God Glorified in Judgment
There are two sides to God’s judgement, his condemnation of the wicked and His vindication of His people. In this psalm the psalmist praises God for his salvation and for his judgment upon those that would dare align themselves against God and His people.
The psalmist begins in 76:1-3 by extolling the Reputation of God. He is renowned in Judah, and His name is great in all of Israel (76:1). The faithful know that their god is great. They can look to the Scriptures and remember all the things that He has done on their behalf. God’s presence is among His people and He defends them from their enemies (76:2-3).
The psalmist continues by speaking of the Rescue of God in 76:4-6. God is glorious in displaying His power against the the mountains of enemies (76:4). The courageous warriors of the enemy can do nothing against God (76:5). At God’s rebuke the ungodly are stopped in their tracks and face their judgement (76:6).
The psalmist now moves to the Retribution of God in 76:7-9. The thought of God as an awesome judge should move the ungodly to fear and the righteous to worship (76:7). God’s judgment will be made known to all the earth and every ungodly person will be frozen in terror (76:8). But, the righteous do not have to be concerned. They will be saved from God’s wrath and their faith will be vindicated (76:9).
The final section, 76:10-12, deals with Reverence for God. Even the wicked acts of the ungodly will attest to the sovereignty of God (76:10). God turns mankind’s rebellious expression of anger to His glory. Meanwhile His saints bring sacrifices of thanksgiving to the Lord (76:11). No one can stand against the glorious and mighty God in the day of judgement (76:12).