The Lord on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea. Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever. Psalm 93:4, 5
The Majesty of the LORD
Psalm 93, a royal psalm, focuses on the reign of God over the earth, making use of a distinctly a Canaanite perspective. The psalmist denies Baal and shouts exuberantly in praise of God. God is King of the universe. What are humans compared to Him? God is King of heaven. What are the gods compared to Him? God is King of all. To whom may He be compared (Is. 40:25)? God is in complete control as ruler of His universe. Creation testifies to his authority. And His holy statutes structure the moral universe.
“To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. Isaiah 40:25
93:1, 2 The Lord reigns is the key of the royal psalms (96:10; 97:1; 99:1). The language guarded Himself with strength describes the victor of one-on-one combat. God is dressed in the garments of victory. This is a celebration of God as the Creator. Cannot be moved: There is no power on earth or in the universe that can wrench control of the earth from God. From of old: Unlike Baal, who was a recent “upstart” in the myths of Canaan, the fule of God is from antiquity. The living God is eternal.
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. 2 Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.
93:3, 4 The floods: Baal was supposed to have been victorious over waters; thus this section of the poem is a continuing refutation of Baal worship while it joyfully celebrates the power of God. The Lord… is mightier: The Creator King is infinite in power; no force in the universe completes with Him.
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.
93:5 While this psalm uses language resembling the worship of Baal to emphasize the greatness of God (Ps. 29), it also glorifies God with praises never attributed to Baal. None of the accolades of Baal speak of his testimonies. But God is superior to Baal, for He is faithful to His word. He is the gracious God who speaks to His people; He is the holy God of Scripture who is approached by His people; and He is the eternal God whom we worship, as did the people of ancient Israel.
5 Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever.
Royal Psalms
Some of the most inspiring psalms are the royal psalms. These are psalms that celebrate God as King. It is amazing that the first time Scripture refers to God as King is in one of the oracles of Balaam, the pagan seer who was blind to spiritual reality until God confronted him (Num. 23:21). Once God was revealed as the Great King, the psalmists made much of that fact.
The reign of God in the Psalms is presented against the cultural backdrop of Canaanite thought and religion. The Canaanites regarded their chief deity El as king of the gods. But according to Canaanite mythology, El’s rule was attacked by Baal, a god of storm and fertility. He defeated a number of the followers of El. These were the gods Yamm (the god of the sea), Lotan (a sea monster), and Mot (the god of death). Baal himself was mortally wounded in this conflict and Anat, the wife-sister of Baal, was associated with his resuscitation. With this victory, Baal became king. But there was always a lingering question: How long would Baal rule? How long would his enemies remain defeated? Could not Lotan surge anew and threaten Baal’s position? The Canaanites who believed in these stories lived their lives on the brink of a heavenly catastrophe. Their gods were fragile; they were easily established and easily deposed.
It is against this background that the words of Ps. 93 obtain their force. The living God is the King from the beginning of time; He is no recent claimant to power (93:1,2). As King, He exercises authority over all. He does not have to fear a resurgent sea (vv. 3, 4). Not only is the Lord omnipotent, but He is truthful and holy, unlike any of the gods of the Canaanite imagination (v.5).
In general, the royal psalms speak of the Lord as King in three different ways. He is King over creation, for He is the Creator (74:12-17). He is King over the Israelites (44:4), for He is their Savior. And He is the coming King, for He will eventually judge everyone (47:7, 8). Sometimes in people’s minds God’s kingdom is narrowly identified with the coming glorious rule of Jesus: God’s present reign over creation is ignored. But sometimes the opposite is true. God’s present rule can be emphasized so much that Jesus’ coming is disregarded. The royal psalms consistently balance these two ideas. “The Lord reigns” (93:1), but the Lord is also coming to establish His permanent rule (24:9).
** Our peace of mind comes from knowing God. Who He is and what He has done for humanity and each of us individually. From being ignorant and helpless, it is a wonderful journey to get to know Him more and more as we grow mature in our faith in Him (Psalm 131). The living God is eternal. Yet, He became mortal for us so that we may also enjoy the everlasting life with Him. This knowledge is sufficient for me. The Lord on high is mightier than the mighty waves of the sea. Mightier than the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th waves of any deadly virus or the malicious intent behind it.
93 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. 2 Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. 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. 5 Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever.
