DISASTER-Psalm 74, JUSTICE-Psalm 75

Old Testament, Psalms, Sermons

“O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?” “They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name. They said in their hearts, ‘We will crush them completely! They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land. We are given no signs from God; no prophets are left…” (Ps 74:1, 7-9).

How well Psalm 74 and 75 belong together! They tackle the same situation but from a different perspective.
  • In Psalm 74, their situation of dreadful calamity and destruction [of Jerusalem and the temple] is still unresolved, whereas Psalm 75 looks back on the wonderful work of God which has resolved the problem.

A bread and butter basic truth and core statement of immense importance at the heart of each Psalm that is affirmed by Asaph (Ps 74:12-17) in Psalm 74 and by God Himself about Himself (Ps 75:5-7) in Psalm 75.

  • Thus, at the center of our trouble, danger, loss, sorrow–when hostile forces are on top–we are to remind ourselves about who’s in charge and who determines the final outcome.
  • We don’t tell ourselves how horrible and unfair life is, or how sad and sorrowful we are. Rather, we declare…
    • how powerful God is (Ps 74:12-14),
    • how well God provides (Ps 74:15),
    • how totally in charge God is (Ps 74:16-17),
    • how fully in command of history God is (Ps 75:2),
    • how secure is God’s world (Ps 75:3) and your life,
    • how subservient to God are powerful arrogant men (Ps 75:4-5).
  • Thus, Psalm 74 and 75 speak of…
    • a God in charge,
    • a God who makes all the decisions,
    • a God fully and truly God—a God worth trusting.
A Cry for God‘s Deliverance: Psalm 74 laments a national disaster (Psalm 79; 137; Lamentations)–the destruction of the temple (Ps 74:3, 7, 9). It is a plea to God to remember His destroyed sanctuary and for God to act and deliver His people. The godly in exile weep over the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 586/587 B.C. (Lam 2:5-9), with the silence of prophecy (Ps 74:9) being the most disorienting blow of all. Outline:
  1. Lamenting the Destruction (1-11).
    1. The appeal to God (Ps 74:1-3). Why have you rejected us?
    2. The desecration of the sanctuary (Ps 74:4-8). They burned the sanctuary.
    3. The absence of prophets and God’s apparent silence (Ps 74:9-11). How long?
  2. Remembering God’s Mighty Deeds (12-17). You crushed the heads of Leviathan (Ps 74:14).
    1. God’s kingship and creation power (Ps 74:12-17a).
    2. God’s provision and care for His people (Ps 74:17b).
  3. A Renewed Plea for Deliverance (18-23). Rise up, O God (Ps 74:22).
    1. The acknowledgment of God’s covenant (Ps 74:18).
    2. The plea for God to act on behalf of His people (Ps 74:19-21).
    3. The call for God to defend His cause (Ps 74:22-23).

Punish those who Desecrated the Sanctuary. Havoc. Arise, O God, defend your cause. The Destruction of the Temple. Ask God to remember his destroyed sanctuary.

  • “They have set fire to all the appointed places of God in the land” (Alec Motyer).
  • “They burned all God’s meeting places in the land” (Robert Alter).
  • “They burned all God’s tabernacles in the land” (The Jewish Study Bible).
  • “So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped” (NLT).
  • “They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land” (NKJV).
  • “They burned every place throughout the land where God met with us” (HCSB).

* “Have regard for your covenant” (Ps 74:20).

Jesus remembers his covenant…at great cost.

  • “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Cor 11:25).
  • “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” (Jn 12:27-28).

“I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge with equity.” “It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another” (Psalm 75:2, 7).

Psalm 75 shares with Mary’s Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55) and the Hannah‘s song (1 Sam 2:1-10) of expressing joy in God’s great reversals (Ps 75:7). With strong opposition of the arrogant, the godly community looks to God for deliverance. It happily follows the plea of Ps 74:22-23: God brings his case to court where He is no reluctant plaintiff but the Judge. Outline:

  1. God is the Rovereign Judge (1-3).
    1. Praise God’s name for his nearness and his wondrous deeds (Ps 75:1).
    2. God appoints the time for judgment (Ps 75:2).
    3. God firmly sustains the earth (Ps 75:3).
  2. God Warns the Arrogant (4-8).
    1. The rebuke to the boastful and the arrogant (Ps 75:45).
    2. God is the ultimate Judge (Ps 75:6-7).
    3. The cup of God’s wrath (Ps 75:8).
  3. Praise God who Judges the Proud and the Wicked (Ps 75:9-10).

God is the Righteous Judge. The Divine Judge. JUSTICE is the Lord‘s. The Righteous Judge Exalts and Brings Low. For those who are frightened by judgment. Disposer Supreme.

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