PSALM 75

God is the Judge

Giving of Thanks (v.1)

1 We give thanks to You, O God,	we give thanks,
For Your name is near;	Men declare Your wondrous works.

The Testimony of God (vv.2-3)

2 “When I select an appointed time (mô˓ēd also in 74:4,8), [1]	It is I who judge with equity.
3 “The earth and all who dwell in it melt;	It is I who have firmly set its pillars. Selah.

The Psalmist’s? [2] Witness (vv.4-8)

4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’		And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn;
5 Do not lift up your horn on high,		Do not speak with insolent pride.’” [3]
6 For (kee) not from the east,	nor from the west,		Nor from the desert comes exaltation [or mountainous desert]; [4]
7 But (kee) God is the Judge;		He puts down one and exalts another. (1 Sam.2:7)
8 For (kee) a cup is in the hand of Yahweh,		and the wine foams;
It is well mixed,		and He pours out of this;

Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs. (Rev.14:10)

The Psalmist’s Boast (vv.9-10)

9 But as for me, I will declare it forever;	I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 And all the horns of the wicked He will cut off,	But the horns (1 Samuel 2:1,10) of the righteous will be lifted up.[5]

[1] It is useful to study this word because it is rooted in Yahweh’s creation (Gen.1:14); redemption (Exodus 9:5; 13:10), Yahweh’s meeting with His people (Exodus 25:22), and Yahweh’s people meeting with Him (Leviticus 23:2,4). From my study of Yahweh’s “appointed time,” I have found that there is a connection between His judgment and the church’s worship. Every Lord’s day when the church gathers for worship, we see a clear picture of what the Day of the Lord will be like when He gathers the entire world.

[2] It is possible that God is speaking in vv.4-6 or vv.4-5. Regardless of who is speaking in vv.4-6, it is clear that the wicked are being spoken to.

[3] Verses 4-5 are chiastic:

(A) do not boast (v.4a)

(B) Do not lift up the horn (v.4b)

(B’) Do not lift up your horn on high (v.5a)

(A’) Do not speak with insolent pride

[4] The four corners of the earth may be intended here.

[5] The NASB95 misses the Hebrew chiastic parallelism of v.10:

(A) And all the horns of the wicked

(B) He will cut off

(B’) will be lifted up

(A’) the horns of the righteous