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Reflections on The Psalms |
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Psalm 76
(NKJV) In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. {2} In Salem
also is His tabernacle, And His dwelling place in Zion. {3} There He broke the
arrows of the bow, The shield and sword of battle. Selah
I suppose one can say that in America God is known, and that his name is great
here. In spite of all the efforts to stamp out recognition of God, he is known.
And when nine out of ten Americans speak of God, they think of the one spoken of
in the Old Testament—Jehovah.
And in verse 3, the psalmist sings of disarmament or the defeat of an enemy.
{4} You are more glorious and excellent Than the mountains of prey. {5} The
stouthearted were plundered; They have sunk into their sleep; And none of the
mighty men have found the use of their hands. {6} At Your rebuke, O God of
Jacob, Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
The sole use of chariots and horses was for war. But war has come to an end.
{7} You, Yourself, are to be feared; And who may stand in Your presence When
once You are angry? {8} You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth
feared and was still, {9} When God arose to judgment, To deliver all the
oppressed of the earth. Selah
The mere appearance of an angry God is enough to put everyone on their knees
with their faces to the ground. The mere sound of judgment is enough to turn
knees to jelly.
{10} Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; With the remainder of wrath
You shall gird Yourself. {11} Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them; Let
all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared. {12} He
shall cut off the spirit of princes; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.
How pointless and futile is the anger of man. “Even the wrath of man shall
praise You,” he sings. What good does it do to become angry with God. He can
take the remainder of our anger, wrap it around his waist, and wear it like a
garment.
I think everyone knows that the Psalms are all poetic. They were probably all
written to be sung in the style of the day. Our problem sometimes arises because
we have been led to think we should try to interpret the Bible literally. With
poetry and song, that just does not work. With the Psalms, we should try to
imagine the culture, the styles, the imagery of the time in which they were
written. Taken thus, poetry and song become more personally meaningful even
though the precise meaning taken away by one may be somewhat different from that
of another. It is God’s way of personalizing his message so each of us becomes a
part of the message.