“The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!” (v1-6,10-12)
At quick glance this is another straight-forward psalm of praise, titled “The Lord Reigns”. Though written poetically, some of the language chosen is quite interesting when we examine it.
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne” – God exudes these qualities, so it makes sense His entire kingdom would be based on these.
“His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth” – natural disasters (violent storms and volcanoes) are often defined as acts of God. “An act of God is a natural catastrophe which no one can prevent such as an earthquake, a tidal wave, a volcanic eruption, a hurricane or a tornado. An act of God is generally considered an act attributable to nature without human interference.” (uslegal.com). Unfortunately, using the phrase doesn’t mean the people actually believe in God…
“The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.” – This could be taken a couple of different ways. Maybe literally, in the sense that angels sing God’s praise. Maybe metaphorically, that all of the stars and celestial bodies bear the mark of their amazing Creator. Either way, God’s glory is visible, whether or not we choose to attribute it to Him.
“Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.” – my favorite line from the whole Psalm. In biblical terms, light is synonymous with God and righteousness. To think that light and joy are sown (planted) so they may grow and flourish into an amazing end result, for those who will inherit God’s kingdom, is a fantastic word picture. Jesus Himself uses farming metaphors because they fit so well with how the kingdom of God operates (eg. like a mustard seed Mt 13:31-32) and they were easy for the people to grasp (many were or knew farmers). This line just sticks in my mind as I picture the light and joy of Christ gradually growing in someone as they grow in their walk with God – it brings a smile to my face.
What does this mean for us today? Well, I suggest not giving up or becoming complacent in our walk with God. If we continue rooting ourselves in Jesus, allowing His rivers of living water to flow through and from our hearts, the righteousness and joy of the Lord can’t help but grow within us – then others will see the Spirit’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control overflowing from within us. (Jn 7:38 & Gal 5:22-23 par.)
Father God, we bring our praise and worship before You, the Creator and Sovereign of the universe. May our hearts be fully surrendered to Jesus and his rivers of living water, so not only the heavens, but we too declare Your glory to the nations. May Your righteousness and joy continue to grow within us, as we seek the One who makes the whole earth tremble. All honor, glory and praise be to You, the One True King. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training