Psalms 75:1

Psalms 75:1-3 says, “To the chief Musician, Altaschith, A Psalm or Song of Asaph. Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare. When I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.”

The key phrase to notice in these verses is the phrase, “I will judge uprightly.” We live in a world tainted by sin. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” And the destiny of all the earth is one day to stand before God and to be judged for everything we have done and said in our lifetimes. We can be thankful to know that when God judges He will judge uprightly. This is the reason that it is so important for person to come to know Jesus as their Saviour. Without Jesus as your savior you will have to stand before the just judge of the whole earth and face the punishment for your sins. But if you trust in Jesus His righteousness is imputed unto you, you are forgiven of your sins, and when you stand before God on the day of judgment you will be declared righteous.

Psalms 75:4-7 says, “I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

These verses in the bible are very great verses in helping us to understand what goes on in the world from a political sense. When someone rises to power over a nation it is because God gave them power. When someone loses power it is because God took away that power.

If you understand this simple truth it will help you to be at peace in life regardless of what goes on politically in the world. Because then you will realize that God is in control not man. Yes man has a free will but man’s will is not greater than God’s will. God has a plan and a purpose and His plan and purpose is not going to be thwarted by men.

When these verses say, “lift not up the horn” a horn can symbolize a person’s strength and power. All human beings have a certain strength and power to their individual existence. They have the power to influence other people with their words and opinions and with their actions.

Lift not up the horn: Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.”

Most people use their own strength their own power, their free will to do what they can to promote themselves in life, that is to gain more material possessions, to gain more money, to increase in power, to spread their ideas and opinions and philosophies for the purpose of getting other people to be like them. These things that people do are almost always in opposition to God.

God is much more involved in His creation and in the doing of mankind than most people realize. This is why in the end of things the ones who ultimately will be lifting up the horn on high are God’s children. God’s children are the ones who have received the righteousness of Christ, who are joint heirs with Him, and who live their lives trying to do His will as opposed to all those who live their lives in such constant opposition to the things that God is doing. It is no wonder the Bible says in Revelation 5:10, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

Psalms 75:8, “For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.”

This verse is talking about the equality of the judgment of God. The fact that God is just and fair in His judgments.

Romans 2:12-13, “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

This is the reason why it is so important for a person to turn from their sins to Jesus. Everyone has failed. Everyone has broken God’s law. There is only one way to become justified before God and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ.

At the judgment it will be shown just how fair and merciful God has been to everyone. God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Anyone who turns to Jesus will be saved. It would have been just as fair and just for God to not send His son and to simply cast us all in Hell because we are guilty of breaking God’s law. We are sinners and sin must be punished. That would be fair, that would be justice. But God has not done that because God is love, God is merciful. So God sent His son Jesus that by grace through faith in Him we might be saved.

Therefore there will be no excuse at the judgment for those who turn away from God’s mercy. They will suffer the judgment of God because they chose too because they chose to reject Jesus. It will be shown at the judgment just how patient God was, and just how merciful in giving people opportunity after opportunity to repent of their sins.

The other thing this verse is doing is describing just how thorough and complete the judgment of God will be. Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Jesus said in Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

In the end after the judgment comes there will be no crying injustice. There will be no innocent person left unsatisfied in their desire for justice from the wrong that might have been done them. There will be no sin left unpunished.

Psalms 75:9-10 says, “But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”

Psalms 75 ends by showing the difference between what happens to the wicked and what happens to the righteous. There is a very great difference between the final fate of wicked men and the final fate if righteous men. The difference is the difference between heaven and hell. This is why it would be wise to make sure faith is placed in Jesus Christ and His righteousness. Those who trust in Jesus will have eternal life in heaven as their final destiny. Those who reject Jesus will spend eternity burning in hell.

Psalms 76:1-4 says, “To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song of Asaph. In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion. There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah. Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.”

Psalms 76 is a Psalms about how much greater God is than man. If any nation on earth should have understood the greatness of God it should have been the nation of Israel. Israel after all is God’s chosen nation. God gave His word through the nation of Israel. God sent His Son Jesus through the nation of Israel. And God has done many amazing miracles for the nation of Israel from the parting of the Red Sea to great military victories. And God manifested His glory and presence to the nation of Israel in the temple at Jerusalem.

Anyone who knows the history of the nation of Israel knows how horribly and how eagerly they turned away from God. But there was one a time when Israel loved the Lord and served Him. That is why God said of them in Jeremiah 2:2, “Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.”

In many ways the United States of America could be compared to Israel. The USA is a country and a government that was established by Christians. In looking at history we can certainly see the might hand of God in the establishing of the USA. It was almost as if God established this country so that there could be freedom, freedom for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Oh how God loves freedom, how God blesses freedom. There was once a time in America when all the little innocent children of this land had the right and the opportunity to learn and to hear the bible and to pray. But that freedom was taken away from the public schools.

When God looks down on America He probably thinks the same think that He thought about Israel in the days of Jeremiah in the days before great judgment came upon them, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.”

Psalms 76:5-9, “The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands. At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.”

How easily man trusts in His own strength and His own might. This is the great mistake that nations make. They trust in their own military power or the military power of their allies rather than trusting in God. In Olden times it was how many chariots and horses they had and in today’s modern times it is how many tanks and planes and missiles they have.

It is a sad thing to see a country like America become so prideful boasting of how it is the greatest nation in the world and yet forgetting how God has blessed them and God has raised them up and God has gave them victory over their enemies.

Psalms 76:10-12, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared. He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.”

In thinking about the greatness of God just think about this phrase, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee.” When I think of the wrath of man I think of man trying to exert all the power of his free will. But even that is nothing compared to the power of God. This verse really emphasizes the sovereignty of God.

The free will of man for the most part is used in opposition to the will of God. Just think of the kinds of things that man does in his wrath especially people that have power. It seems to me most men seem to think they have some kind of power over God because they have a free will. They think they can oppose God and win. But they cannot. God in His sovereignty will use even the wrath of man to praise Him. One of the greatest examples of this would be study the book of Revelation and too look at the events that happen during the tribulation and how mankind will unite under one great world government against God and will even try to oppose God with all their military might. The end result of course will be that God will be shown to be far greater and far mightier than the might of man. That is why the more that a person resists God the more that resistance will only result in showing just how great God is because no matter how great is the opposition against the will of God it is always God that wins.

Psalms 77:1-6 says, “To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of Asaph. I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.”

One of the great mistakes many people make in their lives is to not turn to God in times of trouble. The wisest thing you can do in a time of trouble is to do like David and to turn to God in prayer.

In the next several verses David asks several rhetorical questions to which the obvious answer is no. Psalms 77:7-9, “Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.” God always has mercy and grace for those who turn to Him and ask Him for mercy and grace.

Psalms 77:10-20, “And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled. The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook. Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

Aside from turning to God in prayer and looking to Him for mercy and grace the other important thing that David did in his time of trouble was to remind himself of the great things that God had done in the past for his people. It is very important to remember the things that God has done. What God has done for others He can do for you.

Remembering what God has done will encourage your faith as you endure through any particular troubles in your life. It will also help to guide your prayer life in terms of the things that you ask God to do for you. For example God parted the red sea for the children of Israel making a way for them to cross and God can part the obstacles in your life if He so chooses.

Of course when it comes to remembering the great things that God has done in the past the most important thing to remember is Jesus death on the cross and His resurrection. Jesus taught this truth to His disciples in Luke 22:19-20, “he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”

The more you think about and the more you learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ the more you will grow in your understanding and appreciation of God’s love and God’s mercy and God’s grace for you. Most importantly if you understand the forgiveness of sins that is in Jesus then you will have the greatest reason of all to keep serving Christ and following him through this life.

Psalms 78:1-8 says, Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.”

Not only is it important for you to remember what God has done for you but it is important for your children to remember. Little children are naive and innocent. For the most part they are very easily influenced by those around them and especially by adults. God gives a great responsibility to a human being when He gives them the responsibility of taking care of a little child.

This one reason the governments of the world like government controlled schools. By controlling the schools a government can greatly influence its population by teaching them whatever philosophies it wants to teach its children. Their agenda is always about control. This is why the term, ‘public’ school is very deceptive. A public school is a government controlled school. Therefore the children in that school will be taught what the government wants them to learn.

In talking about government schools and little children it is very interesting to study the history of public schools in America. Public schools or government schools first about in the 1800’s in America. Back in those days all schools were basically private Christian schools. But the government found a way, through the use of money, to get control of the school system in America and what was the result? The result is we have schools in America which teach against Christianity.

Those who hate and oppose the truth will always try to find a way to go after the children. They are not stupid they understand the power and the influence they can have over little children. They are like wolves preying upon the weak and helpless.

The primary reasonability of teaching a child should rest upon the parents not upon a government. This is the way God made it. When parents fails to teach their children the things that they should then they leave their children at the mercy of the wolves of the world of which they are many. And you can be certain, especially in the world today that little children will be bombarded with every false teaching and every immoral idea imaginable.

Those who do not teach their children the truth about Jesus and His gospel and about all the great and wonderful things that God has done for man throughout human history are failing in their responsibility as a parent and they will be held accountable by God for that.

Well in closing, if you have never turned from your sins to Jesus you can do so today. Simply trust in Jesus and He will forgive you of your sins.

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