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HUMAN POLITICS AND DIVINE POWER (Psalm 75)

In every nation and every generation, rulers come and go. I’m talking about presidents, prime ministers, dictators, governors, or whatever else you want to call them.

There is one constant in every place and for all time: God is the judge. He is the only One who rules the good and overrules the evil. This is the great meaning of Psalm 75.

The Leviticus Psalms are about being in God’s presence and in His sanctuary, but the context of Psalm 75 is the battlefield. Did you know that while on the battlefield, you can be in the sanctuary? You can be in the presence of God while dealing with difficult moments and hard people.

That is the message of this beautiful psalm of Asaph. It has a title above the first verse that means, “to destroy not.” If you ever feel like you are going to be destroyed, remember that our God is the God of life and He will not allow His people’s destruction.

The key verse in this chapter is verse 7: “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

People have this idea that they have gotten to where they are by their money, talent, or influence. In the end, however, it is God who allows people to be in positions of leadership — and it is God who removes them.

Someday there will be a single ruler for eternity. The Bible says of that day in Philippians 2:10-11, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the true and righteous Judge. The 10 verses of this psalm put all of this in a divine perspective for us.

Verse 1: “Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.” As we see God work, we realize that His name is the only name worthy of being hallowed and honored. Only God’s name is good.

I have marked in my Bible the expression “unto thee,” which is seen twice here. Occasionally I hear people say, “What is this world coming to?” My answer to that question is simple. It is coming to God eventually.

Everyone will bow to the true Judge. You can do that now, and you should, or you can wait too long and do it in the end. But every knee will bow.

Verses 2-3: “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.”

This passage speaks of the right kind of leader, a righteous leader who follows the Lord. We should pray for that kind of leadership in our nation and in our communities. We want people in authority who will judge uprightly, but the primary message here is that God is the ultimate Judge, and He will always just uprightly.

Do you ever get annoyed at injustice in our world? You wonder why it goes on; you want to straighten it out. Take comfort in the fact that God will one day fix it all.

There is a shift from the righteous to the wicked in verses 4-6: “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.”

The psalmist was informing the wicked men who thought they were so accomplished in and of themselves that whatever privileges they had were only because God allowed it.

The horn is used as an object lesson several times in this psalm. It is mentioned in verses 4 and 5 and twice in verses 10. In Eastern culture, the horn was a symbol of strength. The message conveyed here is that any strength on display was loaned from God for a short time, and one should lift himself up as if he is something special.

Verses 8-9: “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. But I will declare forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.”

We have moved from the present to the future. Not only is the Judge doing right now, but in the end He will also do right with everyone. He will make the wicked drink what is coming to them.

I am thinking now of Jesus in the garden saying, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). What was in that cup? It was all of the wrath, judgment, and justice of a holy God on fallen humanity. Jesus Christ drank that cup so we would never have to.

Those who refuse Christ and His salvation must one day receive the cup as referenced in this psalm. But the saved will rejoice and sing His praises forever.

Every one of us will be in one of those categories. In which one will you be? Make sure you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior. Put your faith in Him and get your soul’s salvation settled once and for all.

If you are saved, rest in Him. Relax and stop being troubled by what many so-called powerful people say and do about things you cannot control. Remember that God is the Judge, now and for eternity.

The last verse of Psalm 75 says, “All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.” We discussed earlier the status of the horn as a symbol of power. Here it is used to emphasize how the wicked will one day be cut down, while followers of Jesus will see their strength grow and eventually stand in His strength forever.

The Bible says in Proverbs 4:18, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Sin brings less and less as the world grows worse and worse. God brings more and more light with greater and greater strength and blessings.

Take comfort today in the words of Psalm 75:7. “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.