Psalm 75.7 reads: “But it is God who judges. He brings one down, He exalts another.”
On reading these words, my mind goes to two prayers, one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament.
Hannah prayed; “The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap” (1 Sam 2.7-8).
And Mary prayed; “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1.52-53).
It would be possible to conclude that God is capricious. But we know from scripture that this is not true. For He is good. So, when He exalts one and humbles another, it cannot be some divine thrown-of-the-dice, not an act of pure caprice or mean-ness.
We do not always know the ‘why’ of God. Why does He exalt one and humble another? Yet that is to do with His judgment, His drawing of a line, His changing of human circumstances.
We may miss a spiritual truth by seeing only the short-term circumstances. It was Esau who despised his birthright (Gen 25.34). Esau failed to look beyond the immediate circumstances, and his own hunger and weariness after a hard day’s work.
The Psalmist responds to God’ justice by gratitude (Ps 75.1), by praising Him (Ps 75.9). We praise Him for the fact that He is good and unchangeable. The thought of omnipotence without goodness is simply too awful to contemplate.
And, running through the Psalm is a theme of submission. To truly trust God is to submit to His will, whatever the circumstances. And we learn not to fear His justice.