# 42 2020 Dev. Psalm 97:1. God Reigns! Read all of Psalm 97. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Psalm 97:1 “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.”
Psalms 90 through 100 are a series of 11 Psalms that open and close with “Lord” (Adonai) or “the Lord” (Yahweh). After Psalm 95, a call to God’s people to worship and Psalm 97 justifies the call to worship God Almighty.
Psalm 97 is divided into two sections with a verse at the center serving as a foil highlighting the theme of both sides of the poem. Vs.1-6 describes the power of God on the earth and God’s power over the glory of His creation. God’s glory is all around us: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge” says Ps.19:1,2. God’s righteousness, His power, His glory and His beauty is before us every day, particularly this time of the year. Creation alone justifies the worship of God!
Vs.8-13 describes the effect of God’s rule over the people of the world. Not all people of the world acknowledge God’s rule but God’s Word tells us that in reality God rules. We turn again to Ps. 19:8 “The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” Read all of Psalm19. It is about the voice of nature, the voice of God and the response of man. V.8- People rejoice! V.9- God is exalted! V.10- Love the Lord, hate evil, be faithful and God protects! V.11- The light shines! V.12- Rejoice and praise!
Verse 7 stands in opposition to God’s rule, “all who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols…” This Psalm was written many years ago when the world was awash with idols. In reality it is much the same today but much more subtle. We see idolatry all over the world; we see it in governments, in institutions, in religious organizations and in the personal lives of people. We all need to think about what really is important in our lives and evaluate our lives accordingly. But we do not end on this negative note because “The Lord Reigns.”
As the result of God’s reign: “Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.” Let us rejoice and turn on the light of God in this world.
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