“Robed in Majesty” from the lesson series Royal Psalms, October 2021
our Scripture
The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty;
The Lord is robed, enveloped in strength.
The world is firmly established;
it cannot be shaken.
2 Your throne has been established
from the beginning;
You are from eternity.
3 The floods have lifted up, Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their pounding waves.
4 Greater than the roar of many waters—
the mighty breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is majestic.5 Lord, Your testimonies are completely reliable;
holiness is the beauty of Your house
for all the days to come.Psalm 93:1-5
| NASB Psalm 93:1-5 NASB | NIV Psalm 93:1-5 NIV | NLT Psalm 93:1-5 NLT | NCV Psalm 93:1-5 NCV | MSG Psalm 93:1-5 MESSAGE |
| KJV Psalm 93:1-5 KJV | NKJV Psalm 93:1-5 NKJV | HCSB Psalm 93:1-5 HCSB | ESV Psalm 93:1-5 ESV | SPANISH Psalm 93:1-5 RVA60 |
our lesson
The Psalms that are considered “royal” hold a magnificent place in the collection of Hebrew poetic literature. Almost every Jewish theologian agrees that these Psalms speak of things which will take place during the times of the Messiah. Ultimately, these psalms proclaim the fundamental principle that the Lord reigns.
The reign of the Lord is not a haphazard reign. His kingdom expresses a life of majesty. James Montgomery Boice says that majesty is “an attribute that links God’s holiness and God’s sovereignty.”
Messianic Themes
Let’s think back to the Messianic themes we discovered as we studied through the second Psalm. We will be looking for the development of these themes through each of the Royal Psalms. The themes may not be in this order, and they may not use the exact words.
- The Lord Reigns – the story of a King and His kingdom
- The nations oppose God and His people in rage
- The Lord sends His Anointed One
- The Lord’s people are blessed
The message of John the Baptist and indeed Jesus Himself proclaimed “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, Matthew 10:5-8, 23 Mark 1:13-14, Luke 10:9). In the NIV translation of the Bible, Jesus mentions the kingdom (either of God or heaven) 106 times. The kingdom explains God’s presence with His people. It proclaims the leadership structure of His people. The kingdom presents God’s people with the territory ruled by its king.
Enthronement Psalms
As we read the idea of God reigning through each of the “enthronement psalms” (Psalm 47, Psalm 93, Psalm 94, Psalm 95, Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, Psalm 99) picture not just the nation of Israel which is the first scene of the kingdom we begin to understand. Notice also the ultimate presence of the church and a kingdom that knows no earthly territorial bounds. This kingdom finds the Lord reigning, a covenant with moral demands of justice and righteousness, centered upon Zion, and a call for all nations to tremble before God.
There is no certain indication how this 93rd psalm was used. Most commentators believe the Psalm was sung during the Festival of Booths (Sukkoth). The Septuagint has the title “For the day before the Sabbath, when the land was resettled; a hymn of praise by David.” The Talmud states that this psalm was used every Friday by Levites in the Temple. The rhythm and meter of the psalm changes from a 4+4 meter to a 3+3+3 meter. God’s glory is seen everywhere.
H.C. Leupold wrote, “This brief psalm is mighty in utterance, colorful in language, and a strong incentive to faith.” In a sense, Psalm 93 is an unfolding of the truth of a simple verse from Psalm 92:8. “But you, O Lord, are exalted forever.”
The Lord Reigns
“The Lord reigns.” You don’t have to say it in so many words to believe its truth and understand its implications. The phrase “The Lord reigns” is the cry at the outset of several of these psalms (Psalm 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1; compare with Psalm 47:8). There is a distinct difference in the flavor of these verses when compared to a timeless statement like Psalm 95:3. If nothing else, the phrase should end with an exclamation mark!
Some theologians have suggested these psalms have their origin in a festival celebrating the Lord’s position as Israel’s true king. These Jewish scholars see these psalms connected to the Feast of Tabernacles at the onset of the Jewish new year. They see these feasts celebrating God’s epiphany and enthronement. Their presuppositions connect these feasts with over 40 of the psalms. The Tabernacle feast would re-enact the drama of creation, culminating in a battle against the sea and its monsters (Psalm 89:9-11). In time, the Lord would ascend to the top of Mt. Zion in victory. The people would cry, “The Lord has become king!” This was considered “The Day of the Lord.”
Messianic Kingdom
Others see the psalms as a prophetic reference to the kingdom of the Messiah. If the phrase itself is Messianic, theologians would recognize a parallel with the phrase, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17).
One of the recent trends in interpreting and understanding the psalms is to accept that they are intrinsically tied to the liturgy of the worship experience.
Proclamation
“The Lord reigns” has the sound of a proclamation. Some compare it to a similar announcement in 2 Kings 9:13. A stronger parallel can be seen in Isaiah’s picture of an announcement of victory reaching a depressed and despondent Jerusalem through the shout of the running messenger (Isaiah 52:7).
The Lord reigns first over His kingdom but ultimately over the entire world. Messianic psalms or prophecy want us to see the ultimate story through the lens of history. The day will come when the lens is removed and we see only the Messiah and His kingdom. The power of the King of kings and Lord of lords, having overcome every darkness and enemy (Isaiah 24:23, Obadiah 1:21, Zechariah 14:9, Revelation 11:15-17, Revelation 19:6).
Reigns with Majesty
Kings in the ancient world served in leadership first representing the king’s reign to people. The king displayed his values and personality to his own people. He also served as the kingdom’s greatest ambassador to the outside world. The robe represented the attire of the king in this role with people.
The psalmist proclaims the Lord reigns while “robed in majesty” (Psalm 93:1). This expresses a Hebrew poetic idiom associating God with His glory and how He demonstrates that glory in His creation. Webster defines majesty as sovereign power, authority or dignity. The sovereignty of God is the teaching that God is the supreme authority of everything and that all things are under His control. Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines God’s sovereignty as His “absolute right to do all things according to His own good pleasure.” The question whether God’s sovereignty is consistent with the ability of humans to make meaningful decisions.”
Look at some other Scriptures referring to the majesty of God.
- 1 Chronicles 29:11, 25
- Psalm 21:5
- Psalm 45:3-4
- Isaiah 2:10, 21
- Psalm 96:6
- Psalm 104:1
- Micah 5:4
- Psalm 145:5, 12
- Hebrews 1:3
Such a Thing as Glory
Pause for a moment and ponder another word associated with majesty. The word “glory” walks hand in hand with majesty. We often speak of “giving God glory.” We think of glory as meaning dignity, honor, praise and worship. I cannot “give” God more dignity, He already has that in perfection. What I can do recognizes how His dignity affects me. The result understands how God’s glory impacts my life. I apply God’s reign to living.
But the king also served in leadership of the military of the kingdom. The king not only authored the strategy of the military, he led by example in championing the strength of the fight. When the kingdom would go to war, the king often physically led the battle. The king’s clothing represented his preparation for battle. The psalmist tells us the Lord has put on strength as His belt (Psalm 93:1). The belt held the weapons of the king.
Blessed by Majesty
One of the most incredible things about the Bible is its unexpected character and development of its content. Just when we think things are coming to an end, seemingly out of no where, the writer takes us to something that is fresh, that applies truth in a way that stretches us or takes us somewhere we didn’t expect to go. This is exactly what is before us in Psalm 93:5.
The rules you set down are completely reliable.
Holiness aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever.
Following verse four, we expect the psalm to end around the throne of God. We expect a summary of praise upholding the Lord as King.
Instead, the psalmist points us to how the King effects the citizens of the kingdom. Both principles mentioned in verse five speak vibrantly into the world today. God’s rules – His Law, His plan – prove completely reliable. Do you see the contrast between this and the way of the world? The world right now does not know who or what to believe. Bombarded by “experts” contradicting one another regularly, the answer for many sees no absolute truth. Everyone’s answer promotes their own “truth.” But that approach leaves us confused and chaotic.
Reliable
God’s rules are reliable. Always. The same. You can walk with confidence when you follow His ways.
The last part of the verse makes your walk powerful to the world. “Holiness aptly adorns your house.” We understand that God is holy, but notice what the psalmist is really saying. He doesn’t affirm God’s holiness – he affirms that God’s house stands adorned (clothed or “robed”, right?) with holiness. What, or who, is God’s house? Gasp at how the Message translates Paul’s words:
You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God. and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred – and you, remember ARE the temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16 MESSAGE
Holy
Your character affirms the reliability of God’s words. Holiness – a God-like quality which demonstrates integrity not perfection in us – shows the world that our God reigns in a trustworthy manner. When the nations rage, fight the temptation to rage back. Demonstrate the truth of God by your holiness.