Psalm 76:7-9 "Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? (8) Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, (9) When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah."
I think my writing this morning must begin with questions. How do I view
God? Do I have a balanced view of God? This particular Psalm, I
believe, gives us a balanced view. Let's just take a few moments to see how
this Psalmist looked at God.
Verse 1 - "His name is Great." Do you agree with that
statement? May I say that it really hurts my heart and brings down the
name of my Lord when His name is taken in vain. That taking in vain includes
the letters, "omg". I cringe everytime I see or hear those
letters and His name being used in a manner that does not honor Him.
Verse 2 - The dwelling place of our Lord is in all places. "In
Judah, God is known. In Salem (the early name of Jerusalem) is His peace
experienced. Let me say that for us in the New Testament, we are the temple of
God. His peace that is promised is experienced in our hearts, the seat of
our emotions.
Verse 3 - God is all glorious. How can I even use human words to express the glory,
the beauty, of our Lord. I think of the mountain of transfiguration when our
Lord appeared to Peter, James, and John in a portion of His glory. They fell to
the earth in awe of Him. I think of Saul on the road to Damascus. He was
blinded for three days when the Lord appeared to him. God is glorious and is
worthy of all our praise and service unto Him.
At this point in the Psalm, the writer begins to shift to a different, and
balanced, view of God. Until about the middle of the Psalm, he was speaking of
God in terms that we more often hear in our time. In fact, it just might be
that God is presented more as a buddy than as God, even from pulpits. The book
of Proverbs tells us that indeed there is a friend that sticks closer than a
brother. We understand that friend to be Jesus.
But the balanced view is that also, He despises sin. We live in a world that is
filled with sinful creatures, including you and me. Yes, the book of
Proverbs tells us of that friend; but then, we read in the book of Acts 17:30 that
at one time God winked at the ignorance of men, "but now commandeth all
men every where to repent." He commands repentance; that is, He
commands us to turn back to Him in obedience to His Word.
My last question is this: Have we lost our healthy fear of God? That word can
mean to hold God in high esteem and reverence, but it also means to be fearful
of His anger. Have we lost that in our day and time? Is He our buddy who just
turns His head and pretends we do not go against Him with our words, actions,
and attitudes? I am to be reminded this morning that when God sends judgment,
"the earth feared and stood still" before the angry God of heaven and
earth.
Lord, help me to appreciate and enjoy the sweet fellowship that I have with you
and to be submissive to your will for my life.