September 15, 2018 - - Psalm 76:4-5, 7-9 - - Where is the mighty man?
/You are radiant with light,
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
The valiant lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
It is you alone who are to be feared.
Who can stand before you when you are angry?
From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared and was quiet—
when you, God, rose up to judge,
to save all the afflicted of the land.
Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.
Psalm 76:4-5, 7-9 NIV
Why is God to be feared? Generations of soldiers and valiant men rise and fall--ultimately they are heaped into graves. Even the most decorated soldier, one day, will be too old, or too weak, or too stroke palsied so that he cannot even lift his hand. Forget about grabbing a sword or gun because of the severity of his human frailty.
Over every generation, from the very beginning of humanity, to the final breath of the last man or woman, God rules supreme. At the moment in time appointed by God, He will rise up and judge all the people of every nation and all the angels. Hell will be filled with the anguished cries of those who thought they could defy the Radiant One.
Who can endure it? Who can withstand the anger of God against sin? Well, the survivors of His wrath bring Him praise. The anger of God against sin was poured out onto Jesus Christ. In the body and on the Person of Jesus, our sins were fully and finally paid for. We who believe in Jesus Christ are survivors of God's anger because the Father's anger fell on the Son. The Spirit of God shields us in Christ so that we who believe in Jesus have great reasons to praise God. We have been spared.
Believers in Jesus have no reason to boast in themselves; we are no less sinners than any one else. Here is the difference. Believers in Jesus Christ--at the core of who they are--fear God and know Him to be the One Who alone can save. There is no other refuge. He alone is our shield and very great reward.
Therefore in awe, wonder, and holy fear we praise the Name of Jesus. We are named sons and daughters of the Most High God in Jesus. Every time, each day, the Spirit shows us our sins, the Spirit also humbles us so that we hate our sin more and more and desire to turn from it and look fully to the Radiant One.
Your respendency and awesome power, O God, are from everlasting to everlasting. Before the mightiest military man was ever powerful, he was crawling in fouled diapers and dependent for food and shelter and clothing and protection. To the nth degree of contrast, You, LORD of Angel armies, never needed anyone, anything or any help. You, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God in glory, in power and grace, cannot increase or decrease in any way. You are forever All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Present, All-Sufficient. Great are You, Sovereign LORD. Blessed are You, Jesus, Friend of Sinners, our King. Glorious are You, Spirit of the Living God, nearer to believers than the breath that we take. As survivors of Your wrath, through the mighty work of Jesus Christ, we praise Your Name. Hallelujah! Amen.
