Sermon Notes

93 1-2 God is King, robed and ruling, God is robed and surging with strength. And yes, the world is firm, immovable, Your throne ever firm—you’re Eternal! 3-4 Sea storms are up, God, Sea storms wild and roaring, Sea storms with thunderous breakers. Stronger than wild sea storms, Mightier than sea-storm breakers, Mighty God rules from High Heaven. 5 What you say goes—it always has. “Beauty” and Holy” mark your palace rule, God, to the very end of time. (The Message, MSG)

In the introduction to his commentary on the Psalter, J. Clinton McCann Jr. says the book of Psalms, “has been preserved and transmitted as Scripture,” meaning it began as songs that were written by people who looked to God as their source and sustenance, and then those songs were later elevated to the place of Scripture. As such, McCann says we should, “interpret the psalms both as humanity's words to God and as God's word to humanity. Underlying this intent is a very incarnational view of Scripture, but the origin and transmission of the psalms in this regard is really no different from other parts of the canon. All Scripture originated as the record of humanity's encounter with and response to God, a record that generations of God's people judged to be authentic and true; thus it was preserved and transmitted as the Word of God.”
As humanity’s words to God, the Psalms provide a glimpse into how ancient Israel considered God to be operative in their lives regardless of their ongoing circumstances. Whether enjoying plenty and peace during the times of the United Davidic Kingdom, or suffering hardship and heartache during the times of the exile, ancient Israelites believed that while God reigned over all, God also chose to become One with humanity—literally becoming flesh and “moving into our neighborhood,” as Eugene Peterson translates John 1:14. This Divine commitment to not only reign over, but reign with, us means God even reorders the physical and spiritual realms for the good of God’s people. While God is majestic and mighty, God is also approachable and present. This loving presence, according to those who penned the psalms, is discernable regardless of the majesty of God’s rule. In fact, God’s majesty serves to reveal the difference between human kings and the Divine as the only authentic king.

Psalm 93 is a hymn of praise within Book IV (1-41) of the Psalter which affirms God as the only authentic king of Israel. Known as one of the enthronement psalms (Psalms 93 and 95-99), it is part of a collection that has been called the "the theological heart” of the psalter because of its persistent declarations about God’s rule and sovereignty. While most scholars agree that enthronement psalms come from a festival setting within the time of the Davidic kingdom where Israel celebrated God as their one king, there is a historical and literary relationship with the exile. It is likely that enthronement psalms, which originated during the Davidic kingdom, were reinterpreted in light of the Babylonian exile when many Israelites may question the efficacy of God’s reign due to Babylonian and Medo-Persian imperialism. However, ultimately, Israel trusted in God as their Divine king who was enthroned regardless of their condition of exile. The psalmist asserts the sovereignty of God in the face of the circumstances that appear to deny God’s reign.
When humans think of sovereignty, we usually think in terms of someone having the absolute power to enforce their will. A human king, head of state, or a captain of industry, often has the unchecked power to do whatever they want to do without little accountability or repercussions of their actions. However, God does not operate in this manner. Instead, God invites people to become a part of Divine will. Theologically, the enthronement psalms point us to the idea that God reigns, God in a manner that is righteous, just, faithful, gracious and merciful, without vengeance and hate. In fact, God reigns through vulnerability, encouraging people to do right, but willing to accept their free will to make their own choices concerning living right. Thus, God chooses to reign through love instead of force, demonstrating Divine kiss in the face of human opposition and human circumstances. Psalm 93 has three main poetic divisions, 1-2; 3-4; 5.

1-2 God is King, robed and ruling,
God is robed and surging with strength.
And yes, the world is firm, immovable,
Your throne ever firm—you’re Eternal!
In the opening verses of the lesson text, the psalmist underscores the sovereignty of God against the historical and theological context of ancient Near Eastern culture and mythology. Three times the psalmist refers to God as one who is “king” (malak in Hebrew), one who is “robed” in a royal garment like a king (labash in Hebrew), and one who has a “throne” (kicce in Hebrew), like a king underscoring God’s position in the universe. The Hebrew verb malak literally means to reign, to be king or queen, or to rule. Thus, Peterson translates the “b” portion of verse 1 as ruling. Malak is the same root word for king (melek). When the psalmist says God is robed in “majesty” (gehut in Hebrew) they speak of God exuding the strength that comes with the title of king and regnal territory. Kings have armies at their beck and call, wealth beyond measure, and absolute power within their realms, all of which mean they can wage war or peace with a word. In essence, the psalmist is saying God is the “Divine Warrior” as they poetically imagine God having all of these attributes as a consequence of being God.
For the Israelites who would have heard this psalm, the invocation of the LORD as king would have immediately brought to mind the Canaanite and Mesopotamian gods whom they asserted YHWH had triumphed over. First, the psalmist employs the Hebrew word koon to say the LORD “established” the world. This means God prepared it and erected it from nothing (Genesis 1), fixed it in the cosmos, and then made it firm—as in held in place so that the world is solid. Then, the psalmist says the LORD established his throne from old. “From old” denotes a time before time. A piece of history so far back in the recesses of the universes’ memory that humanity cannot even comprehend its beginning.
This is why their God is everlasting and eternal—because the LORD created the world, made it firm and immovable, and established it by word and deed before the foundations of the world were laid. Thus, the present reality is that their God is the only the authentically enthroned God. Other nations might say their God is God, but only the LORD is God eternal.
3-4 Sea storms are up, God,
Sea storms wild and roaring,
Sea storms with thunderous breakers.
Stronger than wild sea storms,
Mightier than sea-storm breakers,
Mighty God rules from High Heaven.
If in verses 1 and 2 the psalmists offers a declaration of God’s sovereignty, in verses 3 and 4 the psalmist responds to that declaration with the explanation that God became king by defeating the chaotic waters of creation. The sea storms (MSG), and the floods, waters, and sea (NRSVue), that the psalmist invokes is directly related to the ancient Near Eastern mythology that believed the chaotic waters were actually gods who took physical form. The Canaanite god Baal was personified as the god of storms. The Canaanite god Yam Sup was personified as the Red Sea in Exodus 14 and 15. The Leviathan was a Babylonian god named Tiamat, and a Canaanite god named Lotan—a merciless sea serpent demon that ruled the chaotic waters of creation mentioned in Job 41, Psalm 74:14, Isaiah 27:1. The waters of Tehom are the medieval floods are mentioned in Genesis. All of these watery monsters were defeated by the LORD as the world was established, as God fought for the Israelites, and God defeated them all in the beginning of continues to defeat them as the Divine reign is maintained.
For Christians, the psalmist’s thick poetic imagery provides a welcome bridge from biblical times to our contemporary times. If, as the psalmist says, God is still on the throne, then God is able to will defeat our chaotic monsters in God’s own time. Every human has monsters, or a watery chaos, that seeks to pull us under wrestling down to a watery grave. But, God can and will rescue us from those monsters and calm the raging seas, storms and waters of life. Yes, the seas and waters are majestic—they have strength that is undeniable—but God is all powerful. God’s might trumps the chaotic waters of life.
5 What you say goes—it always has.
“Beauty” and “Holy” mark your palace rule,
God, to the very end of time.
In the final verse of the lesson text, the psalmist affirms that God’s reign is resolute—what God says goes. Period, end of discussion. God’s decrees—literally testimonies—are sure (aman in Hebrew) which means to be confirmed, supported, trusted, believed and—above all—faithful. Aman is related to the Hebrew word for faithfulness. Therefore, the psalmist is saying God’s word and will embodies faithfulness to us. Further, beauty and holiness mark God’s physical and spiritual rule in the palace and beyond. Interestingly, this palace is not a kings complex but the temple—the place where God’s beauty resides and God’s holiness is present and palatable.
The psalmist’s final word on God’s reign is of its permanence. It is forevermore; to the very end of time. The reality that God reigns over everything should provide the motivation and impetus for our continuous praise and worship. Whether in the temple, at home, or on our daily journeys, as we go forth in life, we should “go” worshipping God for reigning in our lives.

i. J. Clinton McCann Jr., “Book of Psalms,” in Keck et al. (eds.), The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 4 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996) p. 642-643.
ii. Ibid., p. 1053.