Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 75
For the worship leader. A song of Asaph to the tune “Do Not Destroy.”[a]
1 We thank You, O True God.
Our souls are overflowing with thanks! Your name is near;
Your people remember and tell of Your marvelous works and wonders.
2 You say, “At the time that I choose,
I will judge and do so fairly.
3 When the earth and everyone living upon it spin into chaos,
I am the One who stabilizes and supports it.”[b]
[pause][c]
4 “I discipline the arrogant by telling them, ‘No more bragging.’
I discipline the wicked by saying, ‘Do not raise your horn to demonstrate your power.[d]
5 Do not thrust your horn into the air, issuing a challenge,
and never speak with insolence when you address Me.’”
6 There is no one on earth who can raise up another to grant honor,
not from the east or the west, not from the desert.
There is no one. God is the only One.
7 God is the only Judge.
He is the only One who can ruin or redeem a man.
8 For the Eternal holds a full cup of wine in His hand—
a chalice well stirred and foaming full of wrath.
He pours the cup out,
and all wicked people of the earth drink it up—every drop of it!
9 But I will tell of His great deeds forever.
I will sing praises to Jacob’s True God.
10 I will cut off the horns of strength raised by the wicked,
but I will lift up the horns of strength of the righteous.
40 The Eternal continued speaking to Job.
2 Eternal One: Have you heard enough?
Will the one who finds fault with the Highest One[a] now make his case?
Let God’s accuser answer Him!
3 Job answered the Eternal.
4 Job: Oh, I am so small. How can I reply to You?
I’ll cover my mouth with my hand, for I’ve already said too much.
5 One time I have spoken, and I have no answer to give—
two times, and I have nothing more to add.
6 The Eternal spoke to Job from the raging storm.
Eternal One: 7 Now, prepare yourself and gather your courage like a warrior.
Prepare yourself for the task at hand.
I’ll be asking the questions, now—
you will supply the answers.
8 Let Me ask you a new question:
Would you go so far as to call into question My judgment?
Would you imagine Me guilty merely in order to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm just as powerful as God’s
and does your voice thunder as His does?
10 Then dress yourself up in majesty and dignity.
Deck yourself out in honor and splendor
11 And indulge your anger.
Unleash your wrath!
Look down on each and every proud soul, and cut him low.
12 Look down on all who are proud, and humiliate them.
Raise your mighty foot, and stomp the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all together in the dirt,
and shroud their frozen faces in the secret recesses of the grave.
14 If you can execute all this,
then I—yes, even I—will praise you,
for your great and mighty right hand earned you the victory!
15 But before you undertake My challenge,
turn your attention to Behemoth,
The beast which I fashioned along with you.
Behemoth isn’t just any beast. Because of the Hebrew grammatical construction, it is apparent that Behemoth is the largest, strongest beast the Lord ever created. With the exception of his dreadful size and strength, Behemoth’s description seems to be one of a peaceful animal—hanging out by the river and chewing its cud. Ancient Jewish myth describes him otherwise: the primal land monster will one day fight against the primal sea monster, Leviathan, bringing chaos; their deaths will end the world. This legend may be the backdrop of Behemoth’s description here, and some see it obliquely referenced in the New Testament. In Revelation the beast who is the antichrist is accompanied by the false prophet; but Leviathan isn’t the one who kills Behemoth, or the false prophet as some see him. God throws the false prophet and the antichrist into the “lake of fire that burns with sulfur” (Revelation 19:20; 20:10).
Eternal One: It eats grass like an ox.
16 Look carefully: it has a sturdy, muscular base
and draws its power from its brawny core.
17 Its bends like a cedar,
the sinews of its powerful thighs are woven tightly.
18 Its bones, unbreakable, are like tubes of bronze;
its whole skeletal structure is like a framework of iron.
19 It is one of My most marvelous creations;
only I, its Maker, can threaten its existence.
20 The hillsides offer it food as it grazes near
where the wild animals bustle and play.
21 It lies beside the river under the shade of the lotus,
hidden by the reeds of the marsh;
22 The lotus trees cover it with their shadows;
the willows of the stream surround it.
23 It is not alarmed when the river rises and rages;
it stands confident, firmly fixed,
Even when the Jordan swells
and rushes against it.
24 Can anyone capture this beast while it is watching
or trap it and pierce its nose to haul it off?
6 So let’s push on toward a more perfect understanding and move beyond just the basic teachings of the Anointed One. There’s no reason to rehash the fundamentals: repenting from what you loved in your old dead lives, believing in God as our Creator and Redeemer, 2 teaching about baptism,[a] setting aside those called to service through the ritual laying on of hands, the coming resurrection of those who have died, and God’s final judgment of all people for all time. 3 No, we will move on toward perfection, if God wills it.
It’s clear that Jesus wanted His people to grow and mature in faith. Those who don’t move beyond the basics—tasting the gifts and powers of the new creation, partaking in the Spirit and the word of God—and then fall away bring shame to Jesus and produce nothing but briars and brambles. There is no stagnant life in the Kingdom. Either you grow and produce a blessing or you languish and descend into a curse. Be warned.
4-6 It is impossible to restore the changed heart of the one who has fallen from faith—who has already been enlightened, has tasted the gift of new life from God, has shared in the power of the Holy Spirit, and has known the goodness of God’s revelation and the powers of the coming age. If such a person falls away, it’s as though that one were crucifying the Son of God all over again and holding Him up to ridicule. 7 You see, God blesses the ground that drinks of the rain and then produces a bountiful crop for those who cultivate it. 8 But land that produces nothing but thorns and brambles? That land is worthless and in danger of being cursed, burned to the bare earth.
9 But listen, my friends—we don’t mean to discourage you completely with such talk. We are convinced that you are made for better things, the things of salvation, 10 because God is not unjust or unfair. He won’t overlook the work you have done or the love you have carried to each other in His name while doing His work, as you are still doing. 11 We want you all to continue working until the end so that you’ll realize the certainty that comes with hope 12 and not grow lazy. We want you to walk in the footsteps of the faithful who came before you, from whom you can learn to be steadfast in pursuing the promises of God.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.