The Ultimate Promotion: Who Is Really In Charge? Series

Introduction: The Power Players

Good morning. It’s Monday, September 8th, and as we begin a new week, we are immediately confronted with the world's obsession with power. We see it in global politics, in the competition of the business world, and sometimes even in our own communities. We see arrogant people, who the Bible says "speak with a stiff neck," who seem to succeed at every turn.

Watching this can be frustrating. It can be intimidating. It can even make us despair and ask the question, "Who is really in charge here?"

Psalm 75 is God's direct answer to that question. It is a song of thanksgiving that quickly becomes a divine announcement, a course correction for our perspective on power. In a world that causes us fear and frustration, this psalm reveals three foundational truths about God's role as the ultimate Judge, reminding us who truly holds the authority.

I. God Holds the World Together

The psalm begins with thanksgiving, but then the voice suddenly shifts. It is God Himself who speaks, and what He says is stunning.

Verse 3: "The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I am he that holdeth up the pillars of it."

This is a breathtaking image. From our human perspective, looking at the news and the moral decay around us, it often feels like the very fabric of society is dissolving into chaos. But God pulls back the curtain and shows us a deeper reality. He says that even when everything seems to be falling apart, He is the one secretly and powerfully holding the foundational pillars of the universe in place.

Application: When the news is overwhelming, when society seems to be abandoning its morals, when the future feels uncertain, we must remember this truth. Our ultimate stability is not found in our governments, our economy, or our personal plans. Our stability is found in the unseen, unshakable hands of the God who upholds all things. This knowledge doesn't make the problems disappear, but it gives us a profound and steadying peace in the midst of them.

II. God Controls Every Promotion

After hearing from God, the psalmist applies this truth by giving a warning to the arrogant: "Lift not up your horn on high." The "horn" in the Bible is a symbol of strength, pride, and power. He is telling the proud not to be so sure of their own strength.

Then he gives the core reason in verses 6-7, a truth that should change the way we view success and failure:

"For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another."

This is a radical, counter-cultural statement. True promotion, lasting authority, and real influence don't ultimately come from your connections in the east, your power base in the west, or any human effort. The final authority to raise someone up or to bring them down belongs to God alone.

Application: This truth frees us from two very common traps. First, it frees us from envying or fearing the powerful, because we know their position is temporary and ultimately granted by God. Second, it frees us from anxiously striving for success in ungodly ways. We don't have to play dirty political games at work or compromise our integrity to get ahead. We can work with excellence and trust our future to the one true Judge who promotes according to His perfect will and in His perfect time.

III. God Will Judge with Perfect Justice

The psalm ends with a sobering but hopeful vision of God's final judgment. This is where God's authority is made complete.

There is a cup of wrath that the wicked must drink (v. 8). This is a biblical metaphor signifying that there will be a final, personal accounting for arrogance, injustice, and evil. God's justice will not be mocked forever. No one gets away with anything.

But for the people of God, there is a powerful promise. The final word from God in this psalm is, "All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted" (v. 10).

There is a coming Great Reversal. The power, pride, and influence (the horns) of the arrogant will be broken and brought to nothing. But the strength, dignity, and honor (the horns) of the humble and righteous will be lifted up by God Himself.

Application: This gives us tremendous hope. In the face of injustice that we see or experience, we don't need to take revenge into our own hands. We can entrust the situation to the perfect Judge who sees everything. And it gives us endurance. We can continue to live righteously, even when it's difficult and seems unrewarded, because we know that our ultimate vindication and exaltation comes not from man, but from God.