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http://www.BibleStudyWorkshop.com 1 Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell God Is Glorious, Majestic and Terrible Psalm 76:1-12 Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.
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Page 1: God Is Glorious, Majestic and Terrible Psalm 76:1-12biblestudyworkshop.com/download/old/psalms/psalm76.pdf · Psalm 76:1-12, 1. In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel.

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Commentary by Clyde M. Miller Questions by John C. Sewell

God Is Glorious, Majestic and Terrible

Psalm 76:1-12

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

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God Is Glorious, Majestic and Terrible

Commentary

by

Clyde M. Miller Text: Psalm 76:1-12, 1. In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. 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. Selah 4. You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. 5. Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. 6. At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. 7. You alone 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, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Selah 10. Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the sur-vivors of your wrath are restrained. 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. NIV

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Introduction: I. The phrase, “to the choirmaster”, used frequently in the psalm titles, could be translated “for the leader”, and could refer to the leader of the temple singers, to a priest, or even to a king.

A. The word “neginoth” (KJV) refers to stringed instruments in contrast to wind instruments.

B. “A psalm of Asaph” could mean a psalm written by Asaph or by one of the members of his guild of temple singers, or it could mean a psalm authorized or collected by the Asaph guild.

1. This guild extended from David's day into post-exilic times.

C. A “song”, shir, refers to a happy, joyous song.

II. Since many, if not most, of the psalm titles were added long after the writing of the psalms, it is better to interpret each psalm on the ba-sis of its text rather than by its title.

A. This psalm treats a familiar theme in the Psalms: God, as king, is triumphantly victorious over His enemies.

B. God's enemies are frequently also Israel's enemies; therefore God's victory is theirs as well.

III. There is no way to determine what specific event, if any, prompted the writing of the psalm.

A. The title in the Greek (LXX), “A Song for the Assyrian”, suggests that it refers to Sennacherib's defeat in his effort to de-stroy Jerusalem in 701 B.C.

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B. However, Ps. 76:1 would seem to suggest a time during the period of the United Kingdom.

1. Psalm 76:1, In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. NIV

2. The psalm could well reflect the glorious days of David after God had given him rest from his enemies round about (2 Sam. 22; Ps. 18).

a. 2 Samuel 22:1-51, David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD deliv-ered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent men you save me. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction over-whelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. "The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consum-ing fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his

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canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot arrows and scattered the enemies, bolts of lightning and routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the re-buke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils. "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful en-emy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disas-ter, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he res-cued me because he delighted in me. "The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God. All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. "To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I

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can scale a wall. "As for God, his way is per-fect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he en-ables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. "I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were de-stroyed. I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I de-stroyed my foes. They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but he did not answer. I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets. "You have delivered me from the attacks of my people; you have pre-served me as the head of nations. People I did not know are subject to me, and foreigners come cringing to me; as soon as they hear me, they obey me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds. "The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me, who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you res-

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

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cued me. Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever." NIV

b. Psalm 18:1-50, I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death en-tangled me; the torrents of destruction over-whelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foun-dations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were un-der his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them. The valleys of the sea were

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

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exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God. All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, O LORD, keep my lamp burn-ing; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flaw-less. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way per-fect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

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he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were de-stroyed. I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adver-saries bow at my feet. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but he did not answer. I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets. You have delivered me from the at-tacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are sub-ject to me. As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strong-holds. The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you res-cued me. Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name. He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever. NIV

IV. This psalm blends historical, cultic, and eschatological material.

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A. The first two paragraphs look back to past deliverance granted by Yahweh (1-6).

1. Psalm 76:1-6, In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. Selah You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. Valiant men lie plun-dered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the war-riors can lift his hands. At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. NIV

B. In the third paragraph (7-9), there is a glimpse of the final judgment at which time all the earth will be judged and all the oppressed liberated.

1. Psalm 76:7-9, You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry? From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet- when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Selah NIV

C. The cultic element is emphasized in the fourth paragraph (10-12), where the paying of vows in response to divine deliv-erance is stressed.

1. Psalm 76:10-12, Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared. He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth. NIV

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2. The prophets and psalmists often use past judgments of God as evidence of the final judgment of the world.

3. This contemplation leads to exhortations to be faithful to God.

V. The psalm is symmetrically divided into four stanzas of three verses each.

A. As frequently, God is pictured as dwelling in Jerusalem where he had chosen to put His name (1-3).

1. Psalm 76:1-3, In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. Selah NIV

2. This feature identifies the psalm as a Zion psalm (cf. Pss. 46–48; 84; 87; 122).

a. Psalm 46:1-11, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Come and see the works of the LORD, the

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desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the na-tions, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah NIV

b. Psalm 47:1-9, Clap your hands, all you na-tions; shout to God with cries of joy. How awe-some is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheri-tance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations as-semble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted. NIV

c. Psalm 48:1-20, (**Check this verse, only 1-14 came up***.) Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. When the kings joined forces, when they advanced to-

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gether, they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror. Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor. You de-stroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever. Selah Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteous-ness. Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments. Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next genera-tion. For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. NIV

d. Psalm 84:1-12, How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the au-tumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears be-fore God in Zion. Hear my prayer, O LORD

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God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. NIV

e. Psalm 87:1-7, He has set his foundation on the holy mountain; the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God: Selah "I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me—Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.' " Indeed, of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will es-tablish her." The LORD will write in the regis-ter of the peoples: "This one was born in Zion." Selah As they make music they will sing, "All my fountains are in you." NIV

f. Psalm 122:1-9, I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusa-lem. Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. That is where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, to praise the name of the LORD according to the statute given to Israel. There the thrones for judgment

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stand, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels." For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, "Peace be within you." For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity. NIV

3. God accepted David's choice of Jerusalem as a perma-nent resting place for the ark of the covenant (cf. 2 Sam. 7; 1 Kings 8; Pss. 24; 132).

a. 2 Samuel 7:1-29, After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Na-than the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent." Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you." That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying: "Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"' "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my

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people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your ene-mies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. "'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will es-tablish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his fa-ther, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be estab-lished forever.' " Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation. Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your

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servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD? "What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. "How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God. "And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, 'The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you. "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. O Sov-ereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sov-ereign LORD, have spoken, and with your

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blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever." NIV

b. 1 Kings 8:1-66, Then King Solomon sum-moned into his presence at Jerusalem the eld-ers of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD's covenant from Zion, the City of David. All the men of Israel came to-gether to King Solomon at the time of the festi-val in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month. When all the elders of Israel had ar-rived, the priests took up the ark, and they brought up the ark of the LORD and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests and Levites carried them up, and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted. The priests then brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it be-neath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. When the priests withdrew from the Holy

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Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever." While the whole assembly of Israel was stand-ing there, the king turned around and blessed them. Then he said: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, 16 'Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built for my Name to be there, but I have chosen David to rule my people Is-rael.' "My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. But the LORD said to my father David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, who is your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.' "The LORD has kept the promise he made: I have suc-ceeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the LORD promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the cove-nant of the LORD that he made with our fa-thers when he brought them out of Egypt." Then Solomon stood before the altar of the

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LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and said: "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your ser-vants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your ser-vant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today. "Now LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my fa-ther the promises you made to him when you said, 'You shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.' And now, O God of Is-rael, let your word that you promised your ser-vant David my father come true. "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! Yet give at-tention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. May your eyes be open to-ward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, 'My Name shall be there,' so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, for-give. "When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before your altar in this tem-

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ple, then hear from heaven and act. Judge be-tween your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty, and so establish his innocence. "When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name, pray-ing and making supplication to you in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their fathers. "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and con-fess your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your peo-ple Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance. "When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands toward this temple- then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers. "As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has

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come from a distant land because of your name- for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name. "When your peo-ple go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to the LORD toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. "When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, to-ward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; for-give all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to

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show them mercy; for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace. "May your eyes be open to your servant's plea and to the plea of your people Israel, and may you lis-ten to them whenever they cry out to you. For you singled them out from all the nations of the world to be your own inheritance, just as you declared through your servant Moses when you, O Sovereign LORD, brought our fathers out of Egypt." When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. He stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying: "Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he prom-ised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time." Then the king

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and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. Solomon offered a sacrifice of fel-lowship offerings to the LORD : twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the LORD. On that same day the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the LORD, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze al-tar before the LORD was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings. So Solomon ob-served the festival at that time, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the LORD our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the LORD had done for his servant David and his people Israel. NIV

c. Psalm 24:1-10, The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and estab-lished it upon the waters. Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who

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seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory. Selah NIV

d. Psalm 132:1-18, O LORD, remember David and all the hardships he endured. He swore an oath to the LORD and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: "I will not enter my house or go to my bed- I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob." We heard it in Ephrathah, we came upon it in the fields of Jaar: "Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his foot-stool- arise, O LORD, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests be clothed with righteousness; may your saints sing for joy." For the sake of David your servant, do not reject your anointed one. The LORD swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: "One of your own descendants I will place on your throne- if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever." For the LORD has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling: "This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I

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have desired it- I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy. "Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be re-splendent." NIV

4. God was thought to dwell symbolically over the cherubim overshadowing the mercy seat (cf. Ex. 25:22).

a. Exodus 25:22, There, above the cover be-tween the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites. NIV

B. God is highly praised because of a great victory won for His people (4-6).

1. Psalm 76:4-6, You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. NIV

C. God is terrible when His anger is aroused, and no one can stand against Him (7-9).

1. Psalm 46:7-9, The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. NIV

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D. When man recognizes God's wrath as but a manifestation of His mighty power, proper homage will be paid to God (10-12).

VI. The psalmist expands his spiritual horizons from a consideration of God's provincial care of Israel (1-6) to His universal control of hu-manity (7-12).

A. Psalm 76:1-6, In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. Selah You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. NIV

B. Psalm 76:7-12, You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry? From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet- when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Selah Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared. He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth. NIV

Commentary:

God's Presence in Zion Psalm 76:1-3, In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the

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flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. Selah NIV Note: This paragraph contains three synonymous couplets, which means that each verse contains a single thought. Psalm 76:1, In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. NIV I. “Is known” and “is great” are synonymous phrases indicating God's renown. II. “Judah” and “Israel” include the whole covenant people. Psalm 76:2, His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. NIV I. “His tent” is synonymous with “his dwelling place”. II. “Salem”, an old name for Jerusalem (cf. Gen. 14:18), is synony-mous with “Zion”, often used to indicate the entire city rather than merely the specific hill of Zion.

A. Genesis 14:18, Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, NIV

III. Though God is omnipresent, that is, everywhere at once (Ps. 139:1-12), he is represented as symbolically dwelling in Jerusalem.

A. Psalm 139:1-12, O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Be-fore a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for

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me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. NIV

B. Solomon, in his prayer of dedication for the temple, recog-nized the fact that God cannot be contained in material struc-tures (1 Kings 8:27).

1. 1 Kings 8:27, "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! NIV

Psalm 76:3, There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war. Selah NIV I. God's presence in Jerusalem is demonstrated by His defending the city from foreign armies.

A. “Flashing arrows”, literally “fiery shafts of the bow” (NASB, margin), is likely a poetic metaphor either for fire-tipped arrows or for the lightning speed of the arrows.

B. “Weapons of war” is literally “battle”, but frequently means the necessary things for carrying on warfare.

C. In this context where “the shields” and “the swords” are mentioned, the latter definition applies.

1. These terms are used synonymously in this passage.

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II. It is God's defense of Jerusalem or the nation that causes His name, that is, His character, to be known in Israel (Ps. 76:1).

A. Psalm 76:1, In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. NIV

The Foe Falls at the Lord's Rebuke

Psalm 76:4-6, You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. NIV Note: This paragraph contains synthetic parallelism in which each succeeding line adds something to the former. Psalm 76:4, You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. NIV I. Drastic emendation of the text is not necessary.

A. Our text, which follows the LXX, is sufficiently clear, al-though the Hebrew for “the everlasting mountains” (RSV), reads “the mountains of prey” (KJV, NASB).

B. The NIV rendering, “mountains rich with game”, emends the text.

C. While it is true that the phrase, “the everlasting mountains”, is a common Hebrew expression (cf. Deut. 33:15; Hab. 3:6), there is nothing difficult in the Hebrew text of our passage as it stands.

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1. Deuteronomy 33:15, with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the ever-lasting hills; NIV

2. Habakkuk 3:6, He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed. His ways are eternal. NIV

D. “The mountains of prey” can be understood as the place from which God had taken spoil as he conquered the foe.

Psalm76:5-6, Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and chariot lie still. NIV I. The phrase “last sleep” is apparently an allusion to death (KJV, NASB), as is the phrase, “lie still”. II. God's glory and majesty (4) are manifested in His victory over the enemy.

A. Psalm 76:4, You are resplendent with light, more majes-tic than mountains rich with game. NIV

III. The word “rider” (cf. NASB, is from a word meaning “chariot” (KJV, NIV).

A. Probably charioteers are intended.

B. It is hardly appropriate to say that chariots “were cast into a dead sleep” (KJV).

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God's Universal Judgment Psalm 76:7-9, You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry? From heaven you pronounced judg-ment, and the land feared and was quiet- when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Selah NIV Note: This paragraph extends the central idea of the first two in that it looks to the judgment of all men. It employs synthetic parallelism and is pregnant with temporal and purpose clauses emphasizing the divine purpose in judgment. Psalm 76:7, You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry? NIV I. God's anger is roused against the arrogant oppressors.

A. “Terrible are you”, (RSV), is not too strong a translation in this context.

Psalm76:8, From heaven you pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet- NIV I. When God utters judgment, the world fears. II. “From heaven” reveals that the psalmist understood that God's throne is actually in heaven (cf. the notes on Ps. 76:2).

A. Psalm 76:2, His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. NIV

B. God pronounced sentence against the evildoers.

Psalm 76:9, when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the af-flicted of the land. Selah NIV

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I. God's purpose in His judgment was “to save all the afflicted of the land”. II. The translations “oppressed” (RSV, NRSV) and “meek” (KJV, ASV) or “humble” (NASB, NASB95 NEB) reflect a possible differ-ence in meaning between two similar Hebrew words, but it is likely that they are only two different forms of the same word (cf. Brown, Driver, and Briggs' Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testa-ment, p. 776). III. When the oppressed are declared to be saved by the Lord, it should be understood that in addition to their state of oppression they also humbly trust in God, for these are the only ones whom God will deliver (cf. Ps. 18:27).

A. Psalm 18:27, You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. NIV

B. The universal element so characteristic of Biblical eschatol-ogy involves the whole world, so that “the earth” fears and is still (Ps. 76:8), and God saves “all the oppressed of the earth” (Ps. 76:9).

1. Psalm 76:8, 9, From heaven you pronounced judg-ment, and the land feared and was quiet- when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. Selah NIV

Human Response to Divine Wrath

Psalm 76:10-12, Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands

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bring gifts to the One to be feared. He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth. NIV Note: This paragraph employs synthetic (10,11) and synonymous (12) parallelism. Emphasis is here placed upon homage which the world should give to God. Psalm 76:10, Surely your wrath against men brings you praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. NIV I. The boldness of the language creates a problem of interpretation.

A. The Hebrew, however, as rendered in our text, does not need drastic emendation.

1. Ps. 76:10 may be elliptical, meaning that God will take vengeance upon those who oppress the righteous, which will in turn cause the righteous to praise him.

2. Or it could be that the psalmist is saying that the de-feated nations will serve as involuntary witnesses to God's power.

B. The first line is not difficult to interpret.

1. “Wrath” could also mean “fierceness”, “raging anger”.

2. Fierce nations, such as Assyria and Babylonia, vented their wrath against Israel and Judah, but God worked providentially to so magnificently deliver His people from their enemies as to cause Israel to praise God (cf. Isa. 10:5-19; 31:6-9; 32:16-20; 38:1-20; 48:14-21).

a. Isaiah 10:5-19, "Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my

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wrath! I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. 'Are not my commanders all kings?' he says. 'Has not Calno fared like Car-chemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose im-ages excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria- shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?' " When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, "I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. For he says: "'By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather aban-doned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.'" Does the ax raise itself above him who swings it, or the saw boast against him who uses it? As if a rod were to wield him who lifts it up, or a club brandish him who is not wood! Therefore, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warri-ors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame. The Light of Israel will become

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a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his bri-ers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. NIV

b. Isaiah 31:6-9, Return to him you have so greatly revolted against, O Israelites. For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made. "Assyria will fall by a sword that is not of man; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor. Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic," de-clares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem. NIV

c. Isaiah 32:16-20, Justice will dwell in the de-sert and righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the ef-fect of righteousness will be quietness and con-fidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undis-turbed places of rest. Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free. NIV

d. Isaiah 38:1-20, In those days Hezekiah be-came ill and was at the point of death. The

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prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remem-ber, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your fa-ther David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city. " 'This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.' " So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down. A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery: I said, "In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years?" I said, "I will not again see the LORD, the LORD, in the land of the living; no longer will I look on mankind, or be with those who now dwell in this world. Like a shepherd's tent my house has been pulled down and taken from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up my life, and he has cut me off from the loom; day and night you made an end of me. I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion he broke all my bones; day and night you made an end of me. I cried like a swift or thrush, I

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moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens. I am troubled; O Lord, come to my aid!" But what can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul. Lord, by such things men live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live. Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back. For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faith-fulness. The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; fathers tell their children about your faithfulness. The LORD will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the LORD. NIV

e. Isaiah 48:14-21, "Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD's chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians. I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission. "Come near me and listen to this: "From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it hap-pens, I am there." And now the Sovereign LORD has sent me, with his Spirit. This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who

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directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your right-eousness like the waves of the sea. Your de-scendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be cut off nor destroyed from be-fore me." Leave Babylon, flee from the Baby-lonians! Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth; say, "The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob." They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and wa-ter gushed out. NIV

f. Hosea 13:14-16, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? "I will have no compassion, even though he thrives among his brothers. An east wind from the LORD will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His storehouse will be plundered of all its treas-ures. The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their preg-nant women ripped open." NIV

C. The second line of Ps. 76:10 is difficult.

1. “Gird”, (ASV, NASB, NASB95, RSV) is incorrectly rendered “restrained” (KJV).

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2. The word means “to bind” in the sense of girding a garment upon oneself (cf. Ps. 109:19).

a. Psalm 109:19, May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. NIV

D. It makes little difference whether “the residue of wrath”, (ASV) is God's or man's.

1. If it is the residue of man's wrath, the meaning is that after man has partially destroyed himself through his sin, God finishes the destruction to His own glory.

2. The prophets continually emphasize both the permis-sive judgment of God whereby Israel is permitted to suf-fer the natural consequences of her sins (cf. Hos. 5:5-7, 15; 5:11-12; 12:14; 13:3, 12) and also the judgment of God whereby he steps into the picture and completes the destruction (cf. Hos. 5:13-14; 7:11-12; 8:8-10; 9:7,17; 10:5-7; 13:14-16).

a. Hosea 5:5-7, 15, Israel's arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them. When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them. They are unfaithful to the LORD; they give birth to illegitimate children. Now their New Moon festivals will devour them and their fields. Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my

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face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me." NIV

b. Hosea 5:11,12, Ephraim is oppressed, tram-pled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols. I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the peo-ple of Judah. NIV c. Hosea 12:14, But Ephraim has bitterly pro-voked him to anger; his Lord will leave upon him the guilt of his bloodshed and will repay him for his contempt. NIV

d. Hosea 13:3,12, Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disap-pears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window. The guilt of Ephraim is stored up, his sins are kept on record. NIV e. Hosea 5:13, 14, "When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help. But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces and go away; I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them. NIV

f. Hosea 7:11, 12, "Ephraim is like a dove, eas-ily deceived and senseless— now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria. When they go, I will throw my net over them; I will pull them down like birds of the air. When I hear them flocking together, I will catch them. NIV

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g. Hosea 8:8-10, Israel is swallowed up; now she is among the nations like a worthless thing. For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey wandering alone. Ephraim has sold herself to lovers. Although they have sold themselves among the nations, I will now gather them together. They will begin to waste away under the oppression of the mighty king. NIV

h. Hosea 9:7, 17, The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac. My God will reject them because they have not obeyed him; they will be wanderers among the nations. NIV

i. Hosea 10:5-7, The people who live in Samaria fear for the calf-idol of Beth Aven. Its people will mourn over it, and so will its idolatrous priests, those who had rejoiced over its splen-dor, because it is taken from them into exile. It will be carried to Assyria as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols. Samaria and its king will float away like a twig on the surface of the waters. NIV

j. Hosea 13:14-16, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? "I will

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have no compassion, even though he thrives among his brothers. An east wind from the LORD will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His storehouse will be plundered of all its treas-ures. The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their preg-nant women ripped open." NIV

3. If “the residue of wrath” refers to God's wrath, the passage means that God will continue His work of de-struction until it is complete.

4. The same practical results follow from either interpre-tation.

Psalm 76:11, Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared. NIV I. Vows can be made to God with confidence because God will always keep His promises to Israel.

A. Vows were voluntary, but once made had to be kept (Deut. 23:21-23).

1. Deuteronomy 23:21-23, If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from mak-ing a vow, you will not be guilty. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your

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vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth. NIV

B. The completion of the vow involved the offering of votive offerings, a special kind of thank-offering made in thanksgiving to God who had granted the worshiper's desired deliverance (cf. Lev. 7:16; 22:18-27; 27:1-13; Num. 6:13-21).

1. Leviticus 7:16, " 'If, however, his offering is the re-sult of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day he offers it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day. NIV

2. Leviticus 22:18-27, "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: 'If any of you—either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel—presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, ei-ther to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your be-half. Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill of-fering, it must be without defect or blemish to be ac-ceptable. Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the in-jured or the maimed, or anything with warts or fes-tering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as an offering made to the LORD by fire. You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. You must not offer to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land, and you must not accept such animals

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from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.' " The LORD said to Moses, "When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be accept-able as an offering made to the LORD by fire. NIV

3. Leviticus 27:1-13, The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate persons to the LORD by giving equivalent values, set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel; and if it is a female, set her value at thirty shekels. If it is a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels and of a female at ten shekels. If it is a person between one month and five years, set the value of a male at five shekels of silver and that of a female at three shekels of silver. If it is a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekels and of a female at ten shekels. If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay the specified amount, he is to present the person to the priest, who will set the value for him according to what the man making the vow can afford. " 'If what he vowed is an animal that is acceptable as an offer-ing to the LORD, such an animal given to the LORD becomes holy. He must not exchange it or substitute a good one for a bad one, or a bad one for a good one; if he should substitute one animal for another, both it and the substitute become holy. If what he vowed is a ceremonially unclean animal—one that is not accept-able as an offering to the LORD -the animal must be presented to the priest, who will judge its quality as

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good or bad. Whatever value the priest then sets, that is what it will be. If the owner wishes to redeem the animal, he must add a fifth to its value. NIV

4. Numbers 6:13-21, " 'Now this is the law for the Nazirite when the period of his separation is over. He is to be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meet-ing. There he is to present his offerings to the LORD: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt of-fering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offer-ing, together with their grain offerings and drink of-ferings, and a basket of bread made without yeast—cakes made of fine flour mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil. " 'The priest is to present them be-fore the LORD and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. He is to present the basket of unleav-ened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the LORD, together with its grain offering and drink offering. " 'Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that he dedicated. He is to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship of-fering. "'After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair of his dedication, the priest is to place in his hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and a cake and a wafer from the basket, both made without yeast. The priest shall then wave them before the LORD as a wave of-fering; they are holy and belong to the priest, to-gether with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine. " 'This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD in accordance with his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford.

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He must fulfill the vow he has made, according to the law of the Nazirite.'" NIV

C. “Gifts” could also be translated “tribute”, referring to gifts brought by non-Israelite people (cf. Isa. 18:7; Ps. 68:30).

1. Isaiah 18:7, At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an ag-gressive nation of strange speech, whose land is di-vided by rivers— the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the LORD Almighty. NIV

2. Psalm 68:30, Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations. Humbled, may it bring bars of silver. Scatter the na-tions who delight in war. NIV

3. Chronicles implies that neighboring nations brought such gifts to Yahweh following the defeat of Sennach-erib (2 Chr. 32:20-23).

a. 2 Chronicles 32:20-23, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons cut him down with the sword. So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from

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the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side. Many brought offerings to Jerusa-lem for the LORD and valuable gifts for Heze-kiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations. NIV

b. “All around him” probably refers to nations bordering on Israel.

Psalm 76:12, He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth. NIV I. The relative clauses in some texts are declarative statements in He-brew.

A. Rather than “who”, (RSV, NRSV), the Hebrew text has “he” with most versions.

B. Ps. 76:12 assigns a reason for all men to bring gifts and wor-ship the Lord God.

C. In verse 12, the present tense seems to be the best way to translate the Hebrew imperfect (12a) and participle (12b).

II. There is little evidence to justify the theory that here and frequently elsewhere the psalmists are setting forth a pantomime or dramatic por-trayal of the enthronement of Yahweh acted out in Israel's worship.

A. It is more likely that nothing more than figurative language is intended here.

Application: I. The concept of the wrath of God is difficult for some to accept.

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A. However, the concept of propitiation involves a turning away of God’s wrath by means of the ransom paid by Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:36; Rom. 1:18-19; 2:5-11; 5:9-11).

1. John 3:36, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." NIV

2. Romans 1:18, 19, The wrath of God is being re-vealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ince what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. NIV

3. Romans 2:5-11, But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eter-nal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism. NIV

4. Romans 5:9-11, Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been

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reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now re-ceived reconciliation. NIV

B. Hence, the obedient believer need not fear God’s wrath com-ing at the final judgment, but the disobedient need to repent and accept the reconciliation that Christ offers.

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Questions

Psalm 76:1-12

(Questions based on NIV text.) 1. Psalm 76 is said in the superscription to be “For the __________________ of _______________. With _______________ __________________. A _________________ of _______________. A __________________.” 2. “In _____________ God’s ______________ is _______________; his ________________ is ________________ in _______________.” 3. God’s _____________ is in ______________, his ______________ _________________ in _________________.” 4. In _______________, _______________ God “_______________ the _______________ _______________, the _______________ and the _______________, the _______________ of _______________.” 5. God is “____________ with _____________, more ____________ than ________________ _______________ with _______________.” 6. “__________________ __________________ ________________ _________________, they _______________ their _______________ __________________; not one of the __________________ can __________________ his _________________.” 7. At God’s “__________________, both ___________________ and _________________ _________________ __________________.” 8. Of God it is said, “You _____________ are to be _____________. Who can _____________ before you when you are ______________? From _______________ you _______________ _______________,

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and the _____________ ______________ and was _______________ - when you, O God, rose up to _____________, to _______________ all the ________________ of the _______________. Surely your _____________ against _____________ brings you ______________, and the _____________ of your _____________ are _____________. 9. “Make ____________ to the _____________ your _____________ and ___________ them; let all the ____________ _______________ bring ___________ to the _______________ to be _______________. He ___________ the _____________ of rulers; he is _____________ by the _______________ of the _______________.” 10. Did Asaph write Psalm 76? _______________ Explain your an-swer. ___________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. _____________, shir, refers to a _____________, _____________ song. 12. Are psalm titles reliable? _______________ Explain your answer. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. What is the theme of Psalm 76? ___________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. _______________’s _______________ are _______________ also _____________’s _____________; therefore ______________’s ________________ is theirs as well. 15. What event(s) prompted the writing of Psalm 76? _____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16. Psalm 76 blends _________________, _________________ and _______________ material. 17. What verses relate to each of the different types of material listed in question 16? (1) ________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (2) _____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (3) _____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18. Psalm 76 is _____________ _____________ into _____________ ________________ of _________________ _______________ each. 19. Describe/label each of the sections specified in question 18 and specify the verses related to each section. (1) ___________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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(2) _____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (3) _____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (4) _____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20. Which psalms are considered to be Zion psalms? What is required for a psalm to be considered a Zion psalm? _____________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 21. What are cherubim? Where were they located? ______________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 22. List all the synonymous couplets found in Psalm 76. __________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 23. Define “flashing arrows.” ________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 24. It is _______________’s _______________ of _______________ or the _______________ that causes his _______________, that is, his _______________, to be _______________ in _______________. 25. Define emendation. _____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 26. _______________’s _______________ and _______________ are manifested in His _______________ over the _______________. 27. Verses 7-9 emphasizes the divine purpose in judgment. What is the divine purpose in judgment? ______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 28. What is the universal element characteristic of Biblical eschatol-ogy? Define eschatology. __________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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29. Differentiate synthetic and synonymous parallelism. __________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 30. How did God work providentially to deliver his people from such enemies as the Assyrians and Babylonians? What was the result of this providential intervention? _______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 31. Explain the difference between God’s permissive judgment and God’s active judgment. ____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 32. What is a votive offering? _______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 33. How did Sennachrib relate to the matter of gifts? Who was Sen-nacherib? _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 34. Why should all men bring gifts and worship God? ____________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 35. What does Psalm 76 teach that is applicable to your life? _______ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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