Congratulations if you have followed me on this path through the Psalms since chapter 1 back on the 1st of August 2023. You and I are half way on our trip. If the Psalms were a mountain and the whole trip was to the top and back down, you are on the summit with me. I think it is appropriate that in this Psalm we hear mostly directly from God. Asaph is directly quoting God mostly in Psalm 75. As I consider my life and the current world situation, I am also glad for the reassuring voice of God. Before I venture off on our search for Jesus in the Psalms, I would like to report a change to the pattern and some thoughts as to why. My pattern has been to study a Psalm every day 7 days a week with no breaks. I have been convicted by God that this was not wise and I should have had a break day. When I began in the days prior to August 1, I thought I might prepare and be a day or so ahead and have “material in the tank” just in case I got sick or too busy. But God said no. It was an emotional couple of days for me, and I understood if I was going to do this challenge, I needed to do it like the children of Israel collecting manna, trusting God to give something each day. God has been faithful and provided each day. But from the beginning I knew the Children of Israel also needed a rest day and they needed to trust that they could gather enough on Friday for the Sabbath Saturday. My week is structured a little differently since I work Tuesday to Saturday with Sunday as my rest day and Monday as a personal work day for around the house and other tasks. I asked Lyssa what day I should “gather manna” twice as much so I could have a rest day. And she suggested Monday be the day I write two chapters and Sunday be the day I take a break from study in the Psalms. So my new reading plan is as follows
Week 1: October 16-22
Mon: Psalms 76 and 77
Tue: Psalm 78
Wed: Psalm 79
Thu: Psalm 80
Fri: Psalm 81
Sat: Psalm 82
Sun: Rest
Week 11: December 25-31
Mon: Rest
Tue: Psalm 146
Wed: Psalm 147
Thu: Psalm 148
Fri: Psalm 149
Sat: Psalm 150
Sun: Rest
So I still finish as previously planned on December 29th and also get an extra rest day on Christmas day. Please check the plan at the link above and let me know if I have made any mistakes.
And now let's consider the remarkable Psalm 75.
Last night in our Men’s CLC (City Life Church) Connect group we talked about Joshua and the fight against Amalek recorded in Exodus 17 verses 8-16. We discussed a comparison of Amalek raising up their fists against God's throne (NLT) and Moses raising his hand up to God’s throne in obedience and dependence so that Joshua would remember “Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the LORD is my banner”) Exodus.17:15”
Then this morning I read verses 5 and 6 of Psalm 75 and I thought, God you really want me to see this.
5 “Don’t raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with such arrogance.’”
6 “For no one on earth—from east or west, or even from the wilderness— should raise a defiant fist.”
MAIN PONT: Jesus is the judge who gives stability.
So how do we see Jesus as the fulfiller of these words spoken by God? That seems the obvious question for me to start with since I am here to find Jesus in the Psalms. And If that is a worthy and correct pursuit I should surely find Jesus in the words of God since He is the Word. (BTW, I have included a lot more links and cross references so if you really want to read this properly with the spacing and format and links where I have worked hard to place them for your and my further study, you need to read the PDF, google drive doc or the blogpost.
These words can be from no one other than Jesus:
2 God says, “At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked.
3 When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps its foundations firm.
Interlude
Jesus has all authority, He is the ultimate justice bringer. It is so important that it is nearly the last words He says before ascending to heaven. We have already seen this in the establishment of the kingly judgement theme in Psalms 2.
And I am so comforted by the proclamation of God that He is the one who keeps the foundations firm. That is really no problem for the creator, especially since it was not only made by Him (John 1:3), Jesus, but it was made for him (Colosians 1:16), Jesus.
I have not said enough about Interlude/Selah (rest, reflect, meditate). Here are the first couple lines of the Wikipedia entry on Selah.
Selah (/ˈsiːlə(h)/; Biblical Hebrew: סֶלָה, romanized: selā) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selah
I thought of Jesus being the protector, the one who holds the foundation of the earth firm, the cornerstone of all creation. I thought of Jesus who offers rest and who is the only name under heaven that saves. I leave you with the fun task of finding references for all those thoughts and to add your own to the list.
Jesus is warning me to stop my boasting. I am being lovingly warned as He did to Cain (Genesis 4:7) to do what is acceptable. We should not be like the people in Psalm 2 who declare they will break chains off against the rule of God’s Son King.
“It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall.”
And again the God who alone is the judge is clearly Jesus, from the following passages:
“For the LORD is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. He will care for us and save us.” Isaiah 33:22
For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead." Act 17:31
“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” 2 Corinthians 5:10
“In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge,” John 5:22
And God’s right and practise to judge is solely His and a work in which He is constantly engaged.
“God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?” James 4:12
God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day. Psalms 7:11
Conclusion: There is much more that could be said about this rich Psalm but I feel I have reached the goal of my task today: I have found Jesus in Psalm 75. What I found was the sovereign King Who rules with righteous and sure judgement. And that gives me a stability that cannot be shaken. It is only when I forget that Jesus Christ the King and judge of all things is fully in control, mercifully giving a warning to the proud and able to give rest and comfort to the humble, that I begin to worry. But just like Asaph I can say with confidence, “We thank you, O God” ….. For I know you say, “I will increase the power of the godly.”
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