we start to recognize that stillness, that God is there all the time. He never leaves us. He never forsakes us, even in challenging situations. And that’s why it’s great to remind each other of these truths and fellowship, so we can remain strong, just like they did in that record.
And that record has a lot of lessons to it, if you ever want to read it. It’s in Chronicles, it’s in Kings, it’s in referenced here in Psalms, and it’s also in Isaiah. So a lot of great truth there. So that’s what I would recommend. Choose the waters of Shiloah. And enjoy your holiday time amidst all the hubbub. Never forget, He’s always there supplying your need.
Key Takeaways
- The waters of Shiloah were a stream fed by a fountain that flowed silently beneath Jerusalem, beneath Zion, to the pool of Siloam, moving softly and gently the whole time and never disturbed by the Assyrian army roaring around the city walls.
- Psalm 46:1 calls God our refuge and strength; the name used is Elohim, always plural to indicate the majesty of God, and it appears seven times in the psalm, seven indicating spiritual perfection.
- Isaiah 8:6 says this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly; the word refused is much stronger than it sounds, meaning to reject, despise or abhor, and Israel was conquered while Hezekiah’s two southern tribes retained the truth of the word.
- The river of Psalm 46:4 links to John 9, where Jesus made clay of the spittle and sent the man born blind to wash in the pool of Siloam, which by interpretation means sent.
- Be still in Psalm 46:10 carries the Hebrew sense of cease from your efforts, and the Greek sense of being unoccupied: unoccupied with the roaring of the waters, ceasing from our own works, looking to God to supply what we need.
- Not one arrow was fired against the Assyrian host. God discomfited the whole bunch and fought for his people, which is why the choice is between the arm of the flesh and the waters of Shiloah.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the waters of Shiloah in Isaiah 8:6?
They were a stream fed by a fountain that flowed silently underneath the city of Jerusalem, beneath Zion, and led to the pool of Siloam. Isaiah 8:6 says this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and the word refused there is a lot stronger than it sounds: it means to reject, despise or abhor. Israel rejected them and trusted Rezin and their own arm of the flesh instead, while Hezekiah kept the two southern tribes trusting God.
What does be still and know that I am God mean in Psalm 46:10?
Be still in the Hebrew carries the sense of cease from your efforts, and the Greek can be understood as being unoccupied. When we trust God we remain unoccupied with the roaring of the waters, we cease from our own works, and we look to him to supply what we need. In the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, the word know means to experientially know, so Judah under Hezekiah was to experience Elohim, God’s power in action.
How is the pool of Siloam in John 9 connected to Psalm 46?
The river of Psalm 46:4, whose streams shall make glad the city of God, is the waters of Shiloah, the stream that led to the pool of Siloam. In John 9 Jesus spat on the ground, made clay of the spittle, anointed the eyes of the man born blind and told him to go wash in that same pool of Siloam, which by interpretation means sent. Rev. Rico Magnelli wonders whether Jesus Christ, and even the blind man, had the record of Hezekiah and the deliverance in mind.
Scripture References
Psalm 46:1; Psalm 46:2; Psalm 46:3; Psalm 46:4; John 9:1; John 9:2; John 9:3; John 9:4; John 9:5; John 9:6; John 9:7; Isaiah 8:6; 2 Kings 20:1-6; Isaiah 38:1-5; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Psalm 46:5; Psalm 46:6; Psalm 46:7; Psalm 46:8; Psalm 46:9; Psalm 46:10; Psalm 46:11; 2 Chronicles 32; 2 Kings 18-19; Isaiah 36-37
This text was prepared from the teaching audio. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
