Let’s continue looking closely at Psalm 46 through inductive Bible study. If you’d like to start at the beginning of this series, you can start here:
Bible Meditation on Psalm 46: Preparing for Inductive Bible Study
Identifying Main Units and Sub-Units
Inductive Bible study always begins with prayer. The next step is to survey the Bible passage and see how the bigger pieces fit together. Dividing the passage into main units and sub-units helps you see the big picture.
For background on identifying main units and sub-units, you might find these posts helpful:
The Big Picture: Identifying Main Units in Inductive Bible Study
One Step Closer: Identifying Sub-Units in Inductive Bible Study
Psalm 46 Main Units
In my survey of Psalm 46, I noted these main units:
Main Units
I. God is a personal refuge (verses 1-3).
II. God is a refuge for the worshiping community (verses 4-7).
III. God is a refuge for the nations (verses 8-11).
The first unit takes a more personal tone. It describes God’s characteristics as a refuge for individuals. Even though the personal pronouns are in first person plural, God’s help is of a more personal nature.
The second unit moves into third person (except for the closing refrain), describing God’s presence as a refuge for the community as a whole.
The third unit stays in third person (again, except for the closing refrain) but telescopes outward to survey God’s power over the whole earth.
Each unit represents a distinct examination of who God is as a refuge and where He is a refuge.
When you survey Psalm 46, your main units might differ from mine. That is okay. The main thing is to know why you divided it the way you did, and to keep the main units on a big-picture level. Try to limit your main units to three to keep focused on the big picture.
Psalm 46 Sub-Units
After you identify the main units, you’ll want to identify sub-units for each main unit. Sub-units get into a little more detail, but you still want to limit them to about three. Sub-units are still part of the big-picture survey of the Bible passage, but they give you a little closer insight into how the parts of each main unit unfold and flow.
Here are the sub-units I noted in Psalm 46. I have restated the main units (in bold with Roman numerals) and listed the sub-units (with alphabet letters) beneath each one. You may want to follow along with the Bible passage to see how these sub-units fit.
Sub-Units
I. God is a personal refuge (verses 1-3).
A. God’s characteristics as a refuge (verse 1).
B. God offers safety in upheaval (verses 2-3).
II. God is a refuge for the worshiping community (verses 4-7).
A. God is with the community (verses 4-5).
B. God is in control (verse 6).
C. God is with His people (verse 7).
III. God is a refuge for the nations (verses 8-11).
A. God has power over the earth (verses 8-9).
B. God is exalted over the earth (verse 10).
C. God is with His people (verse 11).
Identifying main units and sub-units benefits from practice. You might like to practice identifying your own set of main units and sub-units in Psalm 46. Then choose another psalm and continue practicing. Remember to pray first, and enjoy that time with God.
The next lesson in this Psalm 46 inductive Bible study series is waiting for you here: God Is the Solution (“Problem-Solution” in Inductive Bible Study).
Adventures with God 