Psalm 75 - God Judges the Nations

Practice saying Psalm 73:28 until you can say it without looking.  Pray and ask God to help you understand the imagery in Psalm 75 and to teach you from His Word.

We know that Psalm 75 is another Psalm of Asaph which, according to the Title, is written for the director of music and sung to the tune of a familiar song of the time.  The Psalm opens with a beautiful verse of worship, thanking and praising God for being near.  Who can claim the promise that God will be near (Psalm 145:18)?  Do you take time each day to thank and praise God and to tell others of His wonderful deeds?  Take a moment now to worship God in this manner.  Write Psalm 75:1 in your journal.

Verses 2-3 tell of God’s judgment on the earth.  Compare these verses with Isaiah 24:19 and Genesis 8:21-22.  We know that His coming judgment is certain but we do not know when.  And who is it that will judge the world?  Compare verse 2 with Acts 17:31.  Asaph is convinced that the Lord will judge at an appointed time.  The word ‘Selah’ is believed to be a musical symbol.

Asaph next addresses the wicked in verses 4 and 5.  Often in the Bible, horns were used as trumpets to sound the battle cry.  Typically this represented strength.  Compare these two verses with Zechariah 1:18-21 and see if you can figure out what the Psalmist is trying to say. 

We are warned in verses 6 and 7 that we cannot exalt our fellow man.  Who is it who decides whom to exalt and whom to bring down (Joshua 4:14, I Samuel 2:7)?  Who is it that we should exalt (Exodus 15:2, Psalm 21:13, Psalm 34:3)?

The Bible offers a very good clue to the meaning of verse 8.  Compare this verse to Isaiah 51:17-20.  What is represented here in verse 8 by the pouring out from the Lord’s cup?

The last two verses end this Psalm with his intention to praise the Lord as Israel witnesses God’s judgments against the wicked nations.  As we think about this point of view, we must ask ourselves where we stand with God.  Have we confessed our wickedness before God and obtained His forgiveness?

 

Responding to God:  Make a point today to tell someone of God’s wonderful deeds.  Give praise to God and thank Him that He judges righteously.  Acknowledge that, apart from Him, you cannot be righteous.  If you have never given your life to Christ, do so now. 

Reread this Psalm as a song and record in your journal how God has spoken to you today through this study of His Word.

 

 

Further Research:  If you would like to learn more about Righteousness, use a concordance or an online Bible to find and read all the verses containing the word ‘righteous’.