Ps. 76.11-12 (the Kingdom of God)

Make vows / to Yhwh / your God / and fulfill them;
let all round about him / give tribute / to the Fearsome One
he who mortifies / the spirit of princes,
who is the Awesome One / to the kings of the earth. 

These verses mark an important shift in the psalm in several related ways. The first thing to notice is that from the beginning of the psalm the action of God has been one of destruction and decimation. He has been described as a lion establishing his den/lair; as ‘shattering the implements of war’; of plundering the stouthearted, and leaving them in a near-death sleep; of rebuking and stilling horses and chariots; and of instilling fear. All of this was summed up in verse 9 as God’s ‘rising for justice’, the prelude to his deliverance of the oppressed. The point is that the action of God has been to wreak havoc and to sever the men of the earth from their power. It has been an astonishing act of ‘casting down’. Here, by contrast, the first line indicates a change in all of this. Now, the listeners are encouraged to ‘make vows’ and ‘fulfill them’. From the severing of all communion we now come to a restoration.  This can be seen in another way—God has been the actor. The earth and its peoples have been the object of God’s action. Here, by contrast, God becomes the subject and man becomes the actor. Man now moves toward God. Importantly, this movement is by way of ‘vows and fulfillment’. Man moves toward God by way of establishing a bond of fidelity to God (vow), of receiving a response to that fidelity, and then fulfilling the vow (probably by way of sacrifice). In the context of this psalm this movement is one of a subordinate to a superior. It is formalized, and ritualized. Further, and most striking, is the fact that the divine Name appears here for the first time. The opening verses mentioned ‘the name’: “in Israel his name is great” (vs. 1). It would appear, though, that during the terrible ‘rising’ of God when all the ‘stouthearted’ are cowed, God shows himself forth as: the Renowned One, the Majestic One and the Resplendent One. By contrast, once deliverance has been accomplished and the covenantal power unleashed, the name appears. I do not think this is by accident. We have seen this in several other psalms where the name disappears for a time during the time of great persecution (in Sheol the name is forgotten) or of judgment. It would seem that the Name, in this sense, is a manifestation of the covenant God has with his people. When he faces their enemy, his name is hidden. When justice is declared, judgment given and deliverance effected, the Name is revealed. This covenantal sense is also clear from the phrase, “Yhwh, your God”, a clear allusion to the covenantal beginnings in Deuteronomy—“you will be my people, and I will be your God”. What we can conclude then is this: that this verse reveals the inner-dynamic of the covenantal relationship between God and his people. The verses leading up this have, in a way, been a reflection on God ‘from the outside’, as he stands against the world. Here, once judgment has been delivered, we see God from within—from within that space created within himself by and through the covenant.  Where the Name dwells. This is not an area quarantined from the rest of the world. An inner sanctum. Judgment has been delivered and the rage of mankind has been dealt with (either by being converted to praise or banished). Rather, what we see in these verses is the effect of God’s re-ordering justice. Whereas before everything was scattered by his presence, now they are “round about him”. This is the gathering of a king’s subjects ‘round about’ his throne, while is the center of their attention and devotion. Here, the world has moved “round about” God—this is the effect of God’s justice. It re-orders everything around his throne. This congregation, however, is probably more specific as they ‘offer tribute’ and the immediately following lines refers to ‘princes and kings’. They are the world powers as they submit themselves (on bended knee?) to Yhwh. These partake of a different action. Rather than ‘vows’ they offer tribute.  This is the ‘wealth of nations’ being handed over to Yhwh. This is important for a host of reasons we have detailed in other psalms about the relationship between God’s Kingdom and wealth. Here, we simply must point out that it is in the establishment of justice that this tribute—this movement of the world powers to God—is effected. The final two lines point in two different directions: mortification and recognition of God’s authority. As to the ‘princes’, their power is mortified in and through God’s judgment. This refers to the verses leading up God’s ‘rising’. The final line highlights that the kings of the earth have become vassals to the “Awesome One” of Israel. This final line reminds us that the ‘focus of the action’ in these lines, although not stated, is Zion. It is there that ‘vows are fulfilled’ and it is there that tribute would be paid. And, importantly, it is there that the Name dwells—that name that is now pronounced as the expression of this Kingdom of God.

Ps. 76.10 (converting rage)

For the rage / of humankind / will praise you;
when you gird on / the residue of their raging. 

These are very perplexing lines, perhaps the most difficult I have encountered. The reason is not so much in looking at these lines individually but in attempting to understand them together, for clearly the repeated emphasis on ‘rage’ means they should be seen together. Perhaps if we trace how these lines function within the thematic thrust of the psalm we can come to some (tentative) conclusions. The first thing we note is the ‘rage of humankind’.  Throughout the psalm we have emphasized the complete pacification of the wicked in the face of God. In contrast to ‘rage’, those who rebel against God are portrayed as utterly deprived of any power. They ‘sleep’, can’t move and are completely quiet. As we saw yesterday, though, this pacification is prelude to the “deliverance to all the oppressed of the land” (vs. 9). It is the silence that falls within a courtroom prior to a verdict being rendered (or, when a judge enters the room). With that in mind, this first line may make some sense as it progresses from ‘rage’ to ‘praise’. It tracks the movement up to verse 9, from silent humiliation, to the judge’s entrance, to the verdict being delivered. Upon justice being established, what was ‘rage’ is now turned into ‘praise’. This coheres well with the remainder of the psalm (and with other psalms, particularly psalm 2). After the judgment is rendered not only are the oppressed delivered but tribute flows “to the Fearsome One.” What we see here is, as in Psalm 2, the re-organization of world authorities underneath the dominion of Yhwh, the High King. This is important to grasp as a potential interpretation up to this point is that the oppressed will be redeemed—only—while the remainder are cast off. However, in these lines the ‘rage’ of rebellion is now turned into ‘praise’ just as those who were previously silenced now come to recognize and give tribute to the High King, Yhwh. In essence, the judgment effected a conversion of sorts. The “spirit of the princes” is ‘mortified’ (vs. 12), not destroyed. They are re-ordered according to the kingdom of God, rather than the kingdom(s) of earth. The second line is more difficult. The only interpretation I can offer is that God’s ‘girding on’ of the ‘residue of their anger’ refers to a point in time—his judgment—when the remaining raging of humankind (the ‘residue’) will be dealt with, not in conversion but in expulsion. These represent those who refuse to offer tribute, even after the liberation of the oppressed. They are like the Judas-kings of the world who refuse their mortification and restructuring within the kingdom of God.

Ps. 76.7-9 (silence and deliverance)

 O You / You are / the Awesome One
who can stand / before you / when you are angry?
From the heavens / you caused judgment / to be heard
the earth feared / and was quiet, - when God rose / for justice,
to give deliverance / to all the oppressed. 

By this point in the psalm we are aware that the ‘magnitude’ of God’s authority—his ‘awesomeness’—is perceived by way of his warrior judgment. In this verse, the psalmist begins again the refrain to God in a way reminiscent of verse 1 (“The Renowned One…”) and verse 4 (“You are the Resplendent One…”). As with those verses as well, this verse focuses in on this initial description of astonishing power and then proceeds into its manifestation, its action. The first section (vs. 1-3) looked at his ‘shattering power’. The second section (vs. 4-6) on his power to utterly and terribly subdue his enemies. Here, the focus turns to explicit anger in the face of injustice. It is an anger that has been clear from the beginning. However, it is only here where we come to see clearly the source of God’s terrible face. Importantly, the flame of his anger begins in his concern for the “deliverance of all the oppressed”. Here is where the ‘den’ and ‘lair’ of Zion finds its source, that ‘shattering power’ that was explicitly aimed at the cessation of war. The terrible scene of verse 4-6 finds its reason-for-being in a judgment intended to release the oppressed. In other words, God’s terrible expression of his power is not simply that—the expression of power. Rather, it is the burning flame of love as it erupts in wrath toward those who perpetuate inequity and injustice. In the face of this anger “who can stand” (vs. 7). This anger is so profound that it is perceived as coming “from the heavens”. When it crashes to earth, a total and absolute silence ensues (vs. 8). The silence, however, is a prelude. It signals the ‘rising of God’ in judgment. It is the calm before the storm of his deliverance (vs. 9). In this way, we see here the totality of the earth’s subjugation to God when he rises. This silence indicates the utter powerlessness of the earth in the face of God. Further, this silence will also signal the stilling of the “rage of humankind” (vs. 10), what in other psalms is called the “clamor” of man. All of the disordered and mere ‘noise’ of the earth (that mock liturgy of chaos) is here silenced. And, as with the rest of psalm, it is terribly silenced. The sense here of overwhelming power coming down from heaven is clear. It is like a shout from God. This silence is the silence of a profound fear (vs. 8).

Ps. 76.4-6 (the attack)

You are / the Resplendent One
the majestic One / from the mountains of prey
the stouthearted / lay plundered
slumbering / in the last sleep
no man of war / could lift a hand. 

Up to this point in the psalm there has been no mention of anyone other than God. Although the entire thrust of the psalm has been his public appearance to the world, the world itself has not been in focus. The previous verse began to make this transition, but the only other ‘powers’ other than God were the implements of war. Here, humans make their entrance. And, importantly, when they appear, they stand in complete antithesis to God. God is “resplendent” (the one of “light”) and “majestic”. Humans “lay plundered”, ‘slumbering’ and ‘unable to lift a hand’. While God appears supremely active, those in front of him are utterly passive. It in this dynamic that several themes begin to open up. First, we see here why the psalmist has focused so much on the public display of God’s authority: his being the “Renowned One”, the “Resplendent One” and the “Awesome One”. The force of his public display is meant to set up the reciters of this psalm for the effect that display has on the powers of the ‘mighty’ and on the ‘war-lovers’. The effect, in short, is that it completely robs them of their glory—all of their glory (their authorial weight) is stripped. Second, and this ties in very closely to the first point, this sense of complete control and activity is meant to highlight the complete inactivity and powerlessness of the ‘mighty’. If the first point was in regard to the power displayed by God, this second point focuses on the effect of that power. The most poignant description of this effect is, surprisingly at first, that of ‘sleep’. It is not of ‘being destroyed’ or of being ‘frightened’ or ‘overwhelmed’. Rather, the effect results in a supremely powerful pacification. All of the descriptions in the psalm point in this direction: “lay plundered”, “slumbering”, “unable to lift a hand” (vs. 5); “lay stilled” (vs. 6); “the earth feared and was quiet” (vs. 8); “mortification” (vs. 12). It is as if in the face of such overwhelming Light, the wicked are subjected to a type of near-death sleep. There resides over the battle-field a type of deafening silence. It is important for the effect of this psalm that the ‘action’ of God remains entirely in the background. There is the reference to the ‘mountains of prey’, which clearly allude to Zion as the ‘den of God’. However, the actual event that precipitated this silence is absent. By simply detailing its effect, the psalmist leaves the reciters of the psalm with a sense of an utterly overwhelming, but perhaps hidden, display of God’s ‘lion-attack’. Between God and his adversaries there is no comparison; the event that destroys them is, therefore, an event of fantastic pacification, something that completely challenges and dwarfs man’s ability to comprehend. In this way, the event itself resides in a cloud of foreboding, a sense of the terrible. It is as if a cloud descended upon the adversaries, shrouding the ‘Lion of Zion’, and when it lifted the field was littered with these men, plundered and in a near-death sleep, bearing every mark of the lion’s ferocity. Every emblem of world power is not only defeated; the vision painted by these lines is to disturbing for such a tame description. The totality of the vision is terrifying. This is where we come to see where the real distinction lies between the “Resplendent One” and these men: it is not in the difference between ‘activity and passivity’ but between ‘authority and overwhelming subjugation’.

Ps. 76.2-3 (the coming to be)

.  His lair / came to be / in Salem
and his den / on Zion
There / he shattered / the fiery arrow
the shield / the sword / and the battle weapons. 

From the “Renowned One” in Judah we now move back in time and come to see the drama of God as he moved toward this land he dwells in. The first description is telling—the Temple is his ‘lair’. It is a fascinating image for several reasons. First, God is portrayed as that of a lion. More in focus, however, is his ‘lair’ and his ‘den’. In fact, the word ‘lion’ never appears in this psalm, which makes clear that the Temple itself as the ‘home of the lion’ is what is in view. This ties into the first verses emphasis that God is localized in Judah. It is the incredible concentration of his presence in the Temple that makes it, the Temple, the central image. This presence is what turns the Temple into a “lair” and a “den”, the place where the strongest of animals resides and dwells. In this way, we see how the psalmist is playing off of the image of the Temple as the ‘house of God’ by referring to it as the house of a lion—den and lair. By doing so he is pointing to the fact that the Temple is not merely a ‘dwelling’ but a place of extreme danger and power. Further, this den ‘came to be’ in Salem. This active sense of ‘coming to be’ is worth reflecting on as it points to the ‘taking of Zion’ by David—it was in that military conquest of Salem that God’s den ‘came to be’. This points in two directions. The first is that the ‘heavenly Temple’ that Moses saw on Sinai is now finding its home in Salem and on Zion. In this way the ‘lair of heaven’ is now ‘coming to be’ the ‘lair of Zion’: heaven’s authorial power and danger are not coming to reside on earth in a profoundly disturbing manner. Second, this ‘coming to be’, as indicated, is one accomplished by and through God’s son—David (Ps. 2). Through David, and the power of the Davidic covenant, the ‘lair of heaven’ approaches earth and makes its home. The kingdom of man is, in David, the ‘kingdom of God’. And, just as his ‘den’ will be on Zion, so too will he make David’s home ‘in Salem’. God dwells in both—the Davidic covenant and the Temple. His power undergirds and infuses both. Temple and kingdom—they had their genesis together and they circle around each other throughout the entirety of history. It is in this relationship that the next verse speaks of this ‘taking of Zion’ as a type of military conquest—a shattering. When God’s kingdom breaks into the world, through David, the military powers of the kingdoms of the earth are shattered. This points us toward something important and will resonate throughout the rest of the psalm—the utter subjugation of the earth in the face of God’s inbreaking presence. We will note more of this in the following verses, but for now what we should draw our attention to is the fact that God’s presence does “shatter” but its effect is not simply an assertion of power but the destruction of particular implements: the implements of war. The “enemy” is never mentioned, nor “the wicked”. The only things shattered are “the fiery arrow, the shield and battle”. When God’s ‘den’ is established war ceases, and peace begins. In this way the ‘coming to be’ of Zion is the ‘coming to be’ of the end of war, the ‘coming to be’ of shalom.