Psalm 97 explained: The Lord Reigns Over All

A king worth celebrating (vv. 1-2)

The psalm opens by announcing that the LORD is king, and calls even the far-off coastlands, meaning the most distant nations, to be glad about it. God is hidden in cloud and darkness, yet his rule rests on what is right and fair.

Storm, fire and melting mountains (vv. 3-6)

These images echo the storm and fire on Mount Sinai, when Israel believed God had come close. They picture a God so powerful that solid mountains melt like wax, and whose fairness is as plain as the sky.

Idols put to shame (v. 7)

People who trust carved statues of gods will find those gods cannot help them. The command for 'all gods' to bow may mean the gods of other nations or heavenly beings; an early Greek translation read it as 'angels,' and the New Testament letter to the Hebrews uses that reading to describe angels worshipping Jesus, as Christians read it.

Jerusalem and Judah rejoice (vv. 8-9)

Zion, another name for Jerusalem, and the towns of Judah are glad because God judges rightly. They see him as higher than every power or god any nation could name.

Light for the faithful (vv. 10-12)

Those who love God are urged to reject evil, trusting that he protects them from people who would harm them. The Hebrew of verse 11 says light is 'sown' like seed, though many scholars think it originally said light 'dawns'; either way the picture is joy that grows and breaks through.

Key verse: Psalm 97:2

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on whether this psalm mainly describes God's rule as it already is now, or looks ahead to a future kingdom that some tie directly to Jesus' return.

Something to think about

When the world feels like clouds and thick darkness, what, if anything, makes it possible for you to believe that fairness still sits at the foundation of things?