Focussing on God's Throne in a Sinful World (Psalm 93)
We don’t know who wrote this
psalm, nor do we know the particular circumstances that lie behind it, and
since God has not chosen to tell us there is no point in trying to work out who
wrote it or when it was written. Nevertheless, we do know what the psalm means,
and its message is appropriate for us as we begin 2016.
The obvious detail that comes out
from this psalm is the fact that in contrast to the gods of the nations
surrounding Israel, her god was the living God. They were dumb idols that could
not listen to prayers made to them, that could not give guidance to those who
wanted it, and that could not intervene in the affairs of life at any level
whatsoever. Their influence was not increased by the devotion of their
followers, nor did their resources increase according to the intensity of the
desires of their worshippers. The truth was that their gods could do nothing
for them or against them. They were non-existent.
Today, we don’t have idols of that
kind, although some people do regard their newspaper’s horoscope in such a way,
with exactly the same effect – zero. But we have other idols that people
dedicate their lives to serving because they imagine that these options can
somehow bring about the security and comforts and health that only God can provide.
I reckon that the busiest groups of people last year were the police and the
varieties of roles in the medical profession, a fact that tells us that all is
not well with us. We are facing huge problems and our modern gods are nor able
to live up to their promises.
The fixed reality
The truth that the psalmist
insists on in this psalm is that the universe has a ruler and he does not have
his throne anywhere on earth. As we begin this year, we should take hold of
this reality and explore it. And we should take note of the details mentioned
about him.
The first matter concerns his name. With earthly rulers, we can work out some details
about them from what they are called. For example, if a ruler is called a president, we can assume that
at some stage his country removed its monarchy. If he is called a king, we can
assume that he has limited power. The Lord’s name is Yahweh, the covenant God,
who revealed himself by this name to his people, Israel, when he was about to
deliver them from slavery in Egypt. This is a reminder that he is the same
yesterday, today and forever because what he does is connected to commitments
and promises he made to those with whom he is in covenant. Those so privileged
are those who come to know him through faith in Jesus through the gospel that
he sent to them. He will remain loyal to what he has promised in that gospel.
The second matter concerns his attire. Of course, the psalmist is using
an illustration to help us understand the greatness of God. The Lord wears
permanent majesty. I suppose if we could see monarchs and presidents first
thing in the morning they would not look very appealing. We might see them
having to engage in some unroyal actions. At some stages, we would find them
off duty. In any case, we know that they put on their garments of glory in
order to hide their inferior parts. In complete contrast, our God is always at
his heights. He cannot appear in an unsuitable garb, but can only be what he
always is – the truly majestic God. This means that he is always capable and
competent. Majesty is often another word for beauty, and when we think of God
we find ourselves drawn to gaze on, admire and love his perfections.
The third matter is what holds it all together. I suppose we could see that the
things that compose his majesty are his attributes. As we know from the
catechism, God is a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in his being,
wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. Here the psalmist
continues his illustration taken from clothing and depicts the Lord as putting
on a belt. We put on a belt to hold our clothes together so as to appear
suitable in public. God puts on power to make him appear suitable in public. Of
course, we can put on a belt, but it does not do much good if our clothes are
full of holes. When God puts on his belt, he holds together all that is perfect
about him. This means that whatever God does in 2016, he will do it with
strength, invincible strength.
The fourth matter is the evidence of his power, which the psalmist tells us is
the permanency of the created order. In other words, we are directed to
consider the fact that the world is here day by day. Of course, one day it will
be gone, but only his power will bring that about. Until then, the fixedness of
the created system is the clear evidence of the power of God. On many
occasions, the Bible tells its readers to consider the heavenly bodies as a sign
of God’s powerful faithfulness, to consider the stars and the planets. Or we
can look at the oceans which he holds in the hollow of his hands – of course,
God does not have hands, so the point of that example is that what we regard as
extremely large is actually very small to God.
The fifth matter is the permanency of God’s throne. How would we know if God had
been overthrown? Only if someone managed to have another order of things
controlling the universe. But they cannot. His throne is older than creation –
indeed it was his royal decree that brought the universe into existence. He
said, and it happened. So creation speaks to us about the power of God and his
endless rule, and we should listen to it in 2016.
The futile rebellion
It looks as if there had been a
fierce storm in which a great deal of water had caused flooding. Perhaps the
seas around or in Israel had caused devastating effects on the countryside. As
the psalmist looked at the chaos caused by those floods, he deduced that they
were a good picture of the chaos caused by the rebellion of humans against the
rule of God.
The floods were probably the
threats of foreign empires endangering the existence of God’s people. If that
is the background, we can see why they would be likened to a flood. After all,
Israel was minute in space compared to them. From a human point of view, Israel
did not stand a chance against those mighty waters. Whenever they chose to
flow, they would assume that Israel would be an easy prey.
What gave the psalmist comfort was
the position of God’s throne. In the previous verse, it was eternal, here it is
elevated far above noise of the rebels. His throne is untouchable and
unshakeable. However strong the enemy seemed, the psalmist knew that there was
a Stronger, that he was able to defend and protect his people as well as defeat
his enemies.
A person who has his eyes on the
throne of God realises that his enemies, in contrast, are pygmies. They may be
too big for us, but they are not to big for him. The floods may last a long
time, but once they run dry, it will be noticed that God’s throne did not shake
even for a second. Whenever we hear the noise of the floods in 2016, remember
who is above them, controlling all that happens, and over-ruling their vain
attempts to get rid of him.
The faithful response
In response to the noise of the
opponents, the worshipper of God lifts his eyes to heaven and makes two
observations. The first is that God’s plans will happen. A decree can only be
made by a person with power. I have never issued a decree in my life and never
will because I will never be in a position to make it. I don’t suppose you
have, either. In contrast, God only issues decrees – he always speaks with
power and his decisions always bring about effects. He does not state wishes
that he is unable to achieve. Since his decrees will happen, and they are
always for his glory and our good, he is completely trustworthy as far as his
promises are concerned. So in 2016, we can trust unreservedly in the God of the
Bible.
The second response is that the
psalmist recognised the distinctiveness of the location of God’s worship, the
temple. It was the place where he was reminded that there was another world,
far superior to the one that is visible. Moreover, it was a reminder of the
eternal world, the one that will still be here when others have passed away.
Holiness is a word that we have
reduced in meaning and turned it into something drab. Yet holiness is connected
to beauty and splendour so great that the effect of observing it is staggering.
When we contemplate we are filled with awe and will be led to worship. There
are two biblical examples of holiness on display that we can consider.
The first example is from Isaiah 6
where Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up. In that vision, the size of God
was so big that the train of his robe filled the enormous temple standing in
Jerusalem. Isaiah, the princely prophet, who had access to the throne room in
Jerusalem to speak to earthly kings, found himself in the presence of the
thrice holy God. The man who was accustomed to speaking wisely now found
himself confessing that his lips were sinful. His sight of God showed him his
weakness. But then he heard the Lord looking for someone to serve. And Isaiah
responded with, ‘Here I am! Send me.’
The second example is what
happened to Simon Peter when Jesus provided a large catch of fish after the
disciples had spent a fruitless evening trying to catch some. We could say that
the Lord had his belt of power on as he controlled the fish of the sea. When
Peter observed this amazing display of power, he rushed to the Lord’s feet and
said, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ He said this because he
was full of astonishment at the power of Jesus. But Jesus, instead of leaving,
gave to Peter the task of serving when he said to him, ‘Do not be afraid; from
now on you will be catching men’ (Luke 5:1-11).
The obvious lesson from those two
examples is that a genuine sight of the holiness of God leads to service in the
way that he has gifted those whom he calls to serve. In what ways can we serve
him in 2016? It is common to make resolutions at this time of year. Let me
suggest some ways in which we can serve him. Make use of our time wisely. In
2015, we had 8,760 hours, or 525,600 minutes. No doubt, we might have slept for a third of them, but it would only
have taken three prayers a minute to have a million prayers. A silly statistic
we might say, but then God does say to pray without ceasing. So we can use our
time to pray, because normally we can pray when we are doing something else.
I would say that a simple New Year
resolution is to decide to speak to him more and speak for him more. We speak
to him in praise and prayer and we speak for him in fellowship and witness. If
we do them in 2016, it will be a good year for us.