STATUS CHECK
Opening Prayer
On this Sabbath Day, Father, I come to you in gratitude and worship for who you are. Thank you for all you have done to show me who you are and to make me your own.
Read PSALM 76
Psalm 76[a]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1 God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.
2 His tent is in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
3 There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[b]
4 You are radiant with light,
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
5 The valiant lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
6 At your rebuke, God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot lie still.
7 It is you alone who are to be feared.
Who can stand before you when you are angry?
8 From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared and was quiet—
9 when you, God, rose up to judge,
to save all the afflicted of the land.
10 Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[c]
11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;
let all the neighboring lands
bring gifts to the One to be feared.
12 He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 76:1 In Hebrew texts 76:1-12 is numbered 76:2-13.
- Psalm 76:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 9.
- Psalm 76:10 Or Surely the wrath of mankind brings you praise, / and with the remainder of wrath you arm yourself
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
For what reasons, and by whom, should God be feared?Tomorrow is my birthday. I bet you didn’t know that! And of course, I’d only expect my immediate family to have it marked on their calendars. On the other hand, I imagine a good number of the singer Billie Eilish’s 88 million followers on social media to be wishing her many happy returns tomorrow. This is going to connect to our psalm, I promise!
Psalm 76 may have struck you as a psalm about war and how warlike, fierce, and angry God can get. But here’s the thing: as we’ve seen in Jeremiah, these were rough and ready, bloody and brutal times in which the most respected were the fiercest warriors, leaders who defeated enemies in battle and defended their people and land. In reaching for picture language to express how far above and beyond the greatest humans on earth the Lord is, this was the obvious way for the psalm writer to go.
In many cultures today, a celebrity is esteemed more highly than an army general. But God’s fame (v 1), influence, (v 8) and radiance (v 4) are infinitely greater. And soon, over two millennia after his birth, the birthday of Jesus, God incarnate, will be celebrated in every corner of the world.
Apply
Compose your own psalm of praise. To what will you compare God’s majesty, his status, and his glory?
Closing prayer
Lord God, may your extravagant love be reflected in who I am, in things I say and do. Help me to show others who you are.
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