Day 175, Psalms 72-77

Psalm 72
Give the King Your Justice

OF SOLOMON.

*A prayer for the king, a son of David who rules on David’s throne as God’s earthly regent over his people. It may have been used at the time of the king’s coronation (as were Psalm 2 and Psalm 110). The prayers express the desire of the nation that the king’s reign will, as a consequence of God’s endowment of his servant, be characterized by justice and righteousness, the supreme virtues of kingship. The prayer reflects the ideal concept of the king and the glorious effects of his reign. Later Jewish tradition saw in this psalm a description of the Messiah, as did the early church.

May they fear you while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth!
In his days may the righteous flourish,
and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
-72:5-8

May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him!
For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
-72:11-13

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
-72:18-19

The prayers of David are ended.

BOOK THREE

Psalm 73
God Is My Strength and Portion Forever

A PSALM OF ASAPH.

*A word of godly wisdom concerning the destinies of the righteous and the wicked. The editors of the Psalter placed it at the beginning of Book Three, as they did Psalm 1 at the beginning of the whole collection. Here is addressed one of the most disturbing problems of the Old Testament saints: How is it that the wicked so often prosper while the godly suffer so much?

Thematically the psalm has many links with Psalm 49 (see also Psalm 37). Its date may be as late as the postexilic era. Thematic development divides the psalm’s structure into two halves of fourteen verses each. The whole is framed by sharply etched contrast.

Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
-73:1

Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that
I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
-73:23-26

But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.
-73:28

Psalm 74
Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause

A MASKIL OF ASAPH.

*A prayer for God to come to the aid of his people and defend his cause in the face of the mocking of the enemies–the Lord’s relation to his people is like that of a king to his nation. The psalm dates from the time of the exile when Israel had been destroyed as a nation, the promised land devastated and the temple reduced to ruins (see Psalm 79). Its relationship to the ministries of Jeremiah and Ezekiel is uncertain.

Thematically the psalm divides into two halves of eleven verses each, with verse 12 highlighting the primary thematic element that unifies the prayer. Verses 1-11 are framed by the “Why’s” of the people’s complaint; the whole psalm is framed by pleas for God to “remember.”

We do not see our signs;
there is no longer any prophet,
and there is none among us who
knows how long.
How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?
Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
Why do you hold back your hand,
your right hand?
Take it from the fold of your garment
and destroy them!
Yet God my King is from of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth.
-74:9-12

Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you have established the heavenly
lights and the sun.
You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
you have made summer and winter.
-74:16-17

Do not deliver the soul of your dove
to the wild beasts;
do not forget the life of your poor forever.
Have regard for the covenant,
for the dark places of the land are full
of the habitations of violence.
-74:19-20

Psalm 75
God Will Judge with Equity

TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO DO NOT DESTROY. A PSALM OF ASAPH. A SONG.

*A song of reassurance when arrogant worldly powers threaten Israel’s security. The psalm may date from the time of the Assyrian menace. Thematic parallels to the song of Hannah are numerous. The worshiping congregation speaks, perhaps led in its praise by one of descendants of Asaph. The psalm is framed by thanksgiving and praise.

We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is near.
We recount your wondrous deeds.
“At the set time that I appoint
I will judge with equity.
When the earth totters,
and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its pillars.”
-75:1-3

For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
but it is God who executes judgement,
putting down one and lifting up another.
-75:6-7

Psalm 76
Who Can Stand Before You?

TO THE CHOIRMASTER: WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. A PSALM OF ASAPH. A SONG.

*A celebration of the Lord’s invincible power in the defense of Jerusalem, his royal city. The psalm is thematically related to Psalm 46, Psalm 48, and Psalm 87. The ancient tradition may well be correct that the psalm was composed after the Lord’s destruction of Sennacherib’s army when it threatened Jerusalem.

But you, you are to be feared!
Who can stand before you
when once your anger is roused?
From the heavens you uttered judgement;
the earth feared and was still,
when God arose to establish judgement,
to save all the humble of the earth.
-76:7-9

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Psalm 77
In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord

TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO JEDUTHUN. A PSALM OF ASAPH.

*Comforting reflections in a time of great distress. The interplay of verb forms make it uncertain whether the psalm is a prayer or the recollection of a past experience. The distress appears to be personal rather than national. The poetic development advances from anguished bewilderment to comforting recollection.

I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out
without wearying.
-77:1-2

Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might
among the peoples.
-77:13-14