Psalm 93 - The Lord Reigns
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God is Gloriously Sovereign
God is Gloriously Sovereign
A. He Clothes Himself with Authority
As we look at verse 1, this psalm opens up with a declaration that the Lord reigns. This is similar to the enthusiastic announcement of hope in Isaiah 52:7 which reads
7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
This is to snatch us out of our forgetfulness of the fact that our Lord is in control and confronts us with reassurance that He is in control. The Psalmist goes on to describe God as being clothed with majesty and strength. This is imagery describing God as the warrior-king and unless we get confused, no one has cloaked Him with this authority but Him alone as the text says “He has girded Himself...”
The two uses of the word “robed” here, according to some commentaries, is to emphasize that God’s power is not muted or dormant. He is presently seen as being reigning and ready for war. But in case we are curious, the Psalmist teaches us that:
B. He Controls the World
As you know, Kings have Kingdoms which have boarders and such and in the ancient world, gods were considered localized deities as well which reigned over certain regions. But according to our Psalmist, our God and King doesn’t rule over Israel alone, but over the whole world and that’s why it hasn’t been destroyed it. Why because:
C. He Cannot be Defeated
One scholar explains verse 2 by saying, “When a king had gained firm control of his subjects and his rule was secure against external threats, it would be said in a figure that ‘his throne is established.” Furthermore, “the throne of a deity was not only the symbol of his presence on earth, corresponding to his presence in heaven, but also the symbol of his victory over the forces of cosmic chaos, and in the case of Israel, over historic enemies as well.”
Estes, Daniel J. Psalms 73–150. Edited by E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, B&H Publishing Group, 2019.
So, when we read that God’s throne is established, we are being reminded that God is in control, that no one is going to take His throne and that He will reign forever without end. And we all know that, don’t we? We all know that God is mighty, that He’s in control, and that no one is taking that from Him. But do we remember that in our personal lives when hardships come? Or does the darkness of life’s hardships block out the light of this reminder? That’s what we’ll see in the next few verses as we look at the next point:
God is Greater than Our Struggles
God is Greater than Our Struggles
A. The Burden of Life’s Chaos
The first thing I want you to notice here in verse 3 is the constant repetition of the words floods and lifted. To be such a short Psalm, there is a good deal of repetition going on with the word “clothed” being used twice, “LORD” being used 5 times, as well as “flood” and “lifted” being used 3 times each. The reason this matter is because in the ancient world that is how things were emphasized in their writing. So, by emphasizing the aggression of the floods, the Psalmist is speaking to the feelings of chaos that are often felt in this life. The CSB captures the intent well here as it reads, “The floods lift up their pounding waves.” and later on it reads, “the roar of a huge torrent, the mighty breakers of the sea.” I don’t know about you, but when I read that, my mind can clearly see the ocean with dark storm clouds are rolling in and big, white-capped waves smashing down. This picture is not comforting, but one that we can all relate with if you’ve been through difficulty in your life.
Maybe that’s you right now. Maybe you’re struggling in school, maybe you’re mind is struggling with guilt, or temptation, or hurt that someones caused you. Maybe you feel like you’ve let everyone down and it seems that these issues are beating down on you like a stormy sea and there’s no sun in sight. That is the kind of emotion being communicated here.
I also want to point out that this chaotic scene might also be referring to the rebellion of the nations against God which is what we see in Isaiah 17:12-13
12 Woe to the multitude of many people Who make a noise like the roar of the seas, And to the rushing of nations That make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! 13 The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, Like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
In short, as we look at this passage, whether we are concerned with the roar of our political climate or the concerns of daily life, the Psalmist wants us to know that beyond the clouds of darkness shines the greatness of our God in verse 4.
B. The Greatness of God
In verse 4 the NKJV highlights the mightiness of God by saving that He is mightier than the mighty waves of the sea. This is what we see depicted in the life of Jesus in Mark 4:39
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
As a matter of fact, these chaotic waves don’t just become silent at His command, but they rejoice at His return according to Ps 98:7-9
7 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell in it; 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord, 9 For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.
So, what this Psalm is teaching us so far is that our God is the God who rules over all things, who is unrivaled and is greater than even the most worrisome issue confronting your life right now. He is in control of it all.
God has Given us the Scriptures
God has Given us the Scriptures
A. In the presence of these waves, the Psalmist highlights the highness of God as sovereign as well as the closeness of God who has given us His word which the Psalmist says is trustworthy. Psalm 33:4
4 For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
So at the end of this Psalm, God’s glory is shining not only in His strength, but in His character as One who is trustworthy and reassuring to those who believe. What is the result of this?
B. Because His Word is trustworthy, His Temple is adorned with holiness.
Now, in the Old Testament, that would’ve meant that because the glory of God is seen in His Temple, then the proper response of His follower would be to cultivate holiness in their lives. But in the New Testament, we find that we are now the Temple of God according to 1 Cor. 3:17
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
Furthermore, if we walk with Him in His Word, we will grow in holiness like the Lord prayed in John 17:17
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
We see this played out in Psalm 119:1-3
1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord! 2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! 3 They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways.