Chapter 75: The Stability of God

This is a psalm of Asaph, and it is a psalm of corporate thanksgiving.^[1]

(75:1) We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near. People tell of your wonderful deeds.

God’s name is synonymous with his presence. The NLT renders as, “You are near” (NLT). It is a great comfort for God to be near to us (Deut. 4:7; Pss. 73:28; 145:18).

(75:2) You say, “I choose the appointed time. It is I who judge with equity.

God isn’t in a rush to judge. He “ is no reluctant plaintiff but the Judge: the case will open when he chooses, and be settled without compromise.”^[2]

(75:3) When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.

Isaiah describes the end of history, when the world is coming to an end. He writes, “The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind” (Isa. 24:20 NIV). When we read the book of Revelation, we see all hell breaking loose on Earth. Yet, God is stable, even if the earth itself is shaking. Elsewhere, the psalmist writes, “He set the earth on its foundations. It can never be moved” (Ps. 104:5).

(75:4-5) To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.’ ⁵ Do not lift your horns against heaven. Do not speak so defiantly.”

“Boast no more.” It’s outrageous to be arrogant in the presence of a Being like this. God is telling these people to surrender their prideful attitudes before it’s too late.

“Do not lift up your horns.” Asaph mentions the symbolism of the horns three times in this psalm (vv.4-5, 10). In verse 10, both the unrighteous and the righteous have horns. Thus, the “horns” must be symbolism for power. Kidner^[3] sees symbolism in a beast of burden who refuses his yoke. Estes writes, “The recurrent motif of lifting the horn in vv. 4–5, 10 [5–6, 11] echoes Yahweh’s lifting of the horn of the Davidic king in Ps 89:17, 24 [18, 25], the faithful worshiper in Ps 92:10[11], and his people in Ps 148:14.”^[4]

(75:6) No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves.

We cannot gain safety or security from anyone on Earth.

(75:7) It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.

God decides who will be exalted—not people. In the context of predicting the rise and fall of the global powerhouses, Daniel writes, “God changes times and seasons. He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning” (Dan. 2:21). Likewise, Jesus writes, “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Mt. 23:12).

(75:8) In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.

“Cup full of foaming wine… all the wick of the earth drink it.” The “cup” refers to God’s wrath being poured out on “wicked” people. This symbol for God’s wrath appears throughout the Old Testament (Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15-16; Lam. 4:21; Ezek. 23:32-34; Hab. 2:16), not to mention the New Testament (Mt. 26:39; Rev. 14:10; 16:19; 18:6).

(75:9-10) As for me, I will declare this forever. I will sing praise to the God of Jacob, ¹⁰ who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”

In contrast to the wicked who suffer judgment, the psalmist praises God in gratitude. Estes comments, “The faithful person waits for God to make things right rather than taking things into his or her own hands. In fact, because God’s judgment of the wicked is certain, his people can praise him in advance.”^[5]

^[1] Willem A. VanGemeren, “Psalms,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 490.

^[2] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 299.

^[3] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 301.

^[4] Daniel J. Estes, Psalms 73–150, ed. E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 55.

^[5] Daniel J. Estes, Psalms 73–150, ed. E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 55.