My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 75:6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
Psalm 75:7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
Psalm 75:8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
I woke this morning, not knowing what topic was on my schedule to blog about. As I readied my black vitamin (my coffee) and prepared for my time with you, I was impressed about the topic of competition, and how the proverbs direct the saint to enter into competition.
Unexpected? Very much so. Yet I appreciated the nudge towards the topic, and scheduled the blog to be published tomorrow.
I then opened up my scheduled topic and found I was to be in Psalm 75. The verses to be considered this morning, after I had detoured into the proverbs on the topic of competition, were…
Psalm 75:6-7 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
How appropriate. I referred to the New Testament in my discussion on competition, when all I had to do was turn one book back in the Old Testament, and find our verses for this day.
Do we see the connection. It is from the hand of the Lord that even the saint is elevated or is put down. Granted, this psalm is global in its descriptions, for the psalmist is discussing the rising of one nation and the downfall of another nation, but is not the truth is applicable to the individual.
Effort, drive and desire are key elements in the success of the saint in pleasing the Lord. That cannot be denied. Yet the passage above defines the source. The Lord elevates and reduces nations and individuals.
In the midst of this discussion, it is important that remember that any humbling of the saint, whether by choice, or by circumstance, (which admittedly must be from the Lord), is to be taken with a thankful heart, for we know that the path of humility is the path to be taken for the saint.
For the nations, this is not so. Every kingdom, country and nation which has rose from obscurity has fallen. Great kingdoms have fallen in as little as one night – I’m thinking of Babylon, and some have taken centuries to fall – I’m thinking of the Roman empire.
Only one nation will endure forever, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus, and all other kingdoms must fall, simply because they are not the Lord’s kingdom. The righteousness of all other kingdoms are as wickedness when compared with King Jesus, and though each nation/kingdom will eventually take of the dregs of the cup of foaming wine, and the saint may be caught up in the trials of the fall, we can rest in the assurance that the eternal kingdom of the Lord is established on a firm foundation.
Let us be thankful for the King, and His righteous reign, and cling to the promises He has given us in the midst of any trials we shall endure.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.
Considering the Bible 