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 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise you; the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
Psalm 76:11 Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared,
Psalm 76:12 who cuts off the spirit of princes, who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.
Our passage this morning is closing on some great truths, but to bring us to this point, lets remember some of the context.
The psalm was written due to a great victory by the Lord over the enemies of Israel, most likely the Assyrian army as it proceeded with a massive invasion of the nation, and the eventual, imminent destruction of Jerusalem. The Assyrian army was on the threshold of entering Jerusalem, the City of the Great King, having starved the city and suffered the mockery of thier God of Israel as spewed forth by Sennacherib’s representative.
Out of the mouth of Hezekiah came forth a prayer to a God that Sennacherib didn’t understand.
2 Kings 19:14 -19
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD.
And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said: “O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made the heavens and the earth.
Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.
Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands
and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.
So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.”
Asaph, the author of this psalm describes the Lord as a lion, using a word in an earlier verse that is typically used for a den, or a lair lions resort to. It is a striking picture of a lion crouching in his den, waiting to pounce on a it’s victim. Little did the Assyrian commander understand who was in the city!
Sennacherib’s anger, even his wrath against the God of Israel, his disdain and mockery, brought about great praise of God within the City of Jerusalem.
Get this in your mind. Sennacherib and his army were the greatest power in the known world. They had decimated every town and city they touched, and Jerusalem was one more city for thier consumption. Yet, even fueled by this unholy anger towards the God of Israel, and powered by the largest army on the threshold of Israel, Senacherib was not above the call to fear God.
Senacherib was humbled, with his pride crushed, and God was lifted up.
Asaph mentions the fear of God twice in the last two verses, specifically instructing the kings of the earth. The victory of God, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, as He pounced on the Assyrian army that fateful night, not only humbled this proud man but provided instruction for the proud king, and all who would mock our God. Fear, for the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is alive and well, having conquered not only human enemies, but the greatest enemy of all humans. He rose from a cruel death, to ever be the King.
All are wise to fear the Mighty Lion of the Tribe of Judah!
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.
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