THE RIGHTEOUS REIGN OF GOD
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Please turn in your Bible to Psalm 97 (pg. 591 in the Worship Bible in the Pew) as we look at THE RIGHTEOUS REIGN OF GOD.
Since the end of September we have been taking a journey of thankfulness together as we look at various psalms in which gratitude for God is a theme. Today we come to a psalm which emphasizes God’s sovereign, righteous reign.
God — Yahweh — is and always has been the ruler of this universe. He is the ruler because He is the Creator. Though God is the rightful ruler, ever since sin entered into this world through the rebellion of one man, Satan has had a foothold on the things of this earth. He is referred to in Scripture of being the present ruler of this world — the prince of the power of the air. But God has never relinquished His rightful rule.
There have been times in the past when God made His presence known to the sons of man. He appeared to Abraham, calling him out from Ur of the Chaldeans to sojourn in the land of Canaan which God promised to give him and his descendants.
God appeared to Isaac, and Jacob as well giving them the same covenantal blessing which He gave to Abraham.
God appeared to Moses in the burning bush as He called Moses to return to Egypt and lead His people out of bondage, and to go and take possession of the land of promise. God appeared to the whole nation at Mount Sinai where He gave them the law which they were to follow now that He was their sovereign and Lord.
And in the NT God appeared in the form of man — Jesus, the Son of God, and Son of Man. In His first advent, which we will soon celebrate, Jesus came as the sacrificial lamb who took away the sins of His people. Being that He was fully God, and yet uniquely fully man, He was able to live a perfect life without a taint of sin. Therefore, He was the perfect, unblemished sacrifice which would once for all appease God’s wrath on behalf of all who place their faith in His person and His work.
There is coming a day, which I hope will be very soon, in which Christ will appear to His people in the clouds and meet them in the air. When that is accomplished the countdown will begin for when Jesus returns to earth in His second advent and will restore all things. John wrote of the return of Christ:
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Some see our psalm as looking toward that day when Christ will return and establish His kingdom on earth. As we look at this psalm we will consider things from the perspective of the coming of the Lord. We will look at the description of His coming, the effect of His coming, the influence His coming will have on the peoples of the earth, and the call to holiness and celebration.
Let’s read our psalm together.
The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O Lord. For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
Let’s begin by looking at
The Description of the Coming of the LORD
The Description of the Coming of the LORD
Note that,
God’s People Should Rejoice in His Righteous Reign
Look at verse 1. Psalm 97:1 “The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!”
The earth is a reference to Israel. God promised Abraham this land, and this promise was likely in the mind of the psalmist as he wrote this poem. The coastlands is a common metaphor referring to the the nations surrounding the Mediterranean sea, and by extension refers to all Gentiles. So, all peoples of the earth are to rejoice in the righteous reign of Yahweh.
At present, not all nations rejoice in God’s reign. As a matter of fact, I am not aware of any present nation which rejoices in God’s reign over the world — not even Israel — not even the USA. There are people within many nations who do rejoice, but not the entirety of any nation that I am aware of.
Even in ancient Israel it could not be said that the entire nation rejoiced in God’s reign. They were so often found playing the harlot by chasing after other gods. They did shameful and despicable things as they chased after other gods. And God’s judgment rightly fell upon them for so doing.
But God’s people should rejoice in His righteous reign, for righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
Applying this passage to Jesus, Spurgeon wrote, “Other reigns have produced injustice, oppression, bloodshed, terror; the reign of the infinitely gracious Jehovah is the hope of mankind, and when they all yield to it the race will have its paradise restored. The very globe itself may well be glad that its Maker and liege Lord has come to his own, and the whole race of man may also be glad, since to every willing subject Jesus brings untold blessings.” (C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: Psalms 88-110, vol. 4 (London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers, n.d.), 194.)
Sadly, it will not be until Jesus returns that the whole human race will rejoice in God’s righteous reign.
The psalmist goes on to describe the coming of the LORD. Much of this description was witnessed by the children of Israel at Mount Sinai.
Look at verses 2-3. Psalm 97:2–3 “Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.”
Clouds and thick darkness often picture the awesome judgment of God. This is how Yahweh appeared to the nation at Sinai. Describing what had occurred to the younger generation of Israel, after the older rebellious generation had died off, Moses said:
And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom.
God is a just God, who rules in righteousness. Moses also wrote,
“These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
And as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders.
Before moving on, look back at the description of God’s reign at the end of verse 2. Psalm 97:2 “Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.”
At no time in the history of the earth has there ever been a ruler of people who was completely just and righteous. There were good kings, such as David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah. But they each had their faults and their sins. But when Christ reigns for a thousand years His reign will be truly righteous and just.
H. C. Leupold wrote, “Strip off the poetic form of the statement, and you have the simple truth that God rules according to the principles of strict righteousness, and as a result every deed He does is completely just.” (H. C. Leupold, Exposition of the Psalms (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1959), 688.)
We have been looking at the description of His coming. Let’s turn now to consider.
The Effect of the Coming of the LORD
The Effect of the Coming of the LORD
Note that,
The Effect of the Coming of the LORD will be Fear and Awe
Look at verse 4.
Psalm 97:4 “His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.”
Why did God reveal Himself to man in such a scary fashion?
Spurgeon wrote, “So the Lord revealed himself at Sinai, so must he ever surround his essential Deity when he shows himself to the sons of men, or his excessive glory would destroy them. Every revelation of God must also be a concealing; there must be a veiling of his infinite splendor if anything is to be seen by finite beings. It is often thus with the Lord in providence; when working out designs of unmingled love he conceals the purpose of his grace that it may be the more clearly discovered at the end. ‘It is the glory of God to conceal a thing.’” (C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: Psalms 88-110, vol. 4 (London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers, n.d.), 194–195.)
As a child I never read C. S. Lewis classic series, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. But as an parent, I read them to my sons. And there is a statement in the book THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, that has remained in my mind all these years.
In case you have never read this series (or seen the movies), it is an allegory of the Christian life. Speaking of the Lion named Aslan, who is the Christ-character in this series, the little girl, Lucy, asked one of the inhabitants of Narnia if Aslan was safe. The character replied, “he is very good, but he is not safe.” That describes Yahweh, the Eternal God. He is very good, but He is not safe. And this description of the effect of His appearance is a perfect example of this truth.
Look at verse 5. Psalm 97:5 “The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.”
I like the way the Legacy Standard translates this verse.
The mountains melt like wax at the presence of Yahweh, At the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
The name Yahweh is the personal name of God. The term Lord, represents the name Adonai. This name depicts Yahweh’s sovereign rule.
The mountains melting like wax sounds like a volcano, doesn’t it? That is how terrifying the presence of God is.
These depictions of God as being surrounded by clouds and thick darkness, having fire and lightning exuding from His presence, and the mountains melting like wax, are all things which the children of Israel witnessed during their wilderness days with Moses. But the second coming of Christ will have this very same effect on the earth.
Look at verse 6. Psalm 97:6 “The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.”
God’s righteousness and magnificent power are plainly observable by all. But most choose to ignore it, or deny it. And that will be to their detriment when Christ returns. John wrote,
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
Before Christ returns, His appearance will be announced, and all of mankind still living on planet earth will hear the announcement.
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.
And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
So far, we have looked at the description and effect of the coming of the Lord. Let’s turn now to
The Influence of the Coming of the LORD
The Influence of the Coming of the LORD
The influence of the coming of the Lord will be perceived in different ways. Those who are in rebellion against God will perceive it differently than those who are in a proper relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Let’s look first at those who reject Yahweh as the only true God. Look at verse 7. Psalm 97:7 “All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!”
Note that,
Because of Satan’s Deception, Most of Mankind will Worship Anything but the One True God
It is an Absolute Shame that the Human Race has so often Chosen to Reject the God who has Revealed Himself to us in the Bible, in favor of Worshiping a Worthless Idol. But once sin entered the world, man has opened themselves up to the deceit of the father of lies. And Satan will do anything to get a person to worship anything but God.
In our society we don’t find many who worship graven images — though I imagine there are some who do. But we do worship other types of idols. We worship celebrities who often become an idol for a person, whether they be from the sports world or entertainment world. We also tend to worship politicians, making them into an idol. It really alarms me when people put their trust in a mere man to fix all the problems with our country. There is only one man who can fix us, and that man is also fully God — Jesus Christ. Politics can not bring spiritual salvation, but the gospel can.
Notice the last phrase of verse 7.
All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!
The phrase, worship him, is the first of two imperative commands in our text for this morning. All of creation is commanded to worship the one and only true God.
Kidner wrote, “While gods in 7c could still refer to false gods, it is also a term for supernatural beings; and in Hebrews 1:6 these ‘gods’ are interpreted as angels, as in the Greek version (lxx) of this line, or of a close companion to it.” (Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 383.)
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
So, it is possible this is a call for all angels, both good and bad, to worship God.
Let’s turn to the influence of Christ’s coming on those who belong to Him.
Note that,
The Influence of the Coming of the Lord on the Righteous is that they will Rejoice with Joy Unspeakable and full of Glory
Look at verse 8. Psalm 97:8 “Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O Lord.”
Zion is a reference to the city of David — Jerusalem. And the daughters of Judah refers to the other villages within the vicinity of Jerusalem. The seven-year tribulation is referred to as the time of Jacob’s trouble by Jeremiah. At the end of the seven-year period, when Jesus returns to earth as conqueror, all of Israel, who have survived the horrors of this time will be saved. They we see Christ in all of His glory, and they will repent, believe, and embrace Him as their Lord and Messiah. They will rejoice as they have never rejoiced before.
The psalmist next states the reason for such rejoicing. Look at verse 9. Psalm 97:9 “For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.”
Kidner wrote, “Most high is ʿelyôn, a title of God specially linked with his worship at Jerusalem (cf. ‘Zion’, 8), yet carrying its own reminder, as here, that all earth and heaven are his.” (Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 383.)
We have looked at the description, effect, and influence of the coming of the Lord. Let’s look now at
The Call to Holiness & Celebration
The Call to Holiness & Celebration
This last section of the psalm begins with an admonishment to holiness. Then it mentions four benefits of being in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Look at the first phrase in verse 10. Psalm 97:10 “O you who love the LORD, hate evil!”
What does it mean to hate evil? Note that,
To Hate Evil is to Live in Faithful Obedience to God’s Righteous Standard
This is a call to holiness if there ever was one. We just recently finished our study of the first epistle of John. And John repeatedly admonished his reader to obey Christ’s commandments. And these commandments are not burdensome. It should be our joy to live in obedience to God, especially in view of all that He did for us at the cross of Christ.
Let’s move on to consider the four benefits of having a right relationship with God. Look at the second phrase of verse 10. Psalm 97:10 “O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints;
Note that,
The First Benefit is Preservation
Some of you may be familiar with the doctrines of grace. These are sometimes referred to as the five points of Calvinism — but that makes it sound like Calvin invented them, which is not the case. They are usually summed up by an acrostic which spells the word tulip.
Total Depravity of Man
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints
Over the course of the years I have heard some pretty interesting, and wrong, interpretations of these doctrines by men who oppose them. Regarding the last one, perseverance of the saints, I have heard a pastor preach that Calvin and his followers turned eternal security into a work which must accompany salvation. But that is simply not the case. When you actually study the doctrine you learn that it means that God will preserve those who belong to Him. And that is exactly what our psalmist is stating. Peter confirms this preservation by God in his first epistle:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Moving on …
Note that,
The Second Benefit is Deliverance
Look at the last last phrase of verse 10. Psalm 97:10 “he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”
God is our deliverer. From what have we been delivered? We have been delivered from the domain of darkness which is ruled by the prince of darkness — Satan. We all once belonged to Satan. We were under his rule. We owed our allegiance to him, whether we knew it or not. But when we embraced the message of the cross and the empty tomb we became a citizen of heaven. We were not only delivered from Satan’s rule and domain, but we were transferred into the kingdom of the Beloved Son! That ought to fill our hearts to the full with joy!
Our earthly foes who seek to do us harm are in fact pawns of Satan. They do his bidding in various ways. They may tempt believers with something which looks harmless, and yet is in truth wicked. They may slander believers. They may take our words and use them out of context so that they make us look bad. They may persecute us in many ways.
But God will deliver us. This does not mean that our deliverance will always be in this life. God allows some of His righteous ones to be a martyr for the cause. I believe that is because this causes the gospel to spread even more when others pick up the slack in the martyred one’s absence.
Note that,
The Third Benefit is Light
Look at the first phrase in verse 11. Psalm 97:11 “Light is sown for the righteous ...”
What does light mean in this context? One commentator noted, “Light signifies the blessed state of redemption and victory (cf. Isa 60:1–3). The “righteous” and “upright in heart” (i.e., the godly; cf. 32:11) will enjoy the new age of restoration as the dawning of light (cf. Isa 58:8, 10; Mal 4:2).” (Willem A. VanGemeren, “Psalms,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 626.)
Note that,
The Fourth Benefit is Joy
Look at the second phrase of verse 11. Psa 97.11
Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
Spurgeon wrote, “The gospel of Jesus, wherever it goes, sows the whole earth with joy for believers, for these are the men who are righteous before the Lord.” (C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: Psalms 88-110, vol. 4 (London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers, n.d.), 197.)
Finally, we come to the part of our text which addresses thankfulness. Look at verse 12. Psalm 97:12 “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!”
Joy is not something which we contemplate. It is something we exercise; it is something we experience. The final phrase, give thanks to his holy name, is the second of two imperative commands that are found in our text for this morning. And as you know, an imperative command is not optional, it is mandatory.
As I said earlier, there is the thought of Christ’s second advent which runs through this psalm. And at the time of this advent all of creation will worship Christ. There is coming a day in which every person who has ever lived on planet earth will bow the knee before Christ. Paul wrote of that day to the Philippian church. He began with Christ’s humiliation, and ended with Christ’s exaltation.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This morning we have looked at the description, effect, and influence of the coming of Christ, as well as as at the call to holiness and celebration. My hope for we who are believers in Jesus Christ is that this will motivate us to pursue holiness, and to rejoice in Christ our Savior in an exuberant way.
My hope for those who are not believers is that you will humble yourself before God, confess and repent of your sin, and place your trust in Jesus Christ who humbled Himself in order to be your Savior.
Let’s pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I come before You praying that You would teach how to truly rejoice in You. Teach us, Lord, to hate evil. Thank You, Lord, for preserving Your saints, for delivering us from the wicked, for lighting our path before us, and for the joy which knowing You brings.
Lord, I pray for those who do not yet know You in a saving way, I pray that You would reveal Yourself to them. I pray that You enable them to perceive the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that they would embrace Him today and be saved from Your coming wrath.
I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Closing Song: #564
We Are So Blessed
We are so blessed by the gifts from Your hand, I just can’t understand why You’ve loved us so much.
We are so blessed, we just can’t find a way or the words that can say, Thank You Lord, for Your touch.
When we’re empty You fill us “Til we overflow,
When we’re hungry You feed us and cause us to know;
We are so blessed, take what we have to bring; take it all, ev’rything, Lord, we love You so much.
