God Always Has the Final Word

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What do you do when the fallout from your choices lingers and the path ahead feels slow and heavy? We walk through Psalms 74–76 to trace a hopeful arc: from the ashes of Jerusalem’s temple and Asaph’s aching how long, to God’s set time of judgment, to a stunning rescue that left an empire’s army silent. Along the way, we grapple with a hard kindness—God disciplines those he loves—and a deeper promise that the King from of old never abandons his people.

We begin with the realism of Psalm 74, where consequences are not denied but named. Asaph doesn’t dispute God’s justice; he pleads for mercy and waits. That waiting becomes spiritual work: recognizing how sin tarnishes God’s reputation and renewing a desire to honor his name above our own. Psalm 75 then widens the lens to a global horizon. The boastful lift their horn, but God has appointed a day to judge with equity. The image of the cup—foaming, well mixed—captures the moral weight of divine justice. We connect that image to Gethsemane and the cross, where Jesus took the cup meant for us and drank it to the dregs, opening the way to forgiveness and the new covenant.

Finally, Psalm 76 brings history alive with the fall of Assyria at Jerusalem’s doorstep. God defends the humble, silences the proud, and proves that even human rebellion will, in the end, showcase his power and wisdom. The throughline is simple and steady: when symbols collapse, essentials remain—God is still God, and his final word is not ruin but redemption. If you’re living with consequences, this conversation offers clarity about discipline, courage for waiting, and deep comfort in Christ’s finished work.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:42):
What do you do when your sin has consequences that
linger?
The Bible tells us that Goddisciplines those he loves.
His desire is to help us learnto walk wisely.
But times of discipline arehard.
Through these times, and eventhrough the attacks and
injustices we suffer, there'salways an abiding and sure hope.

(01:07):
God never abandons his people.
Stephen Davy will help you clingto this truth in a lesson called
God Always Has the Final Word.

SPEAKER_01 (01:19):
We arrive today in our wisdom journey here at Psalm
74.
It tells us that the author isAsaph.
Well, this particular ASAP isdifferent from the previous Asaf
we've studied in Psalm 73.
That older Asaf lived during thedays of King David.
This Asaph lives later thanthat, and we know that because

(01:41):
he references here in verse 3that the sanctuary has been
destroyed.
This describes the destructionof the temple, and that's going
to take place some 400 yearsafter David's reign.
So this Asaph lived to see thedestruction of the temple.
Now he may have been inJerusalem, he may have been in

(02:03):
exile when he composed thispsalm.
But what we do know for certainis that he's writing on behalf
of the entire nation.
He says here in verse 1, O God,why do you cast us off forever?
See what's happening here isIsrael has violated its covenant
with God for hundreds of years.

(02:25):
The Lord now has fulfilled hisown promise made all the way
back in Deuteronomy chapter 28to punish Israel for their
rebellion and idolatry.
The weight of God's disciplinehas now fallen on the nation.
It's now in exile in Babylon.
You might notice that Asaphisn't arguing with God about
this.

(02:45):
He's just wondering how longit's going to last.
His plea here is for God toremove his heavy hand of
discipline.
And that indicates to us thatrepentance has now occurred.
See, now the people are facingthese difficult days of waiting
on God to complete their time ofdiscipline.

(03:15):
Part of the discipline forsinning happens to be waiting on
God to lead us on to the nextchapter.
Now waiting isn't always theresult of sinning, but it
follows discipline.
And waiting gives us theopportunity to realize that our
sin not only hurt ourreputation, but it hurt the

(03:36):
Lord's reputation as well.
Asaph writes here in verse 10.
How long, O God, is the foe toscoff?
Is the enemy to revile your nameforever?
Listen, God's name has taken abeating.
Beloved, it's possible forChristians to tarnish the

(03:56):
reputation of God.
So as you read the closinglyrics of this psalm, it's clear
that while Asaph and the nationare suffering the consequences
of their sin, they have a newpriority now to exalt, to
rebuild, if you please, thereputation of their faithful
Lord.
And that's highlighted here nowin verse twelve.

(04:19):
God my king is from of old,working salvation in the midst
of the earth.
Oh, he's the king.
He's the sovereign king of allthe earth.
One author writes that the cityof Jerusalem has been wrecked
now, the temple has beendestroyed, burned to the ground,

(04:41):
but the essentials had not beentouched by the enemy.
The nation still has Jehovah Godas their God, and God is still
at work in their midst.
Now the next Psalm, Psalm 75,seems to be directly related to
seeing God's name vindicated,which which it will be when
God's judgment comes to passupon those who defy him and

(05:04):
scoff at him.
That's a future final judgment.
But that's the idea here is theLord warns the scoffer in verse
two.
At the set time that I appoint,I will judge with equity.
Here in verse 4, God says to theboastful, Do not boast, and to
the wicked, do not lift up yourhorn.

(05:26):
That is, don't be defiant inyour arrogance.
Judgment Day is coming.
Let me tell you, beloved, thewickedness that runs through
every nation and on everycontinent today.
God has appointed a day on whichhe will judge it all, the
scoffer, the boastful, thedefiant, and the unrepentant

(05:47):
who've rejected him.
The Apostle Paul told theleaders and philosophers there
in the proud city of Athens, Godcommands all people everywhere
to repent, because he's fixed aday on which he will judge the
world in righteousness.

(06:08):
Well, the poet here in Psalm 75puts the coming judgment of God
and some rather terrifyingpoetry.
Verse 8 describes it this way Inthe hand of the Lord there is a
cup with foaming wine, wellmixed, and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earthshall drain it down to the

(06:28):
dregs.
Wow.
Throughout the Bible, the thesymbolic significance of the cup
is not its appearance, but itscontents.
And here in Psalm 75, judgmentis in the cup.
God's going to hand out this cupnow to the wicked, and they're
going to drink to their owndamnation.

(06:49):
You might remember in Mark'sGospel in chapter 14, the Lord
is praying in the Garden ofGethsemane.
He's preparing to experience thewrath of his Father as he bears
our sins on the cross.
And Jesus prays, Father, removethis cup from me, yet not what I
will, but what you will.

(07:10):
And what a glorious thought thatwe're saved from God's wrath for
one reason.
We're trusting in Christ's deathon our behalf.
You see, on that cross, JesusChrist our Redeemer took the cup
and he drank our damnation dry.
One author made the wonderfulconnection that because Jesus

(07:33):
drank the cup of death for us,he can offer us the cup of the
new covenant.
And that's a covenant offorgiveness and new life in him.
But for those who reject theLord, you know what they're
doing?
They are effectively reachingout to take the cup of God's
judgment and wrath.
They're going to drink it forthemselves.

(07:55):
And that's dramaticallyillustrated now as we arrive at
Psalm 76.
Now, many Old Testament scholarsagree that the setting of this
particular Psalm is back in 2Kings 19, where God judged the
Assyrian army as they surroundedthe helpless city of Jerusalem.
That was the time when KingHezekiah was doing what was

(08:17):
right in the eyes of the Lord.
Well, if you remember, 14 yearsinto his reign, the Assyrians
came and attacked Jerusalem.
In a moment of weakness,Hezekiah agreed to pay them
tribute.
He's basically paying them bribemoney to leave Jerusalem alone.
But that wasn't enough for theAssyrians.

(08:38):
They had decided to destroyJerusalem anyway.
Well then Hezekiah responded byhumbling himself and going
before the Lord in prayer.
When the people of Jerusalemwoke up the next morning,
185,000 Assyrian soldiers werelying dead on the mountains
surrounding Jerusalem.

(08:58):
They had been destroyed that thenight before by the angel of the
Lord.
No wonder the Israelites aregoing to sing this psalm to God.
They're going to sing it forgenerations.
The lyrics here in verse 4celebrate the Lord.
Glorious are you, more majesticthan the mountains, full of

(09:20):
prey, that is those enemysoldiers than we read here in
verse seven.
But you, you are to be feared.
Who can stand before you whenonce your anger is roused?
From the heavens you utteredjudgment.
The earth feared and was stillwhen God arose to establish
judgment to save all the humbleof the earth.

(09:43):
Verse nine ends with that wordSila.
In other words, think aboutthat.
Against impossible odds, God hadrescued Jerusalem and his
people, and verse ten declares,Surely the wrath of man shall
praise you, O Lord.
You know that ought to encourageevery Christian today.

(10:05):
When the world's rebellionincreases, don't lose hope.
In fact, don't lose sight.
God will eventually turnmankind's defiance into a final
demonstration of his majesty andhis power.
I've mentioned before the tragiclife of Nietzsche, the

(10:27):
philosopher who laid thegroundwork in the late
nineteenth century for forterrible apostasy, terrible
defiance against God and thegospel of Christ.
He he taught that God is dead.
He taught that Christianity wasa curse on mankind rather than a
cure for mankind.

(10:47):
Upon Nietzsche's death, someonepenned those fitting words God
is dead, signed Nietzsche.
Nietzsche is dead, signed God.
What does this mean?
Well, what does Psalm 76 mean?

(11:08):
It means that God will alwayshave the final word.
Well, until our next wisdomjourney, beloved, may the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ and thelove of God and the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with youall.
Amen.

SPEAKER_00 (11:34):
Thanks for listening to The Wisdom Journey with
Stephen Davey.
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resources, visitwisdomonline.org.
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And you can email us at info atwisdomonline.org.

(11:57):
Stephen developed this dailyprogram to help you know what
the Bible says, understand whatit means, and apply it to your
life.
So please join us next time tocontinue the wisdom journey.