Reading the Psalms (2025)

13/05/2024

Psalm 82 - Praying they will be Just

A Psalm of Asaph.

1 God standeth in the congregation of God;
He judgeth among the gods.
2 How long will ye judge unjustly,
And respect the persons of the wicked? Selah
3 Judge the poor and fatherless:
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
4 Rescue the poor and needy:
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They know not, neither do they understand;
They walk to and fro in darkness:
All the foundations of the earth are moved.
6 I said, Ye are gods,
And all of you sons of the Most High.
7 Nevertheless ye shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth:
For thou shalt inherit all the nations.

What enemy or problem does Asaph address in this psalm? He speaks against gods, and that can be confusing. He's acknowledged the one true God all along; what other goes could he mean?

Here is an important idea to consider when reading the Bible: when you find yourself with two interpretations of a verse, and one interpretation goes along with the whole of the Bible, and the other interpretation is in conflict with the message of scripture, go with the one that makes sense with the Bible. In this passage we can interpret "gods" to mean literal gods or people elevated in some way to be like gods. I believe the latter is the right interpretation.

These gods, or people, are under fire because of their unjust behavior, denying help to the poor and destitute. They are instructed to do justice, rescue and deliver, yet they neither know nor understand; they do not do what is right. It's easy to imagine the great and powerful - be it princes or bureaucracy - ignoring the lowly and needy. They in their heights believe themselves to be safe and untouchable. Yet, even there, they shall die like men.

Let us heed Asaph's complaint and instruction. Oppression can come from without, as we've read in many of his psalms, but it can also come from within. This psalm speaks to the danger of being overly filled by our own self importance. God will judge the earth, and we must act accordingly.

Check out my website: https://www.readingthepsalms.com/
Here is a link to Psalm 82: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/readingthepsalms
Here is a link to my other podcast, Reading the Gospel: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dan-bunting5

09/05/2024

Psalm 81 - Prayerful Concern About Sin

For the Chief Musician; set to the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 Sing aloud unto God our strength:
Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
2 Take up the psalm, and bring hither the timbrel,
The pleasant harp with the psaltery.
3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon,
At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He appointed it in Joseph for testimony,
When he went out over the land of Egypt:
Where I heard a language that I knew not.
6 I removed his shoulder from the burden:
His hands were freed from the basket.
7 Thou calledst in trouble,
And I answered thee in the secret place of thunder;
I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee:
O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!
9 There shall no strange god be in thee;
Neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
10 I am the LORD thy God,
Which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt:
Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 But my people hearkened not to my voice;
And Israel would none of me.
12 So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart,
That they might walk in their own counsels.
13 Oh that my people would hearken unto me,
That Israel would walk in my ways!
14 I should soon subdue their enemies,
And turn my hand against their adversaries.
15 The haters of the LORD should submit themselves unto him:
But their time should endure for ever.
16 He should feed them also with the finest of the wheat:
And with honey out of the rock should I satisfy thee.

What calamity and fear fills Asaph's heart in this psalm? You may notice there seems no trace of the enemy at the gates. Instead, he writes solely of God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt in the days of old, and Israel's subsequent dismissal of God.

Asaph is clearly interested in the topic and idea of sin. No small side topic, rather it's the main focus of his concern. If God delivers us, and we turn away into sin, what should we expect in return? This kind of introspection befits us all. For if the Israelites who lived with miracles could make such a mistake, what of ourselves?

"My people hearkened not to my voice, Israel would none of me." God, speaking in the first person, through Asaph's pen, speaks from his own divine heart. It used to be Asaph's breaking heart which filled the pages; now it is our Lord. Jesus himself wanted to gather Jerusalem into his arms, but it would not.

And you? Where are you in your journey? Are you, like the Asaph of old, caught up in sorrow? Turn to God in prayer! Are you, like the Asaph we've read today, concerned about sin? Seek salvation in God's son! Wherever you are, seek the Lord in his word and speak to him in prayer.

Check out my website: https://www.readingthepsalms.com/
Here is a link to Psalm 81: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/readingthepsalms
Here is a link to my other podcast, Reading the Gospel: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dan-bunting5

08/05/2024

Psalm 80 - Bold and Humble Prayer

For the Chief Musician; set to Shoshannim Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;
Thou that sittest upon the cherubim, shine forth.
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy might,
And come to save us.
3 Turn us again, O God;
And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts,
How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5 Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in large measure.
6 Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours:
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Turn us again, O God of hosts;
And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
8 Thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt:
Thou didst drive out the nations, and plantedst it.
9 Thou preparedst room before it,
And it took deep root, and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with the shadow of it,
And the boughs thereof were like cedars of God.
11 She sent out her branches unto the sea,
And her shoots unto the River.
12 Why hast thou broken down her fences,
So that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13 The boar out of the wood doth ravage it,
And the wild beasts of the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, we beseech thee, O God of hosts:
Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine,
15 And the stock which thy right hand hath planted,
And the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down:
They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,
Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
18 So shall we not go back from thee:
Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name,
19 Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts;
Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

Can you hear the humility in Asaph? Jesus speaks, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Who would think that Asaph, so full of fire and vinegar, would be able to plead with such lowliness and humility?

Asaph is not weak or pathetic; he is not destroyed. He still speaks from his own heart, but it is a heart that grew. Look at the cry - it's almost a demand - for God to act and save: vs. 2-3 "stir up thy might and come to save us. Turn us. again, O God, and cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved." "Turn us again" becomes Asaph's refrain. Look also at vs. 4-7, where Asaph describes God giving his people tears to eat and drink. Though he clearly speaks from the place of humility, with boldness he calls on God to act. The connection between humility and boldness is fascinating and beautiful.

I love seeing these changes in Asaph. It gives me hope that I too can grow and mature. Surely the great care God gave to Israel, planting her to be a beautiful vine in a beautiful place, is the very same care God offers to me. If I find my edges ragged or ravaged by surrounding enemies, I can look to the heart and words of Asaph. He leaned on God for help and support and grew to great heights. If we lean on the Lord, we will reach great heights, too.

Check out my website: https://www.readingthepsalms.com/
Here is a link to Psalm 80: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/readingthepsalms
Here is a link to my other podcast, Reading the Gospel: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dan-bunting5

06/05/2024

Psalm 79 - Prayer for Mercy

A Psalm of Asaph.

1 O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance;
Thy holy temple have they defiled;
They have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven,
The flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.
3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem;
And there was none to bury them.
4 We are become a reproach to our neighbours,
A scorn and derision to them that are round about us.
5 How long, O LORD, wilt thou be angry for ever?
Shall thy jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that know thee not,
And upon the kingdoms that call not upon thy name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his habitation.
8 Remember not against us the iniquities of our forefathers:
Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us:
For we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name:
And deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.
10 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God?
Let the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed
Be known among the heathen in our sight.
11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee;
According to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to death;
12 And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom
Their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture
Will give thee thanks for ever:
We will shew forth thy praise to all generations.

Asaph considered the sins of his fathers, the sins of the past, in psalm 78. The work likely stirred in his heart the thoughts of his own faults.Through this whole great effort, God stood high and above all the trouble Asaw saw. Now, in psalm 79, as he examines the same troubles lamented in psalms 73-77, I find a change in Asaph's words.

Asaph says "we", not "I" and "our", not "mine." It seems like he recognizes the great troubles all share, not looking only at himself. True, he complains about the heathen and their invasion, but they don't hurt "me" as much as they hurt "us". He learned to expand his sight and to see more.

Look at what Asaph sees! The enemy hurts Asaph and the people, indeed, but they hurt also the Lord! It is the heathen that "knows thee not" and "call not upon thy name" with reproach. It seems to Asaph a shameful disgrace for them to question "Where is their God?" Asaph grew; his eyes see more. While his former pain nearly blinded him, his continued cleaving to God for support had its great result: maturation.

And still, Asaph acknowledges one more thing. His own sin. This is the problem that rises above all others in this psalm. Vs. 9 is an important part of Asaph's heart. No longer rabid with anger and crying for vengeance, Asaph pleads for mercy.

Check out my website: https://www.readingthepsalms.com/
Here is a link to Psalm 79: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/readingthepsalms
Here is a link to my other podcast, Reading the Gospel: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dan-bunting5

02/05/2024

Psalm 78 - Praying About Our Own Sin

Maschil of Asaph.
1 Give ear, O my people, to my law;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old:
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And his strength, and his wondrous works that he hath done.
5 For he established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which he commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children:
6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born;
Who should arise and tell them to their children:
7 That they might set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep his commandments:
8 And might not be as their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation;
A generation that set not their heart aright,
And whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
9 The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God,
And refused to walk in his law;
11 And they forgat his doings,
And his wondrous works that he had shewed them.
12 Marvelous things did he in the sight of their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He clave the sea, and caused them to pass through;
And he made the waters to stand as an heap.
14 In the day-time also he led them with a cloud,
And all the night with a light of fire.
15 He clave rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them drink abundantly as out of the depths.
16 He brought streams also out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.
17 Yet went they on still to sin against him,
To rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18 And they tempted God in their heart
By asking meat for their lust.
19 Yea, they spake against God;
They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, he smote the rock, that waters gushed out,
And streams overflowed;
Can he give bread also?
Will he provide flesh for his people?
21 Therefore the LORD heard, and was wroth:
And a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also went up against Israel;
22 Because they believed not in God,
And trusted not in his salvation.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above,
And opened the doors of heaven;
24 And he rained down manna upon them to eat,
And gave them of the corn of heaven.
25 Man did eat the bread of the mighty:
He sent them meat to the full.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heaven:
And by his power he guided the south wind.
27 He rained flesh also upon them as the dust,
And winged fowl as the sand of the seas:
28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp,
Round about their habitations.
29 So they did eat, and were well filled;
And he gave them that they lusted after.
30 They were not estranged from their lust,
Their meat was yet in their mouths,
31 When the anger of God went up against them,
And slew of the fattest of them,
And smote down the young men of Israel.
32 For all this they sinned still,
And believed not in his wondrous works.
33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity,
And their years in terror.
34 When he slew them, then they inquired after him:
And they returned and sought God early.
35 And they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouth,
And lied unto him with their tongue.
37 For their heart was not right with him,
Neither were they faithful in his covenant.
38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not:
Yea, many a time turned he his anger away,
And did not stir up all his wrath.
39 And he remembered that they were but flesh;
A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
40 How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness,
And grieve him in the desert!
41 And they turned again and tempted God,
And provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand,
Nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary.
43 How he set his signs in Egypt,
And his wonders in the field of Zoan;
44 And turned their rivers into blood,
And their streams, that they could not drink.
45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them;
And frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller,
And their labour unto the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail,
And their sycomore trees with frost.
48 He gave over their cattle also to the hail,
And their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger,
Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, a band of angels of evil.
50 He made a path for his anger;
He spared not their soul from death,
But gave their life over to the pestilence;
51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt,
The chief of their strength in the tents of Ham:
52 But he led forth his own people like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 And he led them safely, so that they feared not:
But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary,
To this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
55 He drove out the nations also before them,
And allotted them for an inheritance by line,
And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God,
And kept not his testimonies;
57 But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers:
They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places,
And moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 When God heard this, he was wroth,
And greatly abhorred Israel:
60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
The tent which he placed among men;
61 And delivered his strength into captivity,
And his glory into the adversary's hand.
62 He gave his people over also unto the sword;
And was wroth with his inheritance.
63 Fire devoured their young men;
And their maidens had no marriage-song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword;
And their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep,
Like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
66 And he smote his adversaries backward:
He put them to a perpetual reproach.
67 Moreover he refused the tent of Joseph,
And chose not the tribe of Ephraim;
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
The mount Zion which he loved.
69 And he built his sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which he hath established for ever.
70 He chose David also his servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds:
71 From following the ewes that give suck he brought him,
To feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart;
And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

This great psalm is the very middle of Asaph's collection. Not only is it longer than the others but it is also a thematic departure from the rest. The previous four psalms dealt largely with Asaph's feelings and difficulties with wicked and iniquitous enemies. They attacked and hurt Asaph, and he wanted God to step in to act. Though this psalm is full of God's activity, the problem in the psalm is Israel's own sin. The problem isn't from without, but within.

Vs. 7-8 help establish the message of the psalm: Asaph wants to help make sure Israel does not forget God's works and to keep Israel from the rebellion of their fathers. The rest of the psalm tells of that rebellion. Time and time again, verse after verse, Israel behaves carelessly with the Lord and his laws. They rebel, tempt and speak against God. They neither believe nor trust in his salvation. Even when they receive gifts from their good Father they lust for more.

This is a revealing part of the psalm. Not only is it full of their bad behavior, but it is also full of God's good behavior. He feeds and nourishes, saves and delivers, leads and helps his people. Yet, seemingly at every opportunity, they turn against him.

Why is this psalm placed here in the midst of these psalms of Asaph? Why is it the central psalm to what Asaph composes? Surely the enemy is still out there at the gates causing trouble? Why do you think Asaph, in the midst of great calamity, takes the time to write such a long poem about God and his disobedient people?

Check out my website: https://www.readingthepsalms.com/
Here is a link to Psalm 78: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/readingthepsalms
Here is a link to my other podcast, Reading the Gospel: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dan-bunting5

29/04/2024

Psalm 77 - I believe, help my unbelief!

For the Chief Musician; after the manner of Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 I will cry unto God with my voice;
Even unto God with my voice, and he wilt give ear unto me.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord:
My hand was stretched out in the night, and slacked not;
My soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remember God, and am disquieted:
I complain, and my spirit is overwhelmed. Selah
4 Thou holdest mine eyes watching:
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I have considered the days of old,
The years of ancient times.
6 I call to remembrance my song in the night:
I commune with mine own heart;
And my spirit made diligent search.
7 Will the Lord cast off for ever?
And will he be favourable no more?
8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever?
Doth his promise fail for evermore?
9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious?
Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah
10 And I said, This is my infirmity;
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.
11 I will make mention of the deeds of the LORD;
For I will remember thy wonders of old.
12 I will meditate also upon all thy work,
And muse on thy doings.
13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:
Who is a great god like unto God?
14 Thou art the God that doest wonders:
Thou hast made known thy strength among the peoples.
15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 The waters saw thee, O God;
The waters saw thee, they were afraid:
The depths also trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound:
Thine arrows also went abroad.
18 The voice of thy thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lightened the world:
The earth trembled and shook.
19 Thy way was in the sea,
And thy paths in the great waters,
And thy footsteps were not known.
20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock,
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Asaph continues to pour out his plea toward God with the question, "How long?" This is an important question for each of us to consider. Some of you may not quite know when you would ask the question; while others may have tears when you hear Asaph ask it himself. We are all of us at varying stages of our journey; let us consider Asaph's latest stage.

His despair mounted to the great questions we find in vs. 7-9. These questions feel like they say, in my own voice, "God, I know that you're here for me, but it just doesn't feel like you're here, today!" They remind me of the father who pleads with Jesus, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief!" When we consider all God did to save so many others, why does he not save me from my own distress? "He saved others, can he not save himself?" is what they scornfully asked of Jesus on the cross.

The truth is that though our pain and sorrow fills our own field of vision and comprehension, it is never the full and complete picture. Asaph works to remind himself of this as he - again - meditates and recites the great works of God's salvation. And what work does he tell? Why the saving of Israel at the shores of the Red Sea. Notice the final lines of the psalm, which are, I think, the key. God's path of salvation was unknown - unknowable, unforeseeable, unpredictable. The answer to their trouble, walking through the sea, was outside their sight and worldview. So might our answer be, today.

Check out my website: https://www.readingthepsalms.com/
Here is a link to Psalm 77: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/readingthepsalms
Here is a link to my other podcast, Reading the Gospel: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dan-bunting5

15/04/2024

Psalm 76 - Celebrating our Knowledge of God

For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.

1 In Judah is God known:
His name is great in Israel.
2 In Salem also is his tabernacle,
And his dwelling place in Zion.
3 There he brake the arrows of the bow;
The shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah
4 Glorious art thou and excellent, from the mountains of prey.
5 The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep;
And none of the men of might have found their hands.
6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob,
Both chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.
7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared:
And who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?
8 Thou didst cause sentence to be heard from heaven;
The earth feared, and was still,
9 When God arose to judgement,
To save all the meek of the earth. Selah
10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee:
The residue of wrath shalt thou gird upon thee.
11 Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God:
Let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes:
He is terrible to the kings of the earth.

In this great series of psalms by Asaph we receive this celebration of God the Lord. Though complaining over his trials and lamenting the destruction wrought by the enemy, Asaph knows where real substance, security and reality lies. In Judah is God known. The solid reckoning and realization of his power, dwelling with authority in Jerusalem, is a big idea, indeed.

In fact, this piece of information seems enough to sustain Asaph through the troubles he's faced. Remember how in psalms 73 & 74, when in despair over his trials, Asaph went to the sanctuary and meditated on - recited even - the works of the Lord? This is the solid knowing to which, I think, Asaph refers. Some might even call it faith.

God is in the mountains with sword, shield and judgment. The dismay of the enemy is evident. Once angry, no one may stop the Lord from his pronouncements and sentencing. God speaks and acts against the foe, arising in judgment, to save the meek.

What do you think? Is Asaph meek? Read back through his psalms and let me know what you think. I do believe he's driving toward greater meekness, as should every one of us.

Check out my website: https://www.readingthepsalms.com/
Here is a link to Psalm 76: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/readingthepsalms
Here is a link to my other podcast, Reading the Gospel: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dan-bunting5

10/04/2024

Psalm 75 - The Fear of the Lord

For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.

1 We give thanks unto thee, O God;
We give thanks, for thy name is near:
Men tell of thy wondrous works.
2 When I shall find the set time,
I will judge uprightly.
3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved:
I have set up the pillars of it. Selah
4 I said unto the arrogant, Deal not arrogantly:
And to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:
5 Lift not up your horn on high;
Speak not with a stiff neck.
6 For neither from the east, nor from the west,
Nor yet from the south, cometh lifting up.
7 But God is the judge:
He putteth down one, and lifteth up another.
8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine foameth;
It is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the same:
Surely the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.
9 But I will declare for ever,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off;
But the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

In this psalm we see, through Asaph's voice, the judgment and power of God over all peoples. God knows his authority and tries to awaken our ears to this reality. Who are we to think we stand by our own skill? God alone has the power to lift and dissolve. And yet, so often we stand in our own arrogance, proud of our small accomplishments. When we, in our pride, lift our creations and accomplishments on high, we've turned from God to idolatry.

Asaph's psalm expresses these ideas in extremes. God is loud and active in these words. Asaph too is loud with his voice. It is not from anywhere on earth, neither east nor west, he tells us, that glory originates. Glory comes from above. And not glory only, but also the foaming cup of the Lord, ready for all. Are we strong enough - or fool enough - to try to drink it on our own?

This psalm is full of the fear of the Lord. It ought to inspire fear in us as we read it. We ought to leave this psalm with a desire to praise. We fear not those who can hurt body alone, but he who has power over body and soul In this fear, we grow to love a powerful and merciful God. He will indeed lift us up.

Check out my website: https://www.readingthepsalms.com/
Here is a link to Psalm 75: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/readingthepsalms
Here is a link to my other podcast, Reading the Gospel: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dan-bunting5

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