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.