Psalm Devotional
Judge Over All
The rapid change of speakers is what gives Psalm 75 its pace. God, the congregation, and the individual participate in a three-way dialogue in which God’s sovereign justice over the world is affirmed and proclaimed. This psalm praises God as the disposer of all things and the judge of all men.
In the opening verse, we hear the voice of the congregation. The thanksgiving offered by God’s people is prompted by the memory of His wondrous works. The recollection of God’s deeds as an act of worship and as a discipline of life gives the congregation a real sense of His presence–that His “name is near.” We confess not only who God is but what He has done, which gives us a sense of the constancy and continuity of His grace toward us.
God’s “name” is the revelation of His nature and also an invitation to call upon Him and be saved (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13). His name is brought “near” in all His wondrous works for the Church throughout redemptive history. But His name is brought even nearer—in fact right into our midst—with the coming of Christ, who manifested and declared God’s name (John 17:6, 26).
