Psalm 75:6-7

Psalm 75:6-7

He brings down and He exalts

It is good for us to remember that promotions and advancements come from God alone. In fact, it’s probably true to say that very few people understand this principle – even Christians! We are not used to thinking this way, that the Lord God oversees and controls the ways of men to the extent that all positions of power are occupied only by those whom He has appointed. If He numbers the hairs on our heads and sees the sparrows fall, if He knows out thoughts and our words before we voice them, does He not know who will be exalted upon the earth? If He designed and oversees the microcosmic world and also the billions of stars in the sky, who are we to think that we are in control of our own destinies? This is the utter foolishness of the wicked who think that they can live as they please and yet every day of their lives is in the hands of their Maker! Their greatest foolishness is to ignore the One who has given them their existence in the first place. Perhaps we have gotten so hung up about “free will” that we have veered away from understanding the sovereign control of Almighty God?   

These verses point out that those from the east and the west should not exalt themselves. Some may wonder what happened to those from the north and the south? I think the verses are describing all peoples, from the rising of the sun (the east) to its setting (the west). Even those who live in the most unlikely barren places (the desert) should not exalt themselves for it is always and ultimately God alone who judges men. Whoever we are, we are all accountable to Him for our time and place in this world.

 

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