Psalms

Psalms 93-99 were by Jewish tradition to be Psalms containing words of the Messiah.  Some believe Psalm 93 is supposed to have been used in post-captivity temple service and may have been written during Sennacherib's invasion (2 Kings 18:13-19:37) or during the rebuilding of the temple.  In this Psalm, we see the Psalmist recognize God's eternal and universal kingdom that is to be ministered through the Messiah (see Col 1:17).

The Eternal Reign of the LORD

¹ The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
The Lord God, Jehovah, reigns.  This is a universal statement.  There are no stated boundaries on heaven or on earth.  There are no boundaries of time.  He was sovereign in eternity past and will remain sovereign throughout eternity future.  He reigns supreme over all we know and see as well as what we don't know and cannot see. 

Psalm 103: 19 says:

¹⁹ The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

The Lord God is clothed with majesty.  What is this majesty?  To be majestic is to be lofty and dignified.  For God to be called majestic is to see the picture of the King of all Kings, an imposing figure, larger in spiritual stature than we can imagine.  The same word used toward a man describes pride.  God is perfect and holy and lives up to all the majesty.  When men grab for majesty, it is prideful and arrogant because we could never live up to that standard.

The Lord has girded Himself with strength.  To be girded is to be wrapped up in or bound up in something.  The Lord is girded in strength.  It's part of who and what He is.  He wears many crowns, is clothed in majesty and strength, He is high and lifted up.  Read Ezekiel 1 or Isaiah 6 to hear a first hand account of a man seeing the majesty, strength and attributes of God.

The Psalmist declares that surely the world is established so it can't be moved.  The unchanging, ever present and all powerful God has established the world.  If we couldn't be sure God was in charge of everything in the world, what can we be sure of?  At the fall of man to sin we brought sin and death and destruction into the world.  God created a perfect creation and sin has damaged it.  When God gives us free will and when he allows us to experience the consequences of our choices, our world is filled with depravity that comes from men.  Isn't it interesting that we then look to God in the middle of our depravity and say, where are you God?  As a society we looked away, made ungodly choices, chased gods of our own making and did what was right in our own eyes. 

Still, even then, the world will not be moved.  Satan has been given a long leash but the Lord will restore the world in His time.  The sin debt has been paid in full.  It's just a matter of time before the title deed to earth is reclaimed by the Holy One.

² Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.

As we grow, we continue to grow in understanding and knowledge of the throne of God.  It is revealed to us in a new way, just like His majesty and strength might be.  Even though it may appear new to us, it's always been.  It is from everlasting to everlasting.

Psalm 90 says:

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
² Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

Daniel 7 says:

" I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
Its wheels a burning fire;
¹⁰ A fiery stream issued
And came forth from before Him.
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
And the books were opened.

³ The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their waves.
⁴ The LORD on high is mightier
Than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.
The floods are poetic language representing what we see as a natural and untamable power.  Many see this flood as representative of the people of the world.  These are the earth dwellers that repeatedly attack the things of God.  They lift up themselves, they lift up their voice, they rise up like the waves.  The fact that 'flood' is mentioned 3 times reinforces the extreme and repeated nature of this.  Whether it is people or floods of nature, they are repeated and seem to defy the sovereignty of God.  Regardless of how it seems to us, in spite of what we see, the Psalmist says that the Lord is mightier than these waters.  He allows them to make noise for a time, but He is ruler over them.  He allows the mighty waves, but ultimately he rules the sea.   Our place is not get caught up in the waves in the world but as individuals seek the Lord and his ways.  It seems like we are swimming against the current.  Yet, if enough men and women of God decide this in their heart, a godly wave will make it way through this world. 

⁵ Your testimonies are very sure;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O LORD, forever.

Weirsbe says, "Do not focus on the threats around you; focus on the throne above you."  Regardless of how bad the waves appear to us, either waves of man or waves of nature, the testimony of the Lord stands.  All the hurricanes and Typhoons in the world don't harm the holiness of God.  He is still sovereign, He is still holy, clothed in majesty and girded in strength.  We know the depravity of man will grow worse in the last days.  Men will seek after things that please them.  Yet, they will hold to some form of godliness; chasing after a god of their own making.  The flood of mankind may come against God and all He represents, but no harm comes to God.  He remains Holy.  His gospel message goes on.  For us, we know the blood was still shed.  The price has been paid, the victory won.  Nothing can change that.  Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord.