PSALM 76: God’s Presence In Israel

 

PSALM 76

God’s Presence In Israel

God is Known In Israel

76:1-2

The Psalmist begins the psalm with a declaration of God’s presence in Israel. He is known by the Israelites. They have a relationship with him through the covenant. They are thankful for his presence among them. They revere his name, saying it is great. By including both Judah and Israel in this declaration, the psalmist is including all of Israel in this declaration. 

With the construction of the Tabernacle and, later, the Temple, God assured Israel that his presence would dwell with them as a nation, as his people. David moved the ark to Jerusalem and his son, Solomon, later built the Temple there. The ark, with the mercy seat, was where God’s presence dwelt. The word “Salem” in verse two is a reference to Jerusalem. The reference to Zion is a reference to Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, where the Temple was built.

The psalmist’s statement is a statement of belief. He believed God dwelt in the Temple in Jerusalem. It is also a statement of praise that God chose to dwell with the Israelites and to protect them from attacks of the Gentiles. 

As a side note, it can be difficult to interpret the word Zion as you read through the Bible. Zion comes to represent Jerusalem, then all of Israel, and, ultimately, the heavenly city promised to believers. The Isaac Watt’s hymn “Marching To Zion” captures this last concept. The chorus of the hymn is:

We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful, Zion:
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.

The scriptural basis for this concept, and the hymn, is Hebrews 12:22:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…”.

God The Protector and Divine Warrior

76:3-9

These verses portray God defending Jerusalem from an attack. We do not know the specific event the psalmist has in mind. He might even have several in mind. 

God broke the weapons of the enemy. (3) He kept them from “spoiling” Jerusalem. (5)“Spoiling” means taking the goods and valuables of the people you defeated. He stunned them. (6) He put them to sleep. This was a rebuke to them for their attack on Jerusalem. 

This language seems to fit with God’s defense of Jerusalem against the attack of the Assyrians under King Sennacherib. 2 Kings 19:32-35 tells the story:

“Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against this city, declares the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David. And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold these are all dead bodies.” 

In the midst of this, the psalmist praises God as glorious and majestic. (4) He said that God is to be feared (7) No one can stand before him when his anger is roused and when he utters judgment. (7-8) God was acting to save the humble of the earth, which would include Israel, from those who are arrogant because of their military power.

Praising God

76:10-12

“The wrath of man shall praise you” in verse 10 of the English Standard Version, means that God will create praise even from the actions of those men who act wrathfully. 

Even as human leaders acquire power, God can use them to bring glory to himself. The story of God forcing Egypt’s Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt is an example. God said to Pharaoh: “But for his purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16)

The psalm concludes with a call to worship. He tells Israel to make vows and keep them and to bring gifts to God. He says God is to be feared, even by the powerful on Earth. (12)

Takeaways

God is present with his people. He present with believers today in two ways. He is present when his church is gathered together. Jesus said “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them”. (Matthew 18:20)

God is also with us individually. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” 

God defends and protects his people. He protected Israel from physical harm when they lived in obedience to him. He protects us spiritually. He gives us spiritual armor, described in Ephesians 6:10-17, so that we are able to stand against the schemes of the devil and to stand firm in the faith. 

God gives us the power to submit to him and to resist the devil, causing him to flee from us. (James 4:7)

God still deserves our praise for his glory and majesty. 

We are to fear God in the sense that we recognize his power and are reverent toward him. 

GIVING THANKS - PSALM 75

 

PSALM 75

The last two psalms showed the psalmist wrestling with theological questions, such as why the wicked prosper, as well as dealing with personal oppression and struggle. Both psalms come to expressions of faith after the struggle.

Psalm 75, in contrast, is a psalm of unmitigated thanksgiving and praise to God for his presence and his mighty acts. This is a song and may have been sung liturgically by the congregation.

75:1

Thanksgiving

The psalm begins with thanks to God for his presence with Israel as shown by his mighty deeds. To say “your name” is near is to say God is near to them, he is present among them. 

God’s presence certainly dwelled with Israel in the Tabernacle and Temple, but here the emphasis is on God’s presence in upholding Israel, such as in the Exodus or in protecting Israel from defeat at the hands of its enemies. The psalmist here says they recount God’s wondrous deeds. 

“Recount” means to give an account of. So God’s people give an account of the things God has done and recognize that his presence was with them at those times. 

We should do this in our day as well. Individually, we can recount what God has done for us. As a congregation, we can do the same, either in public prayer, testimony, or song. 

For example, we may sing the hymn “I Will Sing The Wondrous Story”, which recounts the death of Christ for us and his saving us. The first stanza says:

I will sing the wondrous story

Of the Christ who died for me.

How He left His home in glory

For the cross of Calvary.

I was lost, but Jesus found me,

Found the sheep that went astray,

Threw His loving arms around me,

Drew me back into His way. 

In contrast, a lack of thankfulness is unpleasing to God. Romans 1:21 includes the failure to give thanks as a characteristic of those who are unrighteous and futile in their thinking.

75:2—5

The “Oracle\the Words of God

In these verses, God speaks about judgment. The first thing he says is that  he and he alone will set the time for judgment. He will judge, but he will do it when he determines. How he will determine it, this text does not say. But, we get some ideas from other texts. 

First, Jesus told us that no one knows the time of his return, when judgment will occur, except God the Father. (Matthew 24:36) So, there is no point in trying to calculate a date. Conversely, there is no point in believing it will not happen, because it could happen at any time. 

Another text is Genesis 15, where God promises the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants, but they will not get there until the fourth generation that is in Egypt. The reason is that the sin of the Amorites is not yet full. (Generation 15:16) This shows us the Israelite conquest of Canaan was not only a deliverance of the Israelites, but a judgment on those who lived there, the Amorites. God often accomplishes more than one thing when he does something. Here he is granting mercy to the Amorites while he prepares Israel to take over the land. Similarly, the delay in the final judgment now is an act of mercy toward those who have not yet believed. 

Finally, there is 2 Peter 3, where Peter confronts those who scoff at the idea of judgment since the world has existed a long time and judgment has not come. Peter first reminded them that God has actually judged the world before and destroyed it with the Great Flood. God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. (Genesis 6:5) And so he determined to “blot out” all living things except Noah and his family and the animals Noah preserved at God’s instruction. Peter was saying this shows God judged before and he will judge again. 

Peter also reminded us that God’s time is not our time. He is eternal and also sees the whole picture of existence. So, one of his days, figuratively speaking, might as well be a thousand years, and vice versa. He is not bound by time as we are (By the way, this is not to give us a figure for calculating the end of time and the judgment.)

Not only will God judge in his own time, he will judge “with equity” (ESV or NASB) or “uprightly” (NIV). He will both condemn his enemies and vindicate the godly. 

In the meantime, while we wait for Christ’s return and our vindication, God remains sovereign and in control. When the earth’s peoples wobble, unbalanced by evil, God protects it for coming completely apart. He keeps the pillars steady. It is the picture of a building tottering in an earthquake, but God keeping the building’s pillars from falling apart. 

In verses 4 and 5, God spoke directly to the evil people, telling them not to be arrogant. Speaking with a “haughty neck” (ESV) or “outstretched neck (NIV) is to speak with insolence, being disrespectful to God. The “horn” is a symbol of power in the old testament. So, God is telling them not to exalt their power against God (“on high”). 

 

 Prophecy of Judgment

75:6-8

The reason the wicked and arrogant should not disrespect God it that only he lifts one up and puts another one down. He is the only one who will execute judgment. And he will judge the wicked. The cup of foaming wine in verse 8 is a metaphor for God’s wrath, which he will pour out on the wicked until it is completely exhausted. 

Revelation 15-16 shows us this truth in a picture. There are seven angels with seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God. The number seven is symbolic for completeness, so the full wrath of God is poured out, resulting in the calamities described in Revelation 16. None of the wicked can escape God’s wrath.

A Final Praise

75:9-10

The psalmist ends the psalm with a praise to God, a doxology. He will forever declare that God is the one who will judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous (those who believe in Jesus). He reaffirmed that the power of the wicked (“horns”) will be put down, but the righteous will be lifted up, or vindicated.

Takeaways

We believe that Christ will return, he will raise all believers to be with him for eternity. He will raise those who reject Christ to judgment. Sometimes God brings judgment upon the wicked during their lifetime. We have certainly seen some rich, powerful, and famous people called to account and their lives destroyed for their wickedness. But, even if they are not brought to account in this life, they will face God’s judgment and wrath in the next. 

We must faithfully and patiently wait for Christ’s return and the vindication of our faith in him.

We must also realize that those around us who have not come to Christ face judgment, and we should pray and witness with the goal of their salvation.

WHY DO THE WICKED PROSPER? PSALM 73

 

Psalm 73

Why Do The Wicked Prosper? 

This Psalm 73 is the beginning of the “Third Book” of the Psalms. It contains Psalms 73-89.

There are 5 “books” of the Psalms, the number chosen by Jewish scholars to match the 5 books of Moses in number. 

Psalms 73-83 are attributed to Asaph.  Asaph was a contemporary of David.

When David brought the ark to Jerusalem, he appointed some Levites to minister before the ark to sing and play thanksgiving and praise songs

Asaph was the chief of these Levites & also played the cymbals (1 Chronicles 16).  David appointed Asaph to direct the music in the temple when it was built.

 The music was provided by his sons with instruments. (2 Chronicles 25)

The psalm begins with the writer saying God is good to Israel, those who are pure in Heart. “Pure in heart” means totally committed to God. Therefore, we see that he is referring to spiritual Israel, not the whole nation. He recognizes that everyone in the nation is not committed to God. 

A good point for us is that knowing God is good, and good to his people, is the starting point for us to resolve theological issues.

The problem: why the wicked prosper

73:2-14

The psalmist was having a crisis of faith.  He had almost stumbled or slipped as he wrestled with the problem. It is the image of walking the path of righteousness and faithfulness, but stumbling over rocks in the path. (2)

The root of the psalmist’s problem was envy. (3) He was concerned with the question of why the wicked prospered when he, a man committed to God, did not. By implication, he is also a questioning God’s character here: if wickedness prospers, is God just? 

Description of the Wicked

73:3-9

In these verses, the psalmist described the wicked people of his day:

arrogant

prosperous

at ease, getting even more wealthy

not suffering any “pangs”; not in trouble or stricken; during their lifetime

proud

violent, malicious, threatening oppression

talking against God

Because of the success and arrogance of the wicked, some of God’s people turned away from God and to these wicked people. God’s people saw nothing wrong with them. (10)

Many idolized the rich & famous. We see in our time the same thing, and that promising health & wealth sells. 

In arrogance, the wicked questioned God’s omniscient knowledge: can God know everything they think and do?  (11) We know from the Bible that God is omniscient. He knows himself and all things that have been, are now, and will be in the future. But, those who had seemed to get away with being wicked thought they had escaped God’s knowledge.

All these things lead the psalmist to question the value of his purity (clean heart) and innocence (as opposed to wickedness) because he suffered

because he was stricken & rebuked. (13)

We have all been in this situation!

Faith Triumphs

73:15-28

Despite his envy and doubts, the psalmist kept silent to avoid sowing doubt in those who were pure in heart. (15) This shows that he had not given up his faith. He moved from self interest & self pity to his responsibility to protect others.  

But, he found thinking of the problem to be tiring (16) until he turned to God, entering His presence in the temple. Then, he discerned the end\destiny of the wicked. (17)

The destiny of the wicked is destruction. It may occur in their lifetime. They may fall into ruin. (18) It can happen quickly. (19) Remember the parable of the rich fool. (Luke 12:16-21) He celebrated his wealth and vowed to take it easy and party, then found out he would die that very night. 

The destruction of the wicked will definitely occur at the judgment. They shall perish. (27) God will put an end to them. They will experience “shame and everlasting contempt”. (Daniel 12:2)

The psalmist recognized his own bad attitude; it was bitterness. (21) It had led him to confusion & ignorance (22) He came to realize this and to recognize that, despite hiss troubled thinking, God continued with him, supported him, and guided him. (23-24)

 

The psalmist knew God would receive him to glory. As another psalm said, “God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.” (Psalm 49:15)

It was good for the psalmist to be in the Lord’s presence, making God his refuge ( a safe place). (28)when he relies on God, not comparing his life to others, he can tell of God’s works as God takes care of him (29) 

So, the psalmist realized that his relationship with God was what mattered

his own strength might fail, but God would be his strength (25)

Takeaways

1. There will be times you struggle to understand things.
2. Believers begin their analysis of problems with the belief that God is good and just.
3. You will do better when you run toward God than away.
4. God will deal with wickedness in his own time.
5. Our responsibility is to live righteously and in faith, trusting the Sovereign God. 

ORDINATION SERMON

What does it mean to be ordained for ministry? 

Romans 1:1 says “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…”

First of all, you are set apart for the ministry of the Gospel. 

You are set apart first of all by your calling. You are here because you believe God has called you into the ministry, just as God called Paul to the ministry of an apostle. 

You have pursued that call. You committed yourself to the gospel ministry. We used to say you “surrendered for special service”. You sought training and education to prepare you for service. And now you are serve Christ and his church as a minister.

Second, you are set apart by the church, which has recognized your calling. That is what ordination is. It is the church recognizing your calling into ministry and supporting you in it. You are set apart. 

You are also a servant of Christ Jesus. It is the way Paul first identifies himself in Romans 1. You are bound to Christ, to do his will his way. You put the Lord’s will above your own and everyone else’s, even if it means struggle and sacrifice. Jesus said whoever would be great among you must be your servant. In fact, whoever would be first among you must be the slave of all.  (Mark 10:44) Jesus himself is our example, as he said he came to serve, not to be served. (Mark 10:45)

Servants are desperately needed today. The world is full of those who promote themselves and aggrandize themselves even as they claim to be ministers. They expect to be recognized and revered. But the call is to be a servant, one who denies himself and honors and exalts Christ. 

Lastly, you are to be a steward of the gospel. Going to the example of Paul again, in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 he said “this is how one should regard us, as a servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they must be found trustworthy”. 

A steward is one who takes care of the estate of his master in the absence of the owner or on his behalf. Christ has charged his ministers to teach, protect, and defend the gospel. The minister must be trustworthy in this regard, always teaching Biblical truth, not revising it to fit the cultural movements of the day, not avoiding the difficult things God requires, and not diminishing the greatness of God by making him just a better version of ourselves.

These are the basic elements of the ministry to which you are called and for which you are ordained today. So, on behalf of the congregation of believers, our church, I charge you today to fulfill your calling and ordination with all of the strength the Lord will give you, and pledge to support you in prayer and in our labor. 

Godspeed and God bless. 

That Day

 “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:30—31

This day is permanently established. It will not be rescheduled or postponed due to Covid.  

Our confidence is based on the resurrection, which shows that Jesus is the one to whom judgment has been appointed. 

Christians should think about the resurrection and judgment as motivation to holiness and godliness, our devotion to Christ. (2 Peter 3:10-12) Jesus himself told us to be alert and faithful. (Matthew 24:42-51) 

Christians should also look forward to this time with joy and peace, “for God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us”. (1Thessalonians 5:1-8) We can embrace Article 37 of the Belgic Confession, which says:

“The consideration of this judgment, is justly terrible and dreadful to the wicked, but most desirable to the righteous and elect: because then their full deliverance shall be perfected and there they shall receive the fruits of their labor and trouble which they have borne.” 

THE EPILOGUE - JOHN 21

 JOHN 21 - THE EPILOGUE

An epilogue is a section at the end of a book that wraps up the story to explain what happened or to tell what happened to the characters after the story ends.

Jesus Appeared in Galilee

21:1-14

“After this” means after the events of Chapter 21, including Jesus’ appearance to the disciples with Thomas. It does not tell us how much time has gone by since the end of chapter 21. 

Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John (sons of Zebedee), and two others, retreated to Galilee, by the Sea of Tiberias, which is also known as the Sea of Galilee.The 7 disciples mentioned may all have been from that area, so it would be natural to go there. Plus Jesus had told them, through Mary Magdalene, that he would see them in Galilee.

Peter decided to go fishing. (3) Some commentators criticize him for that and accuse him of abandoning the mission. But, was he really wrong to go fishing?  You could accuse him of a return to former profession? But, he may have been killing time, waiting for Jesus to appear? 

Or, was it an economic necessity? He may have needed the income to support his family. And, maybe he was simply obeying Jesus by going to Galilee. It is unfair to judge his motives when the Scripture does not tell us what they were. 

John did not record it, but Jesus did instruct the disciples to go to Galilee and wait for him. This is recorded in Matthew 28:7 & 10 and Mark 14:28.

So, most likely, they went there to obey Jesus, then they went fishing either to keep busy or to make some money while they waited for him. 

The disciples did not catch anything during the night even though it was considered the best time to fish. But also seems symbolic given John’s frequent use of the contrast between darkness and light.  In darkness they attempt a task in their own power and fail; in the light they succeed in the power of Jesus! 

Jesus appeared on the shore at daybreak, when light first began to appear. (4) The disciples did not recognize him.

The disciples had not caught any fish throughout the night. Jesus called out to them & told them to cast on the other side of the boat. In his omniscience, Jesus knew there were many fish on the other side (or even sent the fish to that side). They did and caught a lot of fish.

John recognized Jesus and told Peter “it is the Lord!”. He may have made the connection to the event of Luke 5:1-11, when Jesus called the first disciples by giving them fish to catch. Or, maybe because it was a miracle, he recognized Jesus as the cause.

Peter (impetuously) jumped in the water and swam to shore (7). This shows us that, despite his earlier denials, Peter loved Jesus and wanted badly to see him. The others followed in the boat, dragging the net (8) 

Jesus had made some breakfast, having built a fire and started cooking fish and bread. (9) Jesus served breakfast to the disciples who had worked all night, still being the humble servant & knowing what they needed (13) He told them bring more fish, so Peter hauled the net full of fish to shore by himself (strong man!) because he was 

eager to please. 

John gives a specific count of the fish (153) to show it was an enormous and miraculous catch. He also recorded that the net was not broken despite the large catch (another miracle). Jesus was demonstrating to the disciples, via the miracles, that it was he appearing to them. And so, they recognized that it was Jesus. (12)

The disciples must have still be hesitant and maybe even fearful. Jesus had to tell them to “come and have breakfast” (12) and “None of them dared to ask him…”, indicating some fearfulness on their part.

This was the third post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to the disciples (14) The number “3” is symbolic of something complete and good. For example, saying something 3 times (calling Samuel, going to Gethsemane to pray, instructing Peter to feed his sheep), or repeating the same word 3 times (holy, holy, holy) (woe is…). Through this, John shows us that Jesus completely and sufficiently revealed himself to the disciples to prove he was resurrected and alive. 

Jesus & Peter

21:15-17

Jesus questioned Peter 3 times about his love for Jesus. The first time, Jesus asked him if he loved Jesus “more than these?”, meaning more than these other men\disciples love Jesus. Peter always acted like he did before his denials. 

Peter appealed to Jesus’ deity\omniscience, saying “you know that I love you”.  Since Jesus knows all things, he knows Peter loves him. (17) Jesus accepted Peter’s declaration.  He commissioned Peter: feed my lambs. 

Jesus had Peter declare his love 3 times just as he denied Jesus 3 times.

It would be a complete declaration of love just as it was a complete denial of Jesus (3 times). 

Jesus answered each declaration of love with “feed\tend my sheep”. Peter was to show his love for Jesus by teaching and taking care of believers (the sheep). Jesus was the true shepherd on earth, and passed that duty down to Peter and the other apostles. 

No authority is given here - simply a commission to serve the flock.

Peter later passed the responsibility down to elders, writing:

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the suffering of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising overseeing, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in our charge, buy being examples to the flock”. (1 Peter 5:1-3)

The Prophecy

21:8-19

Jesus told Peter how he would die. To “stretch out your hands” refers to crucifixion. Peter faithfully served for about 3 decades with this prophecy hanging over his head.

Jesus & John

21:20-25

Jesus & Peter took off walking down the beach. (20) John followed. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one reclining at table close to Jesus when he revealed who would betray him. 

Peter, having been told of his own death, wanted to know John’s fate.

But Jesus told him it was none of his business. Peter’s job was to follow Jesus.

That is true for all of us. We do not need to waste question Jesus about his plan and will for others so that we can compare it to his plan for us. Rather, we are to concentrate on following him. 

John did not write down everything Jesus did. (25) He did not think all of those things could be contained in all the books written - his testimony to Jesus’ greatness. That seems to be true - look how many books have been written about Jesus since then! 

The New Heaven and New Earth

 "The whole terrifying conflict has been about the divine Husband's jealous love for his bride, a love so jealous that he will fight all comers in order to have her all to self, a love so sacrificial he lays down is life to protect from every threat and enemy."

Dennis Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb, Commentary on Revelation 21:1-4.