Psalm 75:8: The Cup of Wrath

Psalm 75:8 "For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs."

Luke 22:41-42 "And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

All of us know about the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. In that story, Jesus prayed a famous prayer: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." What is the "cup" that Jesus was referring to? What is Jesus talking about here? Well, let us look at Psalm 75 in order to answer that question.

However, before we do so, let us take this great opportunity to speak of the importance of the Old Testament. In today's world, there are many Christian perspectives that consider the Old Testament obsolete. Although many, many reasons could be given to prove this idea false, there is one today that we will consider, that is, how the Old Testament is the foundation to the New Testament. Like a basement to a house, the Old Testament provides the necessary support to hold up the New. Thus, we need the Old Testament just as much as we need the New. It might not seem as glamorous or exciting (even though, the more you read it rightly, I bet that you will find it more and more exciting), but it is still foundational to the New Testament and the truths found therein.

One of those truths that the Old Testament sets up for the New Testament is the cup of wrath that we look at today. In the Garden, Jesus was not speaking of drinking a cup of his favorite beverage, but a cup of wrath that the Father would have him drink. We know this based on Psalm 75, when the psalmist is talking about a cup that resembled God's judgment on evil nations. The psalmist tells us that wicked people would be forced to drink this cup that the Lord had mixed, a cup that was an analogy for the righteous judgment and wrath that Lord would instill upon them for their disobedience.

However, the most glorious thing about this cup is that the Savior who had never sinned chose to drink our portion of the cup so that we wouldn't have to. Just like the wicked nations, you and I deserve to drink the cup of wrath. "For there is no difference, for all sinned and are falling short of the God's glory" (Romans 3:22a-23, my translation). Because we are sinners, we deserve the wrath of God. However, the Gospel tells us that Jesus came in our place. J.D. Greear, one of my favorite pastors, notes that the entirety of the Gospel can be summed up in four words: Jesus in our place. Rather than me taking the cup of wrath and drinking it for myself, Jesus took the cup and drank it all the way down, so that you and I would never have to even taste it.