Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, July 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Bible Commentaries
Kingcomments on the Whole Bible Kingcomments
Copyright Statement
Kingcomments on the Whole Bible © 2021 Author: G. de Koning. All rights reserved. Used with the permission of the author
No part of the publications may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author.
Kingcomments on the Whole Bible © 2021 Author: G. de Koning. All rights reserved. Used with the permission of the author
No part of the publications may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author.
Bibliographical Information
de Koning, Ger. Commentaar op Psalms 97". "Kingcomments on the Whole Bible". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/kng/psalms-97.html. 'Stichting Titus' / 'Stichting Uitgeverij Daniël', Zwolle, Nederland. 2021.
de Koning, Ger. Commentaar op Psalms 97". "Kingcomments on the Whole Bible". https://www.studylight.org/
Whole Bible (43)Old Testament (1)Individual Books (5)
Verses 1-5
Introduction
In Psalm 97, the last verse of the previous psalm is discussed at length, pointing to the coming of the Messiah (Psalms 96:13). In the psalm we now have before us, the Messiah appears. This event and its consequences are sung about here. The message to Mary about the reign of the Son she will receive is prophetically presented (Luke 1:32).
Isaiah exclaims: âHow lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news ⦠[and] âsays to Zion, âYour God reigns!ââ [or: âYour God is Kingâ] (Isaiah 52:7; cf. Psalms 93:1). Already in Psalm 96, this message was passed on by Zion to the world: âThe LORD is Kingâ (Psalms 96:10). This is now further explored in Psalm 97 and Psalm 99. Accordingly, both psalms begin with the exclamation: âThe LORD [Yahweh] reigns [or: is King]â (Psalms 97:1; Psalms 99:1; cf. Revelation 19:6; Revelation 11:15-Esther :).
The LORD Reigns
The psalmist exclaims that âthe LORD reignsâ [literally, âYahweh is Kingâ] (Psalms 97:1). He sits on the throne. The universe is not ruled by natural laws or the authority of an evil power. There is a sovereign Ruler, Who is wise, holy, just and understanding. Therefore: âLet the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad.â To this end they are called. The many islands are mentioned separately because they are far away (Jeremiah 31:10). But they too may rejoice, for the blessing of the Messiahâs reign comes to them also. The LORD is not only King over Israel, He is the King of kings, He rules over the whole earth.
The LORD, that is the Messiah, envelops Himself in âclouds and thick darknessâ (Psalms 97:2). These features indicate that what He does cannot be followed by humans. How could mortal men understand Him in His inimitable judicial acts? They will acknowledge them, without realizing their depth. This does not mean that in Him there is darkness. God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5; Psalms 104:2; 1 Timothy 6:16). Creatures cannot fathom that light. To us humans, therefore, He is surrounded by dark clouds.
He rules in ârighteousness and justiceâ. His rule is perfect. A judicial error does not occur, let alone a twisting of the law. âThe foundation of His throneâ consists precisely in the exercise of utter justice. His government will be salutary after all the corrupt governments of which the world has been full before His coming. His kingdom is not founded on arbitrariness, as is so often the case with governments today, but on righteousness and justice. Therefore, His reign endures forever (Proverbs 16:12; Proverbs 25:5).
He not only pronounces righteous judgments, but also executes them. We see this in the âfireâ that goes âbefore Himâ (Psalms 97:3). Fire here represents the consuming judgment on sin (cf. Leviticus 10:1-Exodus :). God is a consuming fire, both in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 4:24) and in the New Testament (Hebrews 12:29). His holiness does not tolerate sin in His presence (cf. 1 Peter 1:16). That is what âHis adversariesâ will experience when He âburns up ⦠round aboutâ (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-Ruth :; Psalms 68:2).
In addition to the flame around Him that consumes everything that does not submit to His holiness, there are âHis lightningsâ (Psalms 97:4). Lightning flashes also make a deep impression. They illuminate the world and reveal everything in it. They are the sudden, inimitable deliverers of Godâs judgments. âThe earth saw and trembledâ, for they are terrifying and irresistible. Such an outpouring of power the earth has never seen.
âThe mountainsâ, symbols of stability and immobility, âmelted like wax at the presence of the LORDâ (Psalms 97:5; cf. Micah 1:4). So consuming is His appearance. Nothing will stand when He appears and judges. This judgment belongs to Him because He is âthe Lord of the whole earthâ. He is Adonai, the sovereign Ruler of the universe Who shows His presence to the earth.
Verses 6-7
All Gods Worship Him
When the LORD appears, He comes from heaven, where everything is in accordance with âHis righteousnessâ (Psalms 97:6). He is Himself the declaration of heaven. âAll the peoplesâ on earth will see âHis gloryâ when He appears. When the LORD appears, He will come as âa righteous God and a Saviorâ [or âa Redeemerâ, literal translation] (Isaiah 45:21). This means that the justice or righteousness of God will be seen in His acts of redemption.
His appearance also includes judgment on those âwho serve graven imagesâ and âboast themselves of idolsâ (Psalms 97:7). It will bring shame on them. They, in their folly, have lowered themselves to idolatry and have boasted of their self-made idols. Those would help them.
In doing so, they have defied God and denied Him. When they come face to face with the true God, there is nothing left of their senseless reliance on their idols (Isaiah 2:20). âAll ⦠godsâ to whom they have worshiped must worship the LORD. âGodsâ are all kinds of authority figures, in the visible and the invisible world (cf. Daniel 10:13; Daniel 10:20-Ecclesiastes :). Here angels are meant first and foremost, as is evident from the quotation of this phrase in the letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 1:6).
Verses 8-9
The Most High
âZion heardâ of the Messiahâs expulsion of the rebels and idolaters âand was gladâ (Psalms 97:8). The same is true of âthe daughters of Judahâ, referring to the villages and towns in Judah. The judgments of the LORD cause joy to all who are associated with Him. They share in His feelings about evil and rejoice in the judgment He executes over it (cf. Revelation 18:20). The judgments of God mean that the remnant will be delivered from their enemies; therefore they rejoice (Psalms 48:12).
Now it is clear to everyone Who is âthe LORD Most High over all the earthâ (Psalms 97:9). It is none other than the âLORDâ. The name âGod Most Highâ (Genesis 14:18-Song of Solomon :), El Elyon, is the title of God in the realm of peace. Here we see that the LORD, as the Most High, is exalted far above all gods.
The remnant and all who acknowledge Him in His dominion say to Him: âYou are exalted far above all gods.â He is to be compared with none; He far exceeds all conceivable rulers. He is âthe ruler of the kings of the earthâ (Revelation 1:5), âthe King of kings and the Lord of lordsâ (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16; cf. Deuteronomy 10:17). He is also higher than the angels (Hebrews 1:5-1 Chronicles :).
Verses 10-12
Light Is Sown
In these verses, the word is addressed to the remnant. They are addressed as âyou who love the LORDâ (Psalms 97:10). This characterizes them. Loving the LORD is not just an emotional thing; it is a choice of the heart. It is a choice to, with all that is in a person, love Him, be faithful to Him, and trust in His covenant. To that, âhate evilâ is connected directly. It is a lie to say to love God and not simultaneously hate all that is evil (cf. 1 John 1:6). To love the LORD means to hate all that He hates (cf. Proverbs 8:13).
The prophet Amos also presented these two characteristics (Amos 5:14-Ezra :). Those who have both of these characteristics are âHis godly onesâ. They are in His favor because they are faithful to Him. Their souls, their lives, He preserves. Godly ones, Hebrew chasid, are those who are faithful to the covenant. âHe delivers them from the hand of the wicked.â He stands up for them and will not allow His adversaries to take final control of them.
The coming of the Messiah is like the sowing of light (Psalms 97:11). After all, He is called âthe sun of righteousnessâ (Malachi 4:2). He makes known to âthe righteousâ the way to the realm of peace and goes before them on that way. It never gets dark on that way and in their hearts. He irradiates that way with His light. That light is sown also means that it is intended to bring forth fruit, fruit that corresponds to the seed. That is seen in those who walk as children of light (cf. Proverbs 4:18; Ephesians 5:7-1 Samuel :).
The sowing of light also results in joy. There is no true joy without light, just as there is no light that does not produce joy. His coming means âgladness for the upright in heartâ. All who have their heart set on Him are upright in heart. It is their desire that He be glorified. This can be seen in their lives as well, for they do His will.
The last verse is a call to all the ârighteous onesâ to âbe glad in the LORDâ (Psalms 97:12). He has wondrously turned everything for the better for them with His power. Therefore, they are called to give thanks and to do so âto His holy nameâ, literally âfor the memory of His holinessâ.
The name LORD is in remembrance of the redemption from Egypt (Exodus 3:15). We may celebrate the Lordâs Supper in remembrance of the Lord Jesus. The remnant in the future will praise the LORD in remembrance of His holiness. Their prayer in the time of the great tribulation is: âHallowed be Your nameâ (Matthew 6:9). The holiness of the Name of the LORD is connected to the fate of His people (Ezekiel 36:20-Hosea :). The exile was to the dishonor of the LORDâs holiness, while the redemption of Israel, both outwardly and inwardly, is to the honor of the holiness of His Name!
It is not His love for and mercy on them that cause us to praise Him, but His holiness. It is precisely His holiness that proves His complete reckoning with sin, by which any threat of a disturbance of the peace is nullified. They can enjoy the blessing of His reign undisturbed with praise and thanks and joy.