Worshipping God the Judge

Here’s Psalm 75 from start to finish:

¹ We praise you, God,

we praise you, for your Name is near;

people tell of your wonderful deeds.

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. ’”

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.

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.”

If we were to ask, say, 100 followers of Jesus, “why do we worship God?”, I wonder what replies we might receive. I am sure some will talk about the wonder of His creation – the stars and mountains, the flowers and creatures. Some will no doubt reflect on their own journey so far and express gratitude for what the Lord has done; and some might try to picture him on his heavenly throne ruling as sovereign and king. But perhaps not many will say that they worship the Lord because He is a judge.

And yet, this is the focus of the psalmist, Asaph, in today’s reading. Asaph praises God for His imminence (his name is near in v 1) and for His “wonderful deeds”. But he is not reticent to exalt the Lord as the one who judges. In fact, he knows that worship is the only appropriate response towards one who sees and knows all things. The one who will cut off the horns, that is, strip away the strength of those who defy him. The one who has the power to lift up or cast into eternal death.

A God who judges is an uncomfortable thought for some in our modern world, but it is an essential truth. God will judge the people of the earth, past and present. Arrogance and boasting will melt away before the throne in Heaven. No-one will be able to exalt themselves in His presence.

So, let’s praise Him today, not just for those attributes that are comfortable – his beauty, his love. His greatness. Let’s praise him for his justice, for the good news that he is a God who deals with wrongdoing and evil. For the truth that He is a Judge. And will judge in righteousness and holiness.