For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.
Psalm 76: 1-3, In Judah
In Judah God is known;
his name is great in Israel.
His tent is in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shields and the swords,
the weapons of war.
God is focused on Judah, on (Jeru)Salem/Zion. They know Him; they lie under His protection, defended against the weapons of war.
Psalm 76: 4-6, Light, majesty, victory
You are resplendent with light,
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
Valiant men lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;
not one of the warriors can lift his hands.
At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot lie still.
You alone are to be feared.
God walks in magnificent light, while warriors who would attack Judah sleep in death. Kidner suggests that this song may recall the defeat of the Assyrians in Isaiah 37: 36. Alter instead looks back to the song of Moses and Miriam in Exodus 15.
Psalm 76: 7-10, God stands up to judge
Who can stand before you when you are angry?
From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared and was quiet--
when you, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land.
Surely your wrath against men brings you praise,
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.
Horse and chariot cannot prevail against the God of Judah. When God stands up to judge, justice and victory are given to Judah.
Psalm 76: 10-12, Follow YHWH
Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them;
let all the neighboring lands bring gifts to the One to be feared.
He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.
Only YHWH is worth following; one should make promises to YHWH and keep their promises; even the other lands should turn to Him and follow Him. The other choice, opposition to YHWH, is the path of fear.
Although there is no mention of lions in this psalm, I like Kidner's title for this psalm, for it is about the Lion of Judah.
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