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Psalm 76 is a psalm of praise and a victory hymn. It highlights the greatness and awe of God, and shows us what the proper response to His greatness is⏤praise! The author, Asaph, writes this psalm in response to a battle victory. It may have been written in response to the particular victory in 2 Kings 19:35, but the lack of specificity allows for these words to be used more generally for celebrating any victory that the Lord gives. 

Over and over again in Scripture, we see God fight on behalf of His people. Victory is always His. Psalm 20:6-7 says, “Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” As God’s people, we can trust that He will fight on our behalf.

The first two verses of this psalm are particularly powerful: “God is renowned in Judah; in Israel his name is great. His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.” God is renowned or known in Judah. This all powerful God who gives victory in battle also chooses to make Himself known to His people. Salem is the ancient name for Jerusalem, and it means city of peace. He makes His tent or home there, in Jerusalem, with His people, bringing peace to them as He dwells. He has both revealed Himself to His people and chosen to dwell with them. 

In the Old Testament, God chose to dwell with His people in Jerusalem. Then, He sent His Son to dwell on earth. John 1:14  tells us, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Today, He has sent His Spirit to dwell in each and every believer. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). 

We have access to a holy God, not because of anything we’ve done, but because He made a way to live with us. Throughout history, God chooses to dwell with His people and bring them peace. He’s choosing to do that same thing with you today.  

Psalm 75 marks the halfway point through the Psalms. Similar to Psalm 57, 58, and 59, this psalm is set to the tune of “Do Not Destroy” for the fourth and final time. It is a prayer by Asaph to God consisting of thanksgiving, a word from God, a warning by the church, and anticipation of the Lord’s deliverance.

Asaph knew that judgment was coming. He knew God would destroy the people not following Him, but he prayed for deliverance of the believers. He rejoiced, even though he knew heartbreak was around the corner. This served as a warning for those who were not following God; there was a destructive fate ahead if they did not take the opportunity to turn to righteousness.

This chapter has many references to a horn. In the Old Testament times, the horn was a symbol of boastful power and strength. The foolish were using their horns to promote themselves and their power, exalting themselves even over God. It seems like an old issue… until we think of a phrase we use today. How often do you “toot your own horn?”

We do not want to be foolish. Charles Spurgeon, a preacher and Bible scholar, notes, “When possessed by the arrogant, the horn is said to be ‘cut down’ or humbled. While God rejects the horns of the haughty, he exalts the horns of the righteous.” The Lord sees how we act every day. Self-promoting tendencies and boasting of success will feel good for a moment, but we will be left with God humbling us. Rather, let us live for righteousness and let God lift us up in His timing.

God will judge with equity and He gives us plenty of opportunities to turn to Him. When we turn to Him, He is near and works in our lives. With a focus on His wondrous deeds and praising Him, it will be much easier to declare His praise than tooting our own horn in vain.

In this psalm, we can see that Asaph and Israel as a whole are going through a tough time (a major understatement). This chapter is full of vivid, powerful imagery; as we read through it, the truths really sink in, as we picture in our heads everything described on the page. Reading verses 3 through 9, we picture walking through the ruins of a city, looking in the distance to see the church building burned to the ground, smoke pouring out of the place in which we would frequently meet (or maybe where we now wish we had visited more). Enemies come in with battle axes, yelling and destroying everything that is familiar to us. It feels like God is gone, and there is no longer anyone who speaks for Him (v. 9). 

As we have seen in many of the Psalms so far, there is a clear shift, a move from despair to praise. Although the tone changes, the imagery continues. Instead of picturing a ruined city, we see God splitting the ocean and smashing the heads of sea monsters, letting desert animals eat them! He causes springs to gush forth and dries up rivers that never run dry! He creates everything, including the stars in the sky and the boundaries of the earth and the seasons we experience! People might come and ruin the temporary, worldly things that we have built, but God is in control, so powerful and mighty. People might come after us for our faith and take our sanctuary, but our Church was never a building, and our hope was never in the places where we worshiped. Our hope is found in the all-powerful, all-knowing, almighty God of the universe. 

Israel was going through a tough time, and we might be, too. We might feel like we are under attack, either by loud men with battle axes or by work, school, other people, etc. Whatever comes after us, God is far more powerful. When we feel overwhelmed, we can follow the example of this psalm, remembering how God has been faithful in the past (v. 12) and how He has promised that He will triumph in His good and perfect timing (v. 20). 

From the time we are on the playground to the time we are in retirement, we struggle with good things happening to bad people and bad things happening to good people. We wonder why mean people win and get all the glory while nice people seem to lose and get all the grief. When this happens it’s enough to make us ask the question, “Why work so hard to be good when those who behave badly succeed?” 

The writer of Psalm 73, Asaph, gives voice to this same struggle in verse 3: “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” We hear you, Asaph! But what are we supposed to do with this frustration? Verses 16 and 17 tell us: “When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.”

What Asaph knew and we must remember is that we are playing the long game: running a marathon, not a sprint. As humans, it is easy to focus on the here and now, crying out to God to fix our present problems. We may be ignorant of others’ hearts and needs as we rush to judgment in our own fear and failures. We see only the unfairness of the situation when we view it through our own lens rather than trying to view our situation from God’s perspective. We can forget that God sees all dimensions of the past, present, and future in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:3-14). 

We can’t forget what we know:

• We know this world is not our home (John 15:19).
• We know that we are called to a higher purpose (Romans 8:28).
• We know we are in the midst of spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:12).
• We know that in this world, we will have trouble (John 16:33).
• But we also know to be encouraged because Jesus has overcome the world! Praise God! What the world offers cannot compare to what God offers us in Himself. 

May we declare verses 26-28: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”

As we read the Bible, we can’t forget that it is both historical and prophetic. At first read of Psalm 72, we may think it’s a prayer for an earthly king to reign with wisdom and righteousness; however, it is also a declaration of hope for an eternal king to reign “and all kings bow to him and all nations serve him.” It is both a personal prayer request to rule well and prophetic praise for one who rules forever. 

Most scholars believe this psalm is written about Solomon. Either written by David or Solomon, we aren’t certain. But no matter who wrote it, the message is clear: a good, righteous, and wise king will bring justice to the poor, save the children of the needy, and break the pieces of the oppressor.

Solomon was the wisest king who ever lived. His influence was great and his kingdom vast. He started off strong with great intentions; but, because Solomon was unfaithful to God, his reign was not as great a blessing as it could have been. His reign fulfilled some of the criteria mentioned in this psalm, but insufficient in fulfilling all.  

All Scripture points to Jesus. All of it. Verse 8 shifts our perspective from the earthly king to an eternal one, a greater King. One whose reign will not end. Whose Kingdom encompasses the whole earth. Whose righteousness and justice are perfect. When Solomon’s successor returns to earth and establishes His reign, the requests and criteria of this psalm will be fulfilled in Messiah AND King who is Jesus. The King who brings justice, rescue, and freedom.