Practice saying Psalm 73:28 until you can say it without
looking. Pray and ask God to help you
understand Psalm 76 and to teach you of His sovereign power.
Psalm 76 uses rhyming text, which is a device common to
Hebrew poetry. Thoughts are expressed
once then immediately followed by the same thought expressed in different
words. Look for these repeating thoughts
as you read this Psalm.
The title of Psalm 76 tells us that it is a Psalm of Asaph
and that it was meant to be sung with stringed instruments. It is believed that this Psalm is about God’s
miraculous defeat of Sennacherib’s army which is recorded in 1 Kings 9:1-9, 2
Kings 19:20-37 and Isaiah 37:21-38. These
Biblical accounts of the event contain pre-event prophecies. Psalm 76 must also be prophetic since Asaph
would have died long before the event occurred.
Asaph served under Kings David, Solomon, and Rehoboam. The defeat of Sennacherib’s army was during
the reign of King Hezekiah who was the twelfth king following Rehoboam. Familiarize yourself with the accounts of
this event before continuing in order to better understand this Psalm.
Asaph begins, in verse 1, by declaring the greatness of
God’s name both in Judah and Israel. Notice
the rhyming thought. If you remember
from our study of Psalm 74, under King Rehoboam the nation of Israel was split
into two kingdoms (I Kings 12). The
tribes of Benjamin and Judah continued to follow Rehoboam, the rightful descendant
of King David (who was of the tribe of Judah).
This group is referred to in the Bible as ‘Judah’ or ‘The Southern
Kingdom’. The secession of the other ten
tribes to follow Jeroboam was God’s will (I Kings 11:9-13, 31-33). They are referred to in the Bible as ‘Israel’
or ‘The Northern Kingdom’. In an attempt
to protect his reign and keep the ten tribes from wanting to return to
Rehoboam, Jeroboam instituted calf worship in the Northern Kingdom (I Kings
12:26-30). This kept the people from
returning to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem and feeling a renewed loyalty
to David’s lineage. By the time King
Hezekiah (southern kingdom) faced invasion by Sennacherib of Assyria, the
division of tribes had been firmly established though by this time both
kingdoms had been plagued with idol worship.
Yet here in Psalm 76, Asaph declares that God’s name is still great in
both kingdoms.
We see another rhyming thought in verse 2 where God’s
dwelling place is declared to be Salem and then Zion. Both are names for Jerusalem, the location of
Solomon’s Temple, and the site of Sennacherib’s invasion (II Kings 18:17). The rhyming thoughts of verse 3 speak of
God’s miraculous defeat of Sennacherib’s army which left 185,000 Assyrian
soldiers dead in their sleep (II Kings 19:35).
These verses are praising God for His sovereign power. Then, in verse 4, we see rhyming thoughts
praising God for His majesty (see also Psalm 36:9). Write verse 4 in your
journal.
Verses 5 and 6 again speak of God’s wonderful victory
against Sennacherib’s army. Notice the
similarity of verse 6 to Psalm 50:16, 21 and Exodus 15:1. The Bible provides many examples of God miraculously
defeating enemy armies to save His people.
He is indeed sovereign over the nations.
Verses 7-10 declare that God alone is to be feared. He judges the nations and saves the afflicted
(NIV) or meek (KJV) resulting in men’s thankful praise. Notice the similarity between verse 7 and
Revelation 6:15-17 where we see the kings of the earth hiding from the wrath of
the Lamb of God (Jesus Christ).
Read II Chronicles 32:22-23.
We see the Psalmist’s conclusion of the matter in the final two
verses. Rhyming thoughts in verse 11
tell us to make our relationship right with God because, rhyming thoughts in
verse 12 tell us that God is sovereign over the kings of the earth. In light of this conclusion, it is apparent
that we need to let God be the one to judge others. He is all powerful and does not need our help
to judge the guilty. Understanding God’s
sovereign judgment we must ask ourselves, are we concerned over correcting our
own relationship with God or are we too busy worrying about the sins of others? Heed the words of Jesus in Luke 6:41-42.
Responding to God: Praise God for His mighty power and
wisdom. Thank Him that He has shown you
mercy. Ask Him to help you identify sins
which are interfering in your relationship with Him and then seek His
forgiveness. Ask Him for wisdom and the
ability to mind your own business when you should.
Reread this Psalm as a song celebrating God’s sovereign
power. Record in your journal ways that
God had shown you mercy or delivered you from enemies.
Further Research: If you would like to learn more about times
God has miraculously defended His people, read the following examples:
- Exodus 14 - God defeats
the Egyptian Army
- Joshua 6 - God defeats
Jericho
- Joshua 10 – God defeats
the Amorites
- Judges 7 – God defeats the Midianites
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