God Is the Judge

Psalm 75 is a psalm of Asaph built on one great truth: the world has a Judge. It opens with thanksgiving — "Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks" — and rises to the declaration that sets all of reality in order: promotion comes neither from the east nor from the west, not from power and not from pride, for God is the judge — He putteth down one, and setteth up another. Against the arrogance of the wicked stands a cup in the hand of the LORD — and facing it all, the psalmist simply sings to the God of Jacob.

Its movement is remarkable: from the thanksgiving of the many, to the voice of God Himself, to the promise that the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

The central verse of the psalm, chosen as the name of the song, is:

"But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another"

This is the heart of the psalm and of the chorus, joined by the verse of thanksgiving: "But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob." Judgment is in His hands — and song is in our mouths.