1 We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;
people tell of your wonderful deeds.
What does it mean for God's Name to be near? Take a moment to praise God for this reality.
2 You say, “I choose the appointed time;
it is I who judge with equity.
3 When the earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm.
4 To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.
5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak so defiantly.’”
What is God communicating in each line of verses 2-5?
6 No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
7 It is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.
8 In the hand of the Lord is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.
Verses 6-8 refer to wicked people. What kind of wickedness is God especially concerned about in this psalm?
What kind of "cup" does the Judge seem to prepare in verse 8? How does this "cup" reveal the foolishness of the wicked?
9 As for me, I will declare this forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.” NIV
Verses 9-10 are a summary of this psalm. In our society of relative 'tolerance' today, is this a summary you feel comfortable declaring? Is this a psalm that stirs conviction for you? Or does it seem removed from your experience? Take some time to apply this psalm, line by line, to where your heart is today.
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