Psa 74:13 | KingComments | STEP | After the complaint and the questions, suddenly the certainty of victory breaks through. That certainty is substantiated by what God has done in the past. It is now not a common memory, as in for example, but a personal memory. The believer who suffers with God’s people finds in his personal relationship with God a certainty that cannot be undone by the disastrous condition of God’s people. He confesses from the depths of his heart: “Yet God is my king from of old” ( ). It is the certainty that God sits on the throne and governs everything. Nothing gets out of hand for Him. That applies to His people as a whole as well as to the individual members. The latter aspect is of primary importance here. It is not a general confession that God is King, but He is “my king”. That He is my King “from of old”, means from the birth of Israel, when Israel was delivered from Egypt ( ; cf. ). At the same time it points to the eternal kingship of God ( ). It is the realization that God has always had supremacy, but that is now applied by the believer to his own life as well. Therefore, it is not a general confession of faith, but an expression of personal faith when the believer says of God that He “works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth”. It is the conviction that not evil has the last word, but God. He will give His people as a whole and the individual believer the full blessing of salvation in the realm of peace. When God brings salvation here on earth, His eternal kingship is revealed in time (“of old”) and place (“earth”). The thought is: the God Who worked redemption then, would He not be able to redeem now? After all, He is the God Who created the earth in the beginning ( ). He, the Creator and the Redeemer, would He not be able to redeem now? In Revelation 4 and 5 we find the same connection between the Creator and the Redeemer ( ; cf. ). The faith of the God-fearing sees the convincing evidence of the power of God in the history of God’s people. Many times God has demonstrated His power in the deliverance of His people. This redemptive, delivering acting of God in the past guarantees that He is able to do so again, in their situation. Asaph presents God, as it were, with some of the proofs of the exercise of His power. Thereby he repeatedly emphasizes that it was He, “You”, Who did it. The first evidence is the revelation of His power at the dividing of the Red Sea ( ). He says to God: “You” did that. The dividing of the sea, with the water becoming like a wall, only God can do ( ). This is an unparalleled wonder of God and proves His dominion over nature. What is the way of deliverance for Israel is the way of breaking “the heads of the sea monsters in the waters” – this is a picture of the Egyptians ( ). The Egyptians all perished in the Red Sea ( ). God has “crushed the heads of Leviathan” ( ). The many-headed monster is also a reference to Egypt, but then more emphatically to the power behind it, which is the devil (cf. ; ; ; ). Asaph expresses the complete humiliation of this enemy by saying that God “gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness”. He is not buried – which may be a reference to the dead Egyptians on the shore of the Red Sea ( ) – but given for food to the wilderness dwellers, the wild animals. After the example of the destruction of the enemy follows the example of God’s care for His people after their deliverance ( ). This also shows His omnipotence. Who can supply water to a people of millions in the wilderness? No one, except God. Who can bring this people out of the wilderness into the promised land, through an ever-flowing river, the Jordan? No one but God. God demonstrates His power in favor of His people in His authority over creation. He gives His people water for refreshment and dries up waters that seem to hinder the progress of His people toward the promised blessing (cf. ). God has authority over creation because He is its Creator and also its Sustainer ( ). “The day” and “the night” ( ) remind us of day one of the six days of creation. That’s when God created the light ( ). It also reminds us of day four. That’s when God created the sun ( ). Asaph – and in him the God-fearing in the end time, and also we who live in the end time – confesses with all his heart that both “the day” and “the night” are God’s property. In application, “the day” refers to prosperity and “the night” to adversity. Both are in God’s hand. In the realm of peace there will be no more night ( ), for “the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun” ( ). Heathen can oppress and drive out God’s people and destroy God’s sanctuary. However, this does not change God’s government over creation, His judgment on His enemies, or His redemption of His people. He determines the day and He determines the night for His people and for the heathen (cf. ; ). As long as God maintains day and night, He will not break the covenant with His people ( ). God has “prepared the light and the sun”. The light shines in the darkness. The Lord Jesus is the light of the world ( ). He, the light, reveals how dark the world is. This darkness is not only there because of the absence of light, but it is a darkness that is present within man. Therefore man is not able to perceive the light. Therefore, God had to send a man, John the baptist, to testify of the light ( ). The Lord Jesus, Who is the light, also reveals Who God is: “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained [Him]” ( ). That revelation is to give those who have accepted Him the right to become children of God ( ), allowing them to address God with “Abba Father” ( ; ). Christ is also the Sun of righteousness ( ). The realm of peace is a realm of light because the Lord Jesus will shine there as the Sun of righteousness. Just as the sun has dominion over the day, He has dominion in the realm of peace. In His omnipotence and wise policy, God “established all the boundaries of the earth” ( ; cf. ). God did this with Israel as the starting point and center ( ). Thereby the God-fearing also refers to God’s covenant with Noah. This covenant is based on the burnt offering Noah brought on an earth cleansed by the flood ( ). The realm of peace is a kingdom cleansed by judgment. All the blessing God gives in the realm of peace is grounded in Christ’s sacrifice for God.

‏ Psalms 74:13

God Reigns

After the complaint and the questions, suddenly the certainty of victory breaks through. That certainty is substantiated by what God has done in the past. It is now not a common memory, as in Psa 74:9 for example, but a personal memory. The believer who suffers with God’s people finds in his personal relationship with God a certainty that cannot be undone by the disastrous condition of God’s people.

He confesses from the depths of his heart: “Yet God is my king from of old” (Psa 74:12). It is the certainty that God sits on the throne and governs everything. Nothing gets out of hand for Him. That applies to His people as a whole as well as to the individual members. The latter aspect is of primary importance here. It is not a general confession that God is King, but He is “my king”.

That He is my King “from of old”, means from the birth of Israel, when Israel was delivered from Egypt (Psa 74:13; cf. Exo 15:18). At the same time it points to the eternal kingship of God (Psa 10:16a). It is the realization that God has always had supremacy, but that is now applied by the believer to his own life as well.

Therefore, it is not a general confession of faith, but an expression of personal faith when the believer says of God that He “works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth”. It is the conviction that not evil has the last word, but God. He will give His people as a whole and the individual believer the full blessing of salvation in the realm of peace.

When God brings salvation here on earth, His eternal kingship is revealed in time (“of old”) and place (“earth”). The thought is: the God Who worked redemption then, would He not be able to redeem now? After all, He is the God Who created the earth in the beginning (Psa 74:16). He, the Creator and the Redeemer, would He not be able to redeem now? In Revelation 4 and 5 we find the same connection between the Creator and the Redeemer (Rev 4:11 ; Rev 5:5-7 ; 9; cf. Rom 8:32).

The faith of the God-fearing sees the convincing evidence of the power of God in the history of God’s people. Many times God has demonstrated His power in the deliverance of His people. This redemptive, delivering acting of God in the past guarantees that He is able to do so again, in their situation. Asaph presents God, as it were, with some of the proofs of the exercise of His power. Thereby he repeatedly emphasizes that it was He, “You”, Who did it.

The first evidence is the revelation of His power at the dividing of the Red Sea (Psa 74:13). He says to God: “You” did that. The dividing of the sea, with the water becoming like a wall, only God can do (Exo 14:21-22 ; Exo 15:8). This is an unparalleled wonder of God and proves His dominion over nature. What is the way of deliverance for Israel is the way of breaking “the heads of the sea monsters in the waters” – this is a picture of the Egyptians (Eze 32:2). The Egyptians all perished in the Red Sea (Exo 14:26-28).

God has “crushed the heads of Leviathan” (Psa 74:14). The many-headed monster is also a reference to Egypt, but then more emphatically to the power behind it, which is the devil (cf. Job 41:1 ; 6; Psa 104:26; Isa 27:1 ; Isa 51:9; Rev 13:2b). Asaph expresses the complete humiliation of this enemy by saying that God “gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness”. He is not buried – which may be a reference to the dead Egyptians on the shore of the Red Sea (Exo 14:30) – but given for food to the wilderness dwellers, the wild animals.

After the example of the destruction of the enemy follows the example of God’s care for His people after their deliverance (Psa 74:15). This also shows His omnipotence. Who can supply water to a people of millions in the wilderness? No one, except God. Who can bring this people out of the wilderness into the promised land, through an ever-flowing river, the Jordan? No one but God. God demonstrates His power in favor of His people in His authority over creation. He gives His people water for refreshment and dries up waters that seem to hinder the progress of His people toward the promised blessing (cf. Zec 10:11).

God has authority over creation because He is its Creator and also its Sustainer (Heb 1:2-3). “The day” and “the night” (Psa 74:16) remind us of day one of the six days of creation. That’s when God created the light (Gen 1:3-5). It also reminds us of day four. That’s when God created the sun (Gen 1:14-19).

Asaph – and in him the God-fearing in the end time, and also we who live in the end time – confesses with all his heart that both “the day” and “the night” are God’s property. In application, “the day” refers to prosperity and “the night” to adversity. Both are in God’s hand. In the realm of peace there will be no more night (Rev 21:25), for “the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun” (Isa 30:26a).

Heathen can oppress and drive out God’s people and destroy God’s sanctuary. However, this does not change God’s government over creation, His judgment on His enemies, or His redemption of His people. He determines the day and He determines the night for His people and for the heathen (cf. Isa 45:7 ; Isa 60:1-2; Mt 4:16). As long as God maintains day and night, He will not break the covenant with His people (Jer 33:21-22).

God has “prepared the light and the sun”. The light shines in the darkness. The Lord Jesus is the light of the world (Jn 8:12 ; Jn 1:4-5). He, the light, reveals how dark the world is. This darkness is not only there because of the absence of light, but it is a darkness that is present within man. Therefore man is not able to perceive the light. Therefore, God had to send a man, John the baptist, to testify of the light (Jn 1:6-9).

The Lord Jesus, Who is the light, also reveals Who God is: “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained [Him]” (Jn 1:18). That revelation is to give those who have accepted Him the right to become children of God (Jn 1:12), allowing them to address God with “Abba Father” (Rom 8:15-16; Gal 4:6).

Christ is also the Sun of righteousness (Mal 4:2). The realm of peace is a realm of light because the Lord Jesus will shine there as the Sun of righteousness. Just as the sun has dominion over the day, He has dominion in the realm of peace.

In His omnipotence and wise policy, God “established all the boundaries of the earth” (Psa 74:17; cf. Acts 17:26). God did this with Israel as the starting point and center (Deu 32:8). Thereby the God-fearing also refers to God’s covenant with Noah. This covenant is based on the burnt offering Noah brought on an earth cleansed by the flood (Gen 8:20-22). The realm of peace is a kingdom cleansed by judgment. All the blessing God gives in the realm of peace is grounded in Christ’s sacrifice for God.