Our King

In Exodus 15:18 Moses said, “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.” In Israel’s earliest days they were a Theocracy. That means they were governed by God. Eventually they transitioned into a monarchy, ruled by a King. It’s hard for us to understand either of those forms of government because we are in the west and have only known democracy. Democracy is when a group is governed by the people.

This section of the book of Psalms exalts God as the King of all the earth. I’ll give you some examples of this:

Psalm 93:1- The LORD reigneth.

Psalm 95:3- The LORD is a great God and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 96:10- The LORD reigneth.

Psalm 97:1- The LORD reigneth.

Psalm 98:6- Make a joyful noise before the LORD the King.

Psalm 99:1- The LORD reigneth

According to the Word of God, the entire world is headed toward a Theocracy. These Psalms have a prophetic element to them. We look forward to the day when King Jesus returns and established His kingdom on this earth. Psalm 93 is a reminder that day is coming. This evening we will look at three things this Psalm teaches us concerning our coming King.

The stability of our King (1-2)

The power of our King (3-4)

The character of our King (5).

1. The stability of our King (1-2).

A. The proof of His stability.

Look at the end of verse 1. It says, “The world is established, that it cannot be moved.”

Our universe appears to be delicate. We see falling stars. We see storms destroying buildings and trees. We see rains eroding the landscape. In space we hear of asteroids flying toward planets. We hear of global warming. We are warmed by a sun that has been burning for a very long time and sometimes we are told it may burn out.

If we were just a little closer to the sun, we would burn up. If we were a little further from the sun, we would freeze to death. Life on earth is miraculous. The fact that we continue to live, seasons continue to change, water continues to be drinkable, and crops continue to grow proves to us that the LORD sustains the earth.

Matthew Henry said of the earth “it is so established that though he has hanged the earth upon nothing (Job 26:7) yet it cannot be moved”.

The stability of our earth proves there is One who is more stable upholding all things. There are many things we can learn about God through creation. One of things is His stability. He is secure. He is steadfast.

B. His power is revealed in His appearance.

He is clothed with majesty. In other words, the appearance of God is majestic. Kings were known for their elaborate robes and clothing. They were adorned with robes, crowns, scepters and seated on thrones. The appearance of the king was to reflect his worth and power.

The Lord doesn’t need any particular clothing or crowns to appear majestic. He is majestic. He doesn’t have to dress the part. God is majestic by nature. One look at the Lord and one is convinced of His riches and worth.

Verse 1 also says God is girded with a belt of strength. In other words when you see Him you know He is all powerful. It may seem to some that the Lord is not powerful. They see all the sin and injustice in our world and assume that either God does not exist or if He does, He must be weak. Never mistake God’s patience for weakness.

When Christ returns and every eye sees Him not a single person will doubt His strength. He is describes as having flaming eyes of fire and speaking with a voice that is as powerful as the sound of rushing water (Rev. 1).

Our King has great stability because He has great power. There is no one who could take His throne from Him.

C. He is eternal.

God has been reigning since before time. His throne is an eternal throne (v.2). It only makes sense that a reign that had no beginning will also have no end. It’s very difficult for us to comprehend that we will live forever, that we will know no end. It is far more difficult for us to comprehend that God has no beginning. There was never a time He did not exist. He is the only Being whose existence is not dependent on anyone or anything else.

This truth reminds us that our King has great stability. He is not going anywhere and the proof in that is He has not gone anywhere yet! He continues to reign. The Lord reigneth! The Lord will always reign!

2. The power of our King (3-4).

A. The enemies of God are likened to the ocean.

“Floods” refer to ocean currents. Ancient people respected the power of the sea. They knew the dangers associated with it. It was common for people to drown at sea because they were sucked out by the current or their boat capsized. Rising waves crashed with force on rocks surrounding their cities. Storms blew in from the ocean causing water levels to rise flooding the land and homes. It’s not surprising that in John’s description of heaven he said there was no more sea (Rev. 21:1). The fact is ancient people knew no greater power than that of the sea. They feared it.

For that reason, often we see the enemies of God compared to a flood. The enemies of God are powerful. They are without compassion. They come to destroy and take away. The enemies of God are noisy. The floods have lifted up their voices. They are without compassion. They lift up their waves. The enemies of God threaten and when they can deliver, they do that as well.

Can you plead with the ocean?

Can you reason with the ocean?

Can you expect sympathy from the ocean?

The enemies of God would take the people of God as quickly as the ocean would if given the opportunity.

B. The enemies of God are relentless.

They don’t quit. Notice in verse 3 there is a threefold repetition of the phrase “lifted up”. That’s meant to emphasize the severity of the attack. If you have lived for the Lord for some time, you know the enemy does not give up. He is always lifting himself up against us. He sends wave after wave our way.

There is a simple reason for this. The enemy has not defeated our King. He has not destroyed us. Therefore, he keeps trying. He continues to attack God and the apple of God’s eye because he has not accomplished his goal yet. If he had succeeded there would be no more reason for his effort.

Every trial is a reminder to us that the devil has failed.

C. God is mightier.

Verse four is a beautiful verse. The Lord is mightier than the most powerful thing they knew. He is mightier than the powerful oceans.

The Psalmist mentions the sound of the waves. I don’t know if you have ever taken a vacation where large waves are common. If you are staying near the ocean, you can open the door on the balcony and hear the ocean. It can be a wonderful sleep aid. The reason is the sound drowns out all the other sounds. The ocean has a rhythm to it as well. It can be soothing and even hypnotizing. The ocean has a way of drowning out sounds, pun intended. If you are trying to have a conversation with someone while you are near the ocean it can be difficult as well.

The Lord is mightier than the sounds of the ocean. His voice can be heard above the most powerful in the world. The Lord will not be silenced. He will not go unheard.

Why does God continue to have a people despite the loud voices of His enemies? Why do we continue to see the church after thousands of years of slander and mockery? It’s because the voice of God continues to speak above the noise of His enemies. He isn’t intimidated by the shouts of His enemies.

The Lord is mightier than the power of the waves. A single wave can pick a man up and throw him against a rock or the ocean floor. Waves can crash on top of ocean liners and destroy them. Yet waves are no where near as powerful as God is. In the gospels Jesus stilled the waves. In Matthew 8:27 the disciples were amazed at the power of Jesus saying, “Even the wind and the waves obey Him.”

The power of our King is unmatched. The sound nor the force of the ocean is comparable to the power of our God. Oftentimes Kings are not powerful themselves. Perhaps they have a powerful economy. Or it maybe they have a powerful army. But it is common for a King himself to be quite weak. That isn’t the case with our King. He is powerful without an army. He is powerful without an economy. He is powerful all by Himself.

3. The character of our King (5).

A. The word of God.

Our King can be trusted. How do we know this? We put Him to the test with His Word. His Word reveals truth. God’s Word is like a rock that the waves have been beating against for centuries. The waves keep crashing upon it but His Word remains.

We can trust God and His Word has proven it. If you do not believe it then you have not sought to live by it. When obeyed the Word of God will bear fruit. When believed the Word of God will bring comfort and spiritual growth. I have trusted the Word of God now for over two decades. I have found the Word of God is truer than I am. Because I have found the Word of God to be trustworthy it only follows that the God who gave me this Word is trustworthy as well. This Word reflects who He is.

We have no idea how great a gift the Word of God is to us. Without the Word of God, we could only guess about the character of God. Thank God for the Bible. IN our day it is common for someone to write a letter to a President or some powerful ruler. We never expect a reply. However, in the kingdom of God our King has written us a letter. He has shown us how much He loves us. He has supplied us with a Book that reveals Himself and His ways. He has given us precious promises. He has told us hat we can expect in the future as well. We don’t have to guess as to what happens when a person dies. He has even made that crystal clear.

The Word of God proves to us that our King’s character is trustworthy.

B. The holiness of God.

God is holy and His house is to be holy. The holiness of God is a truth that cannot be divorced from the church. God is without sin. He is altogether different from His creation. Every aspect of His creation has been touched in some way by sin. Yet God has not been touched by sin. He is perfectly holy.

The holiness of God implies that God is beautiful. There is nothing imperfect about Him. His perfect integrity is reflected in His perfect appearance. We have never seen a being as beautiful as God because we have never seen a being as holy as God.

In the Old Testament the holiness of God was reflected in the Temple and the Tabernacle. In the New Testament the holiness of God is to be reflected in His people. We are the Temple of God. We are called to be conformed into the image of God. We cannot be conformed into his image without holiness. The subjects of God’s kingdom are to be a reflection of Himself. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Hebrews 12:14 says “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.”

Notice the end of the verse. God will be holy forever. His people will be holy forever. How does that make you feel? Do you need sin to be happy? If you do you should search your heart. The goal of the Christian is the presence of God. In the presence of God there is no sin. Christians look forward to an eternal holiness.

The rulers of our world are often known for their wealth, their power or even their sin. But our earthly rulers are not known for their holiness. Our King is unlike any other.

We look forward to the day when King Jesus returns. He will set up His kingdom on this earth and He will reign! That day cannot come quickly enough.