Glorious! – Psalm 76 — Andrew Forrest

By Kevin Watson, Ph.D

Psalm 76

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1 In Judah God is known;
    his name is great in Israel.
2 His abode has been established in Salem,
    his dwelling place in Zion.
3 There he broke the flashing arrows,
    the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah
4 Glorious are you, more majestic
    than the mountains full of prey.
5 The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
    they sank into sleep;
all the men of war
    were unable to use their hands.
6 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
    both rider and horse lay stunned.
7 But you, you are to be feared!
    Who can stand before you
    when once your anger is roused?
8 From the heavens you uttered judgment;
    the earth feared and was still,
9 when God arose to establish judgment,
    to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;
    the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
11 Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
    let all around him bring gifts
    to him who is to be feared,
12 who cuts off the spirit of princes,
    who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.

One of the core attributes of God in Christian theology is God’s omnipotence.

Omnipotent means all powerful, or able to do anything. The Bible contains many examples of God’s glorious acts of power and majesty. One of my favorites is when Samaria was put under siege by the king of Aram. The end of chapter 6 of 2 Kings 7 tells of how desperate things had become. And then chapter 7 turns to God’s power in action:

2 Kings 7: 13-16
13 And one of his servants said, “Let some men take five of the remaining horses, seeing that those who are left here will fare like the whole multitude of Israel who have already perished. Let us send and see.” 14 So they took two horsemen, and the king sent them after the army of the Syrians, saying, “Go and see.” 15 So they went after them as far as the Jordan, and behold, all the way was littered with garments and equipment that the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king.
16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.

Psalm 76:7 affirms:

But you, you are to be feared!
Who can stand before you
When once your anger is roused?

2 Kings 7 gives one specific example of the truth that no one, no matter how strong or powerful, is more powerful than God. God’s doesn’t even need an army to route an army!