Psalm 97
Psalm 97
The Greatness and Wisdom of God
Psalm 97 continues the great kingdom theme of Psalm 96. Psalm 96 proclaimed, “The LORD reigns,” and called the nations and creation itself to rejoice before His coming judgment. Psalm 97 presses that truth even further by emphasizing the awesome, holy, and fearful side of God’s reign. The Lord’s rule brings joy to His people, but it also brings terror to His enemies, shame to idolaters, and trembling before His holiness.
This psalm is saturated with Old Testament language. It echoes Sinai, the Exodus, the conquest, the prophetic vision of God’s kingdom, and the final triumph of the Lord over all idols and wickedness. The psalmist is not trying to invent a new theology. He is drawing from the established revelation of God and applying it with fresh spiritual force. That is a good model for biblical teaching. Faithful exposition does not need novelty. It needs truth rightly handled, deeply understood, and powerfully applied.
Psalm 97 may be summarized this way, the Lord reigns over all the earth, His throne is founded upon righteousness and justice, His glory exposes the worthlessness of idols, His judgments bring joy to Zion, and His people must prove their love for Him by hating evil and rejoicing in His holy name.
A. Rejoicing in the Greatness of God
Psalm 97:1, A Summons to Rejoice in God’s Reign
Psalm 97:1, “The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.”
Psalm 97 begins with a bold and simple declaration, “The LORD reigneth.” This is not presented as a theory, a wish, or a religious feeling. It is a fact. The Lord reigns because He is the eternal God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the sovereign Ruler over all things. His throne is not up for election. His authority does not depend upon human approval. His dominion is not limited by the rebellion of men or the schemes of devils.
The Lord is not like the false gods of the nations. He is not a passive idol. He is not a distant watchmaker who created the universe and then withdrew from it. He actively rules, governs, sustains, judges, delivers, and fulfills His purposes. His providence extends over nations, kings, weather, history, armies, families, and individual lives.
Psalm 103:19, “The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.”
Daniel 4:35, “And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou?”
The command that follows is, “let the earth rejoice.” This is important because God’s reign is not bad news for creation. If God were wicked, unjust, cruel, or unstable, His reign would be terrifying in the worst possible sense. But because the Lord is holy, righteous, just, merciful, wise, and true, His reign is the only foundation for real joy. The earth should rejoice because the rightful King is on the throne.
The phrase “let the multitude of isles be glad thereof” extends the call to the farthest regions. In Hebrew usage, the “isles” often referred not only to islands surrounded by water, but also to distant Gentile lands across the sea. The point is that the Lord’s reign is not confined to Israel. The farthest nations are summoned to gladness because Yahweh is King over all the earth.
Isaiah 42:10, “Sing unto the LORD a new song and his praise from the end of the earth ye that go down to the sea and all that is therein the isles and the inhabitants thereof.”
Psalm 97:1 therefore establishes the governing truth of the psalm. The Lord reigns, therefore the earth should rejoice. The God who rules is not an idol, not a tyrant, and not a local deity. He is the sovereign Lord of all creation.
Psalm 97:2-6, The Lord’s Greatness Over Creation
Psalm 97:2-6, “Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness and all the people see his glory.”
The psalm now moves from the fact of God’s reign to the majesty of His appearing. “Clouds and darkness are round about him.” This language reminds the reader of Mount Sinai, where the Lord descended in power, fire, smoke, thunder, lightning, and thick cloud. God revealed Himself truly, but not exhaustively. He made Himself known, yet He remained unapproachable in His fullness.
Exodus 19:16-20, “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long and waxed louder and louder Moses spake and God answered him by a voice. And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai on the top of the mount and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount and Moses went up.”
Clouds and darkness warn sinful man that God is holy. The Lord is not casual. He is not common. He cannot be handled lightly. His hiddenness is not weakness or confusion. It is the proper veil around divine glory. Man is finite and sinful. God is infinite and holy. Therefore, when God draws near in judgment and majesty, creation trembles.
Yet the darkness around Him does not mean His rule is morally uncertain. The psalm immediately says, “righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.” The foundation of God’s throne is righteousness and justice. Human thrones are often built on conquest, manipulation, inheritance, bribery, propaganda, or fear. God’s throne rests upon perfect moral order. He does what is right because He is righteous. He judges justly because justice belongs to His nature.
Deuteronomy 32:4, “He is the Rock his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he.”
Psalm 89:14, “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.”
This is why the earth can rejoice under His reign. Absolute power is dangerous in the hands of sinful men, but absolute sovereignty is glorious in the hands of the holy God. The Lord cannot be corrupted. He cannot be bribed. He cannot misjudge. He cannot be deceived. His throne is safe because His character is perfect.
Psalm 97:3 says, “A fire goeth before him and burneth up his enemies round about.” Fire in Scripture often represents the consuming holiness and judgment of God. The same God who gives light to His people is a consuming fire against His enemies.
Hebrews 12:29, “For our God is a consuming fire.”
This truth must not be softened. The Lord is merciful, but He is not morally indifferent. He is patient, but He is not permissive. He is gracious, but He will not excuse rebellion forever. His enemies will be consumed because His kingdom cannot finally coexist with wickedness.
Psalm 97:4 says, “His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw and trembled.” Lightning pictures the sudden, overwhelming, unmistakable power of God. It flashes across the sky, illuminates the darkness, and causes men to stop. In the same way, when the Lord manifests His glory in judgment, the world will have no excuse and no hiding place.
Psalm 97:5 says, “The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.” Mountains represent strength, stability, permanence, and humanly immovable obstacles. Yet before the Lord they melt like wax. What man cannot move, God dissolves by His presence. No kingdom, fortress, army, ideology, or idol can stand when the Lord rises in judgment.
The phrase “the Lord of the whole earth” is significant. It appears in connection with God’s triumph as Israel entered the land.
Joshua 3:11, “Behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.”
Joshua 3:13, “And it shall come to pass as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD the Lord of all the earth shall rest in the waters of Jordan that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above and they shall stand upon an heap.”
The same Lord who led Israel into Canaan is the Lord of the whole earth. This guards against any idea that the God of Israel is merely national or tribal. He rules all lands, all seas, all peoples, and all history.
Psalm 97:6 says, “The heavens declare his righteousness and all the people see his glory.” Creation testifies to God’s glory, but this verse also anticipates a public manifestation of divine righteousness that all peoples will behold. The psalm points forward to the day when the Lord’s glory will no longer be dismissed, denied, or hidden from the nations.
Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
Matthew 24:30, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
The final and fullest display of this truth comes at the return of Jesus Christ. The world that mocked Him will see Him. The nations that resisted Him will answer to Him. The glory that was veiled in His first coming will be openly revealed in His second coming.
B. Instructing the People
Psalm 97:7-9, Instructing the Nations About the Lord’s Greatness
Psalm 97:7-9, “Confounded be all they that serve graven images that boast themselves of idols: worship him all ye gods. Zion heard and was glad and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments O LORD. For thou LORD art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.”
Because the Lord reigns in holiness and power, idolaters are commanded to be ashamed. “Confounded be all they that serve graven images.” Idolatry is not merely a harmless religious mistake. It is spiritual rebellion against the Creator. It exchanges the glory of the true God for created things.
Romans 1:21-23, “Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and fourfooted beasts and creeping things.”
The idolater boasts in what should shame him. He trusts in an object that cannot speak, cannot save, cannot judge, cannot create, and cannot give life. Whether the idol is carved wood, stone, money, pleasure, political power, self, technology, or false religion, the principle is the same. Man replaces God with something beneath God, then becomes enslaved to what he worships.
Psalm 97:7 says, “worship him all ye gods.” This is poetic language declaring the total superiority of the Lord over every false object of worship and every spiritual power. Even the so called gods must bow before Him. This recalls the humiliation of Dagon before the ark of God.
1 Samuel 5:2-4, “When the Philistines took the ark of God they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow behold Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon and set him in his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning behold Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold only the stump of Dagon was left to him.”
Dagon could not stand before the ark, and no idol will stand before the living God. False religion may appear strong for a time, but it will fall before the Lord.
Psalm 97:8 says, “Zion heard and was glad and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments O LORD.” The revelation of God’s judgment brings joy to God’s people. This is not because the righteous delight in cruelty, but because they delight in justice. When God judges, He vindicates His name, exposes wickedness, defends truth, and sets things right.
Zion represents the covenant people and the city associated with God’s kingdom purposes. The daughters of Judah may refer to the towns of Judah or to the joyful people celebrating God’s victory. The picture is one of gladness spreading among the people of God because the Lord’s judgments prove that He reigns.
There is also a future element here. The restoration and joy of Zion will be fully realized when Messiah reigns from Jerusalem. A literal reading of Scripture expects the promises to Israel to be fulfilled according to God’s covenant faithfulness.
Zechariah 8:3, “Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.”
Isaiah 2:2-3, “And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
Psalm 97:9 directly addresses the Lord, “For thou LORD art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.” The psalmist moves from speaking about God to speaking to God. This is the movement of true theology. Doctrine should become worship. The more clearly one sees the supremacy of God, the more naturally the heart turns to praise.
The Lord is “high above all the earth.” He is not one power among many. He is not merely stronger than other gods. He is in an entirely different category. He alone is God.
Ephesians 1:20-21, “Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places Far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come.”
Christ is exalted far above every principality, power, might, dominion, and name. Psalm 97 finds its fullest expression in the supremacy of the risen and enthroned Christ.
Psalm 97:10-12, Instructing the People of God About His Righteous Deliverance
Psalm 97:10-12, “Ye that love the LORD hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD ye righteous and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”
The psalm now turns directly to the people of God. “Ye that love the LORD hate evil.” This is one of the clearest tests of genuine love for God. Love for the Lord cannot coexist peacefully with love for evil. A man may claim to love God, but if he cherishes what God hates, his claim is exposed as hollow or deeply compromised.
This command is often violated because men want a sentimental version of love that refuses moral separation. But biblical love is never morally neutral. To love the Lord is to love His character, His commands, His holiness, His truth, and His ways. Therefore, to love the Lord requires hatred of evil.
Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride and arrogancy and the evil way and the froward mouth do I hate.”
Romans 12:9, “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil cleave to that which is good.”
It is possible to be annoyed by the consequences of sin without truly hating sin. A man may hate what sin costs him, but still love the sin itself. True repentance goes deeper. It learns to hate evil because evil is against God. This hatred must begin with one’s own sin before it is applied to the world around him. The believer must not merely hate evil in culture, politics, entertainment, or enemies. He must hate evil in his own heart.
Psalm 97:10 continues, “he preserveth the souls of his saints he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.” The Lord guards His people. This does not mean believers will never suffer physically. Many saints have been persecuted, imprisoned, beaten, and killed. But God preserves them in the deepest and most important sense. He guards their souls, keeps them unto final salvation, and delivers them according to His perfect will.
John 10:27-29, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.”
2 Timothy 4:18, “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
The Lord may allow the bodies of His saints to suffer at the hands of wicked men, but He does not surrender their souls. Their lives are in His hand. Their final destiny is secure. Their enemies may rage, but they cannot overthrow the preserving grace of God.
Psalm 97:11 says, “Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart.” This is a beautiful picture. Light is planted like seed. The righteous may not see the full harvest immediately, but God has already sown light for them. The path may be dark for a season, but light has been planted by God and will rise in due time.
The same is true of gladness. The upright in heart may endure hardship, discipline, persecution, loss, and sorrow, but gladness has been sown for them. The harvest is certain because the Lord reigns. Every act of obedience, every sacrifice, every denial of sin, every stand for righteousness, every faithful step in darkness is not wasted before God.
Galatians 6:8-9, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”
Psalm 112:4, “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious and full of compassion and righteous.”
Psalm 97:12 concludes, “Rejoice in the LORD ye righteous and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.” The psalm began by calling the earth to rejoice in the Lord’s reign, and it ends by calling the righteous to lead the way in that rejoicing. God’s people should not wait for the world to worship rightly. The righteous should rejoice first, worship first, give thanks first, and bear witness first.
The rejoicing is “in the LORD.” This matters. The believer’s deepest joy is not in circumstances, possessions, health, success, politics, family, ministry, or comfort. Those things may be blessings, but they are not the foundation. The righteous rejoice in the Lord Himself.
The final phrase is striking, “give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.” Many people want to thank God for mercy, provision, forgiveness, healing, or protection, and rightly so. But Psalm 97 calls believers to give thanks for His holiness. God’s holiness means He is not like man. He is pure, set apart, righteous, faithful, and morally perfect. If God were not holy, His power would terrify us, His mercy could not be trusted, His promises would be uncertain, and His kingdom would not be righteous. Because He is holy, He is worthy of thanks.
Isaiah 6:3, “And one cried unto another and said Holy holy holy is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Revelation 4:8, “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night saying Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come.”
Psalm 97 therefore teaches that the Lord’s reign is both joyful and fearful. It is joyful to those who love Him, and fearful to those who oppose Him. His throne is founded upon righteousness and justice. His presence melts mountains. His glory shames idols. His judgments make Zion glad. His people must hate evil, trust His preserving care, walk in the light He has sown, rejoice in Him, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
