The survival of the fittest?

For you who reason by evolution, by time, by cause and effect, you may see that to give one's life for the life of the world is an anti-evolutionary statement. While evolution tweets the survival of the fittest, God in the life of Jesus asks for the protection of the weakest and in such a life given in apparent weakness, more strength than expected arises.

I have been reading Psalm 76. I have now reached the halfway point in my reading through the Psalms in Hebrew. It is becoming easier. Psalm 76 follows the drinking of the cup in Psalm 75.

Psalms 74 and 76 surround this psalm. The enclosure of this frame is highlighted by the repeated use of the second person singular rhetoric about God - You Yourself did this or that. The two psalms share 16 words. Among them are these two also: fear and light. Psalm 76 plays on the letters of these two words. I have highlighted below a reversal of sounds: na'or, light-giving, nora', to be feared. The trio of these three psalms in the middle of the Psalter is worth many close readings. I have underlined a verse that has no recurring words and thereby stands out in the poem.

לַמְנַצֵּחַ בִּנְגִינֹת מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף שִׁיר	1	For the leader on strings A psalm of Asaph A song
נוֹדָע בִּיהוּדָה אֱלֹהִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל גָּדוֹל שְׁמוֹ	2	Renowned in Judah is God in Israel great is his name
וַיְהִי בְשָׁלֵם סוּכּוֹ וּמְעוֹנָתוֹ בְצִיּוֹן	3	and there is in Salem his booth and his habitation in Zion
שָׁמָּה שִׁבַּר רִשְׁפֵי קָשֶׁת מָגֵן וְחֶרֶב וּמִלְחָמָה סֶלָה	4	there he shatters the fire-brands of bow shield and sword and battle Selah
נָאוֹר אַתָּה אַדִּיר מֵהַרְרֵי טָרֶף	5	Light-giving you are more excellent than mountains of prey
אֶשְׁתּוֹלְלוּ אַבִּירֵי לֵב נָמוּ שְׁנָתָם וְלֹא מָצְאוּ כָל אַנְשֵׁי חַיִל יְדֵיהֶם	6	taken as spoil are the mighty of heart they have slumbered their sleep and all forceful mortals fail to find their hands
מִגַּעֲרָתְךָ אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב נִרְדָּם וְרֶכֶב וָסוּס	7	From your rebuke O God of Jacob stupefied are both chariot and horse
אַתָּה נוֹרָא אַתָּה וּמִי יַעֲמֹד לְפָנֶיךָ מֵאָז אַפֶּךָ	8	you are to be feared you yourself and who can stand in your presence at the onset of your anger?
מִשָּׁמַיִם הִשְׁמַעְתָּ דִּין אֶרֶץ יָרְאָה וְשָׁקָטָה	9	From heaven you made sentence heard earth feared and was quiet
בְּקוּם לַמִּשְׁפָּט אֱלֹהִים לְהוֹשִׁיעַ כָּל עַנְוֵי אֶרֶץ סֶלָה	10	when God arose to judgment to save all the afflicted of the earth Selah
כִּי חֲמַת אָדָם תּוֹדֶךָּ שְׁאֵרִית חֵמֹת תַּחְגֹּר	11	For human heat will thank you the residue of heat you will wear
נִדְרוּ וְשַׁלְּמוּ לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כָּל סְבִיבָיו יֹבִילוּ שַׁי לַמּוֹרָא	12	Vow and pay to יְהוָה your God all round about him bring tribute fearfully
יִבְצֹר רוּחַ נְגִידִים נוֹרָא לְמַלְכֵי אָרֶץ	13	he will enclose the spirit of aristocrats he will be feared by the kings of the earth

Hebrew words: 90. Percentage of Hebrew words that recur in this psalm: 28%. Average keywords per verse: 1.9.

Selected recurring words

Word and gloss * first usage	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Vs	Root
שׁמו his name	░								2	שׁם
בשׁלם in Salem		░							3	שׁלם
שׁמה there	░								4	שׁם
סלה Selah			░						4	סלה
אתה you				░					5	אתה
כל all					░				6	כל
אתה you				░					8	אתה
נורא are to be feared						░			8	ירא
אתה you yourself				░					8	אתה
ארץ earth							░		9	ארץ
יראה feared						░			9	ירא
כל all					░				10	כל
ארץ the earth							░		10	ארץ
סלה Selah			░						10	סלה
חמת heat								░	11	חמה
חמת heat								░	11	חמה
ושׁלמו and pay		░							12	שׁלם
כל all					░				12	כל
למורא fearfully						░			12	ירא
נורא he will be feared						░			13	ירא
ארץ the earth							░		13	ארץ

There is much talk these days of God and intervention, of mystical experience, of violence and exploitation - and rather grander chariots and horses than in the days of this poet (from our point of view). What does this ancient promise of cessation of violence do for us? Who is responsible for intervening? How about us - how about our prayers? What if we pray these words? Will our heat give thanks when God wears the residue of our troubles: the exploitation of the poor, the grinding of the refugee, and the random walk of violence in our times? What if we are the kings and aristocrats who will benefit from the intervention of God mediated by us?