Psalm 75:1-10 NKJV
75 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!
For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.
2 “When I choose the proper time,
I will judge uprightly.
3 The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;
I set up its pillars firmly. Selah
4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’
And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn.
5 Do not lift up your horn on high;
Do not speak with a stiff neck.’ ”
6 For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
7 But God is the Judge:
He puts down one,
And exalts another.
8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup,
And the wine is red;
It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;
Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
Drain and drink down.
9 But I will declare forever,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 “All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off,
But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”
“The 75th psalm,” says Luther, “is a psalm of comfort against the stiff-necked, proud, godless teachers who are self-secure and presume on their office, as if they fear nothing, neither threat nor punishment” (Reading the Psalms with Luther, p. 177); he is referring to verses 2-5.
And Luther is right, for throughout the world, both in his time and in ours, there is an arrogance that exudes from many who are in positions of power and authority that causes them to focus only on themselves and the power they hold over others. In Luther’s day it was largely the Romanists and their extra-biblical rules, regulations, and false teachings. But the same can be said today, also against many in political positions who arrogate themselves a belief that they are above the law and superior to most everyone. They, too, are stiff-necked and boastful.
You, dear saint, are to be untroubled by these things. Those in positions of power are there by God’s allowance and knowledge, as St. Paul writes in Rom 13:1 – “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” God allows certain power-hungry and despotic people to rule over you so that you would cry out to Him even more, trusting that He is in control and will ultimately deliver you. He will also judge those who abuse their power and persecute his Church, and they will have their ultimate comeuppance. As Asaph wrote in today’s psalm, “God is the judge…all the horns of the wicked I will also cut off” (vv. 7 and 10). Be comforted by the biblical fact that all the godless shall be judged and will pass away. The Scriptures are replete with accounts of God’s people being delivered and protected, and you are among them. Trust by God-given faith that He is in control, that He will ultimately deliver you, and that all these things are for your good. Be strengthened by His Word and Sacraments until He takes you Home.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, grant me daily strength to trust in You alone and not to be dissuaded or distracted by earthly things. Amen.