Psalm 75 – God Of Justice And Mercy
For there is a cup in the Lord’s hand, full of wine blended with spices, and he pours from it. All the wicked of the earth will drink, draining it to the dregs. (Psalms 75:8)
A cup of wine (or a glass of wine) normally has good connotations for us, and it’s usually the case in the Bible. But this cup of wine the psalmist is talking about is often called the “cup of wrath” (Jer. 25:15). A metaphor for God’s justice being poured out on the wicked of the earth.
Now if you’ve read Genesis 1-10, then you know each person stands guilty before God. In fact, we’ve committed high treason. Think about it, God created the universe, the earth, sun, land, oceans, plants and animals. Then he created human beings. God entrusted us with his creation as his special stewards, partnering with him, to make the earth and humanity flourish even more. But instead we decided to cut ourselves off from this partnership, and created our own rules for life. We took all that God gave us, and then turned on him. And every nation is held accountable for treason of the highest order.
There’s this sobering moment in Matthew 26:39, as Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane, pleading with God about this specific cup of wrath. Jesus Christ, who’s called the Word. Jesus, who was with God in the beginning, and who all things were created through him (Jn. 1:2-3). The very Person we committed treason against, took that cup of wrath that was meant for you and I, and drank it. Jesus becomes all the nations of the world by consuming their judgment on himself. Crucified on the cross, Jesus absorbed God’s justice that was meant for us, by “draining it to the dredges.” God has justified the wicked by punishing Jesus (Rom. 4:5). God decided to show extravagant mercy and forgiveness to us. And so, right now is there someone in your home or your workplace, who’s in need of your mercy and kindness instead of your judgment?
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