Throughout September 2022, I managed to read and reflect – briefly – on a Psalm each day. For December 2022, I attempted to pick up the discipline. I got part-way through that month, and so after a long hiatus, am determined to get going. I’ll read the Psalm, pray, and then ponder a few questions:
- What is this Psalm about?
- What does this Psalm teach about God?
- How does this Psalm connect to God’s people today?
I’ll close the post with a simple prayer, trying to draw the themes together.
On the 31st of January 2024, here’s Psalm 75:
We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is near.
We recount your wondrous deeds.
2 “At the set time that I appoint
I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.’”
6 For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
7 but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
What is this Psalm about?
In quite stark contrast to the preceding Psalm, this Psalm leans in the direction of thanks and praise. The opening words emphasise this, and various aspects of the Psalm point to memory about the acts, and the majesty of, God. It is also a Psalm that teaches us things – reminding the reader or the hearer that the Psalms are full of doctrine, and not just emotional or worship resources.
What does this Psalm teach about God?
Psalm 75 teaches us that God has done ‘wondrous deeds’ (v. 1) – God is an active God, whose actions can be known and remembered. God also speaks, and reveals that He is a judge, and the sustainer of all creation (v. 2-3, 7). This judgement is perhaps the surprising central truth of this Psalm – with the cup of the Lord described in verse 8 bringing this image to the fore. The contrasting fates of the wicked and the righteous are God’s to do with as God pleases (v. 10).
How does this Psalm connect to God’s people today?
This Psalm should remind us of the need to thank God for who God is and what God has done. I think it should also challenge us to be mindful of God’s judgement, and also to not settle for songs and hymns that lack truth and rigour. From that place, that place of thankfulness and awareness of God’s judgement, we can declare truth forever, and sing praises to God (v. 9).
A prayer drawn from Psalm 75
Lord, We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. It is you whoexecutes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. Count us among the righteous, Lord, and help us to ever sing your praise. Amen.
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