Psalms 93:1 - Meaning and Application

Beside the being of God, there is nothing more important for us to believe and think about than his rule over all things. Jehovah is God, and this God reigns (Psalms 93:1). He is not only King by right, as the owner of all people and things, but King in fact, directing all creatures and all their actions according to his own wise will. This is praised here, as it is in many other psalms: The Lord reigns. It is also the song of the gospel church and the glorified church in heaven, where they cry, “Hallelujah, for the Lord God Almighty reigns” (Revelation 19:6).

The Lord reigns in glory. He is clothed with majesty. Earthly rulers may seem impressive, but compared with God’s awful majesty, they are like the weak light of a glow-worm beside the sun in full strength. Are the enemies of God’s kingdom great and dangerous? We should not fear them, because God’s majesty will outshine theirs.

He also reigns with power. He is not only clothed with majesty like a prince in his court, but clothed with strength like a general in the camp. He has all he needs to support his greatness and make it truly feared. Think of him not only in robes, but in armor. Strength and honor are his clothing. He can do all things, and nothing is impossible for him. This power is his own, not borrowed from anyone else. He uses it as he pleases. So we should not fear human power, which is borrowed and limited, but fear the one who has power to kill and cast into hell.

This power is also why the world still stands. The world is established, first by God’s creating power, when he founded it on the seas, and still by his providence, which keeps all things going. It is a continuing act of creation. God has hung the earth upon nothing (Job 26:7), yet it cannot be moved. All things continue to this day according to his order. We should give God the glory for preserving the powers and order of nature. We use these gifts every day, and it is careless and ungrateful if we do not praise him for them. Though God is clothed with majesty, he still cares for this lower world and settles its affairs. If he established the world, he will surely establish his church, so that it cannot be moved.

He reigns forever (Psalms 93:2). His throne has stood from of old. His right to rule the world rests on the fact that he made it. The one who gave it being surely has the right to give it law. So his claim to govern is beyond question. His throne has no flaw in it, and it is ancient, established before any other rule, power, or authority. It will remain when all other rule and power are put down (1 Corinthians 15:24).

The whole administration of his rule was settled in his eternal counsel before the world began. He does all things according to the purpose he formed in himself. The chariots of providence came down from between the mountains of brass, from decrees that stand firm like the everlasting mountains (Zechariah 6:1). “You are from everlasting,” and so your throne has been established from of old. Since God himself is from everlasting, his throne and every decision connected with it must be everlasting too. In an eternal mind, there could not but be eternal thoughts.

He reigns in triumph (Psalms 93:3, Psalms 93:4). First, a threatening storm is pictured. “The floods have lifted up, O Lord.” The appeal is made to God himself. The floods have lifted up their voice, which brings fear, and they have lifted up their waves, which brings real danger. This points to a stormy sea, like the wicked are compared to (Isaiah 57:20). The nations rage (Psalms 2:1) and try to destroy the church, to sweep it away like a flood, or sink it like a ship at sea. The church is said to be tossed by storms (Isaiah 54:11), and the floods of ungodly people make the saints afraid (Psalms 18:4). We can also think of the tumults within our own hearts, when strong passions and fears rise up and upset the soul, ready to overthrow its grace and comfort. But if the Lord reigns there, even the winds and sea will obey him.

In that storm, we also have a firm anchor. The Lord himself is mightier. This should steady our minds. God is on high, above all these things, which means both his safety and his rule. They cannot reach him (Psalms 29:10). They are ruled by him, overruled by him, and where they rebel, they are defeated (Exodus 18:11). He is mightier, and he does greater things than the noise of many waters. They cannot disturb his rest or his rule, and they cannot ruin his plans. The power of the church’s enemies is only like the noise of many waters, more sound than substance. Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a noise (Jeremiah 46:17). The church’s friends are usually more frightened than hurt. God is mightier than that noise. He can keep his people’s interests from being ruined by these many waters, and their hearts from being shaken by the noise of them. When he pleases, he can command peace for the church (Psalms 65:7), and peace in the soul (Isaiah 26:3). The unlimited rule and unstoppable power of the great Jehovah are a strong comfort to God’s people in all the noise and trouble of this world (Psalms 46:1-2).

He reigns in truth and holiness (Psalms 93:5). All his promises are perfectly trustworthy: “Your testimonies are very sure.” Just as God is able to protect his church, so he is faithful to the promises he made about its safety and victory. His word has gone out, and all the saints may depend on it. Everything foretold about the kingdom of the Messiah would surely come to pass in its time. The promises that supported the faith and hope of Old Testament believers were very sure, and they would not fail.

And all his people should be carefully pure: “Holiness becomes your house, O Lord, forever.” God’s church is his house. It is a holy house, cleansed from sin, set apart by God, and used in his service. Its holiness is its beauty, because nothing suits the saints better than being like God and fully devoted to his honor. It is also its strength and safety, because the holiness of God’s house protects it against the many waters and their noise. Where there is purity, there will be peace. Fashion changes, and what fits one time may not fit another, but holiness always suits God’s house and family. It is always fitting, and nothing looks worse in the worshipers of a holy God than unholiness.