Thou, Even Thou, Art to Be Feared

Part 2 of Psalm 76 is the moment after the miracle. In Part 1 the war itself was broken at the gates of Jerusalem — arrows, shield and sword shattered, the mighty sunk into their final sleep. Now Asaph lifts his eyes from the silent field toward heaven and asks: Thou, even thou, art to be feared — and who may stand in thy sight.

This is a psalm of awe and stillness: the judgment was heard from heaven, and the whole earth feared and was still. And here is the wonder of the psalm: God arises to judgment not to destroy — but to save all the meek of the earth. Even the wrath of man turns, in the end, into praise.

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

"Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?"

This is also the heart of the chorus. "Feared" frames the whole psalm — feared art thou, and terrible to the kings of the earth. Not a paralyzing fear but the awe of greatness: whoever saw that night in Jerusalem stands before Him in silence, in tears.