The Majesty of the LORD.
Psalm 93 – NIV
1 The Lord reigns, Ps 97:1 he is robed in majesty; Ps 21:5, Ps 104:1 The Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; PS 65:6 indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. Ps 96:10
2 Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. Ps 45:6
3 The seas Ps 96:11, 98:7 have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; PS 46:3 the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Ps 107:25, 29
4 Mightier than the thunder PS 65:7 of the great waters, mightier than the breakers Ps 18:4 of the sea – the Lord on high is mighty.
5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm; holiness PS 29:2, 96:9 adorns your house Ps 5:7, Ps 23:6 for endless days.
Psalm 93 – AMP
1 The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty and splendor; The LORD has clothed and encircled Himself with strength; the world is firmly established, 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 pounding waves.
4 More than the sounds of many waters, More than the mighty breakers of the sea, The LORD on high is mighty.
5 Your precepts are fully confirmed and completely reliable; Holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, forever.
In Psalm 93 the psalmist exulted over the reign of the Lord, who has established His throne on high above the oceans and dwells in His holy temple. (See Note 1 at the bottom)
A. The Lord establishes His reign (93:1–2)
1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2 Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.
Psalm 93:1–2. The psalmist foresaw the Lord reigning majestically on the earth, armed with strength. Clothing in the Old Testament was considered an extension of a person; so the expression robed in majesty describes the Lord as majestic and powerful in His reign.
Also by His rule the whole world will be firmly established. This means that all the moral and legal orders of life will be solidified under His dominion. Since His throne was established in eternity past, His reign on earth is solidly insured. (See Note 1 at the bottom)
Psalm 97:1, “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.”
Psalm 21:5, “Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.”
Psalm 104:1, “Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty.”
Psalm 65:6, “Who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength.”
Psalm 24:2, “For he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.”
Psalm 78:69, “He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.”
Psalm 119:90, “Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.”
Psalm 96:10, “Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”
Psalm 45:6, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.”
What did I/we learn about God’s nature?
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What did I/we learn about human nature?
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What should be My/our response or application?
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B. The Lord is mighty (93:3–4)
3 The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the Lord on high is mighty.
Psalm 93:3–4. The psalmist praised the might of the Lord, which is greater than the seas with their raging waves and roaring noise. In the Old Testament the sea is sometimes an emblem of hostility. In pagan Canaanite mythology Baal attained a position of power (and a house that was corrupt) through struggling with and overcoming Prince Yamm, the sea (in Heb. yām means “sea”). But these two verses, a polemic against Baalism, show that the Lord, not Baal, is mightier than the … sea. The sea is not mythological; it is a force of nature under God’s power (e.g., the Red Sea).
(See Note 1 at the bottom)
Psalm 96:11, “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.”
Psalm 98:7, “Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
Psalm 46:3, “though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
Psalm 107:25, 29, “For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves . . . He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.”
Psalm 65:7, “who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves”
Psalm 18:4, “The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.”
What did I/we learn about God’s nature?
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What did I/we learn about human nature?
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What should be My/our response or application?
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C. The Lord’s house is holy (93:5)
5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days.
Psalm 93:5. Because the house of the Lord is filled with holiness (in contrast with Baal’s corrupt place) the Lord’s commands are sure. Holiness is the quality that sets the Lord apart from all others. It is made known by His power. This psalm has praised God’s power, the evidence that He is alive and active, unlike pagan gods. Because He rules in power and holiness, everyone is to follow His statutes. (See Note 1 at the bottom)
Psalm 29:2, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”
Psalm 96:9, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.”
Psalm 5:7, “But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple.”
Psalm 23:6, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
What did I/we learn about God’s nature?
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What did I/we learn about human nature?
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What should be My/our response or application?
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Note 1 – Allen P. Ross, “Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 861.