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Psalms 97

¹The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

²Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

³A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

⁴His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.

⁵The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

⁶The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.

⁷Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.

⁸Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD.

⁹For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

¹¹Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.

¹²Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

on Psalms 97

Psalm 97

The psalmist picked up the theme in 96: and described the King coming to judge His enemies and reward His people. In 95, the emphasis was on God’s people, and 96 focused our attention on the nations of the world. This psalm combines both themes and tells us that Jehovah is “the Lord Most High” in heaven (v. 9 nasb) who has all things under His control. Believers today see Jesus as God’s exalted King (see Acts 2:32–33; 5:31; Eph. 1:17–23; Phil. 2:5–11; Heb. 1:3; 1 Peter 3:22; Rev. 3:21).

The Lord Is Exalted on His Throne

No matter what the circumstances around us or the feelings within us, “the Lord reigns” (93:1; 96:10; 99:1; 117:1), and He reigns over all the earth (vv. 1, 4, 5, 9; 96:1, 9, 11, 13; 98:3, 4, 9). His sovereign authority reaches beyond the land of Israel to the farthest islands and coastlands, places that the Jews had never visited. God’s desire was that Israel be a light to the Gentiles (Gen. 12:1–3; Isa. 42:6; 49:6) to show them the truth of the one true and living God, just as the church today is to be a light to the world by sharing the gospel message (Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47). Knowing that “the Lord God omnipotent reigns” (Rev. 19:6) ought to bring joy to our hearts and our worship (vv. 1, 8, 11, 12; see 96:11). Though His throne is surrounded by clouds and darkness, and we do not fully understand the mysteries of His providence, we know that His throne rests on righteousness and justice and that “the Judge of all the earth [will] do right” (Gen. 18:25). The psalm begins with darkness (v. 1) but ends with light for the righteous (v. 11).

The Lord Is Exalted over His Enemies

The picture is that of a storm sweeping across the land and destroying everything in its path (see 18:9–12; 29; Hab. 3:3–15). The image of the storm takes us back to the exodus of Israel from Egypt (68:7–8; 77:15–20) as well as Israel’s meeting with God at Sinai (Ex. 19:9, 16–19; 20:21; 24:15–16; Deut. 4:11; 5:22; Heb. 12:18–21). The storm also speaks of the future “day of the Lord” when God will judge the nations of the world (Isa. 2:10–21; 8:22; Joel 2:2; Amos 5:16–20; Zeph. 1:7–18). The fire and lightning remind us that God is a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24; 32:22; Heb. 12:29). His judgments bring Him glory and manifest His holiness to a godless world. The name “Lord of the whole earth” (v. 5) is found in only four other places in the Old Testament: on the lips of Joshua before Israel crossed the Jordan River (Josh. 3:11, 13), and from the prophets Micah (4:13) and Zechariah (4:14; 6:5). (See also 50:12.) From the beginning of Israel’s national history, the people knew that Jehovah was not a “tribal god” like the false gods of the neighboring nations, but the Lord of all the earth (Ex. 19:5; Deut. 10:14. Jesus used this title when speaking to His Father [Luke 10:21]).

The Lord Is Exalted over the False Gods

In the ancient Near East, when one nation conquered another, people interpreted the victory to mean that the gods of the conquering nation were greater than those of the defeated nation. But the Jews were taught that Jehovah was the God of all the earth and that the idols were nothing (see 95:3; 96:5). God allowed Babylon to defeat the Jews because the Jews had greatly sinned against the Lord, not because Babylon’s gods were stronger than Jehovah. The defeat of Babylon by the Medes and Persians was the work of the Lord and not of their false gods, for the prophets predicted this event would occur (Isa. 45—47; Jer. 50—51; Dan. 2:36–38; 7:1–5). Israel’s release from captivity was proof that Jehovah was in control (Jer. 25:1–14; 29:1–14). God’s victories over the idolatrous nations put the idols and their worshippers to shame (v. 7; see Isa. 45:15–17). No wonder the people of Israel rejoiced, for God’s victories were evidence that He alone is “Most High over all the earth” (v. 8 nasb; 83:18). People may not bow down before ugly manmade idols today, but there are certainly plenty of false gods for them to worship—money, power, possessions, sex, pleasures, recognition—for whatever people serve and sacrifice for, that is what they worship (Matt. 4:10).

The Lord Is Exalted among His People

God’s people are those who love Him and do not turn to idols for help (91:14; 1 Cor. 8:1–3). But if we love Him who is holy, we will hate that which is unholy (34:14; 36:4; 37:27; 119:104; Prov. 8:13; Rom. 12:9). In this paragraph, God’s people are called “saints” or “godly ones,” “the righteous,” “the upright in heart,” and all of these names speak of a life devoted to God. We should love Him, obey Him (“hate evil”), rejoice in Him, and give thanks to Him for all His mercies. After all, He protects His people, delivers them, gives them light for their path, and puts gladness into their hearts. What more could they want?

The image in verse 11 is that of the sower; the Lord plants light like seeds so that His people will not always walk in darkness, and what He plants will eventually bear fruit. “Sowing” is a frequent metaphor in Scripture for the deeds of both God and people (112:4; Prov. 11:18; Hos. 8:7; 10:12; James 3:18). The psalm begins with a universal revelation of God’s glory (vv. 2–6), with dramatic flashes of lightning, but it ends with His light quietly shining on the paths of His people. Some see the image as that of the dawn, with the morning light diffused along the ground as though the Lord were planting it like seed. But God also sows joy with that light, for when we walk in the light, we also have joy in the Lord (16:11; Isa. 60:1–5). God’s people have their dark days when life is difficult, but there are always seeds of light and joy to accompany us along the way. Is there any reason why we should not be rejoicing now?