Who Can Stand Before You?
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
76 In Judah God is known;
his name is great in Israel.
2 His abode has been established in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
3 There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.Selah
4 Glorious are you, more majestic
than the mountains full of prey.
5 The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
they sank into sleep;
all the men of war
were unable to use their hands.
6 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both rider and horse lay stunned.
7 But you, you are to be feared!
Who can stand before you
when once your anger is roused?
8 From the heavens you uttered judgment;
the earth feared and was still,
9 when God arose to establish judgment,
to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;
the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
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,
12 who cuts off the spirit of princes,
who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.
Reflection
- The psalmist wrote that the Lord is to be feared by those who see His works among His own people. And the natural response would be: Who can stand before you, a title given in ESV.
- God was characterized by majesty, power, and righteousness expressed in His judgment of sinful men (vv4-9). Thus “the wrath of man shall” bring God praise (v10). “For the wrath of man will end in praise of You, and whatever wrath is left You will wrap around Yourself like a belt.” (The Voice)
- The cross of Jesus Christ bore all the “wrath of man”. Jesus took the cup and accomplished God’s plan of salvation for us all.
- Sing this old hymn “Down at the cross – Glory to His Name” ( Elisha A. Hoffman, 1878) as your praise to God, www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSKZXlBV84Q.
Down at the cross where my Savior died, Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied; Glory to His Name!
(Refrain) Glory to His Name, glory to His Name:
There to my heart was the blood applied; Glory to His Name!
I am so wondrously saved from sin, Jesus so sweetly abides within;
There at the cross where He took me in; Glory to His Name! (Refrain)
Come to this fountain so rich and sweet, Cast thy poor soul at the Savior’s feet;
Plunge in today, and be made complete; Glory to His Name! (Refrain)
Prayer & Journaling:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.