God’s Righteous Judgment
(Romans 2:1-16; Jude 1:3-16)For the choirmaster: To the tune of “Do not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A song.
“We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks, for Your Name is near. The people declare Your wondrous works. “When I choose a time, I will judge fairly. When the earth and all its dwellers quake, it is I who bear up its pillars. Selah
I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn. Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’” For exaltation comes neither from east nor west, nor out of the desert, but it is God who judges; He brings down one and exalts another. For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down it to the dregs.
But I will proclaim Him forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. “All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.”
“We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks, for Your Name is near. The people declare Your wondrous works.” Remember our description of yesterday-The writer might be the original Asaph who directed music during David’s reign, or one of his descendants, or a group of Asaph’s descendants. God is close and deserves our praise.
“When I choose a time, I will judge fairly. When the earth and all its dwellers quake, it is I who bear up its pillars.” Here God is speaking. No matter what is happening, even with catastrophes such earthquakes, God remains sovereign and in total control.
“I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn. Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’” Again, God is the One speaking. The prophet Samuel told King Saul that rebellion was as the sin of witchcraft; since then, nothing has changed. How can anybody rebel against an almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing Being? But yet, many people do just that.
“For exaltation (promotion) comes neither from east nor west, nor out of the desert, but it is God who judges; He brings down one and exalts another. For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down it to the dregs.” No matter how hard we might struggle to advance ourselves, God is really the One who promotes us. God is the One who judges and who determines the fate of the righteous and the wicked.
“But I will proclaim Him forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. “All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.” The term “horns” here are symbols of power. God is the one who elevates the righteous and puts down the wicked. No matter how crafty the wicked might be, God knows the end from the beginning.
APPLICATION: Are you stuck in a situation where you are at the mercy of someone who takes credit for your work while doing as little as possible? Do you feel frustrated, wondering if you will ever progress in your profession? This psalm is for you.
You might not get a promotion in your present situation, but God is fully capable of moving you up or even out to somewhere else where you can work effectively. But be aware that sometimes God leaves us in very difficult circumstances so that we will pray for all those involved.
“But I will proclaim Him forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. “All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.” Whether we are waiting for promotion or you have already been promoted, we can always praise God. Praising God helps us get our focus off ourselves and our problems and placing our focus where it belongs, on the only One who can help us. We can trust God to settle things for us in ways only He knows.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help those of us who are waiting impatiently for promotion to exercise patience, knowing that You are the One who engineers our situations. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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