Psalm 97

1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!

2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

I’ve read that some consider this psalm to be the thematic center of the entire Book of Psalms, stating its central message: YHWH reigns! There’s a good case to be made for that. Each verse is a strong statement of the supremacy of YHWH over all else. The psalm begins and ends with joy. First, the earth and its coastlands are summoned to celebrate. The coastlands may also refer to the islands, and the sense of using this term is to communicate that every square inch of land belongs to YHWH, even the land that is beyond sight, the islands of the sea. The Israelites were aware of such islands, Crete being the closest. A quick internet search reveals at least 190 islands in the Mediterranean Sea alone, and it’s literally impossible to count the number of islands in the world, in part because it depends on your definition of an island. Including islands (which are often “out of sight, out of mind”), increases the expansiveness of this command. “Let every inch of every surface above water be happy!” This inclusion of islands also reminds us of the missionary task of the church. The gospel will not naturally go to every corner of the earth. It must be taken. It must cross boundaries -- geographical and cultural. Until every island has heard that YHWH reigns, there is work to be done. The second verse begins to describe the nature of God’s reign. Clouds and thick darkness are all around him. YHWH is depicted here and in Psalm 18 as present in the storm. Billowing gray storm clouds are an instant reminder that we are not in control. The roar of a tornado and the power of hurricane winds quickly moves us into a position of submission. There is nothing we can do to stop it. The same is true of God’s judgment. Like a storm in the Kansas springtime, it is surely coming. The storm of judgment is rooted in God’s justice. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of this throne. The person of God himself is resting on top of truth (which is reality). The reality of God is the foundation of all things. If there is a God, there is a judgment. He is the law-giver and the law-enforcer. You cannot have one without the other. This is good news to the earth because injustice is all too common. We like to think that justice is what the other guy gets, but that guy is very often me. 

3 Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.

4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.

The personification of God as a storm continues. The clouds and thick darkness that surround him break forth into lightning. The lightning touches the earth and sets the earth ablaze, surrounding his enemies and trapping them and destroying them in judgment. His lights up the inhabited world with his lightnings, the earth sees and shakes. The thunder and lightning of a storm still cause us to tremble even though we have a greater understanding of meteorology today. While science has taken some of the mystery out of storms, they are no less terrifying. We take shelter indoors, but imagine being outside as many in the ancient world would have been, living in crude shelters or tents. It’s no surprise that the storm gods were feared and worshiped. God’s reign is made manifest in the storm, his power and the fear that is due him are amplified. Jesus both calmed the storm and brought the storm. We tend to focus on the latter, but the gospel writers are clear that during the afternoon of his death there was darkness and storm. The earth shook and the veil was torn from top to bottom. It was Psalm 97 actualized. God’s judgment was poured out on the earth and the frightened spectators at the cross that day in Jerusalem certainly sensed it. Was this the judgment that the psalmist spoke of? Had God come to earth to punish his enemies and consume them in fire? Was he so angry at what they had done to his son that he would unleash his fury on the earth? Actually, he unleashed his fury upon his son on our behalf. What should have been a scorched earth moment became a demonstration of both God’s justice and his mercy. He withheld judgment on us and instead poured it out on his son. This is the core message of the Christian faith. In that beautiful, horrible afternoon the clouds and thick darkness swirled around YHWH. His lightnings lit up the world and consumed his foes. The earth shook in response to the incredible transaction that was taking place in that moment as justice was satisfied and mercy displayed. 

5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.

The spectacle of God’s judgment moves from sky to land as now the mountains melt like wax before YHWH. The fire of God scorched the earth in judgment consuming his foes, and now the mountains, the highest and most ancient features of the land melt before Him. Many in the ancient world thought that the mountains were sacred places, homes of the gods. This is where they built their temples, in the place where heaven touched earth. Is this statement about mountains melting an acknowledgment that these false gods will disintegrate before the presence of the one true God? The adversaries of God consumed by fire in verse 3 are joined by the gods in verse 5. All that is false will be burned up and melt away. There is similar language in 2 Peter 3:10-13 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare...That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” This prediction of the destruction of the fallen world by fire and its replacement by a just world is the centerpiece of Christian hope. We live in a time when many are obsessed with saving the planet (not necessarily a bad thing, not polluting and all), but they could care less about the people. There are more people suffering today under unjust economic and political systems than are suffering from a changing climate. One is easier to claim to care about and be seen doing something about (however meaningless it might me). The other is, frankly,one that will always be with us because of the sinful nature of human beings. Humans are not perfectable even though it has been the vision of every failed utopian scheme. Instead, the Bible promises that God will simply start over. And everyone will look at that moment and say, “that’s right, the weight of God’s glory is awesome.” Topics like this are humbling because as much as I might know about what the ancient scriptures say, I do not know the future, and God is God. The best I can do is worship him as I understand him, knowing that He is to be elevated above all else in my heart. The mountains upon which I worship other gods will melt like wax before Him. Our God is an awesome God. 

7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD.

Having described the mountain high places of the gods melting before the LORD, the psalmist describes the shame that comes to those who worship worthless things. Their folly is obvious to all when their gods turn out to be shams. The word for idol is “insufficient, worthless” -- a good descriptor for the false things that we crave. Instead, the psalmist implores these false gods (elohim) to worship the true God. They can’t of course because they are not real, but the sentiment is there. You are a fool who is destined for shame if you value things that are worthless. This becomes increasingly clear as we age and face death. On our deathbed, very little matters except what our relationship with God and with others. At that moment the hollow gods of this world mock us for having spent so much of our youth in pursuit of them, so many wasted years chasing after empty things. Examine the things that you worship today. How are you spending your time, energy, and money? These are indicators of your gods. When YHWH’s judgment comes on the false gods of this world, the people of God are happy. Zion (Jerusalem) is glad and the daughters of Judah (towns in the area) are thrilled because God is taking action against his rivals. Truth is winning. I’m fond of saying that reality wins every time. If there is a God, He will win. There will not be competing versions of truth and reality in spite of the way that many people choose to live. We are free to create and live in our own truth -- it seems to be the hallmark of this age. But we cannot create an alternate reality where our fantasies are reality. The world can’t work that way. There is joy when everything is set right and abundance triumphs over the insufficiency of idols -- joy to the people of God, and joy to the world.  

9 For you, O LORD, are Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Verse 9 is a good summary of the entire psalm. YHWH is exalted far above all else, beyond all things in heaven and on earth. Far above all that is great on this earth and all things that are valued in the hearts of men. He is given the title “Most High” (elyon) as a descriptor of this ultimate status. He has ascended far above all gods (elohim). He’s not just greater, he’s far greater. It’s not even close. They aren’t even in the same category. This verse is a statement of reality, the way things actually are. The enemy would have us believe otherwise, that each of us in fact is a god, inherently god, and that the human race is in the process of achieving some kind of heaven on earth through our technical and bureaucratic prowess. This is the god of many in the world today, and it is as empty and false as they come. In light of that reality, the psalmist implores those who love God to hate evil. This seems controversial. Doesn’t the Bible teach us not to hate? No. The critical part of that sentence is the object. There are in fact things that we should hate. Not people of course, but the things that people do, the ways in which they worship at the altar of hollow things. These should anger us because of how they impact YHWH’s image bearers. What does it look like to hate evil in our day? I suggest it’s not enough to feel hatred for those things, we must take action. That action may be pointing out reality, shining light on evil and darkness, arguing winsomely in the public square. It may be actively working to resist the spread and influence of evil. It may be coming alongside its victims and restoring them. What are you doing today to act on your hatred of evil? You can do this in confidence because YHWH preserves the lives of his saints and delivers them from the wicked. This doesn’t mean that it will be easy or that you will never fear. It does mean that you have an unfailing safety net so you can fly high without fear. 

11 Light is sown [Most Hebrew manuscripts; one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome Light dawns] for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

There is a textual variant in verse 11 giving us two possible metaphors. The first is an agricultural one. “Light is sown for the righteous”. This suggests that light is planted on behalf of the righteous and it grows. Things that are planted grow bigger. The longer one lives in the light, the more clear things become and the brighter they are to others in a dark world. The other possible metaphor is that “Light dawns for the righteous.” Again, the idea is the same. Dawn is the beginning of the day and once the sun begins to rise it cannot be stopped. It only gets lighter. These are great metaphors for the life of faith. It begins with a little light, but it inevitably comes to encompass us in every way. It reminds me of what C.S. Lewis said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” As the truth of God works its way into every aspect of our lives, we see things more clearly. We see ourselves accurately and we understand the world and all that is in it more accurately because we have an outside source of light. The writer of Proverbs put it this way, “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day” (4:18). As the light grows, so does our joy, our contentment, and our happiness. Living in harmony with reality will do that for you. As a result we can give all credit to YHWH, rejoicing in him and giving thanks to his holy (name). The longer we live in faith, the clearer reality becomes to us. We are freed from the fog of uncertainty because there are certain things that we know without a doubt. The really important things are all settled, and these help illuminate those things that aren’t. Three times in these two verses the psalmist addresses God’s people as “the righteous” or “the upright”. This is a term that means those who live just and good lives. They strive to keep the torah and live out its commands in relation to their neighbors. Love God and love others -- these are the two great commandments. A righteous person who is oriented toward justice will do this as a hallmark of their life. And such a person will live a life characterized by joy and worship.