Psalm 97

Psalm Category: Royal Psalm

Central Thought: God and His kingdom are glorious and give joy to His people’s hearts.

Years ago, I spotted an inscription on a Scottish tenement commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria with words from Psalm 97: “The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.” The British Empire was at its apogee in 1897 and this Scripture was clearly being used to celebrate the subjugation of a third of humanity by the British Isles. It was echoed in 1901 in Elgar’s coronation anthem, “Land of Hope and Glory,” which prayed, “God who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet.” God’s answer in the years since is a solemn comment on such pious presumption.

The psalmist is not speaking of any earthly kings or kingdoms, but of the glory of God and His kingdom. He expounds and applies this in four sections, which deal successively with God’s character, His rule, responses to His rule, and, crucially, how we may rejoice in His rule.

What kind of a king is God? (vv. 1-3). His character is such that the whole “earth” and the farthest flung “isles” should be rejoicing; “The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice.” The reality of God is the reason for rejoicing, because, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning,” (Jas. 1:17). This is true whether or not you are a believer. The question remains as to whose side you are on. Why? Because “righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.” This means that whatever goodness He is showing presently, He sooner or later “burns up His enemies round about,” (vv. 2-3). He is the holy God who calls sinners to salvation, but He will not clear the unrepentant (Ex. 34:7).

Where is the evidence of His rule? (vv. 4-6). Look at the world. Even the weather causes us to tremble! Mountains melt like wax! Volcanoes are the most closely watched mountains in the world, for good reasons. The great argument is that our very existence is the natural revelation of God in His creation (Ps. 19:1-6; Rom. 1:20-23). The cause of godlessness is therefore not the obscurity of God. “The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory”—even if they deny it and suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18).

How do you respond to his rule? (vv. 7-9) . Not everybody is convinced. Plenty people worship other gods. The psalmist focuses on “idols” and sardonically charges them, “Worship Him, all you gods” (v. 7). His point is—God made man, man makes gods! This takes us back to Psalm 96:5: “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” And this is true of the gods, carved or otherwise, of the religions of the world, or the quasi-religious secular gods of personal addiction to sport, sex, career, politics, food, lifestyle and the like.

In contrast, those who love the living God and are His true worshipers can only rejoice and be glad! (vv. 8-9). “Zion” and the “daughters of Judah” refer to the body of believers. They listen to God and discern His hands at work. They see the difference God is making in their lives and in the flow of human history. The “gods” are fictions. We confess of the Lord, “He is the Lord our God; His judgments are in all the earth” (1 Chron. 16:14).

Why will God’s people always rejoice in His rule? (vv. 10-12). There is a double charge here to those who love God: “hate evil” and “rejoice in the Lord.”

Hating evil does not come naturally (vv. 10-11). It takes love for the Lord at every point where temptation arises and sin would prevail. Four positive truths encourage our obedience: 1) the Lord preserves the souls of His saints; 2) He delivers them from the wicked; 3) He grows them in grace by sowing gospel light in their hearts; and 4) He blesses heart-godliness with practical gladness.

Rejoicing in the Lord does not come naturally either. Like all graces from God, it comes supernaturally and flows from the experience of saving grace. The “remembrance of His holy name” (v. 12) takes us to the person and work of our Redeemer God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and reminds us that we are not our own, we are bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23). The Lord reigns for us and therefore we give thanks!