Psalm 75 [MT 76]

"We will confess to You, O Lord, we will confess to You, and will invoke Your name" [Psalm 75:1]. Do not invoke, before thou confess: confess, and invoke. For Him whom you are invoking, unto yourself you call. For what is it to invoke, but unto yourself to call? If He is invoked by you, that is, if He is called to you, unto whom does He draw near? To a proud man He draws not near. High indeed He is, one lifted up attains not unto Him. In order that we may reach all exalted objects, we raise ourselves, and if we are not able to reach them, we look for some appliances or ladders, in order that being exalted we may reach exalted objects: contrariwise God is both high, and by the lowly He is reached. It is written, "Nigh is the Lord to them that have bruised the heart." The bruising of the heart is Godliness, humility. He that bruises himself is angry with himself. Let him make himself angry in order that he may make Him merciful; let him make himself judge, in order that he may make Him Advocate. Therefore God does come when invoked. Unto whom does He come? To the proud man He comes not....Take heed therefore what ye do: for if He knows, He is not unobservant. It is better therefore that He be unobservant than known. For what is that same being unobservant, but not knowing? What is, not to know? Not to animadvert. For even as the act of one avenging animadversion is wont to be spoken of. Here one praying that He be unobservant: "Turn away Your face from my sins." What then will you do if He shall have turned away His face from you? A grievous thing it is, and to be feared, lest He forsake you. Again, if He turn not away His face, He animadverts. God knows this thing, God can do this thing, namely, both turn away face from one sinning, and not turn away from one confessing....Confess therefore and invoke. For by confessing you purge the Temple, into which He may come, when invoked. Confess and invoke. May He turn away face from your sins, not turn away from you: turn away face from that which you have wrought, not turn away from that which He has Himself wrought. For you, as man, He has Himself wrought, your sins you have yourself wrought....

Exposition on Psalm 75

Here we have just been singing “We will confess to you, O God, we will confess and call on your name.” What does confessing to God mean but humbling oneself before God, not arrogating to oneself any merits? For “we have been saved by his grace,” as the apostle says, “not by works, lest anyone should exalt himself; for it is by his grace that we have been saved.” You see, there was not any preexistent good life that he could look down at from up above and admire and love and say, “Come on, let us go down and help these people, because they are leading good lives.” He was displeased with our lives, he was displeased with everything we were making of ourselves, but he was not displeased with what he had made in us. So he will condemn what we have made, and what he has made he will save. He will condemn the evil deeds of men and women and save the men and women themselves.

Sermon 23A.1

So he gave us the way of humility. If we keep to it we shall confess to the Lord, and not without reason shall we sing, “We will confess to you, O God, we will confess and call on your name.” It is rather shameless to call on his name if you do not confess to him. First confess, in order to prepare a dwelling place for the one you are calling on, that is to say calling in. After all, your heart is full of wickedness. But confession sweeps out the uncleanness you are cluttered up with inside and cleans the house into which the one you are calling in is coming. But anyone who calls him in before confessing is deliberately insulting him by asking him in. If you would not dare invite some holy person into your house unless you had first cleaned it out, in case something should offend his eyes, will you have the nerve to call in the name of God into your heart full of wickedness, unless you have first swept out all the iniquity inside by confession?

Sermon 23A.4

“We will confess to you, O God; we will confess to you and call upon your name; I will tell all your miracles.” In this one verse the rule of holy devotion is explained in an orderly manner, for that Jewish people which would believe in Christ the Lord, whom the title admonishes, “Do not destroy forever,” breaks forth in voice and promises most devoutedly its confession. To confess (as we have often said) is to profess something in a conversation with many people. For even if one person is said to confess, he or she is understood to be allied with others who have already preceded in the faith or who will follow them. Next is the phrase, “We will confess to you.” The repetition itself attests to the solidity of the promise, which is never put forth in a transitory manner, but rather only when the firmness of the mind is being indicated, as in such phrases as “My heart is prepared, O God, my heart is prepared” and phrases similar to them. The word “to you” was said so that the worship of other gods might be denied because it is the true devotion that rightly reveres the Creator alone. And let us look carefully at the fact that to confess even once to an earthly judge often produces death, but frequent confession to God does not produce any danger, but salvation. The words are arranged in a beautiful order. He first says that he confesses, that is, he mourns his sins; afterwards he says that he calls upon the name of the Lord. For it is appropriate that we first purge our hearts by confession and in this way ought to call upon the name of the Lord to receive help. For to whom will he come other than to those whom he recognizes to be his own? But if he will call on him without feeling, he will appear to be demanding judgment upon himself, not forgiveness. Therefore, such things ought to be be stated in advance so that we may be able to call upon divine mercy with confidence.

Expositions of the Psalms 74:2

And he says what? "When I shall have received," he says, "the time, I will judge justices" [Psalm 75:2]. When shall He judge justices? When He shall have received the time. Not yet is the precise time. Thanks to His mercy: He first preaches justices, and then He judges justices. For if He willed to judge before He willed to preach, who would be found that should be delivered: who would meet Him that should be absolved? Now therefore is the time of preaching: "I will tell," he says, "all Your marvellous works." Hear Him telling, hear Him preaching: for if you shall have despised Him, "when I shall have received the time," He says, "I will judge justices." I forgive, He says, now sins to one confessing, I will not spare hereafter one despising....He has received a time as Son of Man; He does govern times as Son of God. Hear how as Son of Man He has received the time of judging. He says in the Gospel, "He has given to Him power to execute judgment, because Son of Man He is." [John 5:27] According to His nature as Son of God, He has never received power of judging, because He never lacked the power of judging: according to His nature as Son of Man He has received a time, as of being born, and of suffering, as of dying, and of rising again, and of ascending, so of coming and of judging. In Him His Body also says these words, for not without them He will judge. For He says in the Gospel, "You shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." [Matthew 19:28] Therefore whole Christ says, that is, Head and Body in the Saints, "when I shall have received the time, I will judge justices."

Exposition on Psalm 75

But now what? "The earth has flowed down" [Psalm 75:3]. If the earth has flowed down, whence has it flowed down except by sins? Therefore also they are called delinquencies. To delinquish is as it were by a kind of liquidity to slip down from the stability of firmness in virtue and righteousness. For it is through desire of lower things that every man sins: as he is strengthened by the love of higher things, so he falls down and as it were melts away by desire of lower things. This flux of things by the sins of man the merciful forgiver observing, being a merciful forgiver of sins, not yet an exactor of punishments, He observes and says: The earth herself indeed has flowed down by them that dwell in her. That which follows is an exposition, not an addition. As though thou were saying, in what manner has the earth flowed down? Have the foundations been withdrawn, and has anything therein been swallowed up in a sort of gulf? What I mean by earth is all they that dwell therein. I have found, he says, the earth sinful. And I have done what? "I have strengthened the pillars thereof." What are the pillars which He has strengthened? Pillars He has called the Apostles. So the Apostle Paul concerning his fellow-Apostles says, "who seemed to be pillars." [Galatians 2:9] And what would those pillars have been, except by Him they had been strengthened? For on occasion of a sort of earthquake even these very pillars rocked: at the Passion of the Lord all the Apostles despaired. Therefore those pillars which rocked at the Passion of the Lord, by the Resurrection were strengthened. The Beginning of the building has cried out through the pillars thereof, and in all those pillars the Architect Himself has cried out. For the Apostle Paul was one pillar of them when he said, "Would ye receive a proof of Him that speaks in me— Christ?" [2 Corinthians 13:3] Therefore, "I," he says, "have strengthened the pillars thereof:" I have risen again, I have shown that death is not to be feared, I have shown to them that fear, that not even the body itself does perish in the dying. There terrified them wounds, there strengthened them scars. The Lord Jesus could have risen again without any scar: for what great matter were it for that power, to restore the frame of the body to such perfect soundness, as that no trace at all of past wound should appear? He had power whence He might make it whole even without scar: but He willed to have that whereby He might strengthen the rocking pillars.

Exposition on Psalm 75

We have heard now, brethren, that which day by day is not kept secret: let us hear now what He has cried through these pillars....He cries what? "I have said to unjust men, Do not unjustly" [Psalm 75:4]....But already they have done, and they are guilty: already there has flowed down the earth, and all they that dwell therein. Pricked to the heart were they that crucified Christ, [Acts 2:37] they acknowledged their sin, they learned something of the Apostle, that they might not despair of the pardon of the Preacher. For as Physician He had come, and therefore had not come to the whole. "For there is no need," He says, "to the whole of a physician, but to them that are sick. I have not come to call righteous men, but sinners to repentance." [Matthew 9:12-13] Therefore, "I have said to unjust men, Do not unjustly." They heard not. For of old to us it was spoken: we heard not, we fell, were made mortal, were begotten mortal: the earth flowed down. Let them hear the Physician even now in order that they may rise, Him that came to the sick man, Him whom they would not hear when whole in order that they might not fall, let them hear when lying down in order that they may rise...."I have said to unjust men, Do not unjustly; and to the delinquent, Do not exalt your horn." There shall be exalted in you the horn of Christ, if your horn be not exalted. Your horn is of iniquity, the horn of Christ is of majesty.

Exposition on Psalm 75

If you say that, you will not be singing to no purpose, “I said, Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.” If God is blamed for the evil that you do and you take credit for the good, then you are speaking wickedly against God. Listen to what the psalm has to say on this point: “Do not lift your horn on high or speak wickedly against God.” The iniquity you were speaking against God is this, that you were wishing to attribute everything good to yourself and everything bad to him. By lifting up the horn of pride, you were speaking wickedly against God. With humility you speak justly. And what is the equity you speak with humility? “I said, Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.”

Sermon 16B.2

"Be not therefore lifted up: speak not iniquity against God" [Psalm 75:5]....What says He in another Psalm? "These things you have done," having enumerated certain sins. "These things you have done," He says, "and was silent." What is, "I was silent"? He is never silent with commandment, but meanwhile He is silent with punishment: He is keeping still from vengeance, He does not pronounce sentence against the condemned. But this man says thus, I have done such and such things, and God has not taken vengeance; behold I am whole, nought of ill has befallen me. "These things you have done, and I was silent: you have suspected iniquity, that I shall be like you." What is, "that I shall be like you"? Because you are unjust, even Me you have deemed unjust; as though an approver of your misdeeds, and no adversary, no avenger thereof. And what afterwards says He to you? "I will convict you, and will set you before your own face"? What is this? Because now by sinning behind your back you set yourself, see not yourself, examinest not yourself; I will set you before yourself, and will bring upon you punishment from yourself. So also here, "Speak not iniquity against God." Attend. Many men speak this iniquity; but dare not openly, lest as blasphemers they be abhorred by godly men: in their heart they gnaw upon these things, within they feed upon such impious food; it delights them to speak against God, and if they break not out with tongue, in heart they are not silent. Whence in another Psalm is said, "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God." The fool has said, but he has feared men: he would not say it where men might hear; and he said it in that place where He might Himself hear concerning whom he said it.

Exposition on Psalm 75

Thus, after the psalm had said, "Do not lift your horn on high or speak iniquity against God," it went on immediately. "Since neither from the east nor the west, nor from the mountain deserts; since God is judge he humbles this one and that one he exalts." He sees two people, that is, two kinds of people. So which two people does he see? One full of pride, the other confessing; one speaking justly, the other speaking unjustly. Who is speaking justly? The one who says "I have sinned." And who is speaking unjustly? The one who says "It is not I who sinned, it is my luck that sinned, my fate that sinned." So when you see two people, one speaking equity, the other iniquity, one humble, the other proud, do not be surprised that it goes on to say, "Since God is judge, he humbles this one and that one he exalts."

Sermon 16B.3

Therefore here also in this Psalm (dearly beloved attend), whereas that which He said, "Do not speak iniquity against God," this He saw many men do in heart, He has also added, "for neither from East, nor from West, nor from the deserts of the mountains [Psalm 75:6], for God is Judge" [Psalm 75:7]. Of your iniquities God is Judge. If God He is, everywhere He is present. Whither will you take yourself away from the eyes of God, so that in some quarter you may speak that which He may not hear? If from the East God judges, withdraw into the West, and say what you will against God: if from the West, go into the East, and there speak: if from the deserts of the mountains He judges, go into the midst of the peoples, where you may murmur to yourself. From no place judges He that everywhere is secret, everywhere open; whom it is allowed no one to know as He is, and whom no one is permitted not to know. Take heed what you doest. You are speaking iniquity against God. "The Spirit of the Lord has filled the round world" (another Scripture says this), "and that which contains all things has knowledge of the voice: wherefore he that speaks unjust things cannot be hid." [Wisdom 1:7-8] Do not therefore think God to be in places: He is with you such an one as you shall have been. What is such an one as you shall have been? Good, if you shall have been good; and evil to you He will seem, if evil you shall have been; but a Helper, if good you shall have been; an Avenger, if evil you shall have been. There you have a Judge in your secret place. Willing to do something of evil, from the public you retire into your house, where no enemy may see; from those places of your house which are open and before the eyes of men, you remove yourself into a chamber; you fear even in your chamber some witness from some other quarter, you retire into your heart, there you meditate. He is more inward than your heart. Whithersoever therefore you shall have fled, there He is. From yourself whither will you flee? Will you not follow yourself wherever you shall flee? But since there is One more inward even than yourself, there is no place whither you may flee from God angry, but to God reconciled. There is no place at all whither you may flee. Will you flee from Him? Flee to Him....What then shall we do now? "Let us come before His face," ἐ ν ἐξομολογήσει, come before in confession: He shall come gentle whom you had made angry. "Neither from the deserts of the mountains, for God is Judge:" not from the East, not from the West, not from the deserts of the mountains. Wherefore? "For God is Judge." If in any place He were, He would not be God: but because God is Judge, not man, do not expect Him out of places. His place you will be, if you are good, if after having confessed you shall have invoked Him.

Exposition on Psalm 75

"One He humbles, and another He exalts" [Psalm 75:7]. Whom humbles, whom exalts this Judge? Observe these two men in the temple, and you see whom He humbles and whom He exalts. "They went up into the Temple to pray," He says, the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican...."Verily I say unto you, that Publican went down justified more than that Pharisee: for every one that exalts himself shall be humbled; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted." Thus has been explained a verse of this Psalm. God the Judge does what? "One He humbles, and another He exalts:" He humbles the proud, He exalts the humble.

Exposition on Psalm 75

Therefore here also in this Psalm (dearly beloved attend), whereas that which He said, "Do not speak iniquity against God," this He saw many men do in heart, He has also added, "for neither from East, nor from West, nor from the deserts of the mountains [Psalm 75:6], for God is Judge" [Psalm 75:7]. Of your iniquities God is Judge. If God He is, everywhere He is present. Whither will you take yourself away from the eyes of God, so that in some quarter you may speak that which He may not hear? If from the East God judges, withdraw into the West, and say what you will against God: if from the West, go into the East, and there speak: if from the deserts of the mountains He judges, go into the midst of the peoples, where you may murmur to yourself. From no place judges He that everywhere is secret, everywhere open; whom it is allowed no one to know as He is, and whom no one is permitted not to know. Take heed what you doest. You are speaking iniquity against God. "The Spirit of the Lord has filled the round world" (another Scripture says this), "and that which contains all things has knowledge of the voice: wherefore he that speaks unjust things cannot be hid." [Wisdom 1:7-8] Do not therefore think God to be in places: He is with you such an one as you shall have been. What is such an one as you shall have been? Good, if you shall have been good; and evil to you He will seem, if evil you shall have been; but a Helper, if good you shall have been; an Avenger, if evil you shall have been. There you have a Judge in your secret place. Willing to do something of evil, from the public you retire into your house, where no enemy may see; from those places of your house which are open and before the eyes of men, you remove yourself into a chamber; you fear even in your chamber some witness from some other quarter, you retire into your heart, there you meditate. He is more inward than your heart. Whithersoever therefore you shall have fled, there He is. From yourself whither will you flee? Will you not follow yourself wherever you shall flee? But since there is One more inward even than yourself, there is no place whither you may flee from God angry, but to God reconciled. There is no place at all whither you may flee. Will you flee from Him? Flee to Him....What then shall we do now? "Let us come before His face," ἐ ν ἐξομολογήσει, come before in confession: He shall come gentle whom you had made angry. "Neither from the deserts of the mountains, for God is Judge:" not from the East, not from the West, not from the deserts of the mountains. Wherefore? "For God is Judge." If in any place He were, He would not be God: but because God is Judge, not man, do not expect Him out of places. His place you will be, if you are good, if after having confessed you shall have invoked Him.

Exposition on Psalm 75

"For the cup in the hand of the Lord of pure wine is full of mixed" [Psalm 75:8]. Justly so. "And He has poured out of this upon this man; nevertheless, the dreg thereof has not been emptied; there shall drink all the sinners of earth." Let us be somewhat recruited; there is here some obscurity....The first question that meets us is this, "of pure wine it is full of mixed." How "of pure," if "of mixed"? But when he says, "the cup in the hand of the Lord" (to men instructed in the Church of Christ I am speaking), you ought not indeed to paint in your heart God as it were circumscribed with a human form, lest, though the temples are shut up, you forge images in your hearts. This cup therefore does signify something. We will find out this. But "in the hand of the Lord," is, in the power of the Lord. For the hand of God is spoken of for the power of God. For even in reference to men ofttimes is said, in hand he has it: that is, in his power he has it, when he chooses he does it. "Of pure wine it is full of mixed." In continuation he has himself explained: "He has inclined," he says, "from this unto this man; nevertheless the dreg thereof has not been emptied." Behold how it was full of mixed wine. Let it not therefore terrify you that it is both pure and mixed: pure because of the genuineness thereof, mixed because of the dreg. What then in that place is the wine, and what the dreg? And what is, "He has inclined from this unto this man," in such sort that the dreg thereof was not emptied?

Exposition on Psalm 75

The cup of the Lord is at any rate “filled with mixed wine.” Although it is constantly drunk, nonetheless it is never fully drained. But when he says “mixed wine,” he is pointing to the New and Old Testaments, which make a salvific drink for souls when both are mixed. The Jews drink wine only, but not mixed wine, because they do not want to receive the health of the New Testament. The Manichaeans also do not drink mixed wine because they partly accept the New Testament but spit out the sacraments of the old law in rash boldness. He added, “And he tips it from this to this.” This absolutely refers to the two peoples, namely the Jews and the Gentiles, because he took the cup from the mouth of the Jews who did not believe and tipped it for the Gentiles nations to drink instead. It is a blessed and secure refreshment to receive the cup of salvation from him, who always knows how to offer beneficial things. This manner of speaking is peculiar to sacred Scripture, since it is scarcely able to be found in secular writings (or at least as I think).

Expositions of the Psalms 74:9

"But I," for all drink, but separately I, that is, Christ with His Body, "for ever will rejoice, I will Psalm to the God of Jacob" [Psalm 75:9]: in that promise to be at the end, whereof is said, "corrupt not."

Exposition on Psalm 75

"And all the horns of sinners I will break, and there shall be exalted the horns of the Just" [Psalm 75:10]. This is, the one He humbles, the other He exalts. Sinners would not have their horns to be broken, which without doubt will be broken at the end. You will not have Him then break them, do thou today break them. For you have heard above, do not despise it: "I have said to unjust men, Do not unjustly, and to the delinquents, Do not exalt the horn." When you have heard, do not exalt the horn, you have despised and hast exalted the horn: you shall come to the end, where there shall come to pass, "All the horns of sinners I will break, and there shall be exalted the horns of the Just." The horns of sinners are the dignities of proud men: the horns of the Just are the gifts of Christ. For by horns exultations are understood. You hate on earth earthly exultation, in order that you may have the heavenly. You love the earthly, He does not admit you to the Heavenly: and unto confusion will belong your horn which is broken, just as unto glory it will belong, if your horn is exalted. Now therefore there is time for making choice, then there will not be. You will not say, I will be let go and will make choice. For there have preceded the words, "I have said to the unjust." If I have not said, make ready an excuse, make ready a defence: but if I have said, seize first upon confession, lest you come unto damnation; for then confession will be too late, and there will be no defence.

Exposition on Psalm 75