Commentary - Psalm 76:7-10

Bird's-eye view

This portion of Psalm 76 is a potent celebration of God's terrible majesty in judgment. The psalmist, Asaph, has just recounted God's martial triumph in Salem, breaking the arrows and shields of the enemy. Now he turns from the battlefield to the Judge Himself. The theme here is the sheer terror of God's righteous anger, an anger that brings all human pride to a dead halt. When God stands up, the whole earth shuts up. This is not the anger of a petty tyrant, but the righteous fury of a holy God who rises to save the humble and meek of the earth. The passage culminates in a profound and glorious paradox: that the very wrath of sinful man, the very thing that sets itself against God, will be repurposed by God to serve as an ornament of His praise. He is so sovereign that even the rebellion of His creatures becomes a belt of triumph for Him.

In these few verses, we are confronted with the awesome reality of God's judicial power. It is a reality that silences the proud, saves the afflicted, and turns the very rage of the wicked into a reason for worship. This is not a God to be trifled with, but a God to be feared. And in that fear, for the humble, is the beginning of a profound and lasting salvation.

Outline

God in the Dock

We live in an age that wants to put God in the dock. We want a God we can manage, a God who fits our therapeutic sensibilities, a God who is more of a celestial butler than the sovereign Judge of all the earth. This passage is a direct assault on all such flimsy modern notions. The God of Psalm 76 is not safe; He is terrifying. His anger is not a flaw; it is a function of His perfect holiness. The modern evangelical impulse is often to apologize for such passages, to soften the edges, to explain away the terror. But the psalmist here does the opposite. He glories in it. He understands that the very thing that makes God a terror to the proud is the very thing that makes Him a refuge for the humble. A God who cannot be angry at sin is a God who cannot save from sin. A God whose judgments do not silence the earth is not a God who can speak a word of life into it.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 7 But You, You are fearsome; And who can stand in Your presence when once You are angry?

But You, You are fearsome The psalmist turns his attention directly to God. The pronoun is emphatic: "You." After describing the effects of God's power, breaking the chariot and horse, he now addresses the cause. And the summary attribute is that He is "fearsome." This is not just a statement that God ought to be feared, but that He is, in His very nature, terrifying to His adversaries. This is the kind of fear that is not a psychological tic on our part, but a right and sane response to objective reality. To see God as He is, in His unvarnished holiness and power, is to be filled with dread. This is the beginning of wisdom.

And who can stand in Your presence when once You are angry? This is a rhetorical question, and the answer is a resounding "no one." When God's anger is kindled, even for a moment, all human strength, all human arrogance, all human self-sufficiency dissolves. To "stand" means to endure, to remain, to hold one's ground. The psalmist says this is an impossibility. Think of it. The most powerful men on earth, the kings and generals with their armies, are reduced to nothing. When God decides to act in judgment, there is no negotiation, no appeal, and no resistance. His anger is not a passing mood; it is the settled, holy opposition of His nature to all that is evil. And when that opposition is manifested, nothing can withstand it.

v. 8 You made Your cause to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was quiet

You made Your cause to be heard from heaven God's judgment is not a back-alley affair. It is a public proclamation from the high court of heaven. His "cause" or His "judgment" is announced with cosmic authority. This is not the mumbling of an earthly judge, but a thunderclap from the throne of the universe. Heaven is the source of His authority, and His decrees are not subject to review. He speaks, and it is done. This celestial verdict is what sets the stage for the reaction on earth.

The earth feared and was quiet The response to the divine sentence is twofold. First, fear. This is not a localized panic, but a planetary response. The "earth" itself, personified, trembles. Second, silence. All the boasting, all the noise, all the clamor of man ceases. When God speaks in judgment, the world is struck dumb. It is the silence of awe, the silence of terror, the silence of a creation that knows its Creator has finally taken the stand. This is the hush that falls over the courtroom when the judge is about to pronounce the sentence. All the arguments of men are shown for what they are: meaningless noise.

v. 9 When God arose to judgment, To save all the humble of the earth. Selah.

When God arose to judgment God is often pictured as seated on His throne. But here, He "arises." This is the posture of action. He is no longer observing; He is intervening. He is getting up to execute the sentence He has pronounced. This is a terrifying image for the wicked, but as the next clause shows, it is the great hope of the righteous. The judgment of God is not an indiscriminate blast of anger; it is purposeful and directed.

To save all the humble of the earth. Selah. And here is the glorious purpose of this terrifying judgment. It is not simply to destroy, but to save. And who does He save? Not the proud, not the self-sufficient, not the mighty. He rises to save "all the humble of the earth." The same act of judgment that crushes the proud is the act that delivers the meek. The word for humble here carries the sense of the afflicted, the oppressed, those who know they have no strength in themselves. Their salvation comes precisely when God judges their oppressors. The cross is the ultimate expression of this: the moment of God's greatest judgment on sin was the moment of our greatest salvation. The Selah invites us to pause and consider this profound truth. Stop and think about it. The terror of God is the comfort of His people.

v. 10 For the wrath of man shall praise You; With a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself.

For the wrath of man shall praise You This is one of the highest expressions of divine sovereignty in all the Scriptures. Man in his wrath shakes his fist at God. He rebels, he persecutes, he blasphemes. He intends nothing but defiance. And what is the result? God gets praise out of it. God is such an absolute sovereign that He takes the very worst thing, the very essence of rebellion, the wrath of man, and makes it serve His purposes. Joseph said it to his brothers: "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." The crucifixion of Christ was the ultimate act of human wrath, and it resulted in the ultimate praise of God's grace. This truth does not excuse man's sin, but it does exalt God's power over it.

With a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself. This is a striking image. After the wrath of man has been forced to praise God, what about the leftover wrath? What about the remainder? God takes it and puts it on like a belt. He girds Himself with it, as a warrior prepares for battle. The idea is that God is so utterly in control that He can use every last bit of human opposition. Nothing is wasted. He can let human wrath run its course to a certain point (and make it praise Him), and then He can restrain the rest, effectively "belting" it up. He is never overwhelmed by the fury of men; He wears it as an ornament of His own invincible power.

Application

First, we must recover a biblical fear of God. Our generation is drowning in a sentimental, syrupy view of God. We need to be reminded that He is a consuming fire. Who can stand when He is angry? No one. This truth should lead us not to despair, but to repentance. It should drive us out of our self-confidence and into the arms of the only one who could stand in God's presence for us, Jesus Christ.

Second, take comfort in God's judgment. For the humble, for the believer who feels oppressed by the world, the news that God is arising to judge is the best news there is. He will set things right. The silence of the earth before Him is the prelude to the eternal song of the redeemed. Do not be dismayed by the noise of the wicked; their silence is coming.

Lastly, rest in the absolute sovereignty of God. The wrath of man is loud, and it is frightening. We see it on the news, in our culture, and sometimes in our own hearts. But this verse assures us that not one ounce of it is outside of God's control. He will make it praise Him. This means we can be calm in the midst of the storm, knowing that the very waves that threaten us are being orchestrated by our Father for His ultimate glory and our ultimate good.