Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 75:2 and following. Indeed, this hymn of Asaph follows his experience of Psalm 73. Not only has He ceased to envy the proud and the wicked, but, knowing the terrible end that awaits them (Ps 73:15-28), He warns them from God. This service also falls to us, dear children of God: to remind sinners of God’s sovereignty and justice, without forgetting his love.
Prophetically it’s Christ who speaks of the moment when He will receive the assembly of Israel (Ps 73:24). Then each will occupy the place that the Lord assigns to him. Many who have been the first will be the last and of the last will be the first (Mark 10:23-31; 1 Sam 2:6-10). In this world, in a general way everyone seeks to rise while belittling others. Let’s not forget, dear kings, that the Lord Himself fixed on earth the place of our witness… as He has also prepared the one that we will occupy in the house of the Father. “Your name is near,” says the faithful in verse 2. And for us, it is precisely this name of father that guarantees us for the present time the most tender care and free and continual access to Him (Eph 2:17-22). Note that “the horn” often referred to in Psalms and prophets is the symbol of power and dignity.
Here is a very remarkable little psalm, and of an easy interpretation: The first verse presents us with the thanksgiving of the nation, which looks in advance at its salvation and revenge, in response to the cry of the faithful in the previous psalm. God has made this salvation and has just carried out this vengeance, thus showing that he is close to his people, an aspect in which the faithful celebrate him here. For a long time his name had been removed from Israel; but now, their faith anticipating these things, they know that God will work his “wonders” on their behalf, that he returns to his people, and that again his name is near. In the following verses, from verse 3 to the end, it’s the Messiah who speaks. He vows to reign righteously, when he receives the people as his inheritance (2 Sam 23:3-4; Ps. 101). He sees the infidelity of all kingdoms and governments until his own scepter dominates (1 Sam 2:8-10; Dan. 2:44). He defies the rebels, the apostate powers of the world who had risen up against Jehovah, warning them that God will soon visit them in judgment (Ps. 82-83; Haggai 2:22; Heb. 12:26). Then, and in contrast to them, he undertakes to hold the scepter to the praise of God, and in the exercise of just retribution, as reward or punishment (Mat 25:31; Rev. 3:21). What a holy and glorious awareness that the soul of the Messiah is filled with in these words! He knows that when he receives the assembly, he will judge with righteousness. And He also knows that only He can strengthen the pillars of the earth.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
It is God who is the judge:
· Works of God, general references
Ps 8:4 When I contemplate the heavens, work of your hands, The moon and the stars you have created: Ps 19:2 The heavens tell of the glory of God, and the expanse manifests the work of his hands. Ps 139:14 I praise you for being such a wonderful creature. Your works are admirable, and my soul recognizes it well. Rev 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the lamb, saying: Your works are great and admirable, Lord God Almighty! Your ways are just and true, king of the nations!
· Justice divine
Ps 103:6 Jehovah does justice, He gives right to all the oppressed. Zep 3:5 The Lord is right in her midst, He does not commit iniquity; Every morning he produces in the light his judgments, without ever lacking in them; But he who is iniquitous does not know shame. Jn 5:30 I cannot do anything with myself: according to what I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my will, but the will of the one who sent me. Rom 2:2 We know, in fact, that God’s judgment against those who commit such things is according to the truth.
· Madness of men
-Atheism Ps 53:2 The fool says in his heart: There is no God! They have corrupted themselves, they have committed abominable iniquities; None of them do good.
-Slander Pr 10:18 He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool.
-Deception of sin Pr 14:9 Fools play a game of sin, but among righteous men is benevolence.
-Contempt for instruction Pr 15:15 Every day of the unfortunate is evil, but the happy heart is a perpetual feast.
-Quarrels Pr 18:6 The lips of the fool mingle with the quarrels, And his mouth provokes the blows.
-Disputes Pr 20.3 It is a glory for man to abstain from quarrels, but every fool indulges in the outburst.
-Self-confidence Pr 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be saved. Jer 17:11 Like a partridge that incubates eggs that it has not laid, Such is he who acquires wealth unjustly; In the middle of his days he must leave them, and in the end he is only a fool.
Hypocrisy Lk 11:39-40 But the Lord said to him: You Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, and inside you are full of rapine and wickedness. 40 Foolish! has not he who has done the outside also done the inside?
· Elevation of the Saints
Ps 91:14 Since he loves me, I will deliver him; I will protect him, since he knows my name. Isaiah 58:14 Then thou shalt put thy pleasure in the Lord, and I will make you ascend to the heights of the land, I will make you enjoy the inheritance of Jacob, your father; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 1 Cor 6:2 Don’t you know that the Saints will judge the world? And if it is by you that the world is judged, are you unworthy of making the slightest judgments? Rev 3:21 He who overcomes, I will have him sit with me on my throne, as I have conquered and sat with my Father on his throne.
From all the above, we note that the theme of this psalm is clear to us: The cup of wine, the cup of stunning, the cup of his fury, the cup of wine of the fury of his wrath, are the various names of the same cup, symbol of divine judgments, like the cups of Rev 16 (Zech. 12:2; Jer 25:15; Rev 16:19). In contrast, the cup of salvation expresses the joy of the kingdom (Ps 116; Luke 22:18). Quel cloudless morning will rise on this creation that sighs and abounds with thorns, when the Lord takes this scepter of righteousness and exercises power, as he himself anticipates in this passage! A remarkable and beautiful feature characterizes this psalm: at the cup that the peoples of the earth drink here, the Messiah has no part. Instead, it is the other cup that he takes, and he immediately invokes the name of the Lord (Ps. 116:13). To them the cup of wrath, to Him the cup of salvation. It is true that he once took the cup of sorrows, the cup of the garden of Gethsemane, for us poor sinners; but it is the cup of praise, the joy of the kingdom, which is now before Him, while the apostate powers of the earth will drink to the dregs the cup of fury. Thus in Ps. 75, it’s the Messiah who speaks, although the Psalm begins with the thanksgiving that the residue renders to God for the wonderful works already done. Then God’s judgments introduce the Messiah into his kingdom: He receives the congregation of Israel; then the just judgment must be executed. The earth collapses in crime and confusion; the Messiah has strengthened his pillars. In the verses that follow, he warns the wicked and the contempters not to take pride, for it is God who is the Judge: he raises and he lowers. The wicked will drink the cup of judgments to the dregs; but the despised Messiah will exalt the God of Jacob and humiliate the wicked: the righteous will be lifted up. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the exhortation to listen to God in order to be delivered.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.