Tehillim 75 | God Alone is Judge

Psalm 75 tries offering a response, and to do so, it steps outside the usual bounds of Tehillim, by presenting a direct speech from God. Typically, the Psalms in Tehillim are the words of human beings directed to God, unlike the books of prophecy, which include God speaking to humanity. But also in Tehillim, when from the human point of view there truly seems to be no answer, it is God who speaks: “At the appointed time I set, I will judge with equity” (75:3) – The moment will come, and I will judge. Wait and it will be all right. These messages are very similar to ideas we can encounter while reading the prophetic books (see for example the book of Chavakuk). What is the meaning of them being mentioned here too, in Tehillim?

It’s important to note that even this psalm, which quotes God’s words, wraps them in the voice of the poet: “God alone is judge; it is He who brings down or raises up… As for me, I will declare forever; I will sing praises to God of Yaakov” (75:8–10). Even in a generation when “no prophets are left, and none of us knows for how long” (74:9), even when it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel and no clear sense of God’s plan, faithful Jews can still quote God’s promises, and declare with hope-filled confidence: "“God alone is judge; it is He who brings down or raises up" (75:8).