Psalm 93 – the Lord Reigns

For such a short psalm, the ninety-third is tightly packed with truth. We do not know the author, nor the circumstances in which it was written. It is not directly a song of praise, though consideration of its truths will lead us to praise. It is not a psalm of lament, though we will find comfort here for times of sorrow. Neither is it an intercessory psalm, but we have in the words of the psalm a reminder that the Lord is in control. Rather, it is a declaration of the character of the Lord. As such, for us in the twenty-first century, it is full of comfort in an uncertain and wicked world. There is also within it a wonderful expectation of the earthly reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORD’S’, Rev. 19. 16.

Comfort

Verses 1 and 2 compose the first stanza and focus on the Lord’s rule. ‘The Lord reigns’, v. 1 NKJV, could not be a plainer declaration to commence the psalm. Here is a simple, matter-of-fact statement of God’s rule - His sovereignty. We can think, perhaps mistakenly sometimes, that things have never been worse than they are now, and we do live in troubled times. There is uncertainty at hand: wars, natural disasters, civil unrest, and economic disturbance. But the Lord reigns! Despite the uncertainty, nothing is out of His control.

His is a majestic reign, for He is ‘clothed with majesty’, v. 1. The word ‘majesty’ here is linked with the idea of lifting up, and in other portions is translated ‘pride’, e.g., Isa. 28. 1, 3. There is no arrogance with our God, rather this is a recognition that, ultimately, He is the only one worthy of being lifted up. We understand that this reference to God’s clothing of Himself is an anthropomorphism, for ‘God is Spirit’, John 4. 24 NKJV. The idea of clothing is that which is on display, and so the Lord displays His majesty and His strength as He reigns.

It is a strong reign, ‘the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself’, v. 1. Girding carries the idea of being prepared for action, and the second stanza will develop this thought, but it should be comforting to us that the Lord is not cold and distant, but ready to act. As the seer Hanani reminded King Asa after his calamitous mistake, ‘the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him’, 2 Chr. 16. 9 NKJV. In the words of Bonar, ‘His robes are not mere show’.¹ His is also an established reign, indeed His ‘throne is established of old’, v. 2; it is a permanent and unmoving rule. Nothing can shake it; no one can move it. Psalm 45 contains a similar thought in the phrase picked up by the writer of Hebrews and applied to the Lord Jesus, ‘Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever’, Ps. 45. 6; Heb. 1. 8. It is also an eternal reign -‘Thou art from everlasting’, v. 2; as He has no beginning, so His reign had no beginning. So, the psalmist sees the all-encompassing reign of the Lord over and above all.

Verse 1 also declares that He is sovereign over creation, for He has established the world, and ‘it cannot be moved’. We know that one day the world will be brought to an end, but that will not be through the designs or devastation of humanity. No, it will be the Lord who will one day take the earth and the heavens and ‘fold them up’, Heb. 1. 12. Until then, they are certain, just as the Lord spoke to Noah, ‘while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease’, Gen. 8. 22. Despite the uncertainty around us, we can rest on the certainty of the plans of our sovereign God.

The scope of scripture shows that the sovereignty of the Lord extends over all the domains of life. We could explore this in further depth, but two examples will suffice. He is sovereign in salvation, for, as Paul unfolds the great truths of salvation in Ephesians chapter 1, he writes that God works ‘all things after the counsel of his own will’, v. 11. He is sovereign over earthly governments too, for ‘there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God’, Rom. 13. 1. Of course, we know that there is no negation of human responsibility. However, what comfort to know that ‘the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand’, Prov. 19. 21.

In the second stanza, covering verses 3 and 4, the focus turns to the Lord’s power. The imagery the psalmist uses is that of unpredictable and dangerous flooding waters. The word ‘floods’, repeated three times in verse 3, emphasizes the fear that deep moving water has posed throughout human history. Even today, for all our vaunted technology, raging waters, tsunamis, hurricanes, and so on claim thousands of lives, even in highly developed countries. It is little wonder that writing in ancient times as he is, the psalmist draws on floods as a picture of peril and danger.

There are also spiritual floods that might be ‘lifted up’, v. 3, against the believer; dangers and deep troubles that the Lord’s people enter into at times. They may be dangers around the believer, for example, think of the account that Paul gives of his experiences in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 23 to 27. There are also times we can feel overwhelmed from that which rises from within, from the flesh. When the floods have ‘lifted up their voice’, v. 3, it can be almost too much to bear. The sound of them is not the same as their actual power, but it does speak of their danger, and we are reminded that the Devil goes about as a ‘roaring lion’, 1 Pet. 5. 8. However, there are also the ‘waves’, v. 3, speaking of the sheer power that the floods have, and wherever the rising waves of doubt, anxiety, fear, or failure can threaten to swamp us.

Nevertheless, when we look to the Lord Jesus, we remember the one who on a storm-tossed sea, when the voice of the waves lifted up, stood up in a boat and said, ‘Peace, be still’, Mark 4. 39. Indeed, as our psalmist says, ‘The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters … the mighty waves of the sea’, v. 4. The waves may rise, but they can never be as high as He is. He is over all, and He is omnipotent. More than this, He is the one who would truly fulfil the words of the forty-second psalm, ‘Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me’, Ps. 42. 7 NKJV. For, not only is He high above all, but He is the one who came down low, under the waves of the wrath of God that our sin deserved. We can draw real and present comfort from this in the face of rising floods, that our greatest threat has been forever dealt with by the mighty Lord Jesus.

The last verse is a fitting coda to the psalm, focusing on the Lord’s word and the Lord’s house. How is it that we know of the God who reigns, who is clothed in majesty, and who is mightier than the roar of waters? The sure testimonies of the word of God! The psalmist says they are ‘very trustworthy’, v. 5 ESV, and in the scriptures we have certainty and clarity in a sufficient and complete revelation of God. We can depend upon the Lord, for He has revealed Himself in His word.

There are three psalms that begin with the phrase ‘The Lord reigneth’ - this is the first, along with Psalms 97 and 99. It is interesting that all three of them end with the thought of holiness, Pss. 93. 5; 97. 12; 99. 9. In the latter two, it is the holiness of God. Here in verse 5, holiness ‘becometh’, or ‘adorns’ NKJV, God’s house. Since the Lord reigns, it is right that the place where He has placed His name² should be marked by purity and separation unto Him alone. After all, He said to the children of Israel something that the Apostle Peter applied to believers in the first century, and to us as well, ‘be holy; for I am holy’, Lev. 11. 44; 1 Pet. 1. 16 NKJV.

Expectation

Although the psalm is not specifically Messianic, it will have a distinct fulfilment in the millennial reign of Christ.³ One day, a restored and rescued remnant of Israel will be able to sing these words truly and sincerely. As they enter the millennium, they will surely sing, ‘The Lord reigns’, rejoicing in a reign that will be both visible and physically situated on earth, for in that day the Lord Jesus Christ will have ‘dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth’, Ps. 72. 8.

Today, the state of Israel is surrounded by hostile nations and is experiencing great conflict. However, when the nation sings this psalm in the millennium, it will have experienced the ‘floods’, v. 3, of destruction during the tribulation like nothing that it has ever faced before. But the Lord who is ‘mightier than the noise of many waters’, v. 4, will have appeared ‘clothed with majesty’ and ‘girded’, v. 1, for battle against His enemies. Here in this psalm is a glimpse of what John saw centuries later, ‘a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True … and on his head … many crowns’, Rev. 19. 11, 12. What a sight it will be for Israel when Jesus Christ ‘shall be revealed from heaven … in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God’, 2 Thess. 1. 7, 8. Truly, then it will be said, ‘Thy throne is established’, v. 2, for a perfect king will rule and ‘His name shall endure for ever’, Ps. 72. 17.

That day will also be proof of the sure testimonies of the Lord, that His promises to Israel have not been abrogated. The one who ‘stablished’ the world so ‘that it cannot be moved’, v. 1, will fulfil the covenants He established with Abraham⁴ and with David.⁵ Finally, at least in terms of what the psalm touches on, holiness will adorn the millennial temple that will be built, Ezek. 43. 12. Little wonder that the cry to go up as He comes to rule will be, ‘Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth’, Rev. 19. 6.

ANDREW WARE lives in Melbourne, Australia and fellowships with the Bayswater Assembly. He is involved in gospel preaching, Bible teaching, and children’s outreach locally and elsewhere. This is his first article for Precious Seed.