2. Of ‘Fools’, the Proud & Humanists Psalm 75:4-6

Text: “I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn.  Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.”

Psalm 75:4-5.

Good morning, God-fearing Christian!  When you come before God’s throne of Holy grace, you make sure you come in a penitent spirit of true reverence and worshipful praise to the One Who has redeemed our souls by the price of His own precious and sinless Blood.  We seek to, at all times, revere our God’s absolute Holiness and wrath against all sin; and to give true worship and thanksgiving for His amazing grace and infinite mercy towards us, ‘His people’.  This is what it is to be a ‘God-fearing Christian’.  Glory to His Name.

Biblically Defined ‘Fools’: The Bible, God’s inspired Word, defines ‘fools’ according to their own obvious and Eternal foolishness.  “By their fruits ye shall know them…”

“Ye shall know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”  (Matthew 7:16-20)

Verse 4. Fools. “The ungodly are Spiritual fools.  If one had a child very beautiful, yet if he were a fool, the parent would have little joy in him. The Scripture hath dressed the sinner in a fool’s coat: and let me tell you, better a fool void of reason that a fool void of grace: this is the Devil’s fool. (Proverbs 14:9)” (Thomas Watson 1620-1686)

“I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn."   (Psalm 74:4)

It is a very foolish person, who sits and hears the Gospel of Jesus Christ’s Salvation, and goes out and ignores the message, and fails to receive Christ’s offer of Eternal Salvation.

Verse 4. Fools. “Is not he a fool who refuseth a rich portion?  God offers Christ and Salvation, but the sinner refuseth his portion: “Israel would none of Me” (Psalm 88:11).  Is not he a fool who preferreth an annuity before an inheritance?  Is not he a fool who tends his mortal part and neglects his angelical part?  As if one should paint the walls of his house and let the timber rot.  Is not he a fool who will feed the Devil with his soul?

“As that emperor who fed his lions with a pheasant, is not he a fool who lays a snare for himself? (Proverbs 1:18) Who consults his own shame? (Habakkuk 2:10) Who loves death? (Proverbs 8:36).” (Thomas Watson, 1620-1686)

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God (or, No, God!). They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”  (Psalm 14:1)

Verse 5. The Proud: Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. The ‘horn’ in KJV Scriptures is symbolic of man’s authority, man’s strength, man’s pride in his own abilities, and in his ability to manage his own affairs; choose his own direction in life; decide upon vital matters which pertain to his well-being and vital needs.  Stiff-necked people are people who are too proud to bow to the will or direction of God, or other wiser people.

“In Scripture, the horn is a symbol of strength or power. The horn of Moab is cut off. Jeremiah 48. Horn is also an emblem of glory, honor, dignity. My horn is exalted in the Lord. 1 Samuel 2. In Daniel, horn represents a kingdom or state.”  (KJV Bible Dictionary, online)

“The horn of Moab (a type of the flesh, pride) is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord. Make ye him drunken: for he magnified himself against the Lord: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.”  (Jeremiah 48:25)

Hell shall be filled with proud people, people that were too proud to yield to Christ, and receive His Eternal Salvation; too proud to humble themselves before Almighty Lord God, that they might receive His matchless grace.  Some proud men would literally starve to death before asking another for bread!  Pride will take millions down into a Christ-rejecter’s Hell.  What a tragedy!

“The Lord will destroy the house of the proud: but He will establish the border of the widow. The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord: but the words of the pure are pleasant words” (Proverbs 15:25

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, that to divide the spoil with the proud” (Proverbs 16:18-19)

Verses 6 & 7. Humanists: “But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

Definition: “Humanist – (adjective) relating to people who believe in humanism: the idea that people do not need a God or religion to satisfy their Spiritual and emotional needs.”  (Cambridge English Dictionary)

Our Lord God is a Sovereign Lord God.  He is an omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-present Lord God and Creator of all things.  There is no other like Him.  He is Supreme and perfect in all His manifestations, and Holy in all His Triune (three Persons) Being.  Our God reigns Supreme and Sovereign over all the works of His hands.  There is no other God but Jehovah Lord God. Amen.

Humanists do not believe this is so, and by doing so, manifest the terrible curse of reprobation; souls that are rejected by God in Salvation grace; souls who never receive the quickening (making alive) of the Holy Ghost; who wallow in their own pride, and confidence in their own fallen nature and what human effort can do to promote themselves and prosper in this sinful world.  Poor souls.  Their cries can be heard in unison with those who have cried down through the ages: “We will not have this man (Christ Jesus) to reign over us!”

“But His citizens hated Him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to rule over us.” (Luke 19:12-27)

“But those Mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before Me.”  (Luke 19:27)

We who are God-fearing Christians, who are given faith from the Lord God to believe His inspired Word on all matters, must seek to pray more earnestly for the precious and immortal souls of such ‘Fools, The Proud, and Humanists’ – in the hope that among their numbers there might yet be some elect souls, preordained to receive God’s quickening power (made Spiritually alive) and receive His gift of faith to enable them to believe and receive the Living Christ as both Saviour and Lord.

“The Lord shall reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:18)

Thought: “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the Heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all.”  (1 Chronicles 29:11-13)

Psalm 75: A Psalm of Powerful Praise 1. Friends of Christ Rejoice Psalm 75:1-3

Text: “Unto Thee, O God, do we give thanks: for that Thy Name is near Thy wondrous works declare.”

Psalm 75:1.

Good morning, truly thankful Christian!  You are giving the Lord God Jehovah, all the thanksgiving, and all your earnest praise – but what, more precisely, are you thanking and praising Him for today?  It is good for our souls to ask ourselves such profound questions, for in doing so, the Lord grants Divine answers to our inquiries, and provides food for our souls.

When reading and studying Holy Scriptures – we must always ask ourselves many questions concerning the texts we are reading.  For it is in asking the questions, we receive the answers to assist us in understanding and learning God’s will for us, from His inspired Word.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

You and I, as Bible-believing, born again, Christians, have a lot for which to be thankful to our Lord God.  The little song, ‘Count Your Blessings’ reflects this concept powerfully.  When you and I take time to count our blessings, we are amazed at what the Lord has done, is doing, and shall Eternally do for us, ‘His people’.  Thanks be to Thee, oh Lord God.

Verse 1. “Unto Thee, O God, do we give thanks. As the smiling flowers gratefully reflect in their lovely colours the various constituents of the solar ray, so should gratitude spring up in our hearts after the smiles of God’s providence.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 323)

The Law of the Second Mention: What we call ‘The law of the second mention’ is in evidence here in the opening of Psalm 75.  Verse 1 repeats, in close conjunction terms, the same concept twice: “Unto Thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto Thee do we give thanks…”  If God, the Holy Spirit Who inspires all Scriptures, sees fit to repeat, in close proximity, a certain concept, then it is certain that He desires all Bible readers to pay particular attention to that concept.  This is what we call ‘The law of the second mention’.

Giving praise and thanks unto the Lord God is an integral and vital part of our worship of Him, a principle that we should, perhaps, all more attentively seek to do in this day of ‘luke-warm’, Laodicean, Christianity?

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things sayeth the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the Creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth…As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”  (Rev. 3:14-22)

Verse 1. “…For that Thy Name is near Thy wondrous works declare. We sing not of a hidden God Who sleeps and leaves the church to her fate, but of One Who ever in our darkest days is most near, a very present help in trouble. “Near is His Name.”  Baal is on a journey, but Jehovah dwells in His church.  Glory be unto the Lord, Whose perpetual deeds of grace and majesty are the sure tokens of His being with us always, even unto the end of the world.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 323)

Verse 1. “…For that Thy Name is near Thy wondrous works declare. How do we KNOW that our Lord God is near?  Well, all we have to do is look for a moment around us, see with our own eyes the full evidence of His marvellous Creation!  The sun comes up every morning: Hallelujah!  Thank you, Lord God! The flowers, plants, trees, food produce, all grow in their seasons: Hallelujah! Thanks be to the Lord God!  We have sweet air to breathe into healthy lungs: Hallelujah!  Thanks be to the Living Lord God!  God’s wondrous works are being declared all around us – we need no other evidence that God’s Name is near.  Let us give Him our heartful thanksgiving and praise.   (Psalm 19:1-3)

Verse 2. “When I shall receive the congregation, I will judge uprightly.  When the genuine Christian receives others, we are compelled to ‘judge uprightly’, for that is how our Father in Heaven would have us discern and deal with all others in this life.  He trains us up in the way that we should go, by drawing us into the frequent study of His inspired Word.  Therefore, we become known to be wise discerners of all things, because the Lord God has taught us to be thus.

“Train up a child (of God) in the way (John 14:6) he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

What a day of anarchy and anti-Christianity we are living in today, in this increasingly apostate 21^st Century!  In all my 78 years on this earth, I have NEVER seen moral standards so low, and often non-existent in societies world-wide!  Governments, who are raised up to be the guardians of lawful and moral regulation – have become the fore-runners of all things twisted, deceitful, and vile.  What a fearful day of Holy judgement is coming real soon.

Verse 3. “The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved. When anarchy is abroad, and tyrants are in power, everything is unloosed, dissolution threatens all things, the solid mountains of government melt as wax; but even then, the Lord upholds and sustains the right.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 323)

Russia has invaded Ukraine and destroyed vast cities there; the British Prime-Minister and politicians are currently being charged with unlawful offences; morality is a bad word throughout British/American/European societies – the whole house of moral stability is falling down around our ears, internationally. Yet, Christ’s friends are completely secure.

Thought: Verse 3. “I bear up the pillars of it. Hence, there is no real cause for fear. While the pillars stand, and stand they must for God upholds them, the house will brave out the storm.  In the day of the Lord’s appearing a general melting will take place, but in that day our covenant God will be the sure support of our confidence.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 323) Praise God for His assurance!

6. The Prayers of Faithful Sufferers Psalm 74:18-23

Text: “They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

Isaiah 65:23-24.

Good morning, faithfully suffering Christian!  Perhaps you have been born again now, secured in Christ’s full Atonement Sacrifice at Calvary’s Cross, for many years – yet, recently, you find yourself in some situation of profound suffering, sudden calamity, heart-breaking bereavement; or very present danger and oppression.  This Bible message is written just for YOU.  Pray on, faithful sufferer, your Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, is already on His way to help you.

“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”  (Isaiah 65:24)

Personal Experience of Author: Some years ago, my Christian wife, lovely young daughter Abigail, and myself flew off to a foreign clime to enjoy a much-needed break, a package holiday, where we could unwind from our busy schedule of faithfully serving the Lord God.

Half-way through the holiday, we had been down at the pool, enjoying the sun and the entertainment of a game of water-polo with the other guests at the hotel.  My dear wife went up to our room to change and have a shower time with some privacy before my daughter and I would follow her up to do the same.

When my daughter and I arrived at the hotel room door, we knocked the door, but got no response but a low voice informing us that my wife had hurt herself, and could not get to the door to open it!  I rushed immediately down to the check in desk, got another plastic key card, and got up again and opened the hotel room door.  Shock! Immediate human fear!

My wife was lying on the floor half-conscious, and groaning with pain, slipping in and out of consciousness.  I immediately got the hotel to send for an emergency doctor, who came and, after brief examination, called an ambulance to rush my wife to the local hospital some miles away.

Long story short:  Turned out that my wife had finished her shower, was reaching across for a bath-towel from the rail, slipped in the bath, and crashed down on her left side, breaking two ribs, and, as we later learned just in time, ruptured her spleen, and began to bleed internally!  The hospital surgeon removed her spleen, and we eventually got her back to the hotel to recuperate a week later.

So, there we were, the three of us, paid holiday time over, and facing a near future of food costs, hotel costs, doctor’s bills, hospital bills – not to mention whether my dear wife was going to fully recover from her terrible injury and surgical removal of her spleen.  Fear, dread, and uncertainty set in, in spite of our strong faith in Christ, and dependence on Him.

So, to the text I have chosen above for faithful sufferers of Christ.  Just when we neared our whit’s end and positive expectations there in that, now sanitized hotel room, my wife and I held our daughter’s hands in our own and we began to pray earnestly to the Living Lord.

We had just begun to pray, “Dear Lord God, if ever we needed Thy help, it is now. We don’t know how we are going to pay to remain here in this hotel, pay for our daily food, and perhaps new flights home and the costs of it all – on top of my wife’s serious surgical consequence’s…” 

That’s when the hotel room telephone rang and interrupted our earnest prayer time: “Hello, Doctor McClinton, this is Tesco Insurance Company calling to assure you that you and your family are fully protected by the policy you purchased before leaving on your holiday.  ALL expenses incurred, including medical bills, extra hotel bills, daily food, and your flights home – are covered for the duration of your necessary stay until your wife is fit to fly home.”

“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”  (Isaiah 65:24)

I share this personal experience to seek to encourage all faithful sufferers, no matter what nature your sufferings are, that the Lord already KNOWS your deepest need, has not only heard your faithful cry for His help, but has already ordained the exact time and nature of His help for you.  When our own children cry out to us as parents, can we refuse to help them?

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?  Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee (God’s Blood-bought people).  Behold (look, and fully understand), I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls (defences) are continually before Me.”  (Isaiah 49:15-16)

Faithful Sufferers: Is the nature of your present sufferings down to profound bereavement, loss of a loved wife, husband, child, parent?  Then, take heart, beloved Christian friend, the lesson remains the same for YOU.  When you suffer as faithful Christian believers, the Lord Jesus suffers with you, knows your every need, is experiencing your grief, your pain, your loss of health, your sense of present danger from the hands of oppressors and foolish, anti-Christian blasphemers.  He will help!  And His wrath is kindled against your foes!

Verse 18. “And that the foolish people have blasphemed Thy Name. The meanness of the enemy is here pleaded.  Sinners are fools, and shall fools be allowed to insult the Lord and oppress His people; shall the abjects curse the Lord and defy Him to His face?  When error grows too bold, its day is near and its fall certain.  Arrogance foreshadows ripeness of evil, and the next step is rottenness.  Instead of being alarmed when bad men grow worse and more audacious, we may reasonably take heart, for the hour of their judgement is evidently near. (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 322)

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

Verse 22. “Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth Thee daily.  In all my 78 years of this life, 46 years as a redeemed Christian, have I ever heard more the precious and Holy Name of the Lord Jesus Christ ‘…taken in vain…’, used as a swear word; flung from the mouths of crass actors in silly movies as an insult to the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords.  What a terrible price such fools will have to pay.

Thought: Take courage, beloved and faithfully suffering Christian: your Lord Jesus loves you with an everlasting love, and has heard your cry for His Divine help and protection. “Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”  (Rev. 22:20)