The Psalms are a treasure chest of songs, and prayers, and proclamations to and about the God of the universe; they are also poems that are full of human emotion and experience. In the Psalms we are given human language to describe God, to draw close to him, and to express our human circumstances on this broken earth.

Many of the Psalms contain language that helps us to express our pain, our fear, our failures, our suffering, and our hope in God amidst those seasons of life. But they also contain language that helps us to adore God, to praise God, and to proclaim his name to the ends of the earth. Psalm 76 is the kind of Psalm that gives us the language we need to proclaim God as someone who can be known.

The opening words of this Psalm in verse 1 state that “In Judah God is known” but verse 7says that God is “to be feared” and then he asks the big question when he says, “Who can stand before you… once your anger is roused?”. Have you ever stopped and thought about the miraculous nature of being able to know God, just as you would know any other person, even though no one can stand before God without having his wrath against sin and sinners perfectly satisfied?

How can we come to intimately know someone who is perfect and righteous and full of justified wrath against sin and sinners? We know that the answer is found in Christ Jesus crucified, risen, and returning. But even in that miraculous and gracious answer to the problem, we have a wonderful and mind-boggling truth in the doctrine of being able to know God and to make him known.

If I asked you to describe someone you know that you love deeply, you would probably tell me about their character attributes and you would tell me stories of how you have seen those character attributes on display in their life.

That is exactly what our Psalmist does in this Psalm today; he tells us about the God he knows, so that others can come to know him too. But still, it should shock us a little bit, that we are able to actually know God – not just know about God – but to actually know God and to make him known.

I think that the miraculous nature of this truth will become even more evident as we study our way through this Psalm. I want you to notice with me how our Psalmist describes the God he knows as the living God in verses 1 – 2.

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

1In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. 2His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.

3There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah 4Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey. 5The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands. 6At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned.

7But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? 8From the heavens you uttered judgement; the earth feared and was still, 9when God arose to establish judgement, to save all the humble of the earth. Selah 10Surely the wrath of man shall praise you; the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt. 11Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared, 12who cuts of the spirit of princes, who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.

#1: THE LIVING GOD (VV. 1 – 2)

In verse one he says that God’s “name is great in Israel” because as verse two states “His abode (living place) has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion”. What this means is that God lives among his people. He is not a statue made of wood or bronze or stone like the false gods of the surrounding nations.

God is the God who lives among his people, he is not a dead, inanimate object, he lives and breathes among those who belong to him. Because of this truth, God’s name is great because he can be and he desires to be known by those who belong to him. Not only is God the living God who can be known, he is also the undefeated champion of the universe, according to verses 3 – 6.

#2: THE UNDEFEATED CHAMPION (VV. 3 – 6)

As God lived among his people in Salem, and on Mount Zion, he defeated every enemy that came against his people. The Bible is full of story after story of God miraculously defeating his enemies on behalf of his people, Israel, for his own fame and glory.

This is why our Psalmist describes the God he knows as the undefeated champion of the universe in verses 3 – 6. He describes God in verse three as the One who “broke the flashing [fiery] arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war”, meaning that he has destroyed every weapon known to man. And you may notice the word “Selah” at the end of verse 3. This means that we should stop and think deeply about what the Psalmisthas just said.

Think about it… God has and will continue to destroy every weapon known to man. No weapon formed against a child of God will prosper or prevail (Isaiah 54:17) because God has and will continue to destroy them all. Those demonic weapons might hurt for a season, they might cripple you for a moment, they might wound you in your time on this earth, but ultimately, God has and will continue to destroy the very weapons that the enemy means to take you out with.

So, now that we have thought about that for a moment as the Psalmist instructed us to do, we look back at verse four and we can identify with these words that say, “Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey”. God is more glorious than a mountain full of the finest meat bearing animals you could imagine, because he has destroyed and will continue to destroy all the weapons of the enemy! This is the God that our Psalmistknows!

Furthermore, according to verses five and six, God has “stripped” the enemy of his wealth, he has caused him to fall asleep, he has rendered his fists useless, and the sound of his voice has flattened the enemy along with his once powerful horse! This is our undefeated God!

God has and will continue to flatten, dethrone, destroy, and cripple the enemy! The enemy’s weapons, his wealth, his health, his ability to fight and cause destruction, along with every form of delivery the enemy uses, are all rendered as useless as plastic butterknives in a firefight.

The picture we have here is the picture of our undefeated God whose enemies are simply no match for him. Nothing can stand against our God! Which is exactly what he says in verses 7 – 9 when he describes God as the righteous judge!

#3: THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE (VV. 7 – 12)

In verses 7 – 9, our Psalmist describes the God he knows as the righteous judge, who is “to be feared”, in front of whom, no one “can stand” once his “anger is roused” because he “uttered judgment… from the heavens” causing the entire world to stand “still” in awe-filled fear and wonder of the God who “established judgement” and saved “the humble of the earth.”

And once again, at the end of verse nine, we see that word “selah” reminding us to stop and to think deeply about what our Psalmist has just said. Think about it, God’s mighty acts of salvation all throughout history are accompanied by his righteous judgement of the ungodly and his provision of salvation for the humble. Everyone who trusts in God for salvation has been flattened by the truth of our own unrighteousness and our need for a true and everlasting righteousness that is not our own.

This perfect righteousness comes to us in Christ Jesus as God saves us through his work at the cross of Calvary. The beauty of God’s handiwork in Christ at the cross should cause our hearts to stand still and ponder God’s wonderful grace towards us deeply as the Psalmisthas done here.

Our Psalmist knows God as the righteous judge who should be feared by his enemies and held in reverent awe by those whom he has saved, since it is by his own sacrificial work, that he can be known and made known to the ends of the earth.

Now, because of this truth of God’s character as a righteous judge, our Psalmist wraps up this Psalm in verses 10 – 12 by reminding his readers to renew their commitment to this righteous judge. He reminds them in verse ten that “the wrath of man” will be “put on like a” trophy belt that brings attention and praise to the champion. He also reminds them in verse twelve that this righteous judge is not to be trifled with because he “cuts off the spirit of princes” therefore he should “be feared by the kings of the earth”.

Because God will wear man’s anger like a trophy championship belt, and because the kings of the earth should fear him, the Psalmist says in verse eleven that we who claim to know him should make our “vows to the Lord your God and perform them” and “bring gifts to him who is to be feared”. 

The bottom line here is that this righteous judge is not to be trifled with and those who claim to know him should be in the business of renewing our commitment to him regularly as we bring gifts of praise to him for his righteous works of judgement and salvation.

KEY TAKE AWAYS…

So, that is Psalm 76! Our Psalmist has described God as the living God, the undefeated champion, and the righteous judge. This God is the God he knows and wants to make known to the ends of the earth. As far as key take aways are concerned, I think this all comes down to three very simple questions.

#1: DO YOU KNOW THE LIVING GOD?

Our Psalmist described God as a living, breathing, being who lives among those who belong to him. God is not a statue and he is not dead. This means that God is constantly present, not just with you in your times of trouble, but in you by the power of his living Spirit. The Spirit of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah lives inside you as he has made you his temple through the shed blood and broken body and resurrection of Jesus.

The Spirit of our crucified, risen, and returning Savior has made you truly alive in Christ Jesus as you place your faith in him. This living God has given you eternal life; nothing on this earth can change that truth! As the Son of God lives, so you too will live forever with him! Hang on to this truth and it will carry you through the darkest of seasons.

#2: DO YOU KNOW THE UNDEFEATED CHAMPION?

Our Psalmist described the God he knows and wants to make known, as the undefeated champion. God is not a being to be trifled with because he has and he will continue to absolutely destroy every weapon and every enemy that comes against us.

Have you buckled under the ongoing pressure of Satan’s condemnation (shame, guilt, worthlessness, etc.) lately? Have you struggled with sin lately? Have you found yourself clawing in the darkness to pull yourself out of the sin-sickened hole you dug for yourself again? Have you felt the pressure of death and sickness and despair and loneliness knocking on your door again?

Rest assured my friends! Our God is the undefeated champion of the universe! Satan, Sin, and Death keep trifling with our God, but their days are numbered! That bloody cross, that empty tomb, and that promise of heaven are the signed, sealed, and delivered declaration of God’s undisputed championship knockout punch to the throat of his enemies; their days are numbered and you and I can find assurance at the bloody cross, in the doorway of that empty tomb, as we hang on to the promise of heaven!

#3: DO YOU KNOW THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE?

Our Psalmist described the God he knows and wants to make known as the righteous judge should be feared, adored, and worshipped because of his works of salvation in the cross of Christ as well as his works of judgment against all who reject him.

You and I know that we are infected with sin. Our righteousness – our goodness – is no better than filthy shop rags full of stains even after going through the washer. The only way we can stand before God and be in a relationship with him and continue to know him and be known by him is if we have trusted in Christ as our Lord and Savior.

To know God as our righteous judge is to continually renew our commitment in relationship to him by surrendering our lives and giving him the gift of our continued repentance, worship, and praise. If you have found yourself distant from God, distracted by the cares and desires of this world, caught up in sinful patterns again, now is the time to turn to Christ and renew your commitment to him as your righteous judge who has provided perfect righteousness for you in the person and work of Christ crucified, risen, and returning.

CONCLUSION…

In conclusion, our Psalmist has described the God he knows and wants to make known as the living God, the undefeated champion, and the righteous judge. While it may be more soothing to the ears to hear the modern so-called gospel of God’s love and mercy, it is far more accurate to come to know God as the living God, who is the undisputed champion of the universe, who is also the righteous judge who destroys evil and provides salvation for all who surrender to him by faith in Christ Jesus.

It is a miraculous thing – to say the least – to come to this realization that no matter how filthy or how rebellious you have been, that you can actually know the God of the Bible and then live your life to make him known as our Psalmist has done for us today. I pray that each of us would renew our commitment to knowing God and making him known as we cling to that bloody cross, in the doorway of that empty tomb, looking forward to the promise of heaven. – Amen!!

1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).