Psalms · psalm 75 of 150
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Psalm 75 is a thanksgiving by Asaph for a God who judges with equity at the time he himself has set. God speaks and tells the boastful not to boast, because exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west but from him, who puts one down and lifts up another. The wicked will drink the dregs of the cup of his wrath, and the psalmist will sing forever.
The title says that it is a psalm and song of Asaph, for the choirmaster, to the tune of Do Not Destroy. It is in Book III and follows the lament of Psalm 74. If there the people asked whether God was silent, here God himself speaks in the middle of the psalm. The answer is short and firm: he rules and he has his hour.
The psalm begins with a communal thanksgiving: we give thanks to you, O God, for your name is near; people recount your wondrous deeds. In verses 2 and 3 God speaks. He says that at the set time he will judge with equity. Though the earth and all its inhabitants melt, he keeps its pillars steady. It is a word of assurance: when everything seems to collapse, God upholds the order.
In verses 4 and 5, God, or the psalmist in his name, tells the boastful not to boast and the wicked not to lift up the horn or speak with haughty neck. It is a warning against arrogance.
Verses 6 to 8 explain the reason: not from the east or the west or from the wilderness comes lifting up. God is the judge; he puts one down and lifts up another. In the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours it out; its dregs all the wicked of the earth shall drain and drink.
The psalm closes with the psalmist's response: he will declare it forever and sing praises to the God of Jacob. God will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
God himself says that at the time he has set he will judge with equity, and that though the earth melts he keeps its pillars steady. His justice arrives on time, even when it seems late to us.
Lifting up comes not from the east, the west or the wilderness but from God, who puts one down and exalts another. Success and failure, then, are not simple results of human cleverness.
In the Lord's hand is a cup of foaming wine, and all the wicked of the earth will drink it to the dregs. The picture of judgment as a cup appears elsewhere in the Bible and speaks of a judgment no one escapes.
God will cut off the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up. In the picture of a strong animal, the horn stands for the power and dignity God gives to his own.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Judge with equity. — Psalm 75:2
Answer: He keeps its pillars steady. — Psalm 75:3
Answer: Not to boast and not to lift up the horn. — Psalm 75:4-5
Answer: Not from the east, the west or the wilderness. — Psalm 75:6
Answer: God, who is the judge. — Psalm 75:7
Answer: Those of the wicked will be cut off and those of the righteous lifted up. — Psalm 75:10
Psalm 75 deflates anxiety about advancement and comparison. If promotion depends not on our maneuvering but on God, we can work with honesty without envying those who advance by shortcuts. In a small group you can talk about how to live healthy ambition without losing humility.
It also comforts those who see injustice around them. God has an appointed time, and meanwhile he upholds the order of the earth. It is an invitation to wait without bitterness, not to take revenge and to keep praising. Whoever reads it can give thanks for what God has already done and trust that he will not leave evil unanswered.
Psalm 75 ends with the God of Jacob praised and the righteous lifted up. Psalm 76 follows the same line and celebrates that God who makes himself known in Judah, with his dwelling in Salem and in Zion.
Most interpreters understand that God himself speaks, because he says that he will judge and that he keeps the pillars of the earth steady. Others see the psalmist giving voice to what God has said. In either case, what matters is that the message comes from God.
The horn of an animal is a symbol of strength. To lift up the horn is to boast of power or to act haughtily. In verse 10, cutting off the horns of the wicked means taking away their power, and lifting those of the righteous means giving them honor and strength.