Praise God For His Rule Over All the Earth
The LORD is king! He is robed in majesty.
Indeed, the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.
2 Your throne, O LORD, has stood from time immemorial.
You yourself are from the everlasting past.
3 The floods have risen up, O LORD.
The floods have roared like thunder;
the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
4 But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore
— the LORD above is mightier than these!
5 Your royal laws cannot be changed.
Your reign, O LORD, is holy forever and ever.
Psalm 93, NLT
Commenting on Psalm 93, Willem A. VanGemeren writes:
This psalm belongs to a group of psalms (47; 93-100) that affirm Yahweh’s rule over the earth. Psalm 93 praises the Lord as King over the earth, the powerful seas, and even Israel.
The exclamation “The LORD reigns” is a proclamation of Yahweh’s glorious rule. The emphatic position of “the LORD” in the MT [Hebrew text] leaves no ambiguity in the affirmation that it is Yahweh, and no other deity, who reigns in glory.
God’s reign is evident in his creation (i.e., both earth and sea) and in his acts of redemption. The rule of God is visible, as his glorious mantle spreads out all over his kingdom. “Robed in majesty” is a poetic expression for the glory associated with all of Yahweh’s works. His works reveal the nature of the Great King: his glory and strength. His “strength” is a metaphor for his power in subduing all things to his control…
The Lord established his kingship on earth when he created the “world”. The doctrine of God the Creator stands in stark contrast to the pagan teachings on chaos, primordial forces, and random happenings. Yahweh is the Creator-God. He has “established” the world, and it will not reel and totter under the duress of hostile forces, because Yahweh has established his rule over it. The nations may rage against his rule, but it will not fall…
The threefold repetition of “the seas have lifted up” has an overwhelming effect. The “seas” are the “ocean currents” whose powers were feared by the pagans, as in the myth of Baal’s victory over Yamm (“the sea god”), also known as “the Judge River”. The “sea” or “river” is also a metaphor of the nations. Though the waters rise up and “pound” with great force, destroying seashores and property, the Lord is “mightier” (v.4). He has also established his kingship over the seas. The seas are not conceived of as independent forces but as controlled by the power of Yahweh. He is “on high” and therefore not subject to the powers of the sea.
The Fear of the Lord or the Fear of Climate Change?
It’s a no-brainer.
For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. 25 When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure, 26 when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, 27 then he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out. 28 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'” Job 28:24-28
Prayer:
Creator God and Father of Jesus Christ, our loving heavenly Father. We come before you in humble adoration of Your great work of Creation. We praise You for Your good and righteous and faithful rule over the earth, the land, the seas, the skies, the rivers, plants, animals, all of it. You alone rule over Your Creation.
Praise You Father God for instilling within us with the gift of wisdom. If anyone lacks wisdom, Your Word says they should ask you, and in Your grace and mercy You will give them wisdom generously, the same wisdom by which You created the earth and the heavens and all that is in them.
Praise You for the gift of assurance by which we know that all of Creation is subdued to Your established rule and that neither hostile forces nor the might of great waters can harm the earth because even these things are under Your mighty rule. Praise You for being both protector and sustainer of Creation.
And God we lift up those who are imprisoned by fear to the modern Baal known as “climate change” or “global warming” or whatever it is called this week. Thousands of years and modern Baal continues his deceptive battle with Yamm. If the fight were real, modern Baal, a man made idol, would have no chance against “Yamm.” What is even more misguided, modern Baal drags gullible and unbelieving minds into the trap of his delusion. God, You know! You know the deceptive ploys of modern Baal and his prophets who carry him from place to place. Please Father God, please defeat the prophets of modern Baal unequivocally. Put a complete stop to their evil and their power-hungry disdain for human beings. Give us a modern day Mt. Carmel!
And please, we pray asking in the Name of Jesus, that You would protect trusting minds from succumbing to the fear, deception, and duress of this man-made idol. God, You alone are all-powerful. You are robed in majesty. By your strength, we pray, help all of Your creatures stand firm. And please give all people wisdom, that is the fear of You Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom and understanding.
In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Resource:
Willem A. VanGemeren, “Psalm 93: Yahweh Reigns Gloriously” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, vol. 5, Frank E. Gaebelein gen. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991), 607-609.
