◄ Psalm 76:7 ►
You alone are to be feared. When You are angry, who can stand before You?
Study Bible
You alone are to be feared
This phrase emphasizes the exclusivity of God's sovereignty and power. The Hebrew word for "feared" is "yare," which conveys a deep reverence and awe. In the ancient Near Eastern context, fear of a deity was common, but the psalmist here underscores that only Yahweh, the God of Israel, is worthy of such reverence. This fear is not merely terror but a profound respect and acknowledgment of God's supreme authority and holiness. It calls believers to recognize God's unparalleled majesty and to live in a way that honors His divine nature.

When You are angry
The phrase highlights God's righteous indignation. The Hebrew word for "angry" is "aph," which can also mean "nostrils" or "face," suggesting the intensity of God's wrath. In biblical history, God's anger is often depicted as a response to sin and injustice. This anger is not capricious but is a reflection of His holiness and justice. It serves as a warning to the faithful to remain obedient and to seek His mercy, knowing that His anger is always just and purposeful.

who can stand before You?
This rhetorical question underscores the futility of opposing God. The Hebrew word "amad" for "stand" implies maintaining one's position or enduring. Historically, this reflects the experiences of nations and individuals who have attempted to defy God and have faced His judgment. Scripturally, it reminds believers of the accounts of God's deliverance and judgment, such as the Exodus or the fall of Jericho. It inspires awe and humility, encouraging believers to submit to God's will, recognizing that no power can withstand His might.

Persons / Places / Events
1. God (Yahweh)
The central figure in this verse, emphasizing His sovereignty and the reverence due to Him.

2. Israel
While not directly mentioned in this verse, the context of Psalm 76 is a celebration of God's deliverance of Israel, likely from a military threat.

3. Enemies of God
Implicit in the verse, representing those who oppose God and cannot stand before His wrath.
Teaching Points
The Fear of the Lord
Understanding the fear of the Lord as a profound reverence and awe, not merely terror, is crucial for a right relationship with God.

God's Sovereignty
Recognize God's ultimate authority over all creation. His anger is just and righteous, and no one can withstand it without His mercy.

The Call to Repentance
Reflect on the need for personal repentance and humility before God, acknowledging our inability to stand before Him in our own strength.

God's Protection for His People
Take comfort in knowing that God's power, which is fearsome to His enemies, is a source of protection and deliverance for His people.

Living in Reverence
Cultivate a lifestyle that honors God, recognizing His holiness and living in a way that reflects His character.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the fear of the Lord influence your daily walk with Him?

2. In what ways can you cultivate a deeper reverence for God's sovereignty in your life?

3. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's protection. How does this reinforce your trust in His power?

4. How can the call to repentance in this verse be applied to your current spiritual journey?

5. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your life reflects a reverence for God's holiness?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 15:11
This verse connects to the theme of God's unmatched power and the fear due to Him, as seen in the song of Moses celebrating God's deliverance.

Hebrews 10:31
This New Testament verse echoes the fearsome nature of falling into the hands of the living God, reinforcing the idea of reverence and awe.

Revelation 6:17
This verse speaks to the inability of anyone to stand before the wrath of the Lamb, paralleling the theme of God's overwhelming power and judgment.
Sermons
The Divine AngerR. Tuck Psalm 76:7
The Fear of GodS. Conway Psalm 76:7
A Psalm of TriumphC. Short Psalm 76:1-12
Glorious Aspects of the Divine CharacterA. K. H. Boyd, D. D.Psalm 76:1-12
The Triumphs of GodS. Conway Psalm 76:1-12
People
Asaph, Jacob, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Anger, Angry, Feared, Fearful, Hast, Presence, Roused, Sight, Stand, Terrible, Wrath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 76:7

     8334   reverence, and God's nature

Library
Letter Xlviii to Magister Walter De Chaumont.
To Magister [75] Walter de Chaumont. He exhorts him to flee from the world, advising him to prefer the cause and the interests of his soul to those of parents. MY DEAR WALTER, I often grieve my heart about you whenever the most pleasant remembrance of you comes back to me, seeing how you consume in vain occupations the flower of your youth, the sharpness of your intellect, the store of your learning and skill, and also, what is more excellent in a Christian than all of these gifts, the pure and innocent …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Epistle cxxii. To Rechared, King of the visigoths .
To Rechared, King of the Visigoths [82] . Gregory to Rechared, &c. I cannot express in words, most excellent son, how much I am delighted with thy work and thy life. For on hearing of the power of a new miracle in our days, to wit that the whole nation of the Goths has through thy Excellency been brought over from the error of Arian heresy to the firmness of a right faith, one is disposed to exclaim with the prophet, This is the change wrought by the right hand of the Most High (Ps. lxxvi. 11 [83] …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Concerning Jonathan, one of the Sicarii, that Stirred up a Sedition in Cyrene, and was a False Accuser [Of the Innocent].
1. And now did the madness of the Sicarii, like a disease, reach as far as the cities of Cyrene; for one Jonathan, a vile person, and by trade a weaver, came thither and prevailed with no small number of the poorer sort to give ear to him; he also led them into the desert, upon promising them that he would show them signs and apparitions. And as for the other Jews of Cyrene, he concealed his knavery from them, and put tricks upon them; but those of the greatest dignity among them informed Catullus, …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

Jerusalem
The first name of this city was Shalem, Genesis 14:18, Psalm 76:2, and it is still retained in the writing, however it is read Jerushalaim. "The name of that place is Jehovah-jireh. Abraham called the place Jireh; Shem called it Shalem. Saith God, If I shall call it Jireh, it will displease Shem the Just; if I shall call it Shalem, it will displease Abraham the Just. I will therefore put that name upon it which was put upon it by both, Jireh, Shalem,--Jerusalem."--"We do not, therefore, put Jod between …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Beginning at Jerusalem
The whole verse runs thus: "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." The words were spoken by Christ, after he rose from the dead, and they are here rehearsed after an historical manner, but do contain in them a formal commission, with a special clause therein. The commission is, as you see, for the preaching of the gospel, and is very distinctly inserted in the holy record by Matthew and Mark. "Go teach all nations," …
John Bunyan—Jerusalem Sinner Saved

The Jerusalem Sinner Saved;
OR, GOOD NEWS FOR THE VILEST OF MEN; BEING A HELP FOR DESPAIRING SOULS, SHOWING THAT JESUS CHRIST WOULD HAVE MERCY IN THE FIRST PLACE OFFERED TO THE BIGGEST SINNERS. THE THIRD EDITION, IN WHICH IS ADDED, AN ANSWER TO THOSE GRAND OBJECTIONS THAT LIE IN THE WAY OF THE THEM THAT WOULD BELIEVE: FOR THE COMFORT OF THEM THAT FEAR THEY HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST. BY JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. London: Printed for Elizabeth Smith, at the Hand and Bible, on London Bridge, 1691. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Question Lxxxii of Devotion
I. Is Devotion a Special Kind of Act? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Meaning of the Term "Devotion" S. Augustine, Confessions, XIII. viii. 2 II. Is Devotion an Act of the Virtue of Religion? III. Is Contemplation, that is Meditation, the Cause of Devotion? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Causes of Devotion " " On the Devotion of Women IV. Is Joy an Effect of Devotion? Cardinal Cajetan, On Melancholy S. Augustine, Confessions, II. x. I Is Devotion a Special Kind of Act? It is by our acts that we merit. But …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, K ING OF K INGS AND L ORD OF L ORDS T he description of the administration and glory of the Redeemer's Kingdom, in defiance of all opposition, concludes the second part of Messiah Oratorio. Three different passages from the book of Revelation are selected to form a grand chorus, of which Handel's title in this verse is the close --a title which has been sometimes vainly usurped by proud worms of this earth. Eastern monarchs, in particular, …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Question Lxxxi of the virtue of Religion
I. Does the Virtue of Religion Direct a Man To God Alone? S. Augustine, sermon, cccxxxiv. 3 " on Psalm lxxvi. 32 sermon, cccxi. 14-15 II. Is Religion a Virtue? III. Is Religion One Virtue? IV. Is Religion a Special Virtue Distinct From Others? V. Is Religion One of the Theological Virtues? VI. Is Religion To Be Preferred To the Other Moral Virtues? VII. Has Religion, Or Latria, Any External Acts? S. Augustine, of Care for the Dead, V. VIII. Is Religion the Same As Sanctity? Cardinal Cajetan, …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Letter Xlv (Circa A. D. 1120) to a Youth Named Fulk, who Afterwards was Archdeacon of Langres
To a Youth Named Fulk, Who Afterwards Was Archdeacon of Langres He gravely warns Fulk, a Canon Regular, whom an uncle had by persuasions and promises drawn back to the world, to obey God and be faithful to Him rather than to his uncle. To the honourable young man Fulk, Brother Bernard, a sinner, wishes such joy in youth as in old age he will not regret. 1. I do not wonder at your surprise; I should wonder if you were not suprised [sic] that I should write to you, a countryman to a citizen, a monk …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Covenanting Confers Obligation.
As it has been shown that all duty, and that alone, ought to be vowed to God in covenant, it is manifest that what is lawfully engaged to in swearing by the name of God is enjoined in the moral law, and, because of the authority of that law, ought to be performed as a duty. But it is now to be proved that what is promised to God by vow or oath, ought to be performed also because of the act of Covenanting. The performance of that exercise is commanded, and the same law which enjoins that the duties …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Power of God
The next attribute is God's power. Job 9:19. If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong.' In this chapter is a magnificent description of God's power. Lo, he is strong.' The Hebrew word for strong signifies a conquering, prevailing strength. He is strong.' The superlative degree is intended here; viz., He is most strong. He is called El-shaddai, God almighty. Gen 17:7. His almightiness lies in this, that he can do whatever is feasible. Divines distinguish between authority and power. God has both. …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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