TEXT : Psa 76:6  At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. Psa 76:7  Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? Psa 76:8  Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, Psa 76:9  When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah. Psa 76:10  Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

 

THEME : MEEKNESS & SECURITY

 

Psalm 76 has a unique history. It is a record of the deliverance of Jerusalem from the hand of the Assyrian king Sennacherib. When he came against Jerusalem, no nation had successfully defeated his armies. Thus, Sennacherib sent his ambassador [Rabshakeh] to deliver the terms of "peace" if Israel would surrender. They would become slaves if they gave up the city to the Assyrians, and this was a cause of great consternation to Hezekiah. Hence, the exhortation to the king of Jerusalem by Isaiah the prophet that the LORD would deliver them. God did, and Israel never lifted a spear or a sword. The Lord sent his Angel and the Assyrians killed one another and then, Sennacherib's two sons murdered him.

 

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 76

 

To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song of Asaph. The Targum is, "by the hand of Asaph:'' concerning "neginoth", see the title of Psa_4:1, this psalm is generally thought to be written on account of some great appearance of God for the Jews, or victory obtained by them over their enemies, either the Ammonites in the times of David; so the first part of the Syriac inscription is, "when Rabbah of the children of Ammon was destroyed;'' see 2Sa_12:26 or in the time of Jehoshaphat, when they came up against him, and were in a wonderful manner defeated, which occasioned great joy and thankfulness, 2Ch_20:1. The Septuagint version entitles the psalm "an ode against the Assyrian", in which it is followed by the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions: and it is the opinion of many that it was written on account of the defeat of Sennacherib, and his army, which came up against Jerusalem in the times of Hezekiah, and was destroyed by an angel in one night, and so slept their sleep, and a dead one, with which agree Psa_76:5, so Arama and Theodoret; Jarchi gives this reason for such an interpretation, because we do not find that any enemy fell at or near Jerusalem but he, as is said Psa_76:3, "there brake he the arrows of the bow", &c. nor was one arrow suffered to be thrown into the city, 2Ki_19:32. Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it of the war of Gog and Magog, yet to come; and the latter part of the Syriac inscription is, "moreover it shows the vengeance of the judgment of Christ against the ungodly;'' [JOHN GILL]

 

When Christ returns, He will judge the nations similar to the judgment on the Assyrians, and He will deliver His own sheep. In this, we see once again, God discriminates between those that are His, and those that are not His. Therefore, we want to be found walking in and working with Him when He returns. Part of this walk is cultivating a spirit of meekness, like Christ Himself possesses. 

 

Meekness, as found in Psalm 76:9 is defined by Strong's [Hebrew] Dictionary as- "depressed (figuratively), in mind (gentle) or circumstances (needy, especially saintly): - humble, lowly, meek, poor`." The meaning is "lowly."

 

Meekness is further defined in the New Testament in Thayer's [Greek] Dictionary as - "mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit."

 

Our English word [Oxford English Dictionary] - "meek" means - "quiet, gentle, and submissive. [origin Middle English me(o)c, from Old Norse mjúkr ‘soft, gentle'.]

 

 

 

Thus, we arrive at the conclusion that meekness is a humble person with a healthy self-respect and self-esteem, who is in submission to Christ. He or she is also mild in their disposition and are "predisposed" to be quiet and gentle. This is a lifelong process only the Holy Spirit can work in you, since all humanity is inclined to selfishness and self-adulation.

 

At Christ's return, a single Word of His will rebuke the proud and arrogant, even as this Psalm states.

 

"At thy rebuke." A word accomplished all, there was no need of a single blow. "O God of Jacob." God of thy wrestling people, who again like their father supplant their enemy; God of the covenant and the promise, thou hast in this gracious character fought for thine elect nation. "Both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep." They will neither neigh nor rattle again; still are the trampings of the horses and the crash of the cars; the cavalry no more creates its din. The Israelites always had a special fear of horses and scythed chariots; and, therefore, the sudden stillness of the entire force of the enemy in this department is made the theme of special rejoicing. The horses were stretched on the ground, and the chariots stood still, as if the whole camp had fallen asleep. Thus can the Lord send a judicial sleep over the enemies of the church, a premonition of the second death, and this he can do when they are in the zenith of power; and, as they imagine, in the very act of blotting out the remembrance of his people. The world's Rabshakehs can write terrible letters, but the Lord answers not with pen and ink, but with rebukes, which bear death in every syllable." [C.H. SPURGEON]

 

All of God's people - Old and New Testaments, were to be meek before God. Moses is a fitting an example of [Biblical] meekness - Num_12:3  (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) Moses was meek, yet he was strong in every respect. Even at 120 years of age, he still possessed his physical strength including "perfect" vision. Moses was strong in body and soul, thereby destroying the myth that "meekness is weakness." Of course, Jesus was meek. Yet, He exhibited more manhood than any man before Him or after Him. Jesus was the "prefect Man." He displayed - intelligence, virtues of character, and virility of His physical body. Therefore, to be meek is anything but being weak. It is God's method of perfecting strength of spirit, soul, and body. We see this in Jesus and Moses.

 

 "God's people are the meek of the earth, the quiet in the land, that suffer wrong, but do none. The righteous God seems to keep silence long, yet, sooner or later, he will make judgment to be heard. We live in an angry, provoking world; we often feel much, and are apt to fear more, from the wrath of man. What will not turn to his praise, shall not be suffered to break out. He can set bounds to the wrath of man, as he does to the raging sea; hitherto it shall come, and no further. Let all submit to God. Our prayers and praises, and especially our hearts, are the presents we should bring to the Lord. His name is glorious, and he is the proper object of our fear. He shall cut off the spirit of princes; he shall slip it off easily, as we slip off a flower from the stalk, or a bunch of grapes from the vine; so the word signifies. He can dispirit the most daring: since there is no contending with God, it is our wisdom, as it is our duty, to submit to him. Let us seek his favour as our portion, and commit all our concerns to him." [MATTHEW HENRY]

 

The LORD overthrew the Assyrians mightily as the king [Hezekiah] trusted in the LORD. Throughout history - both of Israel and the Church, Christ has been the mainstay and support of His people. When He comes back, so thorough will be His cleansing of the earth, that all people[s] will say - "Jesus Christ is LORD!" Christ will silence all those who oppose His Government.

 

"Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven." So complete an overthrow was evidently a judgment from heaven; those who saw it not, yet heard the report of it, and said, "This is the finger of God." Man will not hear God's voice if he can help it, but God takes care to cause it to be heard. The echoes of that judgment executed on the haughty Assyrian are heard still, and will ring on adown all the ages, to the praise of divine justice. "The earth feared, and was still." All nations trembled at the tidings, and sat in humbled awe. Repose followed the former turmoils of war, when the oppressor's power was broken, and God was reverenced for having given quiet to the peoples. How readily can Jehovah command an audience! It may be that in the latter days he will, by some such miracles of power in the realms of grace, constrain all earth's inhabitants to attend to the gospel, and submit to the reign of his all-glorious Son. So be it, good Lord." [C.H. SPURGEON]

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : "YOU ARE SAFE IN CHRIST!"

 

We are "safe" in Christ. This is what the word - "saved" means. By definition, the Greek word sōzō[sode'-zo] means - [σάος saos, "safe"]; to save, that is, deliver or protect (literally or figuratively): - heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole. [Strong's Dictionary]

 

Thayer's dictionary gives a more complete definition -

 

1) to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; 1a) one (from injury or peril), 1a1) to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health, 1b1) to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue, 1b) to save in the technical biblical sense, 1b1) negatively, 1b1a) to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment, 1b1b) to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance.

 

Hence, the Christian is "safe" from the judgment of God, and you can enjoy His protection and provisions.

 

"When God arose to judgment,.... He may sometimes seem to be asleep, and to defer judgment, but he will arise and hasten it in his own time, and will take vengeance on all his and his people's enemies, as he did upon the army of the Assyrians, and will upon the antichristian powers, and upon all the wicked, and at the same time will save his own people, as follows: to save all the meek of the earth; the quiet in the land, who are afflicted in this world, despised by the men of it, are lowly and humble, and mean in their own eyes; these the Lord takes notice of and cares for them, he will beautify them with salvation; these, all of them, even everyone of them, shall be saved in him with an everlasting salvation; this verse is by some connected with the preceding; so Kimchi, "the earth feared, and was still, when God arose to judgment", &c. and by others, as R. Moses and Aben Ezra, with the following." [JOHN GILL]

 

Never worry, as you develop meekness, He will teach you what you need to know.

 

Psa 25:8  Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. Psa 25:9  The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

 

More than that, He takes pleasure in His own. The Church is His - not Man's. The people of God belong to God, not to anyone else. Thus, He takes enjoyment, joy, and  gratification from His children as you do from yours. He is your Father, and loves you - forever!

 

Psa 149:4  For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. Psa 149:5  Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

 

For this reason, and particularly - at the juncture in history, you should seek after God more fervently than ever before. You should obey and follow the LORD so you will be "hid" in the Day of His anger.

 

Zep 2:3  Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

 

Jesus holds forth a tremendous promise - the meek, not only will be hid from the LORD's judgment, but will have the earth as their inheritance!

 

Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

 

There is an exhortation given by God through the Apostle Peter to wives [or woman in general] that has application for all the Church. That is, though the specific reference is to [for] wives, the Biblical principle is for all of God's people. In short it tells us to dress the inner man - the spirit and soul, with a meek spirit like Christ. In the "hidden ‘man'" of the heart, where no one sees you, put on meekness. There, life is incorruptible unlike your clothes or other material possessions. In God's eyes, this way of dressing [i.e. the mind, thoughts, attitude, outlook, etc.] is of great value. If you do this, you will be "safe" in Christ - always!

 

1Pe 3:1  Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 1Pe 3:2  While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. 1Pe 3:3  Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 1Pe 3:4  But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.